The second model year of this luxury electric SUV, the 2024 Cadillac Lyriq boasts advanced technology that provides drivers with “proactive peace of mind” and inspires confidence. However, owners whose braking systems malfunction, either activating for no reason, failing to stop or overheating, aren’t inspired with confidence. Neither are those whose headlights droop or internal display panels are so dim at dusk and dawn they cannot see what’s going on.
Most Common Problems
The most common complaints sent to the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) about the 2024 Cadillac Lyriq relate to braking issues that owners see as forward collision avoidance, backover prevention, and, of course, brake problems. There are also numerous complaints about exterior lighting and the electrical system. Electrical problems are varied and range from batteries and chargers overheating to issues with black screens and backup cameras, as well as instrument panels that dim excessively at dusk and dawn. Dim instrument panels and drooping headlights feature in the exterior lighting category.
Other components and systems highlighted in complaints include the engine, fuel/propulsion system, power train, seat belts, steering, structure, vehicle speed control, and visibility/wiper, with windshield cracking.
Apart from complaints, there are also three recalls that relate to the electrical system, hydraulic brake system, and seat belts.
Hydraulic brake system: NHTSA Campaign Number 24V589000 is a software update recall. It warns that a release of brake pressure can cause a loss of braking ability, increasing the risk of a crash. The issue is that the anti-lock brake system (ABS) may activate unexpectedly releasing pressure in the vehicle’s service brake system. Potentially, 21,469 2023-2024 Lyriq vehicles are affected.
Electrical system: NHTSA Campaign Number 24V320000 affects five 2024 Chevrolet models including the Lyriq. The recall states that the electric motors in the rear drive units of 10 vehicles in total may have insufficiently insulated wires that can contact each other, resulting in a loss of drive power. The recall warns that insufficient wire insulation in the electric motor can cause a loss of drive power
Seat belts: NHTSA Campaign Number 23V785000 potentially affects 43 2023-2024 Lyriq vehicles with seat belt brackets that may not have been properly welded. The result is that they may not restrain occupants as intended.
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Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control
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Collision-Avoidance Systems
Complaints about the forward collision avoidance system relate primarily to malfunctions of the auto emergency braking system. Ironically, sometimes it doesn’t activate, but more often it causes Cadillac Lyriq to stop suddenly. Rapid acceleration and adaptive cruise control are also singled out. Many complaints state that dealerships are unable to identify the cause of issues and no assistance is provided by the manufacturer.
Several complaints report crashes. An owner from Arizona had pulled into his garage and was “lightly tapping the accelerator to get the vehicle far enough in to avoid it interfering with the garage door.” He had one-pedal driving engaged so wasn’t using the brake pedal. “Once positioned I was getting ready to put it in Park and the vehicle rapidly accelerated as if someone was stomping on the accelerator. It slammed into a refrigerator I have in the garage, pushing it about 2 inches into the wall, and breaking through the drywall. The impact was so hard the refrigerator door also popped open and stuff went flying out. I had to slam on my brakes to get it to stop moving forward even though my foot was not on the accelerator.”
When driving with adaptive cruise control, a Californian owner reports that the Lyriq started slowing down from 55 mph to an almost standstill at 2 mph. When the vehicle in front stopped, the Lyriq “tried to rapidly accelerate into the back of it where we had to intervene and slam on the brakes. If we didn’t do this there would have been an accident due to our adaptive cruise control failing.” This has happened twice. However, the dealership was unable to replicate the problem and said there was nothing to fix!
Automatic Braking Doesn’t Activate
In a complaint listed as both a forward collision avoidance and brake problem, an owner from New Jersey states that in stop-and-go traffic, traveling at 5-10 mpg, she pressed the brakes firmly. But the vehicle failed to stop, resulting in a collision. There were no alerts or braking assistance, even though these safety features were enabled. “Her passenger witnessed her screaming that the brakes were not stopping the car. The crash caused front bumper damage, and a police report was filed.” According to the complaint, General Motors has not been able to explain why this happened. “My wife is now afraid to drive the vehicle and refuses to continue driving it after repairs. I may be forced to break my lease or sell the car due to this serious safety concern.”
