2018 Cadillac XT5 Reliability Report

Loss of motive power is the main pattern. The engine quits while driving or after a stop and sometimes needs several restart attempts. Warning lights are often absent, and mechanics often find no cause. Reported mileages run from 40,000 to 86,000. At 86,000, a dealer said the engine needed replacing. A thermostat fault also triggers the steering assist reduced message and runs the cooling fan at full speed. Other complaints describe the oil percentage reading dropping 1 to 2 points every drive, a recurring check engine light, and a fuel warning that returned after the purge valve and fuel injectors were replaced.

The electronic parking brake locks and will not release. One case required a tow, and other owners report it failing to release more than once. Front brakes squeal at low speed, and the noise returns after service. Single reports describe the car failing to brake at a red light while the engine revved and a parking assist alert flashed. Others describe rear wheels locking with the ABS not working, a brake pedal that is hard to press after the car sits overnight, and a popping sound up front with fault code C056E.

Power seats move on their own. The driver's seat slides forward and back while the car is stopped, pushing the driver toward the dash and then away, and the driver's foot can come off the brake. The driver's mirror folds in at the same time. No warning lights appear, and no diagnosis is reported. A separate complaint describes passenger seat bolts loosening until the seat rocks on its frame.

Sharp metal is exposed along the front seat tracks when they sit out of alignment with the base. It has cut toes as people climb out. That single report accounts for both injuries in this category. The manufacturer told the owner the seats function as designed. The second complaint gives no detail beyond an attached document, so the filings show no wider pattern for this category.

Low beam headlights are dim. One owner says they light the road no more than about 50 feet ahead at night. That complaint came at about 300 miles, so the problem can show up when the car is nearly new. A dealer said the lights perform as designed and found no defect, so no repair was made. Only two complaints cover this area.

Unintended acceleration is the concern. The engine revs high and the car surges when the driver tries to slow or stop. One case ended in a crash into a building wall right after an automated car wash. The other describes the car pushing forward from a stoplight as if holding a cruise speed, though cruise control was never used. That driver needed several brake applications to stop the car. Only two reports exist, so the pattern is thin.

A rear sidewall blew out at 35 mph on the original 20-inch Michelin Touring tires. A dealer replaced all four, and the manufacturer declined warranty coverage. A second report concerns a spare tire of the wrong size, which the manufacturer called normal. That filing names the XTS sedan rather than the XT5. Two complaints are too few to show a pattern.