Cadillac ATS: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Cadillac ATS: 7 model years scored from 383 NHTSA owner complaints and 21 recall campaigns. Worst year 2013, best year 2015.
Cadillac ATS: which years to avoid
Across 7 scored model years the Cadillac ATS ranges from 41/100 in 2013 to 94/100 in 2019 — a 53-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy an ATS at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Engine (48 of them).
Avoid: 2013 — scored below 45 on the complaint and recall record.
Safest years: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 — scored 70 or better.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
How the ATS changed, run by run
The federal record falls into 2 stretches of years that behave alike. A redesign shows up here as a step in the complaint rate that then holds.
2013–2014
Mean score 48/100, about 10 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Power Train more than anything else (75 complaints). 2 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2015–2019
Mean score 86/100, about 3 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Power Train more than anything else (27 complaints). The record improves by 38 points against the years before it. 7 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2015 (score 84). Worst: 2013 (score 41, AVOID).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 94 | BUY | $4,175 | 2 | 0 |
| 2018 | 86 | BUY | $4,760 | 21 | 2 |
| 2017 | 83 | BUY | $4,417 | 32 | 2 |
| 2016 | 84 | BUY | $4,956 | 35 | 3 |
| 2015 | 84 | BUY | $4,930 | 29 | 4 |
| 2014 | 54 | CAUTION | $4,584 | 104 | 4 |
| 2013 | 41 | AVOID | $4,794 | 160 | 6 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the ATS, through the years →
What goes wrong on the Cadillac ATS
Across every ATS model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Power Train102 complaints across all ATS years · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair$1,290–$4,040
- Electrical System77 complaints across all ATS years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Engine70 complaints across all ATS years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Steering61 complaints across all ATS years · typical job: Electric power-steering rack or column motor replacement$1,020–$2,500
- Unknown Or Other52 complaints across all ATS years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Service Brakes21 complaints across all ATS years · typical job: Pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles$580–$1,140
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
Which Cadillac ATS years should I avoid?
On the NHTSA record the years to avoid are 2013 — each scores below 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. The 2013 is the weakest at 41/100, with its complaints concentrated in Engine.
What are the best Cadillac ATS years to buy?
2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2019 at 94/100, on 2 complaints and 0 recall campaigns.
What is the most common Cadillac ATS problem?
102 of the complaints filed against the ATS across all its model years sit in the Power Train group — more than any other component.
Compare with
Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04