When you try to lock/unlock the door using either the fob or the interior switch, can you hear the mechanism attempting to lock/unlock?
Have you lubricated the lock cylinder and its associated components? Perhaps even coating the key with graphite and exercising the cylinder?

IIRC, you can enter the vehicle personalization feature on the DIC and cancel the auto door locking feature until your problem is resolved.

 

Nothing works...randomly it'll work fine and the mechanism will work flawlessly. I'll pick my kid up from daycare, then I'll drive it literally around the block and none of the switches or fobs or key will work and the door will not open. I'm a pretty big guy so I had to power the seat-back all the way down, open the rear door and climb out that way, all while my 3 year old is laughing at me.

I pulled the actuator from the door and cleaned it up as best as I could, then I sprayed some white grease around the moving parts of it. When I had the actuator out I turned the key in the cylinder and it turned fine, which makes me think that the actuator is screwed. I also inspected all the connecting rods from the exterior handle and the interior door handle cable and they look fine.

As far as the vehicle personalization feature...I went through it and did not see that option, but I was so heated I should probably look again.

 

There's no getting around the doors locking once the vehicle is under motion, that's a safety feature.
I thought there was something involving passive locking upon exit; I could be wrong.

 

Yes all cars have exterior door handle micro switches but the part numbers are different for those with passive entry as they have a built in antenna. However if the door is not opening when operating the inside handle, it's probably the actuator going bad. Bad micro switches would only impact opening the door from the outside.

 

UPDATE...so I did a dumb thing and ordered a part that I thought would be right...it wasn’t. So I yanked out the actuator and this is what I need apparently.

 

From all that I’ve seen, this looks like a rear door actuator. It has 7 pins at the connector.

 

I am dealing with a microswitch issue.. I swear, this car seems to have things go out in pairs.. One hub went out on it, fixed it, another went out a week later...
Noticed my right rear door handle wasn't unlocking the doors... A week later the drivers side front door stopped opening from the outside but would unlock the other doors...
Ordered part for drivers door and fixed it.. Next week the passenger side door started doing the same thing..

Damn microswitches...

I (hopefully) ordered 2 door handle bases for the right side that should take care of those doors... Wierd that the door switches all went out about the same time... Only drivers side rear will have not been changed...

Also had to do an alignment in my car.. My snow tires were really worn on the inside treads... To the point one tire was wore down to threads...

 

Hope someone can help. Is it possible that Cadillac made a cts without micro switches? I pulled both front door panels and expected to find harnesses going to micro switch assembly. I didn’t find any harnesses going to either door assembly. I stuck my I phone up in there and no wiring going to either part, only the door actuators. I have an after market key fob that came with the car I bought used. Back door locks respond to key fob but not the fronts. Also no response from door unlock button from driver’s or passenger side.

 

As stated previously in this thread, all 2nd gen CTS have this feature. The outside door handles are not mechanical. They trigger electrical switches (ie. micro switches) in the handle base that signal the actuator to open. The coupes also have this on the inside handle. If you have a sedan, the inside door handles are a mechanical device. They pull a cable attached to the actuator to open the door.

 

My inside door handle are electrical also. Famous for trapping ignorant people inside.

 

How did you get out lol

 

Has always worked but there is also a lever on the floor...

 

Thanks Padgett, edited for clarification.

 

To be fair, Foneman02 was inquiring about a sedan and Padgett's information is specific to the coupe.