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Electrical systemPart report

2021 Cadillac CT5 Electrical system Problems

Complaints
13about this part
Share
43%of 30 total for the year
Median mileage
—not reported
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 13 complaints about the electrical system of the 2021 Cadillac CT5, 43% of the 30 complaints for this model year. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“I've had my driver side door handle switch replaced beacuse it was faulty and I could not get into my car through the driver side. Now I am having the same issue with the passanger side. In a case of an emergeny if I can not get into my car I fear for my or my passanger's safety. I fear the quality of the parts are not ment to last. I replaced the driver side handle right before the manufactur warreny ran out then the passanger door stopped working when the warrenty ran out.”

NHTSA complaint #11720298, filed 2026-02

“I have experienced a serious and recurring safety issue with the door handles on my Cadillac CT5 vehicles. The exterior door handles have stopped working, preventing the doors from being opened normally. On one occasion, I was trying to get my child out of the back seat when the rear door handle failed and would not open. Because the child safety lock was engaged, my child was also unable to open the door from the inside. I had to climb through the vehicle and use another door to get my child out. …”

NHTSA complaint #11765920, filed 2026-09

“The exterior door handles on my 2021 Cadillac CT5 have experienced the same intermittent failure. The handles initially work intermittently and then become unable to release the door. The button on the inside of the door handle doesn't respond when pushed and that is the only way to get in the car without rolling the windows down or using the emergency key. I've seen many other forum posts about this so it seems to be a widespread issue across other models with the same electric door opener mechanism. …”

NHTSA complaint #11765625, filed 2026-09

“We own a 2021 Cadillac CT5 that we bought used in 2024 from Sewell Cadillac in Houston, Texas. During our first year of ownership, and while still under warranty, we started having intermittent issues with the rear doors. At times, one or the other rear doors would only open from the inside of the vehicle. My wife mentioned it to the dealer when the car was in for other issues, but because we couldn’t reproduce it at the dealership, nothing came of it. Then in March of this year, both rear doors completely failed. …”

NHTSA complaint #11738510, filed 2026-05

“The door(s) would not open from the outside. I had the driver side door handle replaced first - took weeks for the part to come in - this was a safety issue because I had to climb through the passenger side to open the driver side door. (the key entry would not work either) After weeks, and me paying for it, the same thing happened to the rear driver side door. I went to open it to get my grandchild out and couldn't. Again this is a safety issue. What if I needed him out in an emergency and I couldn't. I had to walk around and get him out of the car on the other side. …”

NHTSA complaint #11728484, filed 2026-04

Related service bulletins

Electrical system: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2026117%
2025110%
202318%
2022218%
20211343%
2020821%

Other parts of the 2021 Cadillac CT5

Body and structure
7 complaints
Other or unknown
4 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
4 complaints
Air bags
2 complaints
Forward collision avoidance
2 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
2 complaints
Brakes
1 complaints
Engine
1 complaints
Exterior lighting
1 complaints
Fuel system
1 complaints
Seat belts
1 complaints
Steering
1 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2021 Cadillac CT5

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology