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2006 Cadillac CTS problems

The most common problem on the 2006 Cadillac CTS is airbags, typically around 64,000 miles. It has 2.7 times the complaints of a typical CTS model year.

Year to avoid2.7x the typical complaints
Year score
36/100
Owner complaints
269
Recalls
6
Service bulletins
715
Worst area
Airbags
Fuel economy
17-19mpg
Typical repair
$800

The worst 2006 Cadillac CTS problems

Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.

Problems by type

Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.

Specific symptoms reported on the 2006 Cadillac CTS

Airbag light 46ABS 19Brake failure 10No deployment 9Stalling 9Grinding brakes 8Check engine light 6Fuel gauge 6Jerking 5Loss of power 5Wipers 5

Recalls 6

Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pumpReported September 9, 2014 · 10,005 vehicles affected
What is wrong
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2007 Cadillac CTS-V vehicles manufactured October 6, 2003, to March 15, 2007, and 2006-2007 Cadillac STS-V vehicles manufactured June 23, 2005, to March 15, 2007. In the affected vehicles, the electrical terminals of the fuel pump module may overheat resulting in the melting of the flange material.
Risk
If the flange melts, a hole may be created allowing the fuel pump to leak fuel, causing the vehicle to stall, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash. Additionally, leaking fuel in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel module and fuel tank jumper harness, free of charge. GM sent out interim notices in late October. The recall began on March 12, 2015. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1‑800‑458‑8006. GM's number for this recall is 14405.

Recall number 14V542000 · Recall details

Electrical system: ignitionReported July 2, 2014 · 554,328 vehicles affected
What is wrong
This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on July 2, 2014 that they are recalling 554,328 model year 2003-2014 Cadillac CTS vehicles manufactured August 16, 2001, to April 28, 2014, and 2004-2006 Cadillac SRX vehicles manufactured March 20, 2003, to August 11, 2006. In these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine.
Risk
If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will install two key rings and an insert in the key slot or a cover over the key head on all ignition keys, free of charge. The recall began on September 15, 2014. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1‑800‑458‑8006. GM's number for this recall is 14172.

Recall number 14V394000 · Recall details

Air bags: frontal: sensor/control module-inactiveReported December 17, 2010 · 95,927 vehicles affected
What is wrong
General motors is recalling certain model year 2005-2007 cadillac cts vehicles. Some of these vehicles have a condition in which repeated flexing of the passenger sensing system mat in the front passenger seat may cause the mat to kink, bend, or fold. This flexing can break the connections in the mat. If this occurs, the sensor may not detect the presence of a front seat passenger and will disable the air bag.
Risk
Non-deployment of the front passenger air bag in the event of a crash necessitating that air bag's deployment may reduce protection of the passenger and increase the risk or severity of injury to them.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the passenger sensing system free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin on or about march 15, 2011. Owners may contact cadillac at 1‑866‑982‑2339, chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438, gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463 and at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.

Recall number 10V644000 · Recall details

Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: hoses, lines/piping, and fittingsReported March 17, 2010 · 139,131 vehicles affected
What is wrong
General motors has notified the federal safety agency of a defect in certain model year 2003-2007 cadillac cts vehicles currently registered in or originally sold in connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, washington d.c., west virginia and wisconsin. Some of these vehicles have a condition in which the front brake hose fitting at the caliper may corrode due to snow or water, containing road salt or other contaminants, entering and being retained in the routing sleeve. If the fitting corrodes significantly, the brake hose-tube interface may develop a leak.
Risk
The brake hose-tube interface may rupture suddenly without prior warning and increase vehicle stopping distance may occur increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers are to replace both front brake hose assemblies free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during may 2010. Owners may contact cadillac at 1‑866‑982‑2339 or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.

Recall number 10V105000 · Recall details

Power train: axle assembly: axle shaft: sealReported December 20, 2007 · 275,936 vehicles affected
What is wrong
On certain passenger vehicles, the rear axle pinion seal does not meet all of the specifications and may experience a fluid leak.
Risk
A rear differential failure may cause loss of motive power and possibly loss of control increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the pinion seal free of charge. The recall began on february 1, 2008. Owners may contact cadillac at 1‑800‑458‑8006 or http://www.cadillac.com; pontiac at 1‑800‑620‑7668 or http://www.pontiac.com; and saturn at 1‑800‑972‑8876 or http://www.saturn.com.

