KnownCarProblems2013 Cadillac Ats Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 160 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Cadillac Ats, most often about the engine (31% of complaints, typically around 6,500 miles). It is the most complained-about Ats model year since 2000 and has 6 recalls.
Most common 2013 Cadillac Ats problems
Engine
49 complaints · 31%Half of these problems showed up before 6,500 miles.
Hello, I have a 2013 Cadillac Ats 2.0t AWD and I have been having serious issues with the car stalling and idling roughly. It has stalled on my three times already since I got the car in october, and I have taken it in for service on two different occasions for that same issue. Each time they kept the car for three…
Transmission issues. Rattling under the chassis that sounds like someone grabs the drive shaft and shakes it when the clutch is pushed at slow speeds ie moving up at a stop sign, in traffic etc. Defective dual mass flywheel was found after the service department told me my claims were up to factory standards. After…
Transmission
45 complaints · 28%Half of these problems showed up before 20,500 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, shift linkage/cable/rod.
When the vehicle is coming to a stop or slowing down with the car in either neutral or the clutch pressed all the way down, the vehicle will stall. The stall is not abrupt but very subtle. The car does not jerk forward but just dies without the driver knowing. Cannot tell that the vehicle has stalled until I try to…
Driving on 71 in columbus oh to mansfield oh going 70 MPH on highway and at ex 173 started snowing heavy, traffic came to hault at 10 MPH, had .09 miles to exit, got to exit made a right off exit started up a hill in snow at 30 MPH and before making it up the hill the car stopped in middle of one lane rd. And display…
Electrical
36 complaints · 23%Half of these problems showed up before 42,500 miles.
Cue touchscreen fails to respond to touch. It started going bad at the bottom, but the problem "spreads" upwards making the entire screen unusable. The HVAC and radio controls are all on this touchscreen, making it impossible to control these features while driving. Other settings for the vehicle are also in the cue…
The touch screen control on the center console is not working as designed. I am unable to to change functions, such as changing radio controls to air conditioning controls. I am umable to navigate the screen up/down and side to side. It bounces aroumd uncontrollable and when I drive the vehicle.
Steering
25 complaints · 16%Half of these problems showed up before 14,000 miles.
Turned car off. Started 5 mins later moved just a couple miles and hour and power steering and power brakes went out. Turned car off and worked after that.
Since june 2013, the Cadillac Ats has been making a vibration feeling. The vibration is unknown, it has been to service twice. First I was suggested to try a different gas (premium gas). The problem continued to occur, so I switched back to regular gas. Then received a recall letter about the transmission shift and…
Brakes
17 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 10,000 miles.
Cadillac Ats 2013 continues to stall and turn off causing loss of steering of vehicle. This has been in the shop 4 times for repair, and vehicle has still been stalling.
The automatic collision avoidance braking system activated at freeway speeds with nothing in front of the car for over a mile and fully slammed the brakes and flashed the heads up display collision warning. This system failed multiple ways, one it thought there was an eminent collision when there wasn't and two it…
Other or unspecified
17 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 47,500 miles.
Cadillac Ats lost power and shut off while driving causing lose of control as well as right control arm snapping in half. Driver then hit ditch and then a tree cause damage to front of the car and injury to drive.
Keys were in owner's hands while opening the trunk, and then the keys were accidentally dropped into the trunk when the trunk was shut. When owner attempted to open the trunk by hitting the button on the trunk, the trunk did not open. Then the owner attempted to open driver's side door to access the trunk release…
Speed control
10 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 6,500 miles. Parts named most often: cruise control.
Transmission issues. Rattling under the chassis that sounds like someone grabs the drive shaft and shakes it when the clutch is pushed at slow speeds ie moving up at a stop sign, in traffic etc. Defective dual mass flywheel was found after the service department told me my claims were up to factory standards. After…
The collision avoidance system activated while at freeway speed, however there were no cars or obstructions ahead of my car. The brakes were automatically applied, the collision warning appeared on the hud, and the car rapidly decelerated. Had there been a vehicle behind me, there would certainly have been a serious…
Air bags
9 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 36,000 miles. Parts named most often: srs malfunction warning lamp/light.
Takata recall was issued for my airbags. Nothing happened. My airbags were deemed to be dangerous/recalled/ same with my steering wheel (2).. Same for rear brakes. Your questions are not relevant. Nothing happened. Rather recall was announced on airbags, steering wheel (2) and on my rear brakes.
Takata recall there has been no "incident" re the 2013 Ats. The issue originated with recall notices to my dealer and to me re (1) steering (2) air bags (3) brakes. The airbag issue involves continual warning by light and by sound re the driver's side airbag. Dealer secretary states that she has notices for all three…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2013 Cadillac Ats recalls
Visibility and wipers: defroster/defogger/hvac system
Risk: If the coil antenna generates excessive heat, there is an increased risk of a fire.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will update the electronic climate control module to remove the automatic rear defogger "on" function, free of charge. The recall began on october 16, 2015. Owners may contact cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. Gm's number for this recall is 15299.
Full defect summary
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 operation.
Visibility and wipers: sun/moon roof assembly
Risk: Because the switch is not recessed, the roof panel switch may inadvertently be pressed resulting in unintended auto-closure of the roof panel, increasing the risk of personal injury.
Fix: Gm will notify owners and dealers will replace the roof console accessory switch trim plate, free of charge. The recall began on august 19, 2015. Owners may contact cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. Gm's number for this recall is 15568. Note this recall supersedes 15v-106.
Full defect summary
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 to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) no. 118, "power-operated window, partition, and roof panel systems."
Seat belts: front
Risk: If the seat belts do not remain locked in the retracted position when under load, the seat occupant may not be adequately restrained in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will replace both front the driver's and the passenger's lap belt pretensioners, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. Gm sent interim notifications on october 7, 2014 and will send a second notification when remedy parts are available. The recall began on november 20, 2014. Owners may contact buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, or cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. Gm's number for this recall is 14171.
Full defect summary
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 may not lock in a retracted position, allowing the seat belts to extend when pulled upon.
Seats
Risk: A seat that does not stay secured increases the risk of occupant injury in a vehicle crash.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the seat hook bracket assembly weld and replace the lower seat track, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on august 15, 2014. Owners may contact gm customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (buick), 1-800-458-8006 (cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (chevrolet), and 1-800-462-8782 (gmc). Gm's number for this recall is 14340.
Full defect summary
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 affected vehicles may not stay secured in place during a high load condition such as a crash.
Transmission: automatic transmission
Risk: If the transmission shift cable detaches while the vehicle is being driven, the transmission gear selection may not match the indicated gear and the vehicle may move in an unintended or unexpected direction, increasing the risk of a crash. Furthermore, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, despite selecting the 'park' position, the transmission may not be in 'park.' if the vehicle is not in the 'park' position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiti
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles to make sure the cable is properly seated at the transmission and shifter brackets, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in early august 2014. Owners may contact cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. Gm's number for this recall is 14179.
Full defect summary
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 bracket on the transmission shifter or the bracket on the transmission.
Lights: brake lights
Risk: If the brake lamps flash when the vehicle is not slowing, a following driver may not adjust vehicle speed when the vehicle is in fact braking, and the brake lamps are illuminating as intended, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the body control module. The recall began on june 13, 2013. Owner's may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 or cadillac at 1-866-982-2339. Gm's recall number is 13158.
Full defect summary
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 2014 chevrolet impala vehicles. In october 2013, gm informed the agency that it was adding model year 2013 chevrolet sonic vehicles to this campaign , representing an additional 8,050 units. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 9,677. On the affected vehicles, the brake lamps may intermittently flash without the brakes being applied and the cruise control may disengage. Thus, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment."
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
Questions about the 2013 Cadillac Ats
- What are the most common problems with the 2013 Cadillac Ats?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: engine (49 complaints, typically around 6,500 miles); transmission (45 complaints, typically around 20,500 miles); electrical (36 complaints, typically around 42,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2013 Cadillac Ats have?
- 6 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from September 3, 2015 (visibility and wipers). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2013 a bad year for the Cadillac Ats?
- It is the most complained-about Ats model year since 2000, with 160 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.