AutoUtility currently tracks 35 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2016 Cadillac ATS. Powertrain & Transmission issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 11 complaints (31.4% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 3 filings cite a crash, 1 cites a fire, 4 report one or more injuries.
Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records
11 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
7 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
5 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
5 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V558000 Rear Defogger Coil Antenna Module may Overheat If the coil antenna generates excessive heat, not sure what is happening but car does seem to overheat off and on especially when radio is turned on"
"Air bag dashboard light is on"
"On 3rd differential in 2 years. Dealer won’t fix without us paying ANOTHER $4,700. There is NO way a differential goes 3 times in 2 years. Something is wrong. Help!!"
"My 2016 Cadillac ATS Coupe has a serious repeating safety defect. The vehicle violently shakes, vibrates, and becomes unstable while driving. This happened TWICE. Both times the rear bolts came out except one. Both mechanics who inspected it said they have NEVER seen this before. The first time, I..."
"The contact owns a 2016 Cadillac ATS. The contact stated that the message "Service Air Bag" was displayed, and the passenger's side seat belt warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure..."
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2019)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Cadillac ATS | 29 | 1 | 4 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Cadillac ATS Current Page | 35 | 3 | 3 | Current |
| 2017 Cadillac ATS | 33 | 1 | 2 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Cadillac ATS | 21 | 1 | 2 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Cadillac ATS | 2 | 0 | 0 | View 2019 Problems → |
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 18 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Injury Entries | Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEATS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SUSPENSION,WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires NHTSA category: TIRES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,WHEELS,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year
Key performance indicators, EPA fuel economy specs, powertrain variants, and summary ratings.
Official recall campaigns, safety defect descriptions, and manufacturer free remedy instructions.
NHTSA 5-Star NCAP crash test results, driver assistance systems, and rollover resistance ratings.
EPA fuel economy ratings, electric range, and annual energy cost benchmarks.
Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2016 Cadillac ATS
In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2016 Cadillac ATS is Powertrain & Transmission, appearing in 11 records (31.4% of submitted filings).
Secondary reported categories include Electrical System (7) and Air Bags & Restraints (5).
AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 35 consumer defect complaints and 3 safety recall campaigns for the 2016 Cadillac ATS.
Reviewing documented component complaint distributions, recall remedy notices, and active federal investigations provides an objective, evidence-based view of the vehicle's historical safety and defect record.
Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2016 Cadillac ATS, 3 filings cite a crash, 1 cite smoke or fire, and 4 report one or more injuries.
Incident entries represent consumer descriptions at the time of submission to federal authorities and do not establish mechanical causation or legal liability.
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database under 49 CFR Part 576.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.