Problems · by component
2006 Cadillac CTS engine problems
28 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2006 Cadillac CTS cite engine, 10% of all 272 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
28
10% of all complaints
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
1
Reported by owners
What owners say about the engine
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“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 !!!”
“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.”
“Thank these things i feel cadilac should consider fixing due to milage before and after i purchased the cadilac due to the miles before and after purchase. Due to being 100% disabled since 2009, Air bag & safety belt system light comes on when i have onstar diagnose the problem they said it has something to do with my seat belt system on passenger side which mind you isnt used often at all and cadilac will not help with the cost and was told by onstar it needs repairs asap because it could cause air bags to pop out while driving or not come out during a crash. Im afraid some times driving it. In the 7yrs of owning this i maybe put around 40,000 miles on the car its in good condition. Which lead me to the other problem due to miles. When i purchased the cadilac a few days later the check engine light came on it was the catalytic converter it was almost $800 it has two of them the dealer repaired it. Here the other day i had onstar do a complete system scan and the report showed the converter was in the process of going out again but just hasnt triggered my check engine lite. I was shocked because of the miles i drivewhich is under 6000 miles a yr and i use top…”
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CADILLAC CTS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 73 MPH, THE VEHICLE LOSS MOTIVE POWER WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT MANAGED TO VEER TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO HER RESIDENCE AND TOWED THE FOLLOWING DAY TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE PISTON RODS AND CRANKSHAFT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO C & C AUTO (834 E MAUMEE ST, ANGOLA, IN 46703, (260) 624-2011) TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT'S HUSBAND REPLACED THE STARTER HOWEVER, THE ENGINE WAS NOT REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 175,000.”
“TIMING CHAIN MISSING TEETH DUE TO TENSIONER PROBLEM IN THE VEHICLE. I BELIEVE THIS IS A MORE THAN COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE ACCORDING TO GOOGLE REPORTS. PLEASE INVESTIGATE. THIS PROBLEM COULD HAVE KILLED ME AND MY CHILDREN AS WE LEFT FROM CHURCH”
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CADILLAC CTS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE MADE AN ABNORMAL SOUND FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO CREST CADILLAC (2121 ROSA L PARKS BLVD, NASHVILLE, TN) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE MOTOR AND TRANSMISSION SUPPORT WERE NOT THE CORRECT SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE ENGINE INSTALLED IN THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO NHTSA. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 40,000. THE VIN WAS NOT PROVIDED.”
Showing 6 of 28 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 9, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.