2006 Cadillac STS problems
Owners have filed 197 complaints about the 2006 Cadillac STS with NHTSA. Air bags account for 29.9% of them — far more than any other system, ahead of electrical system at 11.2%.
Complaints197
Crashes28
Fires14
Injuries37
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Air bags 29.9% · 59
Electrical system 11.2% · 22
Engine 10.2% · 20
Fuel/propulsion system 9.1% · 18
Power train 6.6% · 13
Electronic stability control (ESC) 4.1% · 8
Engine and engine cooling 4.1% · 8
Unknown or other 3.0% · 6
Severity
Of those complaints, 28 describe a crash, 14 describe a fire and 37 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Filings have fallen off, 7 in the last three years against 26 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 76,663 miles.
In owners' own words
The contact owns a 2006 Cadillac STS. When the vehicle was started, the air bag warning light illuminated. The dealer stated that the air bag wiring needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 5,447. The air bag light illuminated again for the fourth time. The light would come on and go off. Updated 12/09/14 Air bags · reported at 5,447 miles
Started receiving a constant, "service air bag" warning message after 125,000 miles. The dealer told me the passenger presence module needed replaced. It will cost $1,000 for the part, labor, and programming. Now I read on this forum that the same issue was found on the cts model and it was recalled by the manufacturer, but not the STS. It's difficult to justify putting that much money in an older vehicle. Air bags · reported at 125,000 miles
1. I started my car via remote start to warm it up.. Passenger's airbag was reported via the dash controls as non-functional at that time 2. Drove 100 yards and the rear window imploded into the vehicle sending shards of glass all over the interior. It resulted in many small bloody cuts and scratches 3. Selling dealer would not respond to the issue. Non-selling dealer towed the car for repair. Air bags · reported at 3,501 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…