Recall number 07V589000 · Recall details

Fuel system, gasoline: deliveryReported January 25, 2006 · 17,462 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Certain vehicles equipped with v6 engines may have a condition where fuel is no longer supplied to the engine. This condition occurs without the illumination of the fuel level low indicator light or the warning chime.
Risk
If the engine stops running, the operator will not be able to restart the vehicle which could increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will reprogram the electronic control module (ECM) with new software free of charge. Owners were notified in december 2005 and asked to maintain at least 1/4 of a tank fuel level to avoid this condition until the parts are available. The parts are now available, owner renotification began on march 23, 2006. Owners may contact cadillac at 1‑866‑982‑2339.

Recall number 06V020000 · Recall details

See all 6 recalls for the 2006 Cadillac CTS

Defect investigations

IEE Passenger Sensing System MatsOpened February 7, 2011, closed July 19, 2011

On December 17, 2010, General Motors (GM) notified the federal safety agency that it had decided certain 2005 - 2007 model year Cadillac CTS vehicles contain a safety related defect.GM stated that certain CTS vehicles contain a passenger sensing system mat, manufactured by IEE, in the front passenger seat that may flex causing the mat to kink, bend or fold.If this flexing causes the connections in the mat to break, the passenger airbag could become disabled.Non-deployment of the front passenger air bag in the event of a crash necessitating that air bag's deployment may reduce protection of the passenger and increase the risk or severity of injury to them.This issue was assigned recall number 10V‑644.On February 8, 2011, RMD mailed an information request (IR) letter to IEE requesting a list of purchasers for any company that was sold the same or similar defective mats.RMD also requested IEE supply the year, make and models of compatible vehicles for each of the mats it listed in its response.IEE responded on February 15, 2011, reporting that the mats recalled in GM recall 10V‑644 were developed specifically for the 2005-2007 Cadillac CTS.IEE noted that, ...the CTS Sensor Mat is not the same or similar to any other sensor mat manufactured by IEE.IEE further explained that the sensor mats were sold to Lear Corp. (Lear), for incorporation into seat assemblies, with the seat assemblies finally being sold to GM.Also, some sensor mats were sold to Integrated Manufacturing and Assembly, LLC (IMA) who would then re-sell the mats to GM to use as service parts.Ultimately, these parts were all sold to GM for use in the 2005-2007 Cadillac CTS vehicles.According to its 10V‑644 Defect Report, GM reported that some vehicles outside the recall population have ...significantly lower incident rates and will be provided a special coverage.This special coverage includes a free repair should the same issue occur to non-recalled 2005-2007 Cadillac CTS vehicles up to 10 years or 120,000 miles.On April 7, 2011, RMD mailed an IR letter to GM to gather more information on GM's decision to only recall a portion of the vehicles that contained the subject IEE mats.RMD also requested that GM provide updated to current warranty claims, field reports, and other field information for CTS vehicles both recalled and those under the special coverage.On May 19, 2011, GM responded with a letter and several CD attachments that were submitted to the federal safety agency's Office of the Chief Counsel along with a request for confidentiality.GM confirmed that the IEE mats recalled in 10V‑644 were only used in the 2005-2007 Cadillac CTS.GM also explained its reasoning in only recalling a portion of the CTS vehicles containing IEE mats.Due to various production phases, error detections, and false corrections, certain vehicles were more prone to mat failures than other vehicles.GM identified 4 distinct seat assembly production periods and chose to recall CTS vehicles depending on which seat assembly each vehicle received.Examining the data submitted in regards to warranty claims, field reports, and incidents, the CTS vehicles that were included in the safety recall were responsible for about 80% of the overall claims.CTS vehicles included in the special coverage (essentially an extended warranty), those with seat assemblies from other identified production phases, were responsible for about 20% of the overall claims.As GM has provided clear data to support its recall decision and since no other manufacturer has installed these same or similar passenger sensing system mats / seat assemblies in their vehicles, this Equipment Query is satisfied.This EQ is cl

