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BrakesPart report

2005 Cadillac STS Brakes Problems

Complaints
7about this part
Share
7%of 101 total for the year
Median mileage
53,940miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 7 complaints about the brakes of the 2005 Cadillac STS, 7% of the 101 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 53,940 miles. 4 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.

“On june 9, 2016 I was driving on a wet road so when I tried to stop it took an extreme amount of distance to get the car to stop. I figured the brakes got a little wet causing the probable. The next day my wife was driving the car. Traffic stopped ahead of her stopped so she tried to stop. With both legs pushing on the brake pedals the car would not stop. She was almost killed since she had to hit the car in front of her. The car only has 57000 miles on it so figured the car had a lot of life in it. Not anymore. …”

NHTSA complaint #10873455, filed 2016-06, 57,000 miles

“My 2005 Cadillac STS brakes locked up and caused my car to crash. After research I am showing that there was a recall regarding the brake system. In addition, when changing gears you can hear the gears changing from the outside of the car. I researched this as well and apparently there is a defect and recall on the axle. I am not happy about this vehicle that I just purchased for alittle over 7 months. There is also an electrical problem. As I am driving, the hood ajar light comes on and there is no sign of my hood being ajar. …”

NHTSA complaint #10610116, filed 2014-07, 30 miles

“The vehicle intermittently loses engine/ electrical power while driving. When the power loss occurs, brakes and steering lose proper functionality creating a threat to the driver and passengers as well as other motorists. The vehicle then is unresponsive to the proper starting procedure. Restarting the vehicle is inconsistent. It may start immediately upon command or it may cause a theft procedure to initiate. The vehicles dic will possibly show the following prompts just before the shutdown failure occurs; service vehicle soon, service stability system soon, service A/C system soon. …”

NHTSA complaint #11244847, filed 2019-08, 155,000 miles

“While driving on the expressway( at night), going 70mph, the car completely shut down without warning. I lost all power, brakes, steering, lights. On dash message stated accessory active and then shift to park. Took the car to the dealer and they changed the throttle body and cam/crank shaft along with a couple other small things. Got the car back, and 1 week later, the problem began again but worse. It would do it repeatedly, at all different speeds. A couple of times right in the middle of an intersection! …”

NHTSA complaint #10641345, filed 2014-10, 91,000 miles

“The contact owns a 2005 Cadillac STS. While driving 15 MPH, the sybilla track light illuminated and the rear of the vehicle began sliding to the left. The contact depressed the brake pedal and the light illuminated again. The vehicle struck the guardrail and caused $7,014.75 worth of damage. The contact was injured. The ABS did not malfunction at all. Onstar stated that the yaw rate sensor malfunctioned. The vehicle was taken to a body shop in springfield, va. The purchase date was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 50,880.”

NHTSA complaint #10223833, filed 2008-04, 50,880 miles

Related service bulletins

Brakes: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2011229%
2009320%
200836%
200736%
200654%
200577%
2004114%
2003225%
2002343%
2001217%
2000217%

Other parts of the 2005 Cadillac STS

Electrical system
23 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
18 complaints
Engine
12 complaints
Air bags
11 complaints
Fuel system
8 complaints
Engine cooling
7 complaints
Other or unknown
6 complaints
Seats
6 complaints
Vehicle speed control
6 complaints
Exterior lighting
5 complaints
Body and structure
5 complaints
Suspension
5 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2005 Cadillac STS

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 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