Cadillac CTS Cadillac CTS

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Cadillac CTS repairs by problem area

Engine (28%)

Transmission and Drivetrain (11%)

Brakes and Traction Control (5%)

Suspension and Steering (12%)

Electrical and Air Conditioning (22%)

Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (14%)

Other (8%)

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Chart based on 1493 repairs.
See TSBs and recalls for the Cadillac CTS.

Cadillac CTS transmission repair cost distribution

$2500+ (6%)

$1000 - $2499 (10%)

$500 - $999 (15%)

$100 - $499 (18%)

< $100 (51%)

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Chart based on 134 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.

2016 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

335-horsepower 3.6L V6 8-speed shiftable automatic RWD

1100 mi car was shifting poorly 

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2016 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

335-horsepower 3.6L V6 8-speed shiftable automatic AWD

34408 mi

C $271
transmission wiring harness failed throwing codes, required warranty replacement 

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2014 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

turbocharged 420hp 3.6L V6 8-speed shiftable automatic RWD

79644 mi Factory recall - complete differential replacement for potential failure of roll pins, causing rear wheels to lock up with no warning. 
42000 mi A drive train noise started sometime in March 2020, just as the pandemic was starting and this led to significant delays in repairs etc. It was a whine with acceleration and a click when changing gears. First attempt: replaced fuel injectors. Second: Replaced turbos plus diff and trans fluids. Third: throttle body. Fourth, second dealer after first gave up: entire transmission. Fifth: Their senior tech then used microphones(car ears?) and identified the sound was coming from under the car transmitted from somewhere under the front passenger side. It was identified as a loose coolant hose from the transmission. It was repaired. Sound was fixed.  

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2014 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

turbocharged 272hp 2.0L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic RWD

14900 mi Ticking noise reset with new transmission firmware 
36000 mi

US $800
replaced rear axle seals 

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2014 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

turbocharged 272hp 2.0L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic AWD

37000 mi Replaced rear axle seals -both sides 

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2012 Cadillac CTS

Engine not specified

17000 mi differential replaced 
19000 mi trams fluid replaced due to groaning noise in diff 

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2012 Cadillac CTS 4dr Wagon

supercharged 556hp 6.2L V8 6-speed shiftable automatic RWD

34900 mi Rear differential was making noises. 
50000 mi Rear differential replaced due to excessive noise. 

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2012 Cadillac CTS 4dr Wagon

supercharged 556hp 6.2L V8 6-speed manual RWD

17400 mi rear differential seal was leaking and needed replacement 
29100 mi rear differential was leaking and replaced 
45880 mi A whine or low howl from the differential presents itself in a slow, tight radius turn. It's most noticeable when starting the tight radius turn from a dead stop. 

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2012 Cadillac CTS 4dr Wagon

318-horsepower 3.6L V6 6-speed shiftable automatic AWD

73000 mi Driveshaft coupler bolts fell out. 
52000 mi

US $425
slight vibration was felt at shifter, dealer identified separating engine mount during routine service. scheduled day to drop off for replacement. day prior to scheduled visit driveshaft and coupling failed leaving vehicle inoperable. Parts replaced: entire drive shaft, flex coupling, rear trans seal, trans tunnel exhaust heat shield, 2 engine mounts, ac system bled and recharged (part of job for engine mounts), both differentials also inspected for damage and fluid replaced. extended warranty covered all items except for 100$ deductible and heat shield ($325) 

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2012 Cadillac CTS 2dr Coupe

318-horsepower 3.6L V6 6-speed shiftable automatic AWD

16400 mi Center diff clutch 
21000 mi CTS 4 with transfer case clutch issues - replaced under warranty no problems... 

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2011 Cadillac CTS 4dr Wagon

supercharged 556hp 6.2L V8 6-speed manual RWD

13800 mi Replaced rear differential due to breakdown of lubricating fluid. Metal particles in fluid. Left rear axle boots leaking grease. 
24200 mi There was a grinding noise in the driveshaft. The dealer installed a spacer into the shaft, and it is perfectly silent again. I did not request this fix. The dealer noted it and applied the warranty repair, but the change is very noticeable. 
39000 mi Replaced leaking axle seal. 

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2011 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

270-horsepower 3.0L V6 6-speed shiftable automatic RWD

50000 mi It was a sensor related to the transmission. 
17000 mi

US $500
loose connection to shifter caused computer to believe shifter not in park position, car would not start. Intermittent fault, took 4 trips over a year to diagnose. 

