Owners have filed 31 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the steering, brakes, and airbags. The 8 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2019Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/8 checked
2019 Cadillac XT5: inspection sheet
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/1
Engine off, key in hand0/2
Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/1
At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/4
These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.
These years share the 2019's design and most of its parts, so their problems are the ones to look for on this car too.
Worth adding to your 2019 checks
Worth adding to your 2019 checks
Worth adding to your 2019 checks
EPA figures for each version of the 2019 Cadillac XT5. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.
| Version | Drive | EPA rating |
|---|---|---|
| 3.6L 6-cyl | AWD, FWD | 21–22 mpg |
Owners report these failures starting around the mileages below. A car inside one of these ranges deserves a closer look at that part, or records showing it was already fixed.
Thermostat failure, reduced steering assist
37,269–61,000 miles
NHTSA complaints for the 2019 Cadillac XT5, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
Power assist cuts out and a "Steering Assist is Reduced" warning appears. It often comes with a temperature gauge stuck on cold, no air conditioning, a check engine light or reduced power. Dealers and parts stores in these reports trace it to a failed thermostat, with repairs near $1,200. Reported mileages run from 37,269 to 61k. One report says dealers could not get thermostats and were only resetting the warning. A separate filing describes heavy steering at 20 mph after a brake warning and low fluid.
Brakes squeal loudly at low speed, especially when backing out after the car has sat. Dealers call it normal operation and offer no fix. One crash report describes a vibrating pedal the dealer could not duplicate. Later the brakes failed with a grinding noise at 55 mph, and the driver steered into a guardrail to avoid another car. One person was injured.
Side airbags fail to deploy in one driver's-side crash at about 35 mph, and the driver suffered a concussion. Another report describes a Safety Restraint System service warning that keeps returning after several paid dealer repairs over 3 to 4 months. The third filing is only an inquiry about a possible airbag recall and describes no failure.
A fire starts low in the rear of the passenger-side door and spreads through the cabin within minutes. Firefighters suspected the fuses, though the owner describes that car as a 2020. Another report describes a stability warning with no stored codes. Then the emergency brake engaged on its own on the highway, every warning light came on, and the car later would not start. One filing asks for a way to switch off stop/start.
Unintended acceleration causes one parking-lot crash. The engine revved on shifting into drive, the car surged and climbed onto a parked vehicle, and a passenger's hand was injured. A separate report combines Service StabiliTrak and TCS Off warnings with a transmission that will not shift, holding the car to 50 to 60 mph. Each pattern rests on a single report.
Rear toe links work loose and need replacement. In one report a dealer found it during an oil change, and the owner says a 2020 XT5 got the same recommendation. A separate report describes a burning smell, then smoke and fire at the front right of the car while driving. The owner put it out with an extinguisher, and the filing gives no cause.
Motive power cuts out with no warning lights, and the car coasts to a stop. It restarts but the failure comes back. That report puts it at about 95,800 miles, and the dealer did not diagnose it. The other filing matches the thermostat failure under steering: a reduced steering assist warning, no air conditioning and a check engine light. The dealer reported 4 other XT5s in for the same problem, which costs about $1,200 out of warranty.
Excerpts from complaints XT5 owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.
I keep getting a warning to service the Safety Restraint System. I have taken my car in several times to be fixed and have paid a lot of money and it is still not fixed. The dealership says they fixed it but then it happens again. This has been going on for about 3-4 months now. At this point I do not know what else to do. I feel this is a safety concern because I cannot drive down the road without the alerts going off in the car.
Filed with NHTSA, May 2024
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2019 ranks second for owner complaints among 7 XT5 years, about 1.4 times the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.
Redesigns and mid-cycle updates change what can go wrong.
The 2019 is the third model year of the XT5's first generation (2017–2023).
Cadillac updated the XT5 for 2020, so a 2019 does not have those changes.
What changed for 2020 (not on a 2019)
Cars shoppers compare with the Cadillac XT5, with their own 2019 checklists.
2019 owner complaints, side by side
