Total Complaints
255 filings
CADILLAC ATS · model year
255 NHTSA complaints, 16 crash reports, and 6 active recalls for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
5 / 5 ★
New Car Assessment Program
The 2013CADILLACATS carries 255 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 16 crashes, 0 fires, 13 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall 5/5 rating, with 5/5 front crash, 5/5 side crash, and 5/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2013 ATS is engine with 48 filings, followed by power train (41) and electrical system (36). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 6 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.
NHTSA currently has 10 investigation files overlapping the 2013 ATS, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
255 filings
Crashes Reported
16 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Above median complaint volume — review patterns below.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ENGINE | 48 |
| POWER TRAIN | 41 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 36 |
| STEERING | 25 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 17 |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 14 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 9 |
| AIR BAGS | 8 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 7 |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 5 |
| WHEELS | 5 |
| SUSPENSION | 5 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | 3 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 3 |
| SEAT BELTS | 3 |
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Cadillac ATS vehicles manufactured April 25, 2012, to June 25, 2015. The affected vehicles may experience the roof panel closing automatically when the non-recessed switches are pressed and the roof panel is open. These vehicles fail
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Cadillac ATS and model year 2013 Cadillac XTS; model year 2014 Chevrolet Impala; and 2013 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles. Originally, in May 2013, GM recalled 1,627 model year 2013 Cadillac ATS and model year 2013 Cadillac XTS; and model year 2
SEATS
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Buick Encore and Cadillac ATS; 2014 Cadillac CTS, ELR, Chevrolet Caprice and SS vehicles; and 2014-2015 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra Trucks. Due to an incomplete weld on the seat hook bracket assembly, the front seats in the af
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Cadillac ATS vehicles manufactured April 23, 2012, to March 20, 2014, and 2014 Cadillac CTS vehicles manufactured June 10, 2013, to March 20, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the transmission shift cable may detach from either the bra
SEAT BELTS:FRONT
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Buick Encore vehicles manufactured August 23, 2012, to March 1, 2013, and model year 2013 Cadillac ATS vehicles manufactured April 23, 2012, to May 1, 2013. In the affected vehicles, the driver and passenger lap belt pretensioner cables m
VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Cadillac ATS sedan vehicles manufactured April 23, 2012, to September 2, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the coil antenna module that powers the rear defogger system may generate excessive heat due to excessive cycling or continuous
I was in a vehicle accident on 9-26-25 and was t-boned. The other driver hit me at 35-45 after she blew the stopping, I was hit on the driver side pillar and back driver door. My air bags never deployed and I was trapped inside the car until the fire department was on scene
Vehicle would not steer lost power steering and loud noise. Had the vehicle towed to a mechanic. The mechanic informed me that the bolts for the electronic power steering had corroded causing the electronic steering motor to fall. He told me that it is a problem with these cars and gave me a reference number (N202301950) I called GM and they said it was not a recall it was a service bulletin which I never received and is now expired. The vehicle needs a whole new Electric Power Steering Rack and Pinion Assembly due to the faulty corroded GM Bolts not to mention that I could have died or someone else could have been killed due to losing the ability to steer the vehicle because of the faulty GM parts. GM said it is my responsibility to pay for repairs which is thousands of dollars again due to their faulty parts and no fault of my own also not normal wear and tear.
Vehicle would not steer lost power steering and loud noise. Had the vehicle towed to a mechanic. The mechanic informed me that the bolts for the electronic power steering had corroded causing the electronic steering motor to fall. He told me that it is a problem with these cars and gave me a reference number (N202301950) I called GM and they said it was not a recall it was a service bulletin which I never received and is now expired. The vehicle needs a whole new Electric Power Steering Rack and Pinion Assembly due to the faulty corroded GM Bolts not to mention that I could have died or someone else could have been killed due to losing the ability to steer the vehicle because of the faulty GM parts. GM said it is my responsibility to pay for repairs which is thousands of dollars again due to their faulty parts and no fault of my own also not normal wear and tear.
Found metal shavings in oil after 13 visits to 3 different dealerships. Engine had to be replaced. Under 100,000 mikes with a service contract
Air bag lights came on.
Car has a shudder at acceleration acting as if it's in the wrong gear or shifts too soon seems like failing TCC in tge transmission not sure this issue could cause accidents due to car not accelerating fast enough with people behind you they could rear end you
The contact owns a 2013 Cadillac ATS. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the engine overheated. The contact stated that the A/c was independently turned off due to engine overheating. The contact was able to pull over safely. The contact stated that the coolant reservoir was empty. The contact added coolant, but the engine continued overheating. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the stability track and engine warning lights illuminated and started flashing. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate above 25 MPH. The vehicle was towed to the same independent mechanic, who determined that the engine had misfired over 40,000 times. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 191,000.
