I have a 2010 CTS4 which is for the most part the same car. It is one year old with 6K miles and has been trouble free so far. That being said, others can have the same or similar car and have different results. Cars are complex these days & luxury cars even more so.

 

so its a matter of luck your are saying ?
I used to think its a matter of usage
but i am greatly disspointed with my brand new car
they didnt build it well
i care for my car like crazy !
yet i got all sorts of trouble (similar to getting a used car)

but seriousley is cadillac any better of a brand ?

 

How reliable are the 2011+ models of the cadillac CTS? I have a malibo 2010 and honestly I have made a bad decision ever buying a Chevrolet only at 14K and all sorts of problems !

so what do you think of the cadillac CTS 3.6 both the coupe and the sedan ? are they reliable ? they seems so but i thought id better ask the REAL owners and not just trusting the reviews nor be fooled by the looks !

so its a matter of luck your are saying ? I used to think its a matter of usage but i am greatly disspointed with my brand new car they didnt build it well
i care for my car like crazy ! yet i got all sorts of trouble (similar to getting a used car)

but seriousley is cadillac any better of a brand ?

Substitute 2008 CTS for 2010 Malibu, and I could have written your posts myself - except that I was fooled by rave reviews and good looks.

Styling, performance, features, and options are typically a cut above other GM brands at the time of new model intro, but Cadillac is just another GM brand when it comes to hit-or-miss quality and reliability - in my opinion.

 

the V8 is good..very reliable..
but the V6 is not 100% well...i saw in real life..many of people buy it..and before decided the V8 i test and ask many opiniion about the V6
about 30% of it burning oil in first 50k Miles..because the problem of the engine..
10% got the problem because the owner doesn't change oil, but it doesn't count..
this 3.6 engine is not GM engine..it is OPEL design...this engine is noisy ( i don't know why) but u can heard it and compare with the V8 and see..
the V8 the sound is the Exhaust and the engine is quiet..the V6 it got a lot of engine noise, especially when u rev it..it looks like timming chain noise...

before i purchance my V8..i bought the used V8 Norsthar because i don't want to dump lot of money to the new car and after that i disapointed like before
my Norsthar now it 200.000 KM and it doesn't burn any oil..the engine is very good...

i got the 3 benz, 1 Audi before i own the cadillac...i can swear the V8 Cadillac is more reliable...
my father benz is the S500 W220 2004 modei..it stay in the services all the time..
Air suspension leak... some time smart key got a problem..when u wake up u put the key it and it doesn't turn..and many many maintenance which i doesn't remember. but the most common problem about my father benz is the Air suspension..it died in every 50.000km..and you need to replace it or it doesn't run.

my CLS 550 got a problem with Transmission..it doesn't shift.. it was the common problem...as i remember i change the Valve Body for the 7 Speed automatic at 30.000 km...and at 50.000km odo..the engine must overhaut because the timing was wrong..it is the Balance Shaft problem..at that time i decided i sell the car..what kind of car need overhaut the engine in 50.000 km...and it is the common problem with the benz 273 and 272 engine (the engine code benz use)
my C200 Kompressor was pretty good....it got some minor problem like every benz got is the Ignition switch..but as far that is the only problem it got when it hit 50.000 km..and A/C compressor also..same as every benz..

my Audi A4 2.0 TSI..i sold it in 20.000km..because it burn oil..if u drive it hard it burn 1L/1000km....i don't want to change the piston in every 50.000km...of course it is warranty but it make you anoyying...
i paid 70k for my car (car in here is expensive because of tax) and it burn oil..with chinese crap metal engine.. my car VW recall and swap the brand new engine for free..but i still decided to get risk of it..because that reason..
many of my friend who got 3.6 TSI..3.0, or Q5 Q7 A6...same..

i hope it help you, that is my opinion in real life..from real owner...

Regard

 

this 3.6 engine is not GM engine..it is OPEL design

Wrong!

Suggested reading for nguyennhatquang:

"Nearly a decade ago, GM decided to step up to its urgent need for an all-new, high-tech V-6 architecture. A small project center was formed in February 1999 at GM Powertrain in Warren, MI [USA]. Tim Cyrus came on board that September as chief engineer [for GM's high-feature V-6 and Northstar premium V-8].
'We brought in people from [Holden] Australia, because we knew we were going to manufacture and sell it there,' he says. 'Sweden, because we knew we were going to be there, and Germany and the U.S."

http://wardsautoworld.com/ar/auto_story_behind_wards_9/index.html​

 

I had no problems of any significance with my fully loaded 2008 CTS 3.6DI. Now driving a 2011 CTS Premium. Love the car!

 

as long as you change the oil regular like every engine...and when you hit 30.000 miles...if it doesn't burn oil that mean it good...
that is the mechanical from Cadillac advise me...when i decide to buy the CTS.

but anyway..30.000 miles still better than the crappy audi i got..

