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Body and structurePart report

2021 Cadillac CT5 Body and structure Problems

Complaints
7about this part
Share
23%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 7 complaints about the body and structure of the 2021 Cadillac CT5, 23% of the 30 complaints for this model year.

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.

“Beginning of 2025 my drivers side door handle would not open from the outside of the car only the inside . I took it to a certified Cadillac dealer which they had to replace the door handle . Now July 10, 2025 my front passenger side is doing the same thing and I will not have to take my car in to see if they can fix it or it this too will need to be replaced. This causes a hazard of emergency no one would be able to open the door from outside of the vehicle .”

NHTSA complaint #11679649, filed 2025-08

“Currently my passenger door and my rear driver side door do not open from the outside. I already had to have my driver side door handle replaced for the same issue, now three out of four of my handles have failed. If an accident were to occur no one would be able to access the passenger or the rear driver passenger from the outside because the doors do not open. Since I can not open the door from the outside I had to remove the child lock from the rear door so my child can exit the vehicle.”

NHTSA complaint #11641989, filed 2025-02

“All 4 of my door handles suddenly stopped working and they will start working from time to time. Most of the time it’s 3-4 days where i cant open my door’s from the outside. I have looked into this and have found that MANY other CT5 users have had the same experience where they are unable to open their doors from the outside, most stating that it could be the door actuator. Others stating they have taken their vehicle in and have been quoted up to $4,000 to do the repair on something we shouldn’t have to worry about. Getting into our own vehicles? …”

NHTSA complaint #11748689, filed 2026-07

“The door opening mechanism has failed on the drivers outside door handle. It locks and unlocks fine but it will not open. I can use an alternative by the getting the emergency access key out of the fob and popping off the handle and open with that key. Or I can go in thru another door and open it from inside or somehow open all the windows using the fob with some kind of press this and that at the same time, and access inside handle thru the window. This becomes a safety concern because I'm usually alone, and this makes me vulnerable when I have to get into the car. …”

NHTSA complaint #11755622, filed 2026-08

“All four 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. This has occurred on all four doors. This creates a serious safety concern because occupants may be unable to enter or exit the vehicle normally, and emergency responders may be unable to access occupants through the affected doors. This appears to be a systemic defect affecting multiple CT5 vehicles, rather than an isolated component failure.”

NHTSA complaint #11761126, filed 2026-08

Related service bulletins

Body and structure: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
202318%
2022327%
2021723%
2020513%

Other parts of the 2021 Cadillac CT5

Electrical system
13 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