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Research · Midsize Cars

2012 Cadillac CTSRecalls, problems, MPG & safety

NHTSA lists 2 safety recalls and 67 owner complaints for the 2012 Cadillac CTS. Most complaints involve exterior lighting (10) and electrical system (10). The EPA rates it 14–21 mpg combined, and NHTSA gives it 5 stars overall.

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Combined MPG
14–21mpg
EPA · 12 versions
NHTSA overall
5of 5 stars
NCAP crash tests
Safety recalls
2campaigns
Latest Jul 2014
Owner complaints
67
Top: exterior lighting
Fuel cost / yr
$2,950est.
EPA estimate, best version
01 —Recalls

Safety recalls

2 NHTSA campaigns · applies to some vehicles, check your VIN

Electrical system: ignition

Free remedy

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.

Electrical systemReported Jul 2, 2014NHTSA 14V394000

Service brakes

Free remedy

GM IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 CADILLAC CTS VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 21, 2011, THROUGH OCTOBER 26, 2011. THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE A CONDITION IN WHICH THE POWER VACUUM BRAKE BOOST PUSHROD RETENTION NUT MAY NOT BE TORQUED TO THE PROPER SPECIFICATION. IF THE NUT IS NOT TORQUED TO THE PROPER SPECIFICATION, THE NUT COULD LOOSEN AND ALLOW THE PUSHROD TO SEPARATE FROM THE BRAKE PEDAL.

Service brakes, hydraulicReported Nov 2, 2011NHTSA 11V536000
Data from NHTSA Recalls API · synced Nov 9, 2026 · All recall detailsNHTSA vehicle page
02 —Complaints

Owner complaints by component

67 complaints filed with NHTSA · May 2012 – Jan 2026
  1. Exterior lighting10
  2. Electrical system10
  3. Suspension7
  4. Service brakes7
  5. Air bags6
  6. Vehicle speed control6
  7. Engine6
  8. Structure5
  9. Steering4

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

By model year

Complaints for each CTS model year we’ve synced.

View as table
Model yearNHTSA complaints
2003319
2004229
2005284
2006272
2007218
2008175
2009168
20100
2011108
201267
201373
2014146
201550
201631
201727
20188
201910
Crashes reported
6
Fires reported
0
Injuries reported
8
Deaths reported
0
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 9, 2026 · Full problem breakdownNHTSA vehicle page
03 —Common problems

What owners report most

Verbatim excerpts from NHTSA complaints, by component

Exterior lighting

10 reports
“I WAS SENT A LETTER ABOUT THE RECALL AND I SENT IT BACK SAYING I COULD NOT AFFORD TO PAY UP FRONT. THE SENT ANOTHER LETTER ABOUT THE DEADLINE AND I SENT BACK I COULD NOT AFFORD TO PAY UP FRONT. I NEVER GOT A RESPONSE BACK. MY LIGHTS ARE GETTING DIMMER AND CAN'T SEE AT NIGHT. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD THAT I DIDN'T CAUSE AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN REQUIRED TO REPAIR. I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE USED AND HAVE A FEW PAYMENTS LEFT. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND IT'S INCONVENIENT. THIS NEED TO BE INVESTIGATED.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 4, 2021Exterior lightingODI 11415097

Electrical system

10 reports
“DRIVER SIDE DOOR WOULD NOT OPEN FROM OUTSIDE WITH KEY OR FROM INSIDE WITH MANUAL LEVER. THE DOOR LOCK BUTTON WOULD NOT MOVE TO UNLOCK DOOR BY THE ELECTRIC SWITCH OR BY HAND. I HAD TO EXIT VEHICLE BY CRAWLING OVER CENTER CONSOLE AND EXITING PASSENGER SIDE. AT SOME LEVEL I CAN UNDERSTAND THE ELECTRICAL DOOR CONTROL FAILING, BUT I DO NOT FEEL IT IS SAFE TO NOT HAVE A MECHANICAL OPTION TO OPEN THE DOOR UNDER ELECTRICAL FAILURE. THIS FIRST HAPPENED WHILE VEHICLE WAS PARKED. MECHANIC NEEDED TO CRAWL IN THE PASSENGER SIDE AND REMOVE DOOR PANEL TO REPLACE DOOR LATCH ASSEMBLY. 62014 ON ODOMETER AT REPAIR TIME.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 22, 2017Electrical systemODI 10990875

Suspension

7 reports2 crashes
“A combination of the lower control arm alignment adjustment bolt, it is just a slot and standard bolt. The alignment becomes loose over time and begins to work side to side in the slot, so retightening the bolt is the only solution to keep it from moving. The main issue is the subframe being made from aluminum and the machined slots for the lower arms, the "ears" for the lower arms are not machined or reenforced correctly which lead to severe fatigue cracks in the machined radius of the subframe. These cracks will cause the lower control arm to break free of the mounts and causing the front suspension to shift to the left or right and causing a crash. All it will take to break them off is a large enough bump and this WILL kill or injure someone.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 18, 2024Steering, SuspensionODI 11615171
All 2012 CTS problemsSend a problem to a mechanic on findmechanic.ai
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 9, 2026
04 —Key specs

Engines, transmissions & drive

12 versions rated by the EPA
EPA class
Midsize Cars, Small Station Wagons
Engines
3.6L 6-cyl · 3.0L 6-cyl · 6.2L 8-cyl supercharged
Transmissions
Automatic (S6) · Manual 6-spd
Drive
Rear-Wheel Drive · All-Wheel Drive
Fuel
Regular Gasoline · Premium Gasoline

Towing, payload and dimensions aren’t in the EPA or NHTSA data, so we don’t list them.

Data from EPA fueleconomy.gov · synced Nov 9, 2026EPA listing
05 —Fuel economy

EPA fuel economy by version

City / highway / combined, annual fuel cost and CO₂
EPA
VersionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yrCO₂ g/mi
CTS
Auto (S6), 6 cyl, 3.6 L · Rear-Wheel Drive
182721$2,950423
CTS
Auto (S6), 6 cyl, 3.0 L · Rear-Wheel Drive
182721$2,950423
CTS AWD
Auto (S6), 6 cyl, 3.0 L · All-Wheel Drive
182621$2,950423
CTS AWD
Auto (S6), 6 cyl, 3.6 L · All-Wheel Drive
182621$2,950423
CTS Wagon
Auto (S6), 6 cyl, 3.6 L · Rear-Wheel Drive
182621$2,950423
CTS Wagon
Auto (S6), 6 cyl, 3.0 L · Rear-Wheel Drive
182721$2,950423
CTS Wagon AWD
Auto (S6), 6 cyl, 3.0 L · All-Wheel Drive
182621$2,950423
CTS
Man 6-spd, 6 cyl, 3.6 L · Rear-Wheel Drive
162619$3,300468
CTS
Man 6-spd, 8 cyl, 6.2 L, Sup Charg · Rear-Wheel Drive
141916$4,850555
CTS Wagon
Man 6-spd, 8 cyl, 6.2 L, Sup Charg · Rear-Wheel Drive
141916$4,850555
CTS
Auto (S6), 8 cyl, 6.2 L, Sup Charg · Rear-Wheel Drive
121814$5,550635
CTS Wagon
Auto (S6), 8 cyl, 6.2 L, Sup Charg · Rear-Wheel Drive
121814$5,550635
  • CTS
    Auto (S6), 6 cyl, 3.6 L
    18 city · 27 hwy · $2,950/yr
    21
    mpg comb.
  • CTS
    Auto (S6), 6 cyl, 3.0 L
    18 city · 27 hwy · $2,950/yr
    21
    mpg comb.
  • CTS AWD
    Auto (S6), 6 cyl, 3.0 L
    18 city · 26 hwy · $2,950/yr
    21
    mpg comb.
  • CTS AWD
    Auto (S6), 6 cyl, 3.6 L
    18 city · 26 hwy · $2,950/yr
    21
    mpg comb.
  • CTS Wagon
    Auto (S6), 6 cyl, 3.6 L
    18 city · 26 hwy · $2,950/yr
    21
    mpg comb.
  • CTS Wagon
    Auto (S6), 6 cyl, 3.0 L
    18 city · 27 hwy · $2,950/yr
    21
    mpg comb.
  • CTS Wagon AWD
    Auto (S6), 6 cyl, 3.0 L
    18 city · 26 hwy · $2,950/yr
    21
    mpg comb.
  • CTS
    Man 6-spd, 6 cyl, 3.6 L
    16 city · 26 hwy · $3,300/yr
    19
    mpg comb.
  • CTS
    Man 6-spd, 8 cyl, 6.2 L, Sup Charg
    14 city · 19 hwy · $4,850/yr
    16
    mpg comb.
  • CTS Wagon
    Man 6-spd, 8 cyl, 6.2 L, Sup Charg
    14 city · 19 hwy · $4,850/yr
    16
    mpg comb.
  • CTS
    Auto (S6), 8 cyl, 6.2 L, Sup Charg
    12 city · 18 hwy · $5,550/yr
    14
    mpg comb.
  • CTS Wagon
    Auto (S6), 8 cyl, 6.2 L, Sup Charg
    12 city · 18 hwy · $5,550/yr
    14
    mpg comb.
Estimate your fuel costCost of ownership
Data from EPA fueleconomy.gov · synced Nov 9, 2026 · Fuel cost is EPA’s annual estimate (15,000 mi, 55% city)
06 —Safety

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings

6 tested variants
Overall rating
5/ 5
5 of 5
Cadillac CTS SW AWD
Frontal crash
5 of 5
Side crash
5 of 5
Side pole
5 of 5
Rollover
4 of 5
Rollover risk
10.3%
Overall
5 / 5
Cadillac CTS 4 DR AWD
Frontal crash
5 of 5
Side crash
5 of 5
Side pole
5 of 5
Rollover
4 of 5
Rollover risk
10.3%
Overall
5 / 5
Cadillac CTS SW RWD
Frontal crash
5 of 5
Side crash
5 of 5
Side pole
5 of 5
Rollover
4 of 5
Rollover risk
10.3%
Overall
5 / 5
Cadillac CTS 4 DR RWD
Frontal crash
5 of 5
Side crash
5 of 5
Side pole
5 of 5
Rollover
4 of 5
Rollover risk
10.3%
Data from NHTSA NCAP Safety Ratings API · synced Nov 9, 2026Vehicle 6661Vehicle 6660Vehicle 6659
07 —Maintenance

Maintenance basics

General guidance, not the OEM schedule. Check your owner’s manual.
General guidance
ItemMilesTimeNote
Engine oil & filter5,000–10,000 mi6–12 monthsFollow the oil-life monitor if fitted
Tire rotation5,000–7,500 miEvery oil changeCheck pressure monthly
Engine air filter15,000–30,000 mi1–2 yearsSooner in dusty areas
Cabin air filter15,000–25,000 mi1–2 years
Brake fluid—2–3 yearsAbsorbs moisture over time
Coolant60,000–100,000 mi5–10 yearsLong-life coolants last longer
Spark plugs60,000–100,000 mi—Iridium/platinum plugs at the long end
12V battery—3–5 yearsHeat shortens battery life
  • Engine oil & filter5,000–10,000 mi
    6–12 months
  • Tire rotation5,000–7,500 mi
    Every oil change
  • Engine air filter15,000–30,000 mi
    1–2 years
  • Cabin air filter15,000–25,000 mi
    1–2 years
  • Brake fluid—
    2–3 years
  • Coolant60,000–100,000 mi
    5–10 years
  • Spark plugs60,000–100,000 mi
    —
  • 12V battery—
    3–5 years
Typical intervals for modern cars. Severe service (towing, short trips, extreme heat or cold) shortens them.
09 —FAQ

2012 CTS questions

How many recalls does the 2012 Cadillac CTS have?

2 safety recalls as of Nov 9, 2026, according to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at a dealer. Check your VIN to see whether your car is included and whether the repair was done.

What are the most common 2012 Cadillac CTS problems?

Owners filed 67 complaints with NHTSA. The most-cited components are exterior lighting (10), electrical system (10), suspension (7). Complaints are unverified owner reports and aren't adjusted for how many cars were sold.

What MPG does the 2012 Cadillac CTS get?

The EPA rates the 2012 Cadillac CTS at 14–21 mpg combined, depending on engine and drivetrain (12 versions rated).

How safe is the 2012 Cadillac CTS?

NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gives the 2012 Cadillac CTS 5 out of 5 stars overall.

Data from NHTSA & EPA · synced Nov 9, 2026