Exact make, model and year evidence from official US sources. Recall campaigns, ODI investigations, complaint allegations and EPA estimates remain separate.
A campaign may cover only certain production dates, plants or equipment. A zero result here is not safety clearance. Use NHTSA’s official VIN tool for the individual vehicle.
Exact model-level NHTSA results for 2003 CADILLAC CTS. Campaign records are official safety actions; applicability to a particular car still requires its VIN.
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) notified the agency on July 2, 2014 that they are recalling 554,328 model year 2003-2014 Cadillac CTS vehicles manufactured August 16, 2001, to April 28, 2014, and 2004-2006 Cadillac SRX vehicles manufactured March 20, 2003, to August 11, 2006. In these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine.
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.
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 15, 2014. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 14172.
02
NHTSA Recalls · US · received 2010-03-17
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
GENERAL MOTORS HAS NOTIFIED NHTSA OF A DEFECT IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2003-2007 CADILLAC CTS VEHICLES CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN OR ORIGINALLY SOLD IN CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, WASHINGTON D.C., WEST VIRGINIA AND WISCONSIN. SOME OF THESE VEHICLES HAVE A CONDITION IN WHICH THE FRONT BRAKE HOSE FITTING AT THE CALIPER MAY CORRODE DUE TO SNOW OR WATER, CONTAINING ROAD SALT OR OTHER CONTAMINANTS, ENTERING AND BEING RETAINED IN THE ROUTING SLEEVE. IF THE FITTING CORRODES SIGNIFICANTLY, THE BRAKE HOSE-TUBE INTERFACE MAY DEVELOP A LEAK.
Consequence
THE BRAKE HOSE-TUBE INTERFACE MAY RUPTURE SUDDENLY WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING AND INCREASE VEHICLE STOPPING DISTANCE MAY OCCUR INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS ARE TO REPLACE BOTH FRONT BRAKE HOSE ASSEMBLIES FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING MAY 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339 OR AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
CERTAIN MINIVANS, PASSENGER AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 225, "CHILD RESTRAINT ANCHORAGE SYSTEM." THE OWNER'S MANUAL DOES NOT EXPLAIN THE MEANING OF THE LOCATION SYMBOLS FOR THE CHILD RESTRAINT LOWER UNIVERSAL ANCHORAGE SYSTEM.
Consequence
THIS DOES NOT MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE STANDARD.
Remedy
OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH A SUPPLEMENT FOR THEIR OWNER'S MANUAL. THIS SUPPLEMENT DESCRIBES AND SHOWS THE LOCATION SYMBOLS FOR THE CHILD RESTRAINT ANCHORS THAT ARE LOCATED IN THE VEHICLE AND ON THE CHILD RESTRAINT OR BOOSTER CUSHION. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN AUGUST 18, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463, PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668, OR OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-630-6537.
SOME PASSENGER VEHICLES HAVE A CONDITION IN WHICH THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT BOLT MAY BE LOOSE.
Consequence
AN IMPROPERLY TIGHTENED BOLT COULD LOOSEN, RESULTING IN SEPARATION OF THE UPPER AND LOWER STEERING SHAFTS CAUSING A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. IF THIS HAPPENS WHILE THE VEHICLE IS MOVING, A CRASH COULD RESULT WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT FOR THE PRESENCE OF THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT BOLT AND ENSURE THAT IT IS TIGHTENED TO THE PROPER SPECIFICATION. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MARCH 20, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-800-458-8006.
02 · Owner allegations
321 NHTSA complaints
Counts are not adjusted for sales, vehicle age, mileage, publicity or reporting behavior. They are allegations, not defect findings or a reliability score.
Crash mentions
29
Fire mentions
12
Injuries reported
22
Most-reported component labels
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM57
SERVICE BRAKES48
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING39
AIR BAGS37
EXTERIOR LIGHTING37
ENGINE29
Complaints across nearby Cadillac CTS model years
Totals for the same nameplate, scaled against its highest year here. They are not adjusted for how many were sold, how old they are, how far they are driven, or how much publicity a fault received — an older or better-selling year will usually carry more reports. This shows where the reporting sits, not which year is better.
An investigation means ODI reviewed a possible safety issue for this exact model-year identity. Opening one is not a defect finding; closing one does not by itself clear a vehicle.
VERIFIED EMPTY IMPORT SNAPSHOT
No exact NHTSA ODI investigation row was matched.
The checked bulk snapshot returned zero investigation action numbers for 2003 CADILLAC CTS. That is source coverage, not proof that no issue exists or will be investigated later.
04 · EPA configurations
Fuel economy & specifications
FuelEconomy.gov records are summarized as ranges where this model name has multiple engines, drivetrains or trims.
EPA configurations
2
Combined economy
19 mpg/MPGe
City / highway
16–17 / 24 mpg/MPGe
Engine displacement
3.2 L
Cylinders
6
Fuel type
Premium
Drive
Rear-Wheel Drive
Vehicle class
Midsize Cars
Annual fuel-cost estimate
$4200
05 · Evidence strength
Exact identity. Explicit limits.
No opaque score. Evidence strength is expressed through source availability, exact match method, jurisdiction and honest empty states.
exact match
Recall campaigns
4 exact US model-year records in this bounded view.
exact match
Complaints
321 exact US model-year allegations; narratives and VIN fragments are omitted.
verified empty
ODI investigations
0 exact US model-year action numbers in the approved import snapshot.
canonical only
Model aliases
Only the exact NHTSA vPIC model name is published; unverified aliases are not merged.
not published
Manufacturer ownership
No rights-reviewed official ownership record is joined to this exact model-year.
PUBLIC EVIDENCE PASSPORT
Identity, freshness and provenance.
The canonical URL is this file’s permanent public identifier. Source IDs and timestamps show exactly what was matched and when; they do not turn the evidence into a verdict.
Only NHTSA vPIC, NHTSA ODI complaints and investigations, NHTSA recalls and FuelEconomy.gov contribute to this vehicle claim. CPSC equipment notices are searched separately and never joined to vehicle fitment. UK MOT, Canadian, New Zealand and European records are not merged into this US claim.
06 · Research paths
Diagnose first. Confirm fitment.
These are transparent searches, not diagnoses or endorsed parts. Recall remedies come before purchases; exact part fitment requires VIN, trim, powertrain, production date and OE number.
57 complaint labels
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Check recalls and diagnostic information before replacing anything.
Awin US and R2 affiliate inventory are not published until a US programme, merchant and exact-fitment projection are approved. No offer currently has both merchant approval and exact vehicle fitment, so commercial links never count as evidence.