The 2005 Cadillac Sts has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 316,475 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 145 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
POWER TRAIN07V5890002007-12-20275,936 affected
Defect
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE REAR AXLE PINION SEAL DOES NOT MEET ALL OF THE SPECIFICATIONS AND MAY EXPERIENCE A FLUID LEAK.
Consequence
A REAR DIFFERENTIAL FAILURE MAY CAUSE LOSS OF MOTIVE POWER AND POSSIBLY LOSS OF CONTROL INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE PINION SEAL FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 1, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-800-458-8006 OR HTTP://WWW.CADILLAC.COM; PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668 OR HTTP://WWW.PONTIAC.COM; AND SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876 OR HTTP://WWW.SATURN.COM.
SUSPENSION06V1250002006-04-2023,077 affected
Defect
CERTAIN VEHICLES HAVE A LEFT OR RIGHT REAR SUSPENSION TOE LINK THAT COULD SEPARATE BECAUSE OF AN INCORRECT WELD.
Consequence
IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR, THE AFFECTED REAR WHEEL WOULD BE ABLE TO TURN IN OR OUT, AFFECTING VEHICLE CONTROL, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE RIGHT AND LEFT TOE LINK AND REPLACE AS REQUIRED. IF A TOE LINK IS REPLACED, THE DEALER WILL PERFORM A WHEEL ALIGNMENT. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 3, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339.
CERTAIN VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH V6 ENGINES MAY HAVE A CONDITION WHERE FUEL IS NO LONGER SUPPLIED TO THE ENGINE. THIS CONDITION OCCURS WITHOUT THE ILLUMINATION OF THE FUEL LEVEL LOW INDICATOR LIGHT OR THE WARNING CHIME.
Consequence
IF THE ENGINE STOPS RUNNING, THE OPERATOR WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE WHICH COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE (ECM) WITH NEW SOFTWARE FREE OF CHARGE. OWNERS WERE NOTIFIED IN DECEMBER 2005 AND ASKED TO MAINTAIN AT LEAST 1/4 OF A TANK FUEL LEVEL TO AVOID THIS CONDITION UNTIL THE PARTS ARE AVAILABLE. THE PARTS ARE NOW AVAILABLE, OWNER RENOTIFICATION BEGAN ON MARCH 23, 2006.…
Complaints by component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
19
2crashes2fires
POWER TRAIN
13
2crashes1fires1injuries
ENGINE
12
AIR BAGS
11
2crashes
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
5
SEATS
5
1fires
SERVICE BRAKES
5
3crashes1injuries
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
5
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
5
4crashes1injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
4
Total complaints145
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Airbag light came on last week, and continues to stay on. Have not taken in, as I was just checking for any recalls”
“The contact owns a 2005 cadillac sts. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the driveway, the contact became aware of a fluid leak. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a pinion seal leak on the rear…”
“The service airbag light is now on and I notice numerous other complaints for this vehicle including injuries. Cadillac dealer says they wish to charge for diagnostics and believe it is a seat-belt pretensioner which they would not cover. Repairs would be as much as vehicle value. I notice a…”
“The service airbag light is now on and I notice numerous other complaints for this vehicle including injuries. Cadillac dealer says they wish to charge for diagnostics and believe it is a seat-belt pretensioner which they would not cover. Repairs would be as much as vehicle value. I notice a…”
“It just started making a loud knocking noise, and it dosent go no faster than 40mph.”
“It just started making a loud knocking noise, and it dosent go no faster than 40mph.”
“It just started making a loud knocking noise, and it dosent go no faster than 40mph.”
“The vehicle intermittently loses engine/ electrical power while driving. When the power loss occurs, brakes and steering lose proper functionality creating a threat to the driver and passengers as well as other motorists. The vehicle then is unresponsive to the proper starting procedure.…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationPE07037 Opened 2007-07-17 · closed 2007-12-27
FAILURE OF THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL
ODI EVALUATED TWO DIFFERENT ALLEGED DEFECTS INVOLVING REAR DRIVETRAIN COMPONENTS DURING THIS PRELIMINARY EVALUATION.GM IS CONDUCTING A RECALL TO ADDRESS ONE OF THE DEFECT CONDITIONS AND ODI HAS OPENED AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS TO CONTINUE ITS INVESTIGATION OF THE OTHER ALLEGED DEFECT. ON DECEMBER 19, 2007, GM SUBMITTED…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2005 Cadillac Sts as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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