There are 4 owner-reported suspension complaints for the 2013 Cadillac ATSin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I was making a left turn and I heard a loud popping noise. I pulled the vehicle into a parking lot. After stopping it would not move. When I put the car in gear I would hear a loud grinding noise coming from the back wheel base. I had the vehicle towed to a repair shop. I was told that the roll pins that connect the axel to the rear differential had come out. I am unable to have the car repaired because there are no rear differentials available in that there is a nationwide back order and no one knows when they will be available. This seems similar to the problem that led to a recall of the 2014-15 Cadillac CTS model. NHTSA Recall No. : 20V-038 https://www.autoblog.com/2020/02/03/cadillac-cts-v-sport-recall/
2011 Cadillac ATS 3.6, Rear Differential went out, Repairmen has stated that this part is not available anywhere, and that Cadillac should have recalled this in the ATS, because there is a shortage of this part. Due to the inefficiency of the Rear Differential. But, Cadillac would have been out of a lot of money. Without this part, the Cadillac is undrivable.
The contact owns a 2013 Cadillac ATS. The contact stated that while her husband was driving approximately 35-40 MPH, the vehicle started making abnormal loud popping sounds, and the vehicle inadvertently stalled. The contact's husband was able to push the vehicle to the side of the road with assistance. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that one of the driver’s side rear axle was missing all the bolts. Additionally, the passenger’s side rear axle was missing one bolt and had loosened bolts. The independent mechanic replaced the driver’s side rear axle bolts and washers and tightened the passenger side rear axle bolts. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CADILLAC ATS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WERE SEVERAL PROGRESSING FAILURES WITHIN MONTHS OF OWNING THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SEVERAL INDEPENDENT MECHANICS WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE INTAKE O2 SENSOR MAY BE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURES, BUT NO DATA WAS FOUND. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WERE ELECTRICAL FAILURES, THE TPMS WARNING INDICATOR KEPT ILLUMINATING, THE VEHICLE WAS IDLING ROUGHLY, AND THERE WAS A LEAK IN THE REAR AXLE. IN ADDITION, AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC STATED THAT THERE WAS A MISFIRE ON CYLINDER THREE. THE DEALER (PENINSULA CHEVROLET, 4 HEITZINGER PLAZA, SEASIDE, CA 93955, (831) 275-0933) DIAGNOSED THAT THERE WAS A LOW RATE OF PRESSURE IN CYLINDER FOUR. THE MANUFACTURER HAD BEEN NOTIFIED FOR MONTHS AND WAS UNABLE TO PROVIDE A PERMANENT SOLUTION. THE MANUFACTURER OPTED TO REFUSE A BUY BACK OR TRADE IN. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000. *JS
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026