Overview & Reviews

The 2008 Cadillac CTS luxury sport sedan has received a full redesign this year. Highlights include more muscular styling, a much improved interior, more power and available all-wheel drive.

• Roomier cabin than like-priced rivals, capable and secure handling, smart interior design, available all-wheel drive

• Not as nimble as smaller and lighter competitors, a few ergonomic gaffes.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 150.00

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  Car of the year? - 2008 Cadillac CTS
  By jimboc240 - September 8 - 7:53 pm

  I owned the CTS4 with every option since new. (as well as many many other vehicles) I was generally happy with it, especially how it ran in the snow. You cant beat AWD. For a V6, it can move pretty well. The navigation and Bose sound system is probably its best point. It seemed to do everything well, but nothing stands out. I love our country, but the Germans really are on top in the quality department. On the surface, the interior looks nice, but the leather is thin, and everything else is just cheap plastic. The drivers seat broke. They wanted 1200 to fix it. It came with "heated windshield washers" but they disengaged it due to failure after 1 year. With no fix possible.

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  2008 CTS Blown Engine/Oil Consumption/GM fails to act - 2008 Cadillac CTS
  By jmdhale - September 18 - 12:51 pm

  I purchased a 2008 Cadillac CTS with 31K which was also the mileage at which the oil had been changed. My wife being the primary driver averages 33 miles a day and is very easy on the vehicle. At 41K the car threw a rod resulting in blown engine. At the advice of GM the car was taken to my local Cadillac for repairs. Although the vehicle only has 41K and the power train warranty is for 100K Covert told me there is nothing they can do as my “power train warranty expired 2 days prior to the break down.” For $10,000 they will put a new engine in for me. GM continues to tell me the warranty is good up to 100K, but states I failed to properly maintain my vehicle. I purchased the car with 31,217 miles on it and have documentation from dealership showing the oil was changed at 31,107 miles. The attached excerpt from my 2008 Cadillac CTS Manual states “you vehicle computer will let you know when to change the engine oil and filter. This is based on engine revolutions and temperature, and not on mileage.” It goes on to say that one may not need to change their oil, but once a year. When Cadillac turned over their review to GM the local Service Manager wrote “that our vehicle was 6977 miles overdue for an oil change.” The dealership went on to tell me that we should have the oil changed every 5k to 6k. Although the manual specifically states mileage is not a determining factor. Also using the 5K to 6K logic and the fact my oil was changed at 31K we would have been due for an oil change at 37K which based on their equation would only be 3K over not the 6977 reported to GM which resulted in denying my claim. Again GM states mileage in not a factor in oil changes. We owned the car just over 8 months and have only put 9,500 miles on the car. The dealership is stating the car ran completely out of oil and it was our fault. How does oil disappear when we have no leaks? This is not possible and I’ve spoken to numerous certified mechanics who stated “cars do not run out of oil in 9,000 miles unless you have a leak or the car has an oil usage issue which is the fault of the maker. Note this vehicle has 37 recall or service notices some related to power train and cooling systems. We never overheated….no check engine light…but GM and dealership flat out said we are “SOL.” After a 2 billion dollar bailout this is what we get?

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  BIG Mistake! Dont buy a 2008! - 2008 Cadillac CTS
  By katt4 - March 27 - 7:56 am

  We were so excited to trade in our 2004 CTS for a 2008 CTS ! We had never had any issues with our first CTS so we were sure we would be getting another quality CTS. Our new CTS had 31,000 miles on it when we purchased it six months ago. It has been in the shop 4 times for major repairs-oil consumption, catalytic converter replacement, piston rings, cam shaft shims, steering and just this morning, the passenger airbag light is not working! I would expect these types of repairs on a 1980 Ford not a brand new Cadillac. I am half tempted to drop this car back off at the dealership, spend $ 500.00 and buy a junker that would certainly be more reliable than the new car I have now!

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  Be careful! - 2008 Cadillac CTS
  By blaid - March 24 - 10:55 pm

  Ive owned the 2008 Cadillac Cts V6 DI for about two years now. I was very intrigued by the new design and thought it looked very nice. I never bothered to look at the reviews or negatives about the car, so I screwed my self there. I bought the car used with only 24k miles on it and its been at the dealers for minor problems six times within the two years! Now if the car didnt have a warranty these minor problems would have been a major price considering it is a Cadillac. Key less entry malfunctioned numerous times, wheel tilt control and two windows as well. Engine would make noises and the techs would not display any information to why. Dont buy it without a warranty, you will lose!

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  piece of junk - 2008 Cadillac CTS
  By knotarnicola - August 4 - 2:27 pm

  I have had nothing but problems with my cadillac cts. It started making noised at around 15,000 miles. I ended up needing to have the entire driveshaft replaced. The brakes have always made noises that they shouldnt and I just had one of the fuel injectors replaced. It got stuck open according to the tecnician and the car started smoking and smelled like fuel. The car is totally not worth the money I paid for it.

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  Highly Unreliable - 2008 Cadillac CTS
  By Big Al - September 27 - 9:33 am

  In less than 24 months of ownership car has spent over 6 weeks in the shop being repaired or awaiting parts for a repair. 2008 CTS has had issues with timing chains. Cadillac had to redisgn the part because of high failure rates according to the Cadillac representatives I have spoken too. In addition, I have had persistent keyfob issues, accelerator sensor failures, nicked wiring harness, etc. Cadillac has been less than sympathetic about the LEMON they sold me. The car has been in the shop so often, it probably knows the route by heart.

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  Almost there, but not quite yet. - 2008 Cadillac CTS
  By omegafiler - April 24 - 3:03 pm

  I purchased a fully loaded 2008 CTS w/ DI brand new and ended up trading it in about 5k miles later. So you can see where this is going. Overall the car was great, fun the drive, and looked very nice. But after 6 dealer visits and a few annoying issues unresolved, it had to go. The big issue with this CTS and ALL of the CTSs I tested was poor build quality and materials. Every piece of plastic squeaks in the car from the center stack, to center console, to the cheap "chrome" bezel on the IP. Like rattles? Plenty of those around the sunroof, doors, etc. This is not what I or anybody expects from GMs best car they are offering for sale right now. If GM can fix that, they might survive.

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  Piece of Junk - 2008 Cadillac CTS
  By ej - April 21 - 7:15 pm

  Love the car when its not in the warranty service shop. Have 24,000 miles on it, and it has had two major repairs. First, at 12k miles, the cheap plastic clips that hold up the wiring harness broke in cold weather and the fan destroyed the harness. Then after the check engine light came on at 24k, and the inferior timing chain had to be replaced. Now, Im told the service codes indicate the cam/crank misalignment. Pretty sad for GMs "flagship" car line. Then theres been constant leaks in the door seals (repaired three times), which whistle above 40 MPH. The premium Bose sound is a disappointment This is my 1st & last Cadillac.

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  Squealing Brakes - 2008 Cadillac CTS
  By Gaylan B. - March 1 - 10:50 am

  Everything is fine with this car except the brakes have been squealing from day one. Initially, I was told that the problem was due to weather conditions, but eventually a dealership in Texas informed me that the quality of the metal used to make the brakes was inferior, and there was nothing to be done to resolve the problem, except to replace the brakes in hopes of getting some that do not squeak. I have been waiting for the new brakes for over three weeks. It is disheartening to be driving such a car and the brakes sound so terrible.

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  Dissappointed, and surprised - 2008 Cadillac CTS
  By Jamie K - February 15 - 10:44 am

  Disappointed, and surprised. Others dont agree. My father picked up the newly redesigned CTS last year as his third Cadillac. As I am a huge BMW fan, the 2008 CTS falls way behind. First, big improvement over the embarrassing interior design of the first CTS, but the looks deceived me. When I drove the car, I was disappointed in many things. The drivers seat is too tight and not appropriate for a luxury car. The dashboard looks beautiful, but its functionality is poor, and again too tight a fit. Acceleration is typical GM, jumpy with an intense torque if you dont have a gentle-minded foot. The dealer-installed rear bumper proximity beeper is downright annoying.