The Lemon IndexCadillac ATS reliability.
Is it reliable? Mostly. About as many complaints as the average car.
About average · 2013–2016
What owners say on YouTube
2013–2019 ATS · 193 most-watched videos
Owners praise
Owners complain about
Nothing stands out.
Fixes owners look up most
- Heat, A/C & blend door189K views
- Infotainment, battery & electrical177K views
- Oil leaks & gaskets86K views
Before you buy, watch
Praise and complaints: the share of each generation's most-watched videos that mention a topic with a praise or trouble word next to it, in the title or what's said. YouTube rank: how positive owners and reviewers sound, compared with every car of the same model year. It measures tone, not failure rates. Videos belong to their creators; we link to them.
Looking at a 2017 or newer? Those are too new for a full complaint score (any score shown is partial, in gray), but YouTube owners like the 2017 best.
Engines & versions
Fewest complaints
2015.
Only 4 Cadillac ATS years have enough complaints and sales to score, too few for best and worst lists. 2015 drew about a fifth as many complaints as the average car.
Every year. Lower is better. Tap a year for its full report.
Newest year first. Red = worse than average, gray = about average or too few complaints to score. #1, #2… = that year's YouTube rank among the 4 Cadillac ATS years with enough videos (#1 = the year owners and reviewers talk about most positively). It is not a reliability rank.
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<iframe src="https://lemonindex.com/embed/cars/cadillac-ats/" title="Cadillac ATS reliability by model year (The Lemon Index)" width="100%" height="307" style="border:0;max-width:720px" loading="lazy"></iframe><p style="font-size:13px;margin:4px 0 0">Data: <a href="https://lemonindex.com/cars/cadillac-ats/">Lemon Index</a> (Cadillac ATS reliability by year)</p>YouTube rank: we read 200 YouTube videos about the Cadillac ATS, 2013 to 2018, and ranked every year by how much they praise it vs. how much they talk about problems. YouTube's favorite: 2016. Old cars rank lower partly because most of their videos are repair and restoration videos. A gray dot means not enough data yet: under 10 videos, or a new year with no owner complaints to compare.
Compare the Cadillac ATS.
Opens the compare tool with both cars, every year side by side. Compare with any car →
Quick answers.
Is the Cadillac ATS reliable?
Mostly. It draws about as many complaints as the average car, and YouTube owners sound happier with it than with most cars its age. Fewest complaints: 2015.
Is the Cadillac ATS a good car?
It is about average, by owner complaints to the government per car sold (2013-2016: Lemon Index 93; 100 is average). Some years are much better than others: 2015 drew the fewest complaints and 2013 the most.
What are the best Cadillac ATS years to buy?
Only 4 Cadillac ATS years have enough data to score, so we don't list best years. 2015 drew the fewest complaints (about a fifth as many complaints as the average car).
What Cadillac ATS years should you stay away from?
Only 4 Cadillac ATS years have enough data to score, too few to single out years to avoid.
How many recalls does the Cadillac ATS have?
21 safety recalls across the 7 model years we track. Most: 2013 (6), 2014 (4), 2015 (4). Each year's page lists them, and every Cadillac ATS recall is in one list here.
What are the most common Cadillac ATS problems?
Across every year, owners' complaints to the government name engine, electrical and transmission & drivetrain most. Some years are much worse than others: see the chart above.
Every year in one table
| Year | Index | Compared with average | Complaints | Top complaint | Recalls | Crash test | MPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 130 | a bit more than the average car's complaints | 73 | engine (47%) | 6 | ★★★★★ | 21–26 |
| 2014 | 94 | about average | 37 | engine (24%) | 4 | ★★★★★ | 21–26 |
| 2015 | 18 | about a fifth as many complaints as the average car | 5 | transmission & drivetrain (20%) | 4 | ★★★★★ | 21–25 |
| 2016 | 51 | about half as many complaints as the average car | 12 | transmission & drivetrain (33%) | 3 | ★★★★★ | 19–26 |
| 2017 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 16 | steering (56%) | 2 | ★★★★★ | 19–26 |
| 2018 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 5 | lights (20%) | 2 | ★★★★★ | 19–25 |
| 2019 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 1 | engine (100%) | 0 | — | 19–25 |
The Lemon Index counts owner complaints filed with the U.S. government (NHTSA) in a car's first 3 years, per car sold, against the average car of the same model years (100 = average, lower is better). It measures complaints, not crash safety. U.S. sales source: en.wikipedia.org. How it works
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Updated · Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com)
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