2020 Cadillac CT5 problems

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

The contact owns a 2020 Cadillac CT5. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and using the key fob to open the door, the door on the driver’s side failed to open. The failure was a recurring failure. The dealer was contacted and diagnosed the vehicle with an exterior door handle failure on the driver’s side. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.

NHTSA complaint #11754827 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE:BODY

Electronic door hand on the drivers side completely stopped working, with little warning. This includes the proximity unlock feature and unlocking the car with the fob. If this were to have happened to all four doors at once, it would have been impossible to enter the car without breaking the glass. This is not safe.

NHTSA complaint #11752920 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Lockhart Cadillac Service Department committed warranty fraud by charging me on multiple occasions for repairs that should have been covered under GM/Cadillac 2025 Transmission Recall & Special Extended Warranties. The transmission has continued to deteriorate. I took the vehicle in on July 1, 2026 for recall service and was told it needed a valve body replacement. However, they are demanding again that I pay for it and refusing to submit it as a recall repair. They have had my vehicle 15 days and refuse to provide written documentation of actual diagnosis, TAC has not been submitted, they have not provided GM/Cadillac or myself with any written documentation as to why it wouldn’t be covered under warranty. They have not submitted the service history of the last 6 service repairs to GM/Cadillac as requested, nor have they offered me a courtesy vehicle or rental car compensation and virtually have left me stranded for 2 weeks.

NHTSA complaint #11750953 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The left passenger door will not open manually nor with key fob. It has caused me to not allow back seat passengers including grand children for fear if necessary to get out in an emergency and I am left to wonder if the driver door will go into lock position during a collision and that would be life threatening. I tried holding the lock and unlock at the same time for 3sec and that didn’t work. The dealership said it would cost around $800 or more to take the door off and try to find the problem and I would probably have to get a new door and try to match the paint. I really need help with this issue because I have less than 20,000 miles on my car. I have seen online that there’re many people dealing with this problem being it the back doors and some the front. These cars cost the customers a lot of money when purchasing them. I would greatly appreciate the issue being reviewed for recall repairs. Thanks

NHTSA complaint #11750891 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

There is some type of mechanical or electrical malfunction with the door locking system. I can not unlock or enter the car using the fan or by any mechanism from outside the car. This has left my fiance & infant trapped in the car. My fiance has to reach over and manually open the driver side door from inside the vehicle. However, I can no longer drive with only my infant in the car for fear she will be trapped inside.

NHTSA complaint #11750954 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

While driving my 2020 Cadillac CT5 at highway speeds, the vehicle suffered a sudden and dangerous total loss of motive power. The transmission completely failed without warning, creating an immediate, severe safety hazard as I was forced to navigate across multiple active lanes of high-speed highway traffic without acceleration.The vehicle was towed to an authorized Cadillac dealership. The technician's diagnostic inspection confirmed that the internal transmission pump drive gear completely shattered, sending catastrophic metal debris throughout the entire transmission system. The dealership has recommended a total transmission system replacement.This internal pump gear failure is a documented cascade consequence of a manufacturing defect in the Transmission Control Valve Body, which causes severe internal fluid pressure drops. This specific transmission defect is subject to GM Special Coverage Bulletin N242480631 and NHTSA Campaign Number 25V148 / GM Recall N242480630. The defective valve body starved the transmission of pressure, directly destroying the pump gear at highway speeds and putting my life in danger.

NHTSA complaint #11740017 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The rear passenger driver side outside door handle stopped working about 3 days ago. I have three small grandchildren and if there is an accident or any other emergency I cannot open the back door to get them or anyone out of the vehicle to safety, which can lead to bodily harm or worse. I have already had the driver outside door handle replaced on March 18 2025 for the same problem. There should be a recall on the door handles to prevent the chance of bodily harm upon anyone. Also, to prevent this from happening again, the door handles could possibly be replaced with regular door handles. Thank you

NHTSA complaint #11737209 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH

The contact owns a 2020 Cadillac CT5. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the front passenger's side and the front driver's side door latches failed to unlock from the outside. In addition, the front passenger's side door latch failed to unlatch from the inside. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed front driver's side door handle, a failed passenger's side door handle, and the front passenger's side door latch. The contact was informed that the front driver's side door handle, the passenger's front door handle, and the front passenger's side door latch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that the door indicator was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a failed front passenger's side door latch and driver's front door latches. The contact was informed that the front driver's side door latch and the front passenger's side door latch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was advised by an online forum to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

NHTSA complaint #11732916 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

My front door latch doesn't work often leaving me locked out of the car. If the car is off I can use the auto roll down feature, but if the car is on i can't. This is a safety issue if I am in danger or my child is in the car.

NHTSA complaint #11722816 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2020 Cadillac CT5. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered and experienced hard shifts intermittently. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure progressively worsened, and the vehicle made an abnormally loud sound while driving. The check engine warning light and the traction control warning light were illuminated. The contact stated that after taking the transmission apart, the contact became aware that cheaply made transmission parts had disintegrated, and there were metal shavings in the transmission. The contact determined that the transmission needed to be replaced; however, it was an extensive repair. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V148000 (Power Train); however, the recall repair only involved the transmission control module monitoring software installation. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the transmission repair was not covered under the recall. The contact stated that the recall remedy was inadequate to correct the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the recall repair could not be performed on the vehicle due to the vehicle having a branded title. The failure mileage was approximately 578.

NHTSA complaint #11721714 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The electronic exterior door handle on my CT5 has failed and raises a concern of what if there was an accident and nobody was able to open the door if I was unconscious. I believe that having a key access is not enough and there should be a mechanical exterior door handle instead of an electronic handle that fails and is costly to repair.

NHTSA complaint #11712001 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

While key FOB is operational, next to car door and under moderate temperature conditions, the exterior door handle(s) wont open the car door. The doors freeze, remain latched in place from the outside. The interior door handle on the same door remains operational. This makes it difficult to get into the vehicle to remove people from inside the car should dangerous conditions be present while they are unable to operate the interior handle themselves and/or its difficult to enter the vehicle for safety should dangerous conditions be present outside the vehicle. The doors are jammed, we cant get to you!! There are reports of this happening to all four doors. The dealership says the exterior door handle must be replaced for the door to open from the outside again and it is uncertain if the replacement handle has the defect corrected or not. The latch freeze could occur again, anytime unless the replacement is improved. My vehicle had only 8500 miles on it and the exterior handle failed on the front drivers side. How many times will this condition repeat itself without warning during the lifetime of the car. CadillacForum has discussion on the matter including how some with the problem are disassembling the part and “repairing” the handle defect from the inside. This unnecessary risk could develop into an event that contributed to injuries. A reliable part must be installed asap though many cannot afford the $480 expense to replace it at the dealership. I had a 2000 Cadillac CTS for 20 years and didn’t have a problem with doors locking up from the outside - door handles not responding to efforts to open the door with a correct and operational key fob present. Link to discussion on failing door handles on Cadillacs below [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11708590 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2020 Cadillac CT5. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had noticed an oil leak and that the battery charge was abnormally low. The contact received an alert from OnStar pertaining to the critically low battery. Additionally, the contact noticed that there was an abnormal squishing sound coming from the dashboard, and the contact believed that the sound was coming from an animal that had intruded into the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to a tire center where all four TPMS sensors were replaced. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

NHTSA complaint #11705360 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

The contact owns a 2020 Cadillac CT5. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had noticed an oil leak and that the battery charge was abnormally low. The contact received an alert from OnStar pertaining to the critically low battery. Additionally, the contact noticed that there was an abnormal squishing sound coming from the dashboard, and the contact believed that the sound was coming from an animal that had intruded into the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to a tire center where all four TPMS sensors were replaced. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

NHTSA complaint #11705360 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE:INTERIOR PANELS:DASHBOARD

The contact owns a 2020 Cadillac CT5. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had noticed an oil leak and that the battery charge was abnormally low. The contact received an alert from OnStar pertaining to the critically low battery. Additionally, the contact noticed that there was an abnormal squishing sound coming from the dashboard, and the contact believed that the sound was coming from an animal that had intruded into the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to a tire center where all four TPMS sensors were replaced. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

NHTSA complaint #11705360 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE:BODY

Door handle opening mechanism has not been working correctly for over a year. Multiple attempts to open the door will finally work and the door will open. This is a life safety issue that I have taken up with GM multiple times now and they refused to cover the vehicle. When looking online, dozens of other individuals have also complained about this exact issue.

NHTSA complaint #11701649 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

The contact’s son owns a 2020 Cadillac CT5. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. After a visual inspection, the contact observed that the engine oil was abnormally low. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 14,466.

NHTSA complaint #11700097 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2020 Cadillac CT5. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly stopped without the brake pedal being depressed. The contact stated that the message "Reduced Power" was displayed on the instrument cluster. The contact was able to continue driving; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate above 10 MPH. The contact was able to drive the vehicle off the highway and then to the residence. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and saw several warning lights illuminated on the instrument cluster. The contact was able to clear the codes, and then the vehicle was driven to a dealer. The dealer checked and saw that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V148000 (Power Train) and proceeded to reflash the Power Control Module and install the transmission monitoring software. The vehicle was repaired. The contact informed the dealer that the rear wheels had locked up and which indicated transmission damage. The dealer performed the recall repair and informed the contact that the vehicle was repaired. Additionally, the contact was advised that the engine was leaking engine oil. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired for the oil leak failure. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and advised the contact that there was no assistance that could be provided. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

NHTSA complaint #11697874 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2020 Cadillac CT5. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly stopped without the brake pedal being depressed. The contact stated that the message "Reduced Power" was displayed on the instrument cluster. The contact was able to continue driving; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate above 10 MPH. The contact was able to drive the vehicle off the highway and then to the residence. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and saw several warning lights illuminated on the instrument cluster. The contact was able to clear the codes, and then the vehicle was driven to a dealer. The dealer checked and saw that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V148000 (Power Train) and proceeded to reflash the Power Control Module and install the transmission monitoring software. The vehicle was repaired. The contact informed the dealer that the rear wheels had locked up and which indicated transmission damage. The dealer performed the recall repair and informed the contact that the vehicle was repaired. Additionally, the contact was advised that the engine was leaking engine oil. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired for the oil leak failure. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and advised the contact that there was no assistance that could be provided. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

NHTSA complaint #11697874 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

For no apparent reason my vehicle is shifting itself into Neutral while driving. The car will suddenly completely slow down to a stop and in order to restart the car, I have to put it in park. It doesn't matter what speed or the road condition, it simply comes to a slow stop because it is no longer in driving mode, it has shifted itself into Neutral. The recall has been serviced and after more than 10 days of being in 2 different Cadillac service centers, I am advised they are unable to simulate the issue, thus the issue is not resolved. It is most definitely a safety issue because the vehicle will just stop moving with the flow of traffic. My concern is being rear-ended or having any type of accident since the car abruptly stops without warning.

NHTSA complaint #11694212 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

For no apparent reason my vehicle is shifting itself into Neutral while driving. The car will suddenly completely slow down to a stop and in order to restart the car, I have to put it in park. It doesn't matter what speed or the road condition, it simply comes to a slow stop because it is no longer in driving mode, it has shifted itself into Neutral. The recall has been serviced and after more than 10 days of being in 2 different Cadillac service centers, I am advised they are unable to simulate the issue, thus the issue is not resolved. It is most definitely a safety issue because the vehicle will just stop moving with the flow of traffic. My concern is being rear-ended or having any type of accident since the car abruptly stops without warning.

NHTSA complaint #11694212 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

CT5 2020 Doors will not unlock.

NHTSA complaint #11683415 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Major safety Concern Faulty valve body and transmission dealership failed to disclose. Service manager drove vehicle with bent wheels. That is how the bent wheels were discovered. Not from inspection. Wheels evidently bent under dealership possession. 2020 Cadillac CT5 Vehicle financed at 12K Miles with certified pre owned, bumper to bumper, and powertrain warranties in February 2024 showed poor driving, shifting, acceleration and abnormal behaviors such as slow and delayed shifting/acceleration, loud shifting, jerking, and strange noises from the vehicle and low power. There were very suspicious mechanical issues wrong with the car in which the dealership told me that there isn’t anything wrong with the car, with the understanding that if anything was ever wrong with the vehicle it has been fixed. I was ensured and promised that the car does not have anything wrong with it and that it goes through inspection and diagnostics, that the vehicle cannot be sold without being tested, fixed of any problems and brought to standard. I brought this to the attention of the salesman, owner, financial advisor, service advisor, service manager. I requested a full buyback and replacement of my 2020 CT5. My dealership let me know that they still want me to pay for the valve body, battery, ambient air temperature sensor and rear parking brake motor. I had to call Cadillac corporate/General Motors to have the valve body covered & rear bumper covered/replaced. I was brought into the dealership office and was told that the buyback and replacement was denied by General Motors even though my car was showing symptoms of a defective valve body ever since I financed the car. These things were being ignored by the dealership service department. Laggy and rough acceleration as well as shifting. Strange vibrations and noises coming from the car. Slow moving and the shifting was very jerky and abnormal. The shifting was also very loud and took long times to shift 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, 4-5 gears.

NHTSA complaint #11681128 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Two separate issues: One is being sold a vehicle with a Certified vehicle at 12K miles with a defective, faulty transmission which is a manufacturer defect from General Motors. 10-speed automatic transmission 10L90 model. Misrepresentation of a product. False advertisement of a product. Failure to disclose. Gross negligence. Unethical & Illegal business practices. Dealer & manufacturer fraud. Second issue: When Valve body was replaced on the vehicle, the service manager of the dealership test drove the vehicle with me in the passenger seat on the highway. The vehicle was still not shifting or accelerating correctly even after the valve body replacement. The vehicle began to shake, jerk and rumble on the test drive. The vehicle drove worse. The service manager and I took the vehicle back to the dealership and he found that two of the wheels, on the passenger side, are now bent. That is how the bent wheels were discovered. Not from inspection. Previous multipoint inspection and diagnosis shows the wheels were not bent before I brought the car into the dealership for mechanical work. I can attest to the fact that my wheels were not bent before service and this obvious shaking of the car was not previously existent. The dealership denies liability for this issue and is now refusing to replace the wheels after I have offered to pay. Dealership service manager told me it was safe to drive the vehicle with two bent wheels and I strongly disagree with that statement and so has my insurance company. It is very questionable as to why the service manager would make such a statement. The dealership told me to call other GM dealerships to have the wheels replaced. They refused to do the work as well. I am seeking the proper resolution in this situation.

NHTSA complaint #11681133 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.