Cadillac Sts Reliability by Year
Based on 2M+ real complaints filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
609 NHTSA complaints (1998–2011).Complaint rate: 926.9 per 1,000 vehicles.
Should I buy a Cadillac Sts?
Quick answer from 609 NHTSA complaints · 1998–2011
Cadillac Sts shows elevated crash or fire rates — buy with caution. 12.2% of reported complaints involved a crash — above the ~4% mainstream average. Most complaints relate to airbags. Inspect carefully or consider a different model in the same class.
- 2010 Cadillac Sts· 6 complaints
- 2011 Cadillac Sts· 9 complaints
- 2006 Cadillac Sts· 197 complaints
- 2005 Cadillac Sts· 145 complaints
Keep scrolling for year-by-year complaint trends, recall campaigns, and component breakdowns — or click any year above for a full report.
Why these years are worse
The most common issues driving the complaint spikes:
- airbags — 91 complaints (17.6% involved a crash)
- electrical faults — 70 complaints (7.1% involved a crash)
- engine problems — 50 complaints (8.0% involved a crash)
- fuel system — 33 complaints (0.0% involved a crash)
- transmission / drivetrain — 28 complaints (10.7% involved a crash)
Which Years to Buy & Avoid
Years auto-clustered by complaint volume relative to this model's median.
Rankings based on raw NHTSA complaint counts. Sales volume data not yet available for this model.
Bottom line: Avoid the 2005–2008 Cadillac Sts (63 crash-related complaints). The 2010–2011 models had significantly fewer reported issues. Most common issue across all years: Airbags.
Avoid These Years
Average
Better Years
A model's reputation is just the start.
Even within the “good” years, individual cars can have hidden accidents, title issues, or odometer rollbacks. Check the actual VIN before you buy — full history report for $4.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).
Complaints by Model Year
NHTSA complaint count per model year
Common Cadillac Sts Problems
Most reported component complaints to NHTSA. Bar length = volume; color = crash-involvement rate.
Show full table
| Component | Complaints | Crash % |
|---|---|---|
| Airbags | 91 | 17.6% |
| Electrical Faults | 70 | 7.1% |
| Engine Problems | 50 | 8.0% |
| Fuel System | 33 | 0.0% |
| Transmission / Drivetrain | 28 | 10.7% |
| Electronic Stability Control | 26 | 11.5% |
| Steering Defects | 22 | 9.1% |
| Unintended Acceleration | 21 | 38.1% |
| Engine & Cooling | 17 | 0.0% |
| Brakes | 16 | 31.2% |
When Each Problem Spiked
Year × component heatmap. Darker cells = more complaints that year. Reveals which model years a specific defect concentrated in — useful for spotting redesign-cycle quality dips.
Year-by-Year Breakdown
NHTSA complaint count per model year — click any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
| Year | Generation | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998NO DATA | — | 3 | 0 | — | View → |
| 1999 | — | 16 | 0 | 1 | View → |
| 2000 | — | 15 | 1 | 1 | View → |
| 2001 | — | 17 | 0 | — | View → |
| 2002GOOD | — | 10 | 0 | — | View → |
| 2003 | — | 15 | 1 | — | View → |
| 2004NO DATA | — | 9 | 1 | — | View → |
| 2005AVOID | — | 145 | 20 | 7 | View → |
| 2006AVOID | — | 197 | 28 | 14 | View → |
| 2007AVOID | — | 67 | 8 | — | View → |
| 2008AVOID | — | 77 | 7 | 3 | View → |
| 2009 | — | 23 | 7 | — | View → |
| 2010NO DATA | — | 6 | 0 | — | View → |
| 2011NO DATA | — | 9 | 1 | — | View → |
Year-by-Year Breakdown
Tap any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
Data Sources & Methodology
Complaints: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database (609 records for this model). Public domain data, updated monthly.
Sales data: Not yet available for this model. Complaint counts are shown as raw numbers.
Rate calculation: Complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold = (complaint count / US annual sales) x 10,000. This normalizes for sales volume so high-volume models like Civic or Camry aren't unfairly penalized.
Year classifications: AVOID = 1.5x+ the model's median complaint count. GOOD = 0.6x or below. Years less than 3 years old are marked TOO NEW (insufficient data).
See also: Cadillac Stsaccident & safety statistics from our vehicle history database.
Buying a Cadillac Sts?
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