What are the most common problems on the 2021 Cadillac XT5?

NHTSA has 13 owner complaint(s) on record for the 2021 Cadillac XT5. Electrical System is the most-reported problem area on the 2021 Cadillac XT5, cited in 4 of 13 filed complaints (31%).

Problems › Cadillac › 2021 XT5

2021 Cadillac XT5 Problems & Owner Complaints

13 NHTSA owner complaints

1 crash

Age-normalised, this year draws ~2.2 complaints per year on the road — ranking 7 of 8 Cadillac XT5 years we track (1 = most complaints per year).

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What owners report

Electrical System is the most-reported problem area on the 2021 Cadillac XT5, cited in 4 of 13 filed complaints (31%).

Back Over Prevention is next (2 complaints, 15%), followed by Engine (2), Engine And Engine Cooling (2), Air Bags (1).

Across all complaints, 1 report a crash.

The most safety-critical cluster is Electrical System: 1 crash report(s).

Complaints by vehicle system

Owner complaints filed with the U.S. NHTSA for the 2021 Cadillac XT5, grouped by the vehicle system each cites. A single complaint can name more than one system, so the group totals can add up to more than 13.

Electrical System 4 1 crash

“The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac XT4. The contact stated that while driving in stop-and-go traffic, the contact rear-ended a vehicle in front. The contact crashed the vehicle at approximately 5 mph; however, the collision caused severe front end damage to the vehicle. The air bag did not deploy and all electrical safety features failed to operate after the collision. There were no injuries reported and a police report was filed. The radiator began to leak as a result of the accident, therefore, the vehicle was towed to an independent body shop. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and…”
NHTSA complaint #11418746, 2021 · crash

“The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac XT5. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the infotainment screen was touched but went black and failed to respond. The vehicle was turned off and restarted at the next traffic light, and the infotainment screen was touched and remained black and failed to respond. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed; however, the diagnostic result was not provided. Due to the failure, the HVAC system, GPS, Bluetooth, Back Over Prevention, and Lane Keep Assist features became inoperable. The manufacturer was notified of the…”
NHTSA complaint #11722196, 2026

“The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac XT4. The contact stated while driving 40-45 MPH, the vehicle suddenly stopped, and was shifted into park but failed to restart. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel pump control module and battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 34,536.”
NHTSA complaint #11658240, 2025

Unknown Or Other 4

“I took my SUV to Heritage Cadillac in Lombard, IL for a revving sound while accelerating, specifically from 0-35mph and then acceleration on the highway at higher speeds. It sounded like I was revving the engine even when I wasn't accelerating and stay at a constant speed. There were not any service lights or notification of any issues in my vehicle. The car is at 59,000 miles, I paid $230 for a diagnostic run only to be told it was a "Faulty Muffler" and needed replacement for $1479.66 as it was not covered in my extended warranty. When I took it for a competing bid at a national-brand muffl…”
NHTSA complaint #11748010, 2026

“When braking — both at low speeds and when slowing from highway speeds (40+ mph) — vehicle feels like engine revs and is still pushing against the brakes. Requires very firm pedal pressure to hold car in place; if brake pressure is eased, vehicle surges forward until it finally settles after several seconds. Concern is intermittent but repeatable. I had a near collision on 10/3/2025 due to this issue. I have been in constant contact with the dealership on this, including the service manager, as well as Cadillac Care. The dealership has test driven the vehicle several times and has been unable…”
NHTSA complaint #11691365, 2025

“Car exhaust was making vibration sound brought into dealership and the muffler is broke on the inside. Cadillac repair said it’s not a common occurrence and was not covered under any warranty. Stated it could have broke on the inside due to vibrations. The muffler shouldn’t have just broke inside due to vibrations if the integrity of it has to of been compromised especially if the car isn’t that old and there’s no damage.”
NHTSA complaint #11683501, 2025

Back Over Prevention 2

“The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac XT4. The contact stated that while his wife was reversing and exiting the residential driveway, the back over prevention sensor activated. The contact stated the back over prevention warning light illuminated. The contact stated that there were no obstacles behind the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the failure could not be duplicated. The contact stated that the vehicle was retrieved and shortly after exiting the dealer's lot, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to another local dealer where the failure was unable to be duplicated…”
NHTSA complaint #11570554, 2023

Engine 2

Engine And Engine Cooling 2

“The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac XT5. The contact stated that while an oil change was being completed, an oil leak was discovered. No warning light was illuminated. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the head gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the head gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with an internal leak in the engine. Th…”
NHTSA complaint #11743461, 2026

“The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac XT4. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic signal, the signal turned green; however, when the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle hesitated before responding as needed. The contact stated that the vehicle lunged into motion. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent at first but became a recurring failure. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the cam shaft and transmission needed to be rebuilt. The vehicle was no…”
NHTSA complaint #11608767, 2022

Air Bags 1

“Safety restraint warning light came on. Took to dealership. They had for 3 days claimed it was repaired. Light came back on 2 days later. Dealership has now had my vehicle 10 days, stating I need a new side drivers airbag. They do not know when it will arrive. I have seen other complaints in this model for faulty airbag sensors/units.”
NHTSA complaint #11447636, 2021

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Forward Collision Avoidance 1 1 crash

Fuel System 1

Fuel/Propulsion System 1

“Fuel pump module failed twice. There was no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms prior to the failure. The first time I was driving the second time the car was parked and did not start. See below for details. Safety: Thankfully i was not driving 70+MPH down a busy highway when the car shut down. Given the past recall, the number of Cadillac owners experiencing the problem and that it's happened to me TWICE within three years, it's only a matter of time before serious injury or death occurs. First time: [XXX], Milage: 15,063 i was driving down a small-town highway doing 55 when the car…”
NHTSA complaint #11647700, 2025

Power Train 1

Service Brakes 1

How we read this (methodology)

How to read this: raw complaint totals are not a clean reliability score — a model year with more cars sold, or simply more years on the road, accumulates more complaints regardless of how good it is. So this page leans on two signals that are not distorted by sales volume: the share of complaints falling on each vehicle system (the breakdown above) and NHTSA's own crash / fire / injury / death flags. When we compare model years of the same model, we normalise by years on the road (complaints ÷ vehicle age) rather than comparing raw totals. Age-normalised, the 2021 Cadillac XT5 draws about 2.2 complaints per year on the road, ranking 7 of 8 among the Cadillac XT5 model years we have ingested (1 = most complaints per year on road).

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Data source: U.S. NHTSA (nhtsa.gov). SaveVIN surfaces public recall data and is not affiliated with or endorsed by NHTSA.