Mileage: 191,000
Iâm writing here to state that the Cadillac with this VIN [XXX] IS A FRAUDULENT SALE my husband and I have experienced. The car show no damages on CarFax but when we took the car to a certified Cadillac dealership they said they were shocked we could even drive it. The catalytic Converter is completely missing along with several other computer systems issues. The car jumps up and down when you drive it, feels like horseback riding more than a car ride. Cadillac denied working on the car and advised us not to drive it at all Every single warning light that could be on the dash/odometer lit up approx 5mins of being on the highway. Throw the car in the junkyard where it belongs! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Iâm writing here to state that the Cadillac with this VIN [XXX] IS A FRAUDULENT SALE my husband and I have experienced. The car show no damages on CarFax but when we took the car to a certified Cadillac dealership they said they were shocked we could even drive it. The catalytic Converter is completely missing along with several other computer systems issues. The car jumps up and down when you drive it, feels like horseback riding more than a car ride. Cadillac denied working on the car and advised us not to drive it at all Every single warning light that could be on the dash/odometer lit up approx 5mins of being on the highway. Throw the car in the junkyard where it belongs! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Iâm writing here to state that the Cadillac with this VIN [XXX] IS A FRAUDULENT SALE my husband and I have experienced. The car show no damages on CarFax but when we took the car to a certified Cadillac dealership they said they were shocked we could even drive it. The catalytic Converter is completely missing along with several other computer systems issues. The car jumps up and down when you drive it, feels like horseback riding more than a car ride. Cadillac denied working on the car and advised us not to drive it at all Every single warning light that could be on the dash/odometer lit up approx 5mins of being on the highway. Throw the car in the junkyard where it belongs! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Car keeps cutting off, when put in neutral, or just cutting on RPM goes up then goes down and cut off, when driving car starts off slow then speed up. put a new fuel pump in the car.
I had a total loss of steering about two weeks ago, scariest thing ever in my 50 years of driving. A local automotive shop inspected the car and found one steering motor bolt missing and two broken/sheared laying in their casting holes.General Motors issued a Customer Satisfaction Program 18207 â Loss of Power Steering Assist directive for steering rack inspection and repair and/or replacement. My 2013 Cadillac ATS had the bolt failure exactly as described in the directive but is not covered as the directive program was in effect until November 30, 2020 and has expired. It was and is still a poor engineering design by GM engineering and it still effects those of us operating the models listed in GM CSP 18207. This should have been a recall and not have had an end date of 11/30/2020. I'm sure there are many owners like myself that were never notified by General Motors of this design flaw as it was never a formal recall. I would ask that the NHTSA review Customer Satisfaction Program
My Vehicle will shift out of gear but will not move and there is a rattling sound when the gear is tried to be put back in park and rest of gears
The contact owns a 2013 Cadillac ATS. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle and switching gears, the vehicle would not move forward or backward. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the failure was possibly related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V338000 (Power Train). Another local independent mechanic was contacted for a second opinion and informed the contact that the transmission shifter cable had failed. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the VIN not being included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V338000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.
Mileage: 87,000
Breaks are not working properly, once the car sits for a few hours, then once I start it and put it into gear (reverse/drive) as I press the breaks(new break pads) the car continues to roll. This could be the abs module or the calipers but these should be good for the life of the vehicle. No dealer has the abs module. So now I'm stuck putting myself and others in danger.
The contact owns a 2013 Cadillac ATS. The contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V338000 (Power Train). The contact discovered that the recall was repaired, however, the failure occurred. The contact's husband was parked in the vehicle while shifting into drive, and the gear shifter became stuck in between park and drive. The contact turned the vehicle off; however, the vehicle would not restart. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with automatic transmission control shift cable detachment. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.
Mileage: 86,000
Took it in 2 weeks ago for an oil changed and they replaced a camshaft solenoid saying that was causing my issues. I had to take it back yesterday and now they're telling me it's a torque converter or a transmission and it's going to cost me $3,500. After reviewing I think have GM has a lot of issues with this component . GM was aware of the situation and never fixed it. As I read through the technical Bulletin due to the cost so they have the consumers pick up the cost.
Greetings! I hope this message finds you in great health and spirits. I am experiencing an issue with the transmission linkage cable on my 2013 Cadillac ATS Luxury. There was a product safety recall issued in 2014 - recall bulletin 14179A. I purchased this vehicle in January 2015. I took it to a local Cadillac dealership and they found that I need a new cable. They stated the issue was repaired in 2014, before I owned the vehicle, and they have refused to fix the issue at no cost to me. If the cable was replaced with the same part that has deemed defective and the recall does not expire, this should be resolved at the manufacturer's expense.
Adaptive forward lighting malfunctions. Lights point upward sometimes while driving and will not change. It blinds on coming vehicles.
The contact owns a 2013 Cadillac ATS. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle and attempting to shift into drive, the vehicle failed to shift out of park. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related it to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V338000 (Power Train), and the VIN was included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was repaired under the recall by the previous owner of the vehicle. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 150,000.
Mileage: 150,000
Electronic Brake Module Component Failure
Rear-View Camera Failure
Roof Skin Separation While Driving
IEE Passenger Sensing System Mats
REAR DRIVETRAIN COMPONENT FAILURE
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.