Acura TLX vs Cadillac ATS: which is more reliable?
The Acura TLX and the Cadillac ATS are level on the federal record — 75/100 against 75/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
The record, side by side
Acura TLX
- 11 model years scored
- 879 owner complaints on record
- about 10 complaints per year on the road
- 39 recall campaigns, 28 safety-critical
- best year 2024 (89/100) · worst 2015 (38/100)
Cadillac ATS
- 7 model years scored
- 383 owner complaints on record
- about 5 complaints per year on the road
- 21 recall campaigns, 9 safety-critical
- best year 2019 (94/100) · worst 2013 (41/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: TLX against ATS
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
Acura TLX
- Power Train — 249 complaints
- Engine — 214 complaints
- Electrical System — 148 complaints
Cadillac ATS
- Power Train — 102 complaints
- Electrical System — 77 complaints
- Engine — 70 complaints
Both nameplates have Power Train as their largest complaint group, so the choice between them is about how often, not about what.
Years to avoid on each
Acura TLX — avoid: 2015.
Cadillac ATS — avoid: 2013.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Acura TLX prices at about $55,100 and a Cadillac ATS at about $32,700 — the Cadillac ATS is roughly $22,400 less, and they return 25.0 against 23.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Acura TLX or the Cadillac ATS more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Acura TLX scores 75/100 against the Cadillac ATS's 75/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Acura TLX and Cadillac ATS years should I avoid?
Acura TLX: 2015. Cadillac ATS: 2013. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Acura TLX and the Cadillac ATS?
The largest complaint group on the Acura TLX is Power Train (249 complaints); on the Cadillac ATS it is Power Train (102).
Is the Acura TLX or the Cadillac ATS cheaper to own?
A recent used Acura TLX prices at about $55,100 and a Cadillac ATS at about $32,700, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.