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2011 Cadillac CTS 2dr Coupe

supercharged 556hp 6.2L V8 6-speed manual RWD

30000 mi Rear differential whine under deceleration 

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2011 Cadillac CTS 2dr Coupe

304-horsepower 3.6L V6 6-speed shiftable automatic AWD

32000 mi

US $650
the driver side transaxle boot was said to be damaged by road debris--which i have pictures and given the location of the boot i would have had other damage if road damage occurred 
84681 mi

US $298
Did another transmission service with flush and filter replacement to try to get rid of the last of the transmission shudder that was present when vehicle was purchased. 

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2011 Cadillac CTS 2dr Coupe

304-horsepower 3.6L V6 6-speed manual RWD

54000 mi

US $1133
Bushing in manual shifter wore out. Lever had great deal of side-to-side play-- untrustworthy. Shifter replaced. 
55500 mi

US $5200
Transmission output shaft bearings failed. Transmission replaced with remanufactured unit. 

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2010 Cadillac CTS 4dr Wagon

304-horsepower 3.6L V6 6-speed shiftable automatic RWD

50100 mi Transmission dropped out Transmission dropped out second time Transmission dropped out third time 
53500 mi "#PIP4554H: Clunk Noise After Shifting from Reverse to Drive or Drive to Reverse and then Accelerating". A clunk noise after shifting or slowing down. Caused by Torque on the propeller shaft flange nut or the flange and trans output shaft. 

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2010 Cadillac CTS 4dr Wagon

304-horsepower 3.6L V6 6-speed shiftable automatic AWD

51000 mi Transmission control unit and solenoid replaced to cure rough shifting and noisy front hub assembly replaced. 

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2010 Cadillac CTS 4dr Wagon

270-horsepower 3.0L V6 6-speed shiftable automatic AWD

72000 mi

US $541
Clunking noises when down shifting from 2 to 1. Especially when warm. Dealer did a differential fluid change including front and rear and transfer case. Transmission fluid was changed. Still clunks, probably inherent in design of the AWD system. 
90000 mi

US $813
Dealer also found the transmission cooler lines we leaking and those were replaced. 
95000 mi

US $3342
Transfer case differential spline gear stripped, replaced the input and output shafts 

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2010 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

304-horsepower 3.6L V6 6-speed shiftable automatic RWD

51000 mi

US $350
The car was shifting hard from 2nd to 3rd. Dealer said a seal was leaking internally and the transmission would need to be rebuilt. I declined the repairs and traded the car for a Ford. 

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2010 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

304-horsepower 3.6L V6 6-speed shiftable automatic AWD

94000 mi would not shift properly module replaced inside transmission 

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2010 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

270-horsepower 3.0L V6 6-speed shiftable automatic AWD

36700 mi

US $300
The rear driveshaft had to be replaced, the car had vibration at highway speeds. The driveshaft was replaced under warranty. I had some other maintenance done that I paid for. 

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2010 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

270-horsepower 3.0L V6 6-speed manual RWD

33480 mi New rear diff ordered - excessive metal in rear diff fluid. 
39060 mi

C $115
Rear diff bushings making noise 

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2009 Cadillac CTS

Engine not specified

33000 mi Replaced Drive Shaft  
46000 mi Car when purchased had warbling noise between 45-60 mph. Dealer replaced Drive Shaft, and Bushings, Slight vibration. Still did not fix problem. Dealer Jones Chevrolet Sumter SC replaced Rear end assembly. Repair fixed problem 

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2009 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

supercharged 556hp 6.2L V8 6-speed shiftable automatic RWD

3000 mi Replaced differential 

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2009 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

304-horsepower 3.6L V6 6-speed shiftable automatic AWD

92000 mi

US $345
Transmission sheared off of drivetrain at low speed. 
66700 mi

US $1300
Loud droning and rattle under acceleration and at cruise. Originally red indexed drive shaft. Problem not resolved. Replaced drive shaft. Took 3 trips to dealer to get correct diagnose resolve problem. 
62000 mi

US $950
Broken driveshaft. Cost was $950 and that was because they felt sorry that my warranty ran out in December otherwise it would have cost over 3 grand. 
62000 mi Bought the new car on Feb 14 and the old car broke again on the way to the dealer so I was delighted to unload that hunk of junk on them. 

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2009 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

304-horsepower 3.6L V6 6-speed manual RWD

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2009 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

263-horsepower 3.6L V6 6-speed shiftable automatic AWD

29000 mi Output shaft from the transmission into the transfer case splines were completely sheared off. Car could not move. We were on a long road trip when it happened. Not too happy about it, but Cadillac was good about fixing and getting back. There was a residual noise from the transfer case repair, apparently an alignment problem in the driveshaft. It was repaired in New London, CT at Cadillac dealer - car appears to be OK. 
37800 mi Leak from transmission or transfer case - this car has had transmission problems - third time to a dealer for transmission issues. 1st was a failure, 2nd followup repair, 3rd leaking oil. 
49800 mi Transmission output shaft and transfer case input shaft were both stripped. I don't know if it was related, but one of the vibrations was resolved with this repair. 
20000 mi front differential leak at cover 

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2008 Cadillac CTS

Engine not specified

56000 mi

US $1200
out of balance drive shaft. Bearing failed in rear drive. Needed new bearing and shaft. Second time around on this repair. Cadillac refused to help 

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2008 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

304-horsepower 3.6L V6 6-speed shiftable automatic RWD

123000 mi

US $1200
Transmission module failed...They foxed issue but gave me a new one..Now its hard for car to go into gear. They want to replace entire transmission for 4500..They acknowledge they did not do something correct, but dealer doesn't want to fix 
21000 mi Finally, after 2 years and 9 months, completed TSB 08-07-30-044A. Previous trip reprogramed the transmission control module (TCM). This repair trip installed rubber insulators (2), GM P/N 20827776, between the rear drive axle and body. 
2000 mi Rear differential recall said bolt needed to be tightened, but ended up replacing entire rear differential. 
9000 mi Drive shaft out of balance. Needed re-indexing. 
24000 mi Problems fixed: drivetrain drone and brakes squeals. In both cases TSB applied successfuly. 

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2008 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

304-horsepower 3.6L V6 6-speed shiftable automatic AWD

52000 mi

US $50
Differential fluid required replacement. Symptom was due to premature locking of the locking differential. Fluid replacement resolved the issue. 
4000 mi Rumble in car(noise not vibration) between 45-60 mph. Dealer said they couldn't hear it. I'm not sure if it is in the suspension or something else. Suspect TSB for AWD dealing with transmission mount modification. 
65000 mi Noise coming from rear differential. Dealer could not hear.  
69000 mi Transfer case shaft stripped, car would not move. Dealer installed new shafts, etc. under power train warranty Rear differential seal leaking, distorted ring, pinion, & bearing. Dealer replaced rear differential under power train warranty 
250 mi AWD warning lamp came on. A pin was bent and fixed issue. Car had a paint run above the gas door. They wet sanded it out, but it was left with the horrible swirl marks from it. 
4000 mi The is a rumble coming from the rear end of the car starting at 45MPH. GM sent engineers out to do some driving with me and agreed that there is a problem and that it was not normal. They attempted to repair the car immediately by swapping parts from anot 
74480 mi Differential has had trouble with sharp turns at very low speed (<10-15km/h). Known CTS issue, according to garage. Cured by replacement of diff fluid every 40,000 km, again according to garage.  
32700 mi Rumble at 45 mph still under investigation. 
8000 mi rear half shaft seal 
33000 mi

US $105
While the caddy was in for an oil change and wheel rotation and balancing, the mechanic found that the right front wheel seal was just beginning to show signs of a leak. They replaced both seals under warranty. 

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2008 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

304-horsepower 3.6L V6 6-speed manual RWD

2000 mi Limited slip differential does not operate correctly when cold. Sudden slips to the side accompanied with noise. 
3000 mi Already described above. Old problem with differential. This time it was fixed. 
23000 mi 4 & 5th gear synchronizers and shift fork replaced in 6 speed manual transmission 

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2008 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

263-horsepower 3.6L V6 6-speed shiftable automatic RWD

1000 mi Vibration at highway speeds. 
1000 mi Driveshaft that was ordered was installed. Did not correct problem. They performed bulletins for vibration-reset transmission mount. The vehicle still has the same problem but now happens at a highter speed then before. 
3000 mi I have been living with the vibration/drone issue since my car was new. Cadillac has bulletins that acknowledge the condition but offer no repair. The bulletin that was issued in July 08 says that they are working on a fix but has still not been resolved 

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2008 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

263-horsepower 3.6L V6 6-speed shiftable automatic AWD

48000 mi

US $1300
Transmission cooler and transmission lines replaced. 
13000 mi Vibration in drivetrain over 45 mph. 
54560 mi

C $100
Rattling noise in drivetrain and right rear tire area. Replaced drive train, differential. 

