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Model file · CadillacUpdated · 10 sources

Selling a Cadillac CT5 with a bad transmission or worse

In March 2025, GM recalled 2020 and 2021 CT5s over internal damage that the 10-speed automatic may suffer. That lines up with what owners report. Power train is the component CT5 owners name most often in their NHTSA complaints, 20 of 109, and 15 of those 20 are on the 2020 and 2021.

A gray-green Cadillac CT5 sedan with a black mesh grille, parked on a paved lot beside other cars
Photo: User 3204 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Model years
2020-2026
Complaints to NHTSA
109
Year with the most complaints
2020 (39)
Component named most
Power train (20)
Recall campaigns
6
Engines
2.0 turbo four, 3.0 twin-turbo V6, 6.2 supercharged V8
Built in
Lansing, Mich.

A CT5 with a transmission that slips or won't engage can still be sold today, unrepaired. We buy whole non-running and junk cars, and you sell the whole car as it sits, with free pickup anywhere in the US.

What's in a CT5

Three engines appear in Wikipedia's CT5 entry: a 2.0-liter LSY turbo four, a 3.0-liter LGY twin-turbo V6, and the 6.2-liter LT4 supercharged V8 in the Blackwing. Most cars use the 10-speed Hydra-Matic 10L90 automatic. The Blackwing alone could be ordered with a 6-speed TR-6060 manual. The EPA lists it as the CT5, CT5 AWD, CT5 V and CT5 V AWD.

The CT5 rides on GM's Alpha 2 platform with the sixth-generation Camaro and the CT4, and US cars are built at Lansing Grand River Assembly in Michigan. Wikipedia names the CTS and XTS as the cars it replaced.

2020-2021: transmission and the most recalls

These two years have 68 of the 109 complaints. The 2020's top complaints are power train (11) and electrical (6); the 2021's are electrical (10), structure (6) and power train (4).

The transmission recall, 25V148000, adds monitoring software to the transmission control module. GM mailed owner letters on April 7, 2025. Its 90,081-vehicle count also takes in the 2019-2020 CT6, 2020-2021 CT4 and 2020-2022 Camaro with the 10-speed, so only part of it is CT5s.

Four more campaigns reach these years:

  • 20V588000 (2020): a sensor connection on the electronic brake boost module can get contaminated, so dealers swap the module. The 3,677-vehicle campaign also covers the Corvette, CT4, XT4, Trailblazer and Encore GX.
  • 21V421000 (2021): the communications gateway module behaves incorrectly and the air bag warning lamp is involved. The fix is a software update. At 285,622 vehicles it spans ten GM models.
  • 21V611000 (2020-2022): roof rail side-curtain air bags that may not have been installed correctly, which could make them deploy improperly. Dealers inspect and reinstall them. 34,157 vehicles, CT4 and CT5 only.
  • 22V903000 (2020-2023): body control module software for the exterior lights, reflashed at a dealer or wirelessly. Its 740,108 count is mostly trucks and big SUVs.

2022-2023: air bags and the drivetrain again

The 2022 has 11 complaints spread thin: air bags, tires and structure at 2 each. The 2023 has 13, with power train back on top at 5, and 3 of them report a crash. The roof rail air bag campaign reaches the 2022, and the lighting software campaign reaches both years.

2024-2026: too new to read much into

The 2024 has 2 complaints, and between them they report a crash, an injury and a death. The 2025 has 9 and the 2026 has 6, with forward collision avoidance named in 3 of the 2026's. Young CT5s like these simply haven't been out long enough to build a record. The 2026 has one campaign, 26V114000: dealers reset the radio so the electronic owner's manual can download (5,861 vehicles across many GM models).

Complaints and recalls by model year

CT5 numbers come from NHTSA's October 10, 2026 complaint download. A campaign reaching two or more CT5 years sits in each row.

Model yearComplaintsCrashesInjuredRecall campaignsNamed most
202039224Power train (11)
202129324Electrical system (10)
202211002Air bags, tires, structure (2 each)
202313321Power train (5)
20242110Structure, air bags (1 each)
20259220Unknown or other (3)
20266201Forward collision avoidance (3)

Should you fix it?

On a 2020 or 2021 with transmission trouble, ask a Cadillac dealer about 25V148000 before anything else, and get any diagnosis in writing. The recall's listed remedy is monitoring software. If the transmission is already damaged, ask the dealer what they will do about it.

Next, set the repair quote against the going price of a running CT5 of your year and engine sells for. Our bad transmission guide explains how to read the quote. After a crash where the bags went off, airbags deployed covers why that repair often decides the car's fate.

Selling a CT5 whole

  1. Have the VIN, mileage and trim ready. Say which engine it has, and whether it is a V or Blackwing.
  2. Get an offer online, or call (877) 421-6008.
  3. Say where the CT5 is parked and whether it shifts into Neutral. A car stuck in Park needs a truck that can drag it on.
  4. Leave the wheels and parts on. If something has been pulled, say so.
  5. The title and keys go with the car. If a lender holds the title, see still owe on the loan.

Other Cadillac sedans: the CTS, CT6, or every Cadillac we cover.

Questions people ask

Is my CT5 covered by the 10-speed transmission recall?
If it is a 2020 or 2021 with the 10-speed automatic, check. Recall 25V148000 says the transmission may become damaged internally, and dealers install transmission control module monitoring software. Run your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Which CT5 years have the most complaints?
The 2020 leads with 39 in NHTSA's October 10, 2026 file, followed by the 2021 at 29. The 2024 (2) and 2026 (6) look clean partly because those CT5s are young.
Will you buy a CT5 that won't shift or won't start?
Yes. We buy whole non-running and junk cars, with free pickup anywhere in the US. Say whether it goes into Neutral so the truck can load it.

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from one of these. Checked October 11, 2026.

  1. EPA fuel economy data (Cadillac CT5, 2020-2026) fueleconomy.gov
  2. NHTSA datasets: complaints flat file, downloaded October 10, 2026 nhtsa.gov
  3. NHTSA: Check for recalls by VIN nhtsa.gov
  4. NHTSA recall 25V148000: 10-speed automatic, 2020-2021 nhtsa.gov
  5. NHTSA recall 20V588000: electronic brake boost module, 2020 nhtsa.gov
  6. NHTSA recall 21V421000: communications gateway module, 2021 nhtsa.gov
  7. NHTSA recall 21V611000: roof rail air bags, 2020-2022 nhtsa.gov
  8. NHTSA recall 22V903000: lighting control software, 2020-2023 nhtsa.gov
  9. NHTSA recall 26V114000: electronic owner's manual, 2026 nhtsa.gov
  10. Wikipedia: Cadillac CT5 (engines, transmissions, platform, assembly) en.wikipedia.org