An owner from Massachusetts states that when approaching a red light at 5-10 mph and braking, “the brakes did not work and the automatic braking didn’t work either.” This resulted in a crash. The dealership inspected the vehicle but found nothing wrong.
Automatic Braking Activates for No Reason
Complaints show that auto braking issues happen in a wide range of scenarios and at different speeds ranging from 1 mph to highway speeds of at least 70 mph. Another interesting factor is that multiple complaints state they were in reverse when this happened and quite often traveling in the rain!
An owner from Kentucky states that while reversing out of his driveway the vehicle (with only 100 miles on the clock appeared to detect an object, causing the brakes to activate. Then, while traveling at 50-60 mph, the brakes were spontaneously applied again. Once again, the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure.
An owner from Missouri experienced this automatic braking malfunction twice — once traveling at about 35 mph along a busy four-lane road and the second time under 10 mph while parking alongside a curb. “When the car engages the automatic braking system it sounds as though it has hit something or someone has hit you. It’s very confusing. I reported previous incidents to my dealer and they said that the sensors were sensitive and they supposedly did some sort of fix, but frankly I’m concerned about what could happen as these incidents have quite seriously been a pain in the neck for me.”
Examples of Problems While Reversing in the Rain
An owner from California describes how when he backs up the Lyriq from the driveway during rain “it continuously applies phantom braking making it impossible to move the car.” He states that turning off the rear auto braking doesn’t help. “It’s very dangerous.”
An owner from Florida reports a similar story. “When it rains, just a steady rain, not a downpour, the vehicle slams on the brakes trying to back up. It literally took 3-4 minutes to back out of the driveway. I was also in a parking lot trying to back out and the same issue, which created a significant safety hazard with other vehicles.”
The complaint from another Florida owner states that there is a continuing problem with both front and rear emergency braking, with “violent and unexpected emergency braking” occurring for no apparent reason. This mainly happens when it is raining and the vehicle is put into reverse. Similarly, when he backs out of the driveway on a slant, rear emergency braking “seems to sense the street and (the) brakes are applied violently.”
An owner from Ohio also states that the brakes “erroneously activated” while attempting to reverse in the rain. The failure mileage was only 145 — and the only suggestion the dealer had was to deactivate the Back Over Prevention and Cross Traffic Alerts while attempting to reverse.
Brake Related
The number of complaints listed as being brake problems is surprisingly small. However, there are a substantial number of brake-related problems, including those that are related to forward collision avoidance and backover prevention.
“As I approached a stop sign and hit the brake the car did not stop,” states an owner from Pennsylvania. “I pounded on the brake but there was no response at all. It just coasted forward. The car continued to move and hit the car in front of me stopped at the stop sign. That car, a Nissan Rogue, had no damage. I was barely moving but the plastic sheet in the front of the Lyriq was cracked.”
In a complaint dated September 3, 2024, an owner from Washington states that while entering her garage at about 3 mph, she depressed the brake pedal. “However, the vehicle continued forward and crashed into a tool chest located at the back of the garage wall. The contact stated that the front of the grill and the front bumper were damaged and had to be replaced.” The same thing happened when she was parking the Lyriq in a parking lot. The dealer determined that the ABS had failed and caused a loss of braking ability and said it was related to NHTSA Campaign Number 24V589000 released on August 8, 2024.
Another owner states that the car sometimes slams on brakes at 1 mph with nothing behind it. It sometimes happens several times when backing up. “I pull forward and then back up again no issue. I also get a service parking brake error for no reason that goes away.” Additionally, “rear braking happens randomly on clear days, sunny days, and rainy days.”
There are also complaints that brakes overheat and smoke.
