Cadillac Sts: which years to buy, and what breaks on them
Best and worst years of the Cadillac Sts
Of the 9 model years of the Cadillac Sts that carry enough owner reports to score, 1999 comes out best at 55 out of 100 and 2000 worst at 73. The scores rank each year against other cars of the same model year, so an older one is not penalised for having had longer to break.
610 owner reports across 14 model years, 486 of them carrying an odometer reading. 9 years carry enough reports to score.
The year to buy, and the year to avoid
Both figures are ranks against other vehicles of the same model year, so the two are comparable even when the years are a decade apart. Each links to that year's full report.
1999 Cadillac Sts
Best of 14 years on 16 owner reports, its own worst problem being other engine problem. Evidence behind the score: low confidence.
2000 Cadillac Sts
Risk 73 of 100 from 15 reports, worst problem stalling while driving.
High Low confidence confidence
How much the year actually matters
The gap between the best and worst year is 18 points on a 100-point scale, which is wide enough to be worth acting on when two cars are otherwise comparable.
Across every year of the Cadillac Sts, owners have filed 610 reports with NHTSA. The 2006 accounts for the largest share at 197, which can mean a genuinely troublesome year or simply the year that sold best and has been on the road longest.
What tends to break across the Cadillac Sts
Taking the most-reported failure from each model year, the recurring problems on the Cadillac Sts are other speed control problem (worst mode in 2 years), timing chain, belt or tensioner failure (worst mode in 2 years) and other steering problem (worst mode in 1 year). A fault that heads the list in most years is characteristic of the design; one that heads a single year is usually a batch or a supplier.
Every model year, scored
Shorter is better, and the outlined row is the best year of the line. A year with too few reports to score is shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not the same as no problems.
| Year | Reports | Per 1,000 | Median report | Most reported problem | Recalls | Risk | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 Cadillac Sts | 3 | 0.1 | 87k | Other steering problem | 0 | not rated | Unrated |
| 1999 Cadillac Sts | 16 | 0.7 | 99k | Other engine problem | 0 | 55 | Low confidence |
| 2000 Cadillac Sts | 15 | 58.6 | 102k | Stalling while driving | 1 | 73 | Low confidence |
| 2001 Cadillac Sts | 17 | 0.7 | 36k | Radiator or coolant leak | 0 | 58 | Low confidence |
| 2002 Cadillac Sts | 10 | 0.4 | 104k | Brake line, hose or caliper failure | 0 | not rated | Unrated |
| 2003 Cadillac Sts | 15 | 0.7 | 19k | Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault | 0 | 62 | Low confidence |
| 2004 Cadillac Sts | 9 | 0.4 | 8k | Fuel pump failure | 0 | not rated | Unrated |
| 2005 Cadillac Sts | 145 | 6.3 | 60k | Differential or transfer case failure | 3 | 67 | High confidence |
| 2006 Cadillac Sts | 197 | 8.6 | 77k | Airbag failed to deploy in a crash | 4 | 70 | High confidence |
| 2007 Cadillac Sts | 67 | 2.9 | 61k | Other speed control problem | 2 | 65 | High confidence |
| 2008 Cadillac Sts | 77 | 16.8 | 70k | Timing chain, belt or tensioner failure | 1 | 72 | High confidence |
| 2009 Cadillac Sts | 24 | 1.0 | 78k | Timing chain, belt or tensioner failure | 0 | 65 | Low confidence |
| 2010 Cadillac Sts | 6 | 0.3 | 53k | Other speed control problem | 0 | not rated | Unrated |
| 2011 Cadillac Sts | 9 | 0.4 | 53k | Seat belt or retractor failure | 0 | not rated | Unrated |
What each column means
Reports counts owner complaints filed with NHTSA against that model year. Filing is voluntary and unverified, so the count is a floor on how often something went wrong, never a census. It also rises with how many cars were sold, which is why the next column exists.
Per 1,000 divides those reports by an estimate of how many of that model year are on the road, so a common car and a rare one can be compared. The estimate comes from the vehicle counts in recall campaigns covering the same model year, which is the only per-model fleet figure published free of charge; where no recall covers a year, this column is blank rather than guessed.
Median report is the odometer reading at the midpoint of that year's reports: half of the readings owners gave were below it. It is a description of when problems get reported, not a prediction of when this car will break, and it needs at least eight readings before it is shown at all.
Risk is a 0–100 score combining how often reports arrive relative to fleet size, how serious they are, and how early they land, ranked against other vehicles of the same model year only. Confidence says how much evidence sits behind it: a low score on thin evidence is a shrug, not a clean bill of health. Both are defined in full on the methodology page.
Generations, and why the boundary matters
The Cadillac Sts splits into generations: 1998–2000 (best 1999, worst 2000), 2001–2004 (best 2001, worst 2003) and 2005–2011 (best 2007, worst 2008). Comparing years inside one generation is the fair comparison — same body, same engines, usually the same suppliers.
Generation boundaries here are inferred from the pattern of model years in the data rather than taken from manufacturer documentation, so they are occasionally a year out. Where a boundary matters to a purchase, check it against the build date on the car.
| Generation | Years | Best year | Worst year | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-2000 | 1998–2000 | 1999 Cadillac Sts 55 | 2000 Cadillac Sts 73 | 18 |
| 2001-2004 | 2001–2004 | 2001 Cadillac Sts 58 | 2003 Cadillac Sts 62 | 3 |
| 2005-2011 | 2005–2011 | 2007 Cadillac Sts 65 | 2008 Cadillac Sts 72 | 7 |
How to use this page
The honest way to read a table like this is worst-first: rule out the years with high scores and heavy complaint volume, then choose among the rest on condition, history and price. A low score is not a promise, and a high one is not a verdict on the specific car in front of you.
Every figure comes from owner complaints filed with NHTSA and from recall records, both voluntary in the sense that nobody audits them for completeness. Counts are floors. The AtWhatMileage methodology page sets out each formula.
Questions this page answers
What is the best year for the Cadillac Sts?
Of the model years we can rate, 1999 Cadillac Sts scores best at 55 out of 100, based on 16 owner reports. 2000 scores worst at 73.
Which years of the Cadillac Sts should you avoid?
2000 has the highest risk score in this model line at 73 out of 100. The scores compare each year against other vehicles of the same model year, so they are not affected by age alone.
How the generations are drawn. NHTSA does not publish generation boundaries, so ours are inferred from breaks in the recall and complaint record and from the model's own year range. They are close to the enthusiast consensus but not authoritative — if a boundary looks wrong for a car you know well, tell us and we will fix the table rather than argue with you.
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