Rear camera, powertrain, and exploding sunroof issues are the main causes of complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
Launched as a 2017 model year SUV, the luxury crossover Cadillac XT5 replaced the Cadillac SRX. Labeled by GM, the manufacturer, as the brand’s best-selling vehicle in 2021, reliable reports reveal that they’ll be phasing it out very soon. There are no indications why. But there are complaints and ongoing recalls shedding some light. The most common problem with the 2023 model seems to be the malfunctioning rear vision camera. There are also issues with sunroofs that explode and powertrain that prevent drivers from accelerating.
Click on other model year to view more problems: 2019 2020
There aren’t a huge volume of complaints laid with the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) about the 2023 Cadillac XT5, but there clearly are problems.
It’s worth noting that when Cadillac announced the introduction of its new XT5 series of luxury crossovers, one of the four features it highlighted was the new tech “rear camera mirror”. Presumably this meant that the “new” camera would be superior and would work. They have continued to punt the Standard Cadillac Smart System, which includes, amongst other things, a superior HD rear vision camera. 2023 XT5 owners whose cameras don’t work too well aren’t so sure.
Other issues that are mentioned in complaints to the NHTSA include a faulty powertrain that doesn’t allow the driver to accelerate and sunroofs that explode.
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Power Train | |
| Back Over Prevention | |
| Engine | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera | |
| Lane Departure | |
| Steering |
While not mentioned in complaints (yet), the recalls apply to equipment and the powertrain. While the equipment issue relates to tire size information that may be illegible, the powertrain recalls are considerably more serious.
The first powertrain recall, NHTSA Campaign Number 23V043000, was issued on February 2, 2023. It relates to a half-shaft and transmission that can separate, leading to the loss of drive power. It can also cause vehicle rollaway when vehicles are parked. Both these scenarios can increase the risk of a crash. According to General Motors (GM), the reason is that the right-front half-shaft assemblies may have been incorrectly connected to the transmission. This would be why they might separate.
The second recall, NHTSA Campaign Number 23V172000, was issued on March 16, 2023. This states that as many as 8,744 GM vehicles, including 2022-2023 XT5s may have been built with an incorrect sun gear. This can result in the driver-side half-shaft disengaging from the transmission.
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Complaints about the rear view camera are filed with the NHTSA as unknown or other, back-over prevention, and/or lane departure issues.
An owner from Michigan states in a complaint that only a black screen was displayed when the backup camera malfunctioned. While the failure was intermittent, the image was very dim, making it difficult to view the image that was displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. “The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered,” even though the failure mileage was only 300.
Another owner states that it “takes way too long to switch from night mode to day mode. When parked in the garage, there is not enough light, so it goes to night mode. After raising the garage door and starting the car, the camera is in night mode. If the sun is bright, and the driver is wearing sunglasses, the rear camera image on the display is unreadable.
After backing out of the garage it takes 15-20 seconds for the camera to switch to day mode. During this time, the rear area of the car is totally indiscernible, including the sidewalk that crosses my driveway. There should be a way for the driver to adjust this timing or even turn the night mode off completely. Even at night, the image is too dark.”
Then there’s the owner from Delaware who was told when she bought her new 2023 Cadillac XT5 “that the full camera system had yet to be installed and that the part would become available in the 4th quarter of 2022.” But, in the meantime, while driving at various speeds, “the lane departure warning feature activated with no other vehicles nearby.” Additionally, “the back-up camera failed to operate as needed with an unknown alert message on the infotainment screen.”
The dealer was notified of the failure and referred her to a local dealer for assistance with the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired even though the failure mileage was only about 800.
Engines and powertrains ensure you can drive your vehicle safely. When they malfunction, you may be in big trouble. While the inability to accelerate may simply mean you’re going nowhere, a defective powertrain may cause a crash.
The owner of a 2023 XT5 tells how the vehicle “became unresponsive to throttle” when it had only 147 miles on the clock. The “engine would increase in RPMs as indicated on Tach and (the) speedometer would show increased speed.” But there was no noticeable acceleration and there was “a gear grinding sound.”
The XT5 was towed to the dealer and the owner was told that “the left front axle pulled out of transmission.” The complaint states that the dealer was asked to return the defective drive shaft to GM but it was never sent.
This malfunction happened again at 453 miles when the owner was driving on the interstate. The service manager said there was an engineering bulletin about the issue. He stated that in terms of a manufacturer communication, PIE0732A, dealers were instructed to replace the transmission and axle of certain vehicles including XT5s and XT6s. But, “GM was not replacing all transmissions on all affected vehicles,” and only those where the drive shaft falls out. “This presents a safety (risk) to consumers by allowing a defective vehicle on the roads that could lose power and/or control in a moment of emergency that could cause a crash.”
There’s no denying that many vehicle brands have issues that owners have reported about sunroofs that explode. But, when you buy a luxury vehicle that costs you a lot of money, you don’t expect to have the risk of a sunroof exploding and showering you with glass.
The owner of a 2023 Cadillac XT5 states in a complaint to the NHTSA that the front half of the sunroof exploded while driving. It was a hardtop model, and the sunroof was closed at the time. The complaint states that if it hadn’t been closed, the glass would have “fallen directly on myself and any passengers posing a safety risk. I could have been in an accident.”
This XT5 was only one month old when the incident occurred. But forget about any warranty options. “When I called the dealer I was told I would have to file an insurance claim.”
Just because you have problems with your 2023 Cadillac XT65 doesn’t make it a lemon. But when your problems recur and affect the use and value of the vehicle, there’s a chance that it may be a lemon.
Every year automakers pay out huge amounts of money to people who can prove they have lemons. So, if you think you might have one, Lemberg Law will be happy to assess your problems and see if you do have a case.
We have been helping vehicle owners negotiate settlements with automakers for many years. The law says that Cadillac (GM) must pay the legal fees for lemon law cases, so it’s not going to cost you anything.
Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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Drive line vibration in my 2023 XT5. had dealer check and change some parts. Problem still there. GM rep was involved and determined no real problem found.
Bought a Cadillac xt5 in Dec 2023. There is a vibration when the vehicle is at 1500 rpm. It has been back to the dealership 7 times in the last year. 13 months have passed since we purchased brand new. We noticed this problem within 3 days of owning the vehicle. GM / Cadillac has yet to find a fix. We make our payments as scheduled and feel we have been taken advantage of in a big way.
Back camera does not work all the time goes dim. If put into drive then reverse it works. 2023 xt5 2023. 2 months old.