2011 Cadillac CTS: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
108 NHTSA owner complaints · 2 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Owner complaints: 108 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 7.2
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2011 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 86,140 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 162,290.
The contact owns a 2011 Cadillac CTS. The contact stated that upon inspection underneath the frame rail, the contact became aware that there was rust on both sides of the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed because the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 153,000.
My air bag light is on. I brought it to the dealer for repair. The dealer told me the airbag is unfixable due to the fact that the "Passenger seat presence sensor is broken and no longer manufactured". I now have a car that is fully functional aside from this issue and it's unsafe to drive. The dealer also refused to buy the car back from me for fair market value.
Recalls: 2 campaigns (2 severe)
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 14V394000 | Electrical System:Ignition | 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. |
| 14V341000 | Air Bags | General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011 Cadillac CTS vehicles manufactured October 18, 2010, to June 2, 2011. In the affected vehicles, vibrations from the drive shaft may cause the vehicle's roll over sensor to command the roof rail air bags to deploy. |
What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes
Class-level estimates, priced as a mid-size premium car of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.
What it costs to run
EPA combined 21 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $2,950
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
What this car's problems cost to fix
Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.
- Air Bags25 complaints · typical job: Airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement (2.5 h labour + parts)$600–$1,700
- Power Train25 complaints · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair (7.0 h labour + parts)$1,290–$4,040
- Electrical System20 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
- Engine13 complaints · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,040–$2,220
- Steering11 complaints · typical job: Electric power-steering rack or column motor replacement (5.0 h labour + parts)$1,020–$2,500
- Structure9 complaints · typical job: Body, subframe or corrosion repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,070–$2,920
Other Cadillac CTS years
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2011 Cadillac CTS?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Air Bags (25 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2011 Cadillac CTS a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 70/100, computed from 108 NHTSA complaints and 2 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2011 Cadillac CTS's most common problem?
25 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2011 Cadillac CTS sit in the Air Bags group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement: about 2.5 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $600–$1,700 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.
What does a 2011 Cadillac CTS cost to run per year?
About $5,576 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $27,882 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.
Does the 2011 Cadillac CTS have recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 2 recall campaign(s) for the 2011 Cadillac CTS, 2 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 02/07/2014. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Compare with
Other luxury midsizes of about the same age.
What will a 2011 Cadillac CTS really cost YOU per year?
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorData sources
Complaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-10-04.
Moderate evidence — 108 complaints, 2 recalls on record
- 108 NHTSA complaints on record (7.2/yr of exposure) — worse than a typical year of this model (4.5/yr)
- 2 recall campaigns, 2 touching safety-critical systems