2024 Cadillac XT4: What to check before buying

Sudden shutdowns while driving or stopping at lights lead this category. The screens go black and the car won't restart, only clicking. It shifts itself into Park and won't come out, leaving it stuck in traffic. One report says the brakes became hard to apply. Others describe a sudden loss of power, with the car stuck below 30 mph and warnings for the transmission, power steering and airbags. False emergency braking at highway speed also appears. Owners say repeat dealer repairs, including new electrical parts and a radio unit, often fail to fix it.

The car brakes hard with nothing in its path, and one crash is on file. In that case the car stopped in an intersection and was hit from behind. False braking also happens in reverse with no obstruction. Owners say dealers pointed to a service bulletin on false automatic emergency braking. Some were told there is no fix and to switch the feature off. A separate complaint describes a high-pitched squeal under light braking below 10 mph, mostly during the first stops of the day. Dealers blamed humidity or the brake pads.

Stalling without warning is the pattern here. Dealers repeatedly trace it to a failed fuel pump driver or power module. The engine dies at lights, in parking lots or at 40 mph, then cranks but won't restart. Jump-starts help only for a while. After a stall, the parking brake sets and the car can't be shifted to neutral. That makes it hard to push out of the road and calls for a special tow truck. One owner got a warranty replacement, while others worry the new modules carry the same defect.

Automatic emergency braking fires with no cars or objects ahead, often more than once on the same vehicle. It happens at highway speeds around 53 mph and at low speeds, and some owners report it in reverse too. Following traffic, including a dump truck, nearly rear-ended these cars. One dealer reprogrammed the front camera, but the false stops came back. Another car was towed to a dealer, which called the problem uncommon. Owners describe being afraid to drive the car.

The car suddenly slows from highway speed and won't go past 30 mph. A cluster of warnings comes on at once: service transmission, check engine, StabiliTrak, power steering and safety restraint. These cars need a tow, and the problem can come back within weeks of purchase. Another report links a false emergency braking event to check engine and transmission warnings that appeared right after. A separate complaint describes transmission slipping and clunking after a fuel pump control module failure.

Front suspension parts fail again and again on one car. The right front strut and mount were replaced twice under warranty between about 29,968 and 35,740 miles. Then the left strut and mount went, followed by a split CV axle boot. That car came back from the dealer with a strong pull and an off-center steering wheel because no alignment was done. In another report the steering wheel would not turn at startup. A later restart cleared it, and the dealer cleared stored codes without finding a cause.

The backup camera goes nearly black at night on unlit streets, and one car had the problem from delivery. A dealer replaced the camera and updated the software only after the owner brought it back a second time. In another report, the driver and front passenger windows look hazy or milky in direct sunlight. The dealer said it could not reproduce the problem, so it stayed unresolved after several visits.