While driving at highway speeds on the freeway in my 2021 Cadillac CT4-V, the vehicle experienced a sudden, catastrophic loss of propulsion. Without warning, the transmission dropped out of gear as if it were in neutral. I completely lost the ability to accelerate, creating an immediate, life-threatening hazard as I was left stranded and blocking high-speed freeway traffic. Only after the mechanical failure occurred did the check engine light illuminate. The vehicle was towed to Cadillac Dealership. The service department confirmed that the vehicle suffered from the known defective transmission control valve covered under GM Special Coverage Bulletin N242480631 and tied to the federal safety agency Campaign 25V148. The dealership ordered the replacement valve body but aborted the repair after confirming that the control valve's failure caused massive internal fluid leaks and total mechanical destruction of the transmission assembly. The manufacturer is currently denying coverage for the complete transmission replacement, despite the fact that the total failure was consequential damage directly caused by the federally recalled, component defect.
The worst 2021 Cadillac CT4 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Engine3
- Fuel system2
- Acceleration1
- Driver assistance1
- Electrical1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Engine3
- Fuel system2
- Acceleration1
- Driver assistance1
- Electrical1
- Steering1
- Suspension1
- Tires1
- Transmission1
Recalls 4
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Cadillac CT6, 2020-2021 CT4, CT5, and 2020-2022 Chevrolet Camaro vehicles equipped with a 10-speed transmission. The transmission may become damaged internally and cause the wheels to lock-up.
- Risk
- Wheel lock-up while driving increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install transmission control module monitoring software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 7, 2025. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1‑800‑333‑4223 or Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020. GM's number for this recall is N242480630.
Recall number 25V148000 · Recall details
Exterior lighting: lighting control module: software
- What is wrong
- General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Cadillac CT4 and CT5; 2021-2023 Buick Envision; and 2022-2023 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. The daytime running lights (DRLs) may not deactivate when the headlights are on. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
- Risk
- DRLs that do not deactivate as intended may result in a glare, reducing visibility, and increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- The body control module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 23, 2023. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1‑888‑988‑7267, Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020, or Cadillac customer service at 1‑800‑458‑8006. GM's number for this recall is N222386380. This recall expands previous recall number 22V‑827.
Recall number 22V903000 · Recall details
Air bags: side/window: curtain
- What is wrong
- General Motors, LLC. (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Cadillac CT4 and CT5 vehicles. The roof rail side-curtain air bags may not have been installed correctly, which could result in an improper air bag deployment during a crash.
- Risk
- Air bags that do not deploy properly can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect both left and right-side roof rail air bags and reinstall the air bags, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on August 30, 2021. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1‑800‑458‑8006. GM's number for this recall is N212342780.
Recall number 21V611000 · Recall details
Air bags: SRS malfunction warning lamp/light
- What is wrong
- General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Buick Envision, Cadillac CT4, CT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Corvette, Suburban, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL vehicles. The communications gateway module incorrectly processes a loss of communication with the sensing diagnostic module (SDM), causing the air bag malfunction indicator light to inconsistently illuminate.
- Risk
- The air bag malfunction indicator light may fail to warn the driver of a problem with the air bag, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- The communications gateway module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 1, 2021. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1‑800‑521‑7300, Cadillac customer service at 1‑800‑458‑8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020, or GMC customer service at 1‑800‑462‑8782. GM's number for this recall is N212338110.
Recall number 21V421000 · Recall details
See all 4 recalls for the 2021 Cadillac CT4
Defect investigations
Air Bag Malfunction
On April 9, 2021, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE21-010 to investigate instances of air bag malfunction indicator light (MIL) illumination and potential for frontal air bag non-deployment in several vehicles manufactured by General Motors (GM). The vehicles included model year (MY) 2020 through 2021 CT4 and CT5 passenger cars, Sierra and Silverado trucks (1500/2500/3500 models), XT4 and MY 2021 Escalade, Suburban, Tahoe, Yukon SUVs.Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 21-NA-005, issued in March 2021, addresses air bag MIL illumination with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) B0001-1B or B0012-0D. It cites rust particles in the connection terminal interface of the driver air bag inflator housing as the cause of the air bag MIL illumination. Illumination of the air bag MIL under these circumstances may result in a non-deployment of the frontal driver air bag during a frontal collision and increased risk of injury to the driver.GM stated a correlation exists between production delays due to the pandemic shutdown and premature corrosion initiation on the surface of the air bag inflator housing, which, in some cases, caused rust development during a seven (7) month period of vehicle production. In the rare instance when a rust particle dislodges from the driver air bag inflator housing and enters the air bag connector prior to assembly, an intermittent resistance spike at the air bag connector may result. The condition generates excessive resistance in the air bag electrical system when the steering wheel horn cover is manipulated or the steering wheel is turned. This excessive resistance is momentary. A crash commanding air bag deployment would need to occur exactly when the momentary excessive resistance occurs. Thus, there is a very low likelihood the hazard will present a risk during a crash of sufficient severity to warrant a commanded deployment. This failure mechanism occurs early in life and results in an air bag MIL illumination that corresponds to a DTC warning the driver that the vehicle requires service. The vehicle's air bag remains functional while the MIL is illuminated, and the DTC is present.Once the connection of the driver air bag module to the clockspring is made at the plant, or at the dealership for service, there is no longer an opportunity for rust migration into the connection point. The connector is sealed and has gold terminals, eliminating the expectation of fretting corrosion. All subject vehicles passed standard corrosion validation testing for extensive corrosion with no issue of air bag non-deployment.There is a low rate of occurrence: 1.41 incidents per thousand vehicles (IPTV) for all related occurrences, and 0.04 IPTV for occurrences with a mention of visible rust and/or corrosion on the air bag inflator housing. The average occurrence mileage for the subject vehicles is approximately 2,100. Every occurrence related to the alleged defect experienced an air bag MIL illumination and there are no verified allegations of air bag non-deployment within all data sources.To date, there have been no reported fires, crashes, injuries, or fatalities related to this issue. In view of the low rate, and the nature of early-life failure, the high detectability of failures, and low potential hazard to drivers, this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that a safety-related defect does not exist. The agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances.Review the ODI reports cited above at under the following identification numbers: 11537927, 11528888, 11525020, 11521401, 11506057, 11493107, 11486767, 11441525, 11433146, 11425658, 11423440, 11385267, 11376429, 11373466, 11366995.
PE21010
Technical service bulletins for the 2021 Cadillac CT4 816
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Special Coverage
- Special Coverage
- This service bulletin provides information about GM Accessories
- Unknown or other
- Unknown or other
- This PI provides Diagnostics tips on how the LIN bus works and how to diagnosis it.
- This PI communicates the proper part numbers for transmission connectors and internal harness to prevent...
- This PI advises of a procedure for a Service Door Latch System message with No Related DTCs
- Unknown or other
- Unknown or other
What 2021 Cadillac CT4 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Check engine light for P1467 on a 2021 CT4 V. This is for a "purge pump underspeed" issue. The issue is known on CT4 Cadillacs and has an active recall out: N242441120 Evaporative Emissions Purge Pump. This recall is only for the 2.0, LSY engines, but the much more uncommon 2.7, L3B engine in my car uses the same part # for the purge pump. It feels as though they are intentionally ignoring an equal emissions issue, but just on a smaller scale with the limited number of these engines they sold. What actions can I take?
There is a known issue with hesitation and hard shifting on my vehicle. According to the gm bulletin that was released I believe in may of 25 my year, make and model has a known issue where the transmission control valve may stick or wear causing jerking and shifting issues and could cause a possible crash. According to the bulletin by gm the fix is to replace the valve cover on the transmission. My vehicle is currently at the Cadillac repair center for this shifting issue and it has been diagnosed to need a valve cover replacement to solve the problem. My point is I have the exact problem listed in the recall and the exact repair listed on gm’s bulletin is the solution. Now I have to pay for the repair because my vin is not specifically listed yet but my year, make and model and problem and the solution is all listed . I know I’m apart of this recall please help me
valve body failed and was supposedly repaired. I had the car 1 day and valve body failed again. My car has been in the shop since November 4, 2024 with no estimated time of repair because no parts are available. I was told they would replace the transmission. That has not happened yet. No parts available. My car has been disable for 6 months.
Engine and transmission for the second time in 90 days apart. Supposedly be a new part. I don’t think so.
While driving the power steering was lost. The the auto hold function lit up. The collision warning light lit up. The stabilitrak system lit up. The air bag safety system lit up. Steering became very hard and made for y safe driving. Later that day 01-22-24, all warning light went out and power steering was normal.
235 40 80 run flat Both front and rear passenger tires no damage to rim less that 10k miles
Compare the 2021 Cadillac CT4
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Questions about the 2021 Cadillac CT4
Is the 2021 Cadillac CT4 reliable?
Owners have filed 7 complaints about the 2021 Cadillac CT4, close to a typical CT4 model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2021 Cadillac CT4?
Engine and cooling, with 3 complaints. Next is fuel system (2).
How many recalls does the 2021 Cadillac CT4 have?
4 recalls, covering power train, exterior lighting and air bags.
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