EQ11001

Rear drivetrain component failureOpened December 7, 2007, closed July 16, 2008

In july of 2007 the office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe07-037 to investigate allegations that the rear differential may fail causing a loss of motive power, and in some instances a loss of control, in model year (my) 2004 through 2006 cadillac cts, cts-v, and sts vehicles.as a result of that investigation gm issued recall 07v‑589 to correct a leaking pinion seal problem.ea07-017 was opened to investigate complaints of fractured rear differential housings or rear half shafts in high performance cadillac cts-v vehicles.according to gm, these failures resulted from the cumulative damage from multiple power hop events that can occur during very aggressive driving. In february 2008 investigators from odi met with gm representatives to conduct testing of the subject cts-v vehicles.during the testing the subject vehicles were subjected to considerable torsional forces from standing starts and while driving.power hop occurred during some of the most aggressive driving maneuvers.the testing did not result in failure of any rear drivetrain components.the engineering design and testing data supplied to odi by gm and the results of the testing conducted by odi tend to support gm's position that the differential design is not defective. Complaints listed in the failure report do not include those indicative of failure of the rear pinion seal in cts-v vehicles covered by recall 07v‑589. Further investigation in this matter would not be an efficient allocation of agency resources.accordingly, this investigation is closed.see attached closing report for further details.

EA07017

Failure of the rear differentialOpened July 17, 2007, closed December 27, 2007

Odi evaluated two different alleged defects involving rear drivetrain components during this preliminary evaluation.gm is conducting a recall to address one of the defect conditions and odi has opened an engineering analysis to continue its investigation of the other alleged defect. On december 19, 2007, gm submitted a defect information report to the federal safety agency concerning defective rear axle pinion seals in approximately 275,936 model year (my) 2005-07 cadillac cts, sts and srx vehicles as well as my 2006-07 pontiac solstice and my 2007 saturn sky vehicles (recall 07v‑589).on sts and srx vehicles with all wheel drive, the front axle pinion seal also does not meet all of gm's specifications and may experience a fluid leak.gm indicated that the seal supplier made an unauthorized change to the pinion seal material.leaking pinion seals could result in loss of rear differential lubrication which could result in rear wheel lock-up and loss of vehicle control. On december 7, 2007, odi opened an engineering analysis (ea07-017) to investigate complaints of rear drivetrain component failure (e.g., fractured rear differential carrier housing or rear axle half shafts) while driving in approximately 7,600 my 2004 through 2006 cadillac cts-v vehicles.this condition may result in a loss of motive power and vehicle disablement and is not addressed by recall 07v‑589.odi identified 35 complaints (16 to odi and 19 to gm) and 128 warranty claims potentially related to this condition (see ea07-017 opening resume).these complaints are not included in the failure report summary of this closing resume. The complaints and warranty figures given in this resume are limited to those that (a) are most likely caused by a leaking rear pinion seal; and (b) resulted in an allegation of a rear differential failure while driving.the data do not include all reports of seal leakage.

PE07037

Technical service bulletins for the 2006 Cadillac CTS 715

Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.

See all 715 bulletins for the 2006 Cadillac CTS

2006 Cadillac CTS fuel economy

Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.

EngineDriveCityHighwayCombined
2.8L 6‑cylRWD15-1624-2519
3.6L 6‑cylRWD15-1624-2518-19
6.0L 8‑cylRWD142317

What 2006 Cadillac CTS owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Jun 1, 2026 · Brakes, Engine · NJ

Engine burns 1quart of oil, 100 miles. Brakes went to floor, brake lines had holes at 69,000 miles. Driver rear axel leaks. 2006 Cadillac CTS is a lemon!! Money Pit !!!

Filed Apr 4, 2026 · Airbags, Seats · OR

The air bad light on passenger side and on the review mirror it passenger airbag bag off that a safety issue it won’t work if in a accident need to be recalled

Filed May 28, 2025 · Engine · 181,475 miles · FL

The contact owns a 2006 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated that while driving with the cruise control set to 75 MPH, the vehicle was shuddering, and the engine was misfiring. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the computer was not communicating with the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the computer had malfunctioned. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was called but the phone disconnected. The failure mileage was approximately 181,475.