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2008 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

263-horsepower 3.6L V6 6-speed manual RWD

95500 mi

US $25
Manual Shift Bushings needed to be replaced 

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2008 Cadillac CTS 4-door

6-cylinder automatic AWD

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2008 Cadillac CTS 4-door

6-cylinder automatic 2WD

7000 mi Harmonic vibration in drive train while driving between 50 and 65 miles per hour. 

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2007 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

400-horsepower 6.0L V8 6-speed manual RWD

128000 mi

US $619
Replace driveshaft coupler 
89000 mi

US $600
Replaced Clutch slave cylinder 

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2007 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

255-horsepower 3.6L V6 6-speed manual RWD

107300 mi

US $900
Rear differential mounts replaced. 

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2007 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

255-horsepower 3.6L V6 5-speed shiftable automatic RWD

2520 mi Replace leaking differential seal, different seal then was replaced during recall. 
4900 mi Pinion Gear Seal recall 
80000 mi

US $800
Right rear differential bushing would thump on leaving from a dead stop. I bought from CarMaxx it made a noise leaving lot.But I did know needed repair CarMaxx would do nothing since after 30 days. Cost me $800 out of pocket at Jerrys 
109000 mi

US $735
replaced rear seal 

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2006 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

255-horsepower 3.6L V6 5-speed shiftable automatic RWD

45000 mi rear differential bushing busted. replaced 

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2006 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

210-horsepower 2.8L V6 6-speed manual RWD

5580 mi Clutch and gearbox and the entire drivetrain changed again 

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2005 Cadillac CTS

Engine not specified

74000 mi

US $2500
Rear end in this car started making noise below 45 mph and turns out the pinion gear and driveshaft were bad. Pretty poor for a car rear end to die so quickly. Dealer was no help and went to a private shop but got stuck using all Cady parts instead rebui 
67000 mi

US $300
Rear end was making bad noise when turning, they said the rear end clutches were not holding and there was no warrenty left. They flushed and put new fluid and additive costing 300.00 and it did not help. 
94600 mi Same noise problem as before. Now diagnosed as needing rear differential replacement. Has been replaced - still seems to be same problem. 

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2005 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

400-horsepower 5.7L V8 6-speed manual RWD

47477 mi Rear axle and pinion seals replaced Rear-end Pinon Seal replaced Rear-end Axle Seals replaced 
33000 mi Replaced entire differential carrier assembly because original was whining. 
26000 mi Reported wheel hop issue to dealer, dealer ordered parts. 
28000 mi Replaced upper differential bushing; still clunking noise when shifting. 
49200 mi

US $140
Pinion seal had slight leak. It was like that for over one year, and I finally found time to take it in. 
3300 mi Rear differential drained and fuild. 
30000 mi Leaking rear differential seal. 
145000 mi

US $2200
replaced all differential mounting bushings 
169000 mi

US $1400
Driveshaft causing vibrations. Non-serviceable. CV joint outer race galled. New driveshaft installed. 
9300 mi Rear differential replaced 
16500 mi

US $3200
Rear differential and both halfshafts replaced 
99000 mi

US $300
Rear differential axle seal failed. Shop replaced seal. 
117000 mi

US $470
Vibration at 70mph. New driveshaft center bearing and clean/regrease rear CV 
120000 mi

US $550
Rear differential replaced, it has been whining for over a year. Did not fail, preemptive upgrade. 

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2005 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

255-horsepower 3.6L V6 6-speed manual RWD

105000 mi

US $680
Leaking transmission fluid. 
119700 mi

US $900
Shifter was slowly moving to the side, making it almost impossible to shift into reverse. Replacement with new shifter resolved the issue. 

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2005 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

255-horsepower 3.6L V6 5-speed automatic RWD

110000 mi

US $300
transmission grinded due to the lack of care 
65000 mi Clunking noise coming from rear end when shifting from park to reverse or from reverse to drive. Replaced drive shaft, problem still there. Replaced differential carrier assembly. $1.525.63 Clunking noise is still heard in the rear end when shifting from reverse to drive or park to reverse. Clunking noise remains unresolved. 
25420 mi When my gear shifts while driving I can feel a Hit between shifts they told me they changed some part from the rear area that causes this. It was gone for couple of weeks after I pickup my car but now it's back again. 
34100 mi

$50
Clicking/rattling sound from the engine area (I think), when RPM ~2000 & speed ~30 miles. Sound volume ascends with gas & suddenly disappears when shifts gear. Don't hear it on N or P just on Drive. Not the whining that comes from the differential. 
37200 mi I brought my car for the regular maintenance and they informed me that my RR axle is damaged and have been replaced under warranty 
45880 mi The dealer called to inform me that the drive shaft that been previously ordered has arrived and need to be installed. They installed it. 
56420 mi

$3000
Differential gasket replaced. 
75020 mi

$215
noise when shifting gears. Gear lever repleased 
102300 mi

C $670
transmission line blew! 
107384 mi

C $158
Diagnose transmission problem 
21000 mi "Pre-Owned CTS developed rear end noise when turning hard RL in FR. Dealer added new diff. lube + additive, worked for 2 months...then noise came back. Dealer replaced grinding Slip Clutches on both sides, now Very Quiet in Any hard turning! 
2000 mi

US $800
Gear shifter repaired 
2000 mi

US $240
Front wheel axle repaired 
76000 mi

US $100
Trans. pan leak. Replaced gasket 
46000 mi Had fluid leak from rear axle housing. 

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2005 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

210-horsepower 2.8L V6 6-speed manual RWD

106020 mi

C $200
A bushing on the rear differential was worn and needed replacement. 
129580 mi

C $120
Worn bushings made it extremely difficult to shift into reverse gear. Replaced a pair of bushings on the shift arm. 

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2005 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

210-horsepower 2.8L V6 5-speed automatic RWD

108800 mi

US $2200
Torque converter, reseal transmission, drive shaft. 

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2005 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

52000 mi

US $650
Shifter was loose, replaced shifter. 

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2004 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

400-horsepower 5.7L V8 6-speed manual RWD

23000 mi

US $89
worn rubber bushing 
8500 mi Rear Differential 
38000 mi

US $1800
 
54000 mi

US $2500
Transmission replaced. 

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2004 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

255-horsepower 3.6L V6 5-speed automatic RWD

78000 mi Also replaced rear axle seals. 
115000 mi

US $810
Told the tech. that i had noticed a small oil leak on the garage floor near the rear end. Replaced the rear differential pinion seal and flange. 
199000 mi

US $168
Shifter was making clanging noise when moved from park to drive/drive to park. 
19000 mi Rear drivetrain whine at 60+ mph. R&R rear differential 
145000 mi

US $325
Rubber doughnuts at either end of driveshaft cracked and center support rubber gone. The rubber bushing in the shift lever on the transmission was also gone and since the bushing isn't replaceable I had to buy the whole linkage. 
85000 mi

US $4500
Serious issue, cars traction control was kicking on ever time I accelerated. Took it in. Inter cooler had busted, engine coolant mixed with transmission fluid seals expanded. Had to replace radiator and the transmission. 
101000 mi

US $1000
transmission cooler lines failed, mixing coolant with transmission fluid 
38560 mi Rear end pinion seal leaking. Replaced under Certified Cadillac Warranty. 
47000 mi

US $2200
TRANSMISSION JUNK AT 47000MILES,,,CAR WAS A RENTAL/LEASE,,,,PURCHASED CAR WITH 44,000MILES,,,3MNTHS LATER COLD WISCONSIN WEATHER,,,,32TEMP OR LESS,,TRANS SLIPPED,,,5SPEED AUTO,,REPAIRED,,,$4200/DEALER / COST 1500,,INTERNET,$700 INSTALLED 
121000 mi

US $1580
Transmission cooling radiator developed a substantial hole. 
127720 mi

C $900
transmission radiator leaked fluid, unable to drive vehicle replaced radiator & fluid 

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2003 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

220-horsepower 3.2L V6 5-speed manual RWD

124000 mi

US $800
Leaking axle seals. 

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2003 Cadillac CTS 4dr Sedan

220-horsepower 3.2L V6 5-speed automatic RWD

59000 mi shift solenoid replaced 
10000 mi

US $200
The gear shift was loose and needed a new arm. I think 
81000 mi Solenoid replaced (P0128 code - bypassing solenoid) 
84000 mi Transmission gasket leaking, replaced. 
86800 mi

C $1200
Tranny cooler lines, rad, full tranny service filter and fluid. Lines broke off radiator. 
31000 mi Battery replacement, software upgrade, transmission o-ring replacement 
50000 mi

US $761
Rear differential seals replaced after spotting leak on garage floor. 
117000 mi Removed top of black box on side of transmission. Cleaned contact points with alcohol, replaced cap. Found this solution through web search 
67580 mi

C $1300
Grinding sound from rear differential. Changed 2 gears and pinion. 
71920 mi

C $5200
Transmission oil cooler in the cars radiator ruptured causing transmission oil and vehicle coolant to mix.The contaminated mixture made its way to the transmission and ruined the transmission. The radiator plus the transmission were replaced 

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Cadillac CTS Transmission Problems

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