 

I bought a 2010 CTS4 Wagon, with the 3.6, yesterday with 27k miles. In 24 hrs of ownership, it hasn't blow'd up or nuttin'

 

Opel is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Motors. Has been since 1931. In any case, what's your point? The CTS 3.6DI is a superb engine, cranking out 318 horses and 275 lb-ft on regular gas, and it's responsive, smooth, and reliable, so who cares who originally designed it?

 

I have a 2009 CTS4 with 58,000 miles on it today. It was a Enterprise rental with 17,000 miles on it when I purchased it in 2009. Car has had two issues. 1- CD was skipping in the radio unit. 2- I had a low speed ticking noise which disappeared over 40 mph. The radio was replaced under warranty, and the ticking noise resulted in the dealer replacing the entire rear end unit, under warrant . Neither item resulted in any additional cost to me. Dealer supplied a loaner car over the 3 days the car was in the shop, for rear end replacement.

Love the car.

 

I love it when someone says it was a great car except the whole rear end unit had to be replaced just because they did not pay for it. The CTS has the potential to be an excellent car but still earns the black dot in Consumer reports for reliability. My 2009 AWD has overall been a good car but still had recall for oil problem, returned for drive shaft hitting tunnel under load and shortly I will be returning to check out a clunk in the rear end when down shifting at low speed. At least the CTS sunroof problem was not like the recent BMW ones where some exploded.

 

If the problem was fixed under warranty and corrected, I honestly don't think it's all that bad. That is what a warranty is for, after all. Like many have said here, no car is perfect. And as you get into the luxury class-level features, there's a whole lot of things that can go wrong. These aren't manual trans Corollas with crank windows. I have friends and co-workers who drive the whole range of luxury cars, and none has been without problems. My friend with a 335 coupe has had his high-pressure fuel pump replaced twice, and there's still no certainty that the replacements won't continue to fail. A co-worker with an Acura TL had his entire dashboard crack out of warranty to the point where it looked like it had been sitting outside in a junkyard for 25 years. A friend's wife had an Audi A5 lemon law'ed due to constant problems. A friend's brand-new Range Rover Sport with less than 100 miles on it had an electrical malfunction where it kept the right rear brake applied as he drove the car on the freeway, so when he showed up at my house the disc was glowing white hot. Etc., etc., etc.

To me a "great car" is one that I truly love. Meaning I love driving it, I love the looks, and I just have a strong emotional attachment to the car. If I have a couple of relatively minor warranty-covered problems and they are corrected by the dealer and I'm provided a loaner and experience minimal inconvenience overall, that does not make it any less of a great car in my eyes. There are many reliable cars/appliances that are reliable, but not great. It depends on your priorities. Complicated luxury machines with tons of electronics and options are not a good choice for those looking for a car that will never experience a problem.

 

to any body...
i'm not here to say negative about Cadillac...or any brand..
i'm just the people who love the car and want the car which is reliable and less problem...

i just want a luxury which everyday when i wake up..i hit the button and it run..and i'm sure every people in here want the same as me.
maybe my negative comment about German design because maybe i'm too unlucky or for smt else..every car i own...it is a piece of crap and i alway maintenance it well...oil change in every 3000 miles...

 

...it is a piece of crap and i alway maintenance it well...oil change in every 3000 miles...

Changing oil every 3000 miles is a waste of money. Modern synthetic oils such as Mobil 1 are good for 12,000 miles or more.

 

I've only had my '09 AWD since August, but have had a few problems with it. Wouldn't consider it unreliable at this point as it hasn't left me stranded or failed to start and every car I have ever owned has had some type of problem or another. Reading through this forum, there are some who have had no problems at all and others who have had many. I have noticed that '08s and '09s seem to be the most common as I see far fewer complaints about reliability of '10 and newer models. And V models are rarely mentioned in regards to problems, although they are likely far fewer than standard models in terms of number on the road.

----------

I'd have to dig out some old magazines from the early 2000s to get specifics, but IIRC the 3.6 was a clean sheet design. Most of the car mags had reports and updated on it way back in the early 2000s. The 2003 CTS's engine was an Opel engine, but the 2004 3.6(and later 3.0, 2.8, and DI variants) are part of the GM "high feature" family of DOHC engines.

 

RE: http://moneyland.time.com/2011/12/19/stop-changing-the-oil-every-3000-miles-already/

Stop Changing the Oil Every 3,000 Miles Already!


The idea that the oil must be changed in a car every 3,000 miles or three months is a myth that even Jiffy Lube admits is not true. Nonetheless, the majority of drivers still insist on changing the oil more often than necessary, prompting the state of California to launch an initiative to clue car owners in as to what’s best for automobiles, the environment, and consumers’ pocketbooks.

In all cases, the answer boils down to this: For today’s cars, it’s almost never necessary to change the oil every 3,000 miles.


[portion gaped]


Why do drivers insist on changing the oil so frequently? Basically, they don’t know any better. After years and years of marketing messages have pounded into drivers’ psyches that an oil change every 3,000 miles is a rule that must be obeyed, it’s become a habit—a bad, unnecessarily expensive habit.

 

Hey...don't knock the 3Kmi. oil change, it's back!

Here in North America, arrival of the first winter season (Dec-Mar) since the recall (Premature Timing Chain Wear, Reprogram ECM/OLM) means that many short-trip and/or city-driven 2008-09 CTS (2010+ dunno) will very likely need ~3Kmi. oil change per mfr's recommendation via the DIC oil life monitor system.

 

Back to the original question….How reliable the 08 CTS is?


I do not think this forum will give you the answer as my observations are that over here there are two type of members: first one absolute GM supporters for whom even if there are major problems but GM fixes them under warranty all is well, and there are others like me who came from different brands and expect something else.

I cannot speak for others but my fully loaded 08 CTS 3.6 DI with 56,000 miles has been more times to the dealer than all my and my wife’s cars combined in our 30+ years of car ownership. And that’s a fact. J.D Powers, True Delta and Consumers Report all found the 08 CTS had reliability issues.

I met with GM and Cadillac corporate representatives and all admitted they did have reliability issues with early CTS’s. Remember it was the “old GM”, company was going through tough financial crisis and its future was unclear.

How is quality and reliability now? I do not know. I can only say every time I visit the dealer there are people with similar problems to mine…..

Still love the car. Pity GM cannot get the quality and reliability right.

As to the design – GM draws on resource in Europe, Australia and North America, with some input from China. It is normal in this global economy. So it is hard to tell who actually designed what in a car….

 

Below is Consumer Reports current (as of 12/29/11) reliability chart for the Cadillac CTS V6 RWD sedan -- redesign years are in red -- note the vast improvement beginning with the redesigned 2008 model year. However, CU notes the following: "Reliability of the V6 sedan has improved to average, the V6 coupe is well below."

View attachment 84424

 

Interesting graphic. I wonder why '05s were much worse than '04s when there were few changes between those two years. And how is the coupe below average and the sedan average? They are the same car mechanically.

 

Welcome to the wild and wonderful world of statistics. CU surveys a huge number of car owners -- 1.3 million for the current charts -- but it doesn't say how many of those own any particular make, model, or year. They do exclude those cars for which they don't have sufficient data to make statistically valid conclusions. And the surveys are completed by persons who may or may not know what they're talking about or who may be very fussy or very tolerant of minor problems. It all balances out IF there are enough responses, which CU apparently thinks it has. In any case, it's a reasonably valid means of comparing one car with another. Of course, it's also no guarantee that a given vehicle will be free of problems or suffer more than average.

As for the coupe vs. the sedan, CU did not elaborate, but I have to assume that their statement was supported by the stats. Perhaps the coupe's additional problems are because the cars are coming off a different line or from a different factory or something, or maybe they're all related to the new body design. Could be a lot of things.

 

Yes, i agree with the above also. Another thing to keep in mind when looking at reliability reports to compare cars is to really look at what they are measuring and what the difference is to the average consumer. For example, it may be that the average for a new car in the luxury segment is 2 repair issues per year, so even if the CTS is 50% worse (and I don't think this is the case) you are only taliking about one extra repair per year compared to average (based on my numbers ... not sure if they are way off, but doubt it). Is this a big deal to the individual, and reason to NOT buy a car they like? I think that in general cars have become very reliable and the number of repairs is very low, but there are problem cars from all manufacturers.

-GT

 

80,000 miles and four years on my 08 CTS and the car still drives great. The only problem has been the deer I hit four weeks ago. The car turned out OK.

 

level of service when you do have a problem with the car is also very important

to paraphrase an old adage ... "it's not that you fell down, it's how you get back up"

all cars can/will have problems but how you're taken care of when you are one of the unfortunate owners who has to visit the dealer is what's really important

GM (and Cadillac specifically) have really started to step up in this area and while experiences can widely vary from dealership to dealership Cadillac is really trying hard to get those sub-standard dealers to 'step up their game' - and i think it's working

 

.............GM (and Cadillac specifically) have really started to step up in this area and while experiences can widely vary from dealership to dealership Cadillac is really trying hard to get those sub-standard dealers to 'step up their game' - and i think it's working

I concur with this one. My experience with the dealership and GM Customer Service has so far been very good. Now what Cadillac needs to do is to improve quality and reliability. This is based on my 08 model. It seems though that the later year models have improved quite a bit.....