Lighting Problems
The bulk of exterior lighting problems relate to the issues with interior instrument panels that dim excessively at dusk and dawn. As with other problems, some complaints state that dealers aren’t able to help solve the problem.
Dashboard Lighting Problems
An owner from Washington states he is unable to get the display lighting bright enough to adequately read instrumentation when coming out of the garage into low atmospheric lighting. The “instrument display lighting rheostat (is) turned up to maximum but (the) sensors don’t allow the display to brighten. The vehicle lighting sensor is not blocked. The rheostat should be able to turn the display to full brightness, but (it) isn’t designed that way. It’s definitely a safety issue.” The complaint states that the “Cadillac dealership says there is nothing they can do about this situation, but acknowledges it’s a widely reported complaint.”
Another Washington owner states, “During dusk/dawn exterior lighting conditions, the informant screen is too dim to use.” This means they “can’t change drive mode to snow/ice, or locate any other controls.”
An owner from Delaware describes the dashboard lighting issue. “During dusk/dawn exterior lighting conditions, the informant screen is too dim to use. i.e. can’t change drive mode to snow/ice, or locate any other controls.” After the dealer made an unsuccessful adjustment, he filed a complaint with Cadillac Customer Assistance. “This is a very dangerous safety issue as when you are driving you spend too much time trying to see (the) dashboard for adjustments and you can’t keep your eye on the road.”
Headlight Problems
Drooping headlights are another major problem, which Lemberg Law has been investigating for some time. Dubbed “Lyriq headlight droop,” it affects visibility and is a serious safety risk.
As an owner from Texas states, “While driving at night, my headlights will randomly aim down. I can’t see the road ahead. When high beams are activated, they blast the front of the car. I cannot see anything down the road.”
Electrical System Problems
While some lighting problems, including instrument panels dimming, are reported as being an electrical problem, we’re going to focus here on issues relating to the battery.
An owner from Missouri reported several severe issues in September 2024, five weeks after purchasing a new Lyriq. These were display failure (not just dimming), battery overheating, and the charger overheating and becoming unstable when charging the car at home. The issue with the battery overheating “not only drastically extends charging times but also raises serious safety concerns, particularly during long road trips in hot weather. The vehicle has repeatedly experienced these issues, making it unreliable for long-distance travel.” The charger overheating during AC charging at home “raises concerns about the safety of parking or charging the vehicle in my garage, as it may pose a fire risk. These issues have been reported to my dealership, who have attempted repairs without success. The problems persist, and the vehicle remains unsafe and unreliable for my family’s needs.”
“While driving the 12V battery system failed as well as the high voltage charging system,” states an Alabama owner who also had adaptive cruise control and forward collision problems.
A New York owner states, “Within two months the Lithium-ion battery failed twice and the car was not drivable. It had to be towed to the dealer.”
A Lyriq with 7,300 miles had an electrical battery error that resulted in the vehicle not starting, another New York owner states in a complaint. It also has multiple software errors with the screen turning off while driving.
What to Do if Your 2024 Cadillac Lyriq Has Recurring Problems?
If you have any major problems that relate to your 2024 Cadillac Lyriq that recur and affect the value and/or use of the vehicle, there’s a good chance you might have purchased a lemon. Lemberg Law has been helping vehicle owners with all kinds of “lemon” problems for many years, and we have negotiated many settlements on their behalf.
If you’d like us to assess your problems, free of charge, contact us by calling our Helpline or filling out a contact form. The law says that the automaker — in this case, GMC — has to pay the legal fees for lemon law cases.
About the Author:
Sergei Lemberg is an attorney focusing on consumer law, class actions related to automotive issues, and personal injury litigation. With nearly two decades of experience, his areas of practice include Lemon Law (vehicle defects), Debt Collection Harassment, TCPA (illegal robocalls and texts), Fair Credit Reporting Act, Overtime claims, Personal