Filed Sep 5, 2024 · Suspension · CA

Driving out of a driveway with a slight slope, my traction engaged. It has done this 3-4 times in perfect driving weather and I had not swerved or experienced any issue prior to the light illuminated "TRACTION ENGAGED". It is pretty noisy under my car as well and the ride is not smooth and rather bumpy. It has engaged just backing up in a parking lot.

Filed Apr 19, 2024 · Electrical · 173,520 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2006 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated when the vehicle was started with the key in the ignition, it was difficult to shift from park(P) to reverse(R). The contact stated that once she was able to reverse the vehicle onto the roadway, it was difficult to shift the vehicle into drive(D). The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and was able to shift into drive(D). The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 MPH, several unknown warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact pulled over and turned the vehicle off. While attempting to start the vehicle, it was difficult turning the ignition key. The contact stated that she was unable to remove the key from the ignition. The contact stated that she was only able to jiggle the key enough to turn the vehicle off. The contact called a local dealer and explained the failure. The contact advised the dealer that she had a recall letter from the manufacturer for the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V394000 (Electrical System). The dealer advised the contact that the key that was stuck in the ignition was not part of the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 173,520.

Filed Mar 22, 2024 · Airbags, Electrical · WI

Well I am uncertain but we have two 2006 Cadillac cts and both have had multiple transmissions replaced. Multiple differential problems and air bag and wireing problems

Filed Jan 24, 2024 · Lights · FL

The driver-side tail light lens fell off. I don't know where, but it probably fell off while I was driving, and if so, could have caused an accident. Cadillac does not stock this tail light assembly anymore, so I had to order it online, and then have it installed by a local shop. I am uploading photos of 1) repair invoice 2) new tail light box 3) old tail light (missing lens).

Filed Mar 31, 2023 · Acceleration · 86,500 miles · NC · crash · 2 injuries

The contact owns a 2006 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated that while driving in reverse and reversing out of the driveway, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration and drove in reverse across a parking lot crashing into two parked vehicles, and hitting a tree before driving across a side road and into a ditch. During the incident, the front driver sustained neck stiffness and the front passenger sustained a bruised right elbow. Neither injury required medical treatment. A police report was taken at the scene. The vehicle was later driven to the home. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 86,500

Filed Sep 16, 2022 · Airbags · NV

Service airbag light on dash is on. No one ever sits in the passenger front seat. The rear view mirror indicates that the passenger seat airbag is off. I dont know how to turn it on just to see if the RVM will indicate an on position. I took the car in for a diagnosis and it it indicated that the PPS Module needs replacement. ($1280.79) Even if I do find out how to turn it on I would be afraid to turn it on if it’s going to explode that’s my problem what should I do

Filed Aug 13, 2022 · Airbags · SC

I am deaf and the “service Air Bag” and the symbol came on several times and I took it to a certified mechanic who spent two days checking. This is the what he said upon diagnosis, “ The part you need for the air bag light has been discontinued not available anymore.” I met him in person and he said the same thing. This is a safety issue. Please help! Thank you!

Used buying checklistWhat to check on a 2006 Cadillac CTS before you buy

Compare the 2006 Cadillac CTS

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Other model years

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Questions about the 2006 Cadillac CTS

Is the 2006 Cadillac CTS reliable?

Owners have filed 269 complaints about the 2006 Cadillac CTS, 2.7 times a typical CTS model year. It is one of the years we flag to avoid.

What is the 2006 Cadillac CTS year score?

The 2006 Cadillac CTS scores 36 out of 100 (poor). The score compares it with the other model years of the Cadillac CTS: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.

What is the most common problem with the 2006 Cadillac CTS?

Airbags, with 87 complaints, typically around 64,000 miles. Next is brakes (57).

How many recalls does the 2006 Cadillac CTS have?

6 recalls, covering fuel system, gasoline, electrical system and air bags.

Was there a recall on the 2006 Cadillac CTS airbags?

Yes, 1 recall: 10V644000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.

What year does the Cadillac CTS have bad airbags?

The Cadillac CTS model years with the most airbags complaints are 2006 (87 complaints), 2005 (74 complaints) and 2007 (64 complaints).

What gas mileage does the 2006 Cadillac CTS get?

Official estimates for the 2006 Cadillac CTS range from 17 to 19 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.8L 6-cyl, RWD) gets 15-16 city and 24-25 highway.

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