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Model file · CadillacUpdated · 14 sources

Selling a Cadillac XTS that's done

The electrical system leads the XTS complaint file: 60 of the 225 complaints owners filed with NHTSA. Suspension is next at 33. And the first model year, the 2013, carries 103 complaints by itself.

A dark blue-gray Cadillac XTS sedan with silver wheels, seen from the front right in a parking lot by trees
Photo: Mr.choppers · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Model years
2013-2019
Built in
Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Engines
3.6 L V6, 3.6 L turbo V6, 2.0 L turbo four
Replaced
Cadillac STS and DTS
Complaints to NHTSA
225
Complaints naming electrical system
60
Recall campaigns
10

If your XTS has electrical or suspension trouble, or won't run at all, you can sell the whole car as it sits. We buy whole non-running and junk cars, and pickup is free anywhere in the US.

Complaints and recalls by model year

Built from NHTSA's owner-report download dated Oct. 10, 2026. An XTS recall spanning several model years shows up under each one.

YearComplaintsCrashesFiresRecall campaignsTop components
2013103025Electrical 31, suspension 22, unknown or other 9
201450234Electrical 11, suspension 8, unknown or other 5
201514003Unknown or other 3, electrical 3, power train 2
201622100Unknown or other 5, electrical 5
201724110Electrical 9, unknown or other 4, suspension 3
20187201Unknown or other 3
20195102One each: brakes, tires, unknown

All years together: 7 crashes, 6 fires, 2 injuries, 5 cars towed and no deaths. The 2018 and 2019 XTS show low counts partly because their owners have had the shortest time to file.

Wikipedia says the XTS was built at Oshawa Car Assembly in Ontario from May 2012 to October 2019, on GM's long-wheelbase Epsilon II platform, and is related to the Chevrolet Impala. It replaced both the smaller STS and the larger DTS, and launched in June 2012 as a 2013 model.

All XTS sedans used a 6-speed automatic and came with front- or all-wheel drive. Engines were a 3.6-liter LFX V6, a 3.6-liter LF3 turbo V6 and a 2.0-liter turbo four. The CT5 followed it.

Problems by stretch of years

2013-2014: 153 complaints and most of the recalls

Electrical and suspension complaints lead both years. Six recalls land on these cars. Two name only the XTS, and the third below is shared with the Impala:

  • 12V525 (2013): rear head restraints on 12,626 cars built October 12, 2011 to August 30, 2012 didn't meet the federal standard. Dealers replace them.
  • 14V116 (2013-2014): a cavity plug on the brake booster pump connector, on 63,903 cars. Dealers seal the plugs and re-route the vacuum pump vent hose.
  • 14V541 (2013-2015): electronic parking brake software, shared with the Impala in a 205,309-vehicle campaign.

The other three are shared and small for the XTS: 13V220 for the brake lights, 14V409 for steering shaft fasteners in a 106-vehicle campaign, and 14V518, an air bag sensing module set to the wrong mode, covering just 5 vehicles with the Impala.

2015-2017: 60 complaints, two air bag recalls

The 2015 has 3 recall campaigns, the 2016 and 2017 none. Recall 15V666 replaces seat-mounted side air bag modules in a 395-vehicle campaign across six GM models. The newest one is 26V329, reported May 21, 2026: on some 2015 XTS cars the driver's front air bag inflator may rupture when it deploys. That 5,014-vehicle campaign also covers the Escalade, ATS, CTS and SRX.

2018-2019: the last 12 complaints

Recall 18V576 bleeds the brake system on 2018-2019 cars, in a 210,628-vehicle campaign spread across many GM models. Recall 18V899 names only 2019 XTS cars, 175 of them, whose front seat belt buckles may be missing a rivet.

Fix or sell?

Check the VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first, especially on a 2015 because of the air bag recall. Then size up the estimate against a running XTS's selling price.

Selling an XTS whole

  1. Have your XTS's VIN, mileage and problem ready. Say which engine it has and if it's AWD.
  2. Request an offer online, or call (877) 421-6008.
  3. Name the spot and whether it rolls. The pickup happens at your curb, garage or a shop.
  4. Leave every part on it. If something is already missing, say so.
  5. Have your ID and sign the XTS title over at pickup. After you sell covers plates and insurance.

More big Cadillacs: the CT6, the Fleetwood, or every Cadillac on the site.

Questions people ask

What do XTS owners complain about most?
The electrical system, named in 60 of the 225 owner reports in our October 2026 tally. Suspension follows with 33, then brakes with 12. On the 2013, electrical leads with 31 and suspension with 22.
Is there a parking brake recall on the XTS?
Yes. Recall 14V541 covers some 2013-2015 XTS cars built February 14, 2012 to August 22, 2014, along with some Chevrolet Impalas. Dealers update the electronic parking brake software free. The 205,309-vehicle campaign counts both models.
Which XTS years have no recalls?
The 2016 and 2017, in the NHTSA data we counted. Every other year has at least one. The 2013 has the most, 5.
Can you pick up an XTS that won't start?
Yes. We buy whole non-running and junk cars, and pickup is free anywhere in the US. Let us know whether it rolls and where it's parked.

Sources

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

  1. NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), Cadillac XTS, counted as of October 10, 2026 nhtsa.gov
  2. NHTSA: Check for recalls by VIN nhtsa.gov
  3. NHTSA recall 12V525: rear head restraints, 2013 XTS nhtsa.gov
  4. NHTSA recall 13V220: brake lights, 2013 ATS and XTS nhtsa.gov
  5. NHTSA recall 14V116: brake booster pump connector, 2013-2014 XTS nhtsa.gov
  6. NHTSA recall 14V409: steering shaft fasteners, 2014 nhtsa.gov
  7. NHTSA recall 14V518: air bag sensing module, 2013-2014 nhtsa.gov
  8. NHTSA recall 14V541: electronic parking brake, 2013-2015 XTS nhtsa.gov
  9. NHTSA recall 15V666: seat side air bags, 2015 nhtsa.gov
  10. NHTSA recall 18V576: brake system bleed, 2018-2019 nhtsa.gov
  11. NHTSA recall 18V899: front seat belt buckles, 2019 XTS nhtsa.gov
  12. NHTSA recall 26V329: driver air bag inflator, 2015 XTS nhtsa.gov
  13. EPA fuel economy data: Cadillac XTS model years and class fueleconomy.gov
  14. Wikipedia: Cadillac XTS (plant, platform, engines, predecessor and successor) en.wikipedia.org