 

Yea I drove a rental 2010 CTS with ultraview roof from Raleigh to Wilmington on tuesday night ... and was really happy with how quiet the roof was

there was a bit of wind noise from one of the passenger side doors (probably needs a new weatherstrip) but it wasn't that bad

 

>>>My experience with the dealership and GM Customer Service has so far been very good. Now what Cadillac needs to do is to improve quality and reliability. This is based on my 08 model. It seems though that the later year models have improved quite a bit..... <<<

I agree with you 100%. As I've posted previously, I was a bit disappointed with my first service visit last fall. When I had the car in several weeks ago for the steering issue and the radio not functioning properly, things went much more smoothly. While the radio did not get fixed properly on this visit, I did get a call from Cadilac customer satisfaction asking about my experience. I relayed both my satisfaction with the steering gear replacement but also that the radio was still not fixed. IIRC, it was a Saturday they called me and on Monday morning, I had a call from my service advisor to set up an appointment to resolve the issue. It turned out to be a simple configuration which had not been done and it got fixed promptly. I too think they are trying to improve the customer service experience at GM as well as the quality of their products. I'm hoping that with all of the changes that went on mid 2009(new GM) that we are seeing higher quality components. I have said for years that GM has some of the best designed and engineered cars on the roads, especially their higher end models. What kills them is the poor quality from their suppliers. Based on what I've seen here with the drop in problems owners of '10 and later models are reporting, here's hoping that something truly good is coming from the whole bankrupcy/new GM mess. I've always liked Cadillacs, even in their floaty and FWD years and have wanted to see the brand re-emerge as world leader as I'm too young to remember when the brand was considered that before. Their current line-up and future products point to that if they can keep the quality gremlins at bay. Yes, these cars are packed with technology, but so is just about any other car out there.

 

...Yes, these cars [GM/Cadillac/CTS] are packed with technology, but so is just about any other car out there.

Good point.

Also most of the multiple problems experienced by CTS owners are the basic things, not complicated high-tech stuff. GM has designed and built cars for 100+ years, and yet it sometimes seems as if 2nd gen (2008) CTS was GM’s first.

 

I disagree with those above who seem to say you have to choose between a car that is solid & reliable and one that is fun to drive. My Nissan 350 Z was both. A driver's car but never had a problem of any kind with it. I hope the Coupe does as well....or at least close.

I'm a supporter of CR; I don't buy anything costing over a buck without consulting CR. With that said, its take on the Z is usually negative & the opposite of my experience.

For those of you hating on the Lexus, you really need to go drive one. Our RX350 SUV (1st Lexus for us) is as fine a vehicle as I've every driven. Comfortable, solid, lots of "go" for an SUV. Would it replace my Z or Coupe as a driver's car? Not a chance. But when ever we need more room, etc & get in the Lexus, I always think, "Damn this is a fine machine".

 

Well, yeah -- so was my 1971 BMW 2002. But by comparison to the 2008 - 2012 CTS, it was a troglodyte -- carburetor (I learned early on how to clean the needle valve, which was always clogging up), no electronics to speak of (after-market AC and radio), manual 4-speed, crank windows (which broke quite often), 13" wheels with manual disc brakes, an outrageous 121HP from a dual overhead cam 4-banger, etc. etc. Rebuilt the engine twice, the tranny once, and drove it for 14 years. My favorite car of all time! Not sure my ass would fit in the seat these days. ;-)

 

Bought a 2011 AWD CTS Premium yesterday. Nothings fallen off yet! Traded in my 2006 BMW 530i that had become painfully expensive once out of CPO warranty.
My wife hated the BMW ride.... She really likes the CTS. Since I got this certified used with the warranty out to 100k, I will see how this turns out. I like the car just fine.

 

Reliability is not very good in my opinion. I had just got back from Europe and went to turn off the ignition and take the key out. It would not come out. I was ready to go to sleep, but had to stay awake for a tech to come out and turn it off. He then showed me how to turn it back on to get to a dealer. OnStar saved me in that case, but should I really have to pay for a backup plan?

I have a laundry list of problems that just never seem to get fixed.

I just finished looking at edmunds.com Tech Bulletins. There's quite a few there.

 

It does seem from the numbers that are coming in on car reliability that the CTS is improving. However, having a 09 CTS I have to say that I have had a lot of the same problems as others on this board. Furthermore, it's become clear to me that theses issues are often supplier issues. The latest one is a new seat frame for the passenger's side as mine has begun to "rock" back and forth. I still love the look and drive of the car but didn't appreciate putting down the big chunk of cash for an extended warranty because I fear these issues might continue after the bumper to bumper expires. Nevertheless, I still love driving it.

 

I had a base model 2007 CTS v6 for 4 years and put 96K km's on it. Had ZERO issues with it. Now I have a 3.0L 2011 CTS it's currently at 17K and no issues yet. Very reliable car for me and I live in a location with harsh winters. (Nova Scotia, Canada)