2011 Cadillac Dts: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2011 Cadillac Dts
On the 2011 Cadillac Dts, the failure owners report most often is oil leak, with 3 reports on file. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 65,000 miles. Overall it scores 66 out of 100, high risk for a 2011.
High risk for a 2011 — 240th riskiest of the 283 2011 vehicles we can rate. 19 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.
What owners report breaking
Owners have reported 9 named failure modes on the 2011 Cadillac Dts, and the three most-reported carry 47% of everything filed.
Oil leak leads with 3 reports and about 0.0 per 1,000 vehicles.
Ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure follows with 3 reports.
Other electrical problem follows with 3 reports.
By system, the reports fall mostly into electrical (6), engine (5) and airbag (3).
When these failures get reported
10 of the reports on the 2011 Cadillac Dts came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 65,000 miles.
Cumulatively, 30% by 50,000 miles and 80% by 100,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed.
The busiest stretch is between 0 and 10,000 miles, which alone holds 20% of the dated reports.
30% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
- Dashed the median reported mileage
How bad it is when it goes
Across the named modes, 2 mention a crash and 2 an injury. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 6.58, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: oil leak at $250–$2,200, ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure at $250–$1,500, other electrical problem at $250–$2,000 and stalling while driving at $300–$2,500. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
26% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oil leak | engine | 3 | 3 | — | 76k | — | 0.0 | $250–$2,200 | Moderate |
| Ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure | electrical | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $250–$1,500 | High |
| Other electrical problem | electrical | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $250–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Stalling while driving | engine | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $300–$2,500 | Critical |
| Airbag failed to deploy in a crash | airbag | 2 | 2 | — | 8k | — | 0.0 | $1,000–$5,000 | Critical |
| Seat belt or retractor failure | airbag | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $200–$900 | High |
| Steering rack, gear or tie rod failure | steering | 1 | 1 | — | 64k | — | 0.0 | $700–$2,600 | High |
| Steering column or shaft failure | steering | 1 | 1 | — | 68k | — | 0.0 | $600–$2,500 | Critical |
| Catalytic converter failure | emissions | 1 | 1 | — | 126k | — | 0.0 | $900–$3,500 | Moderate |
| Unclassified problem | other | 2 | 2 | — | 40k | — | 0.0 | — | Moderate |
Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
How often, against how many were built
Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2011 Cadillac Dts draws about 0.3 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 75th percentile of complaint rates among 2011 vehicles we can rate.
That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound.
The working figure is 69,816 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2011 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Oil leak
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 cadillac dts. While having the vehicle serviced, the contact observed oil leaking from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the oil pan gasket and motor failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Recalls on the 2011 model year
NHTSA has issued 2 recall campaigns covering the 2011 Cadillac Dts, affecting an estimated 73,261 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.
The campaigns cover electrical system:ignition and electrical system:12v/24v/48v battery:cables. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.
Recalls also distort complaint counts. Publicity about a campaign reminds owners that complaining is possible, so reports for a recalled component often spike after the recall rather than before it.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
3,141,731 vehicles 2014-06-23- Defect
- This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Buick LaCrosse, 2006-2011 Buick Lucerne, 2000-2005 Cadillac DeVille, 2006-2011 Cadillac DTS, 2006-2014 Chevrolet Impala, and 2006-2007 Chevrolet Monte Carlo vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the weight on the key ring and road conditions or some other…
- Consequence
- If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury. Additionally, a key knocked out of the run position will cause loss of engine power, power steering, and power braking, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will install two key rings and an insert in the key slot or a cover over the key head on all ignition keys, free of charge. The recall began on September 23, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), and 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet). GM's number for this recall is 14299.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY:CABLES
13,780 vehicles 2010-11-05- Defect
- General motors is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 dts and buick lucerne vehicles equipped with v8 engines. The starter or alternator cable is in contact with the power steering return line. If either the starter or alternator cable is contacting the power steering return line, the cable could wear through the line, causing a power steering fluid leak.
- Consequence
- A power steering leak could result in a loss of power steering, increasing the risk of a crash, and/or the leak onto hot engine parts could cause an engine compartment fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will secure and if necessary reroute the lines to prevent contact. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on november 19, 2010. Owners may contact cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, buick at 1-866-608-8080 and at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.
Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.
How it ranks in the 2011 field
The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.
Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.
- Left fewer and less serious reports
- Right more, or worse
- Marker this vehicle
Where 2011 sits in the model line
High risk for a 2011 — 240th riskiest of the 283 2011 vehicles we can rate. Every score on this site is a rank inside its own model year, which is what makes a 2004 and a 2019 comparable at all.
Across the 6 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 2009 comes out best at 62 and 2006 worst at 66, with 2011 itself at 66.
If the model year is negotiable, 2009 and 2007 score lower than 2011 by a margin worth acting on. Same body, same engines, different luck — usually a supplier change or a mid-cycle fix, which the complaint data can show but never explain.
Within the 2004–2011 generation specifically, 2009 is the strongest year at 62 and 2006 the weakest at 66.
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Within the 2004-2011 generation, 2009 Cadillac Dts scores best at 62 and 2006 Cadillac Dts worst at 66.
What this page cannot tell you
19 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 19 reports, 10 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 53% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
Named failure modes come from matching phrases in the complaint text, so a badly worded complaint can land in the wrong bucket. The effect washes out across hundreds of reports and does not wash out across five.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 2011 Cadillac Dts?
The most-reported failures are oil leak (3 reports, median 75,000 miles), ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure (3 reports) and other electrical problem (3 reports). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
Is the 2011 Cadillac Dts reliable?
It scores 66 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 240th riskiest of the 283 2011 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2011 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.
Which year of the Cadillac Dts is best?
Within the 2004–2011 generation, 2009 scores best at 62 out of 100 and 2006 worst at 66. Same body, same engines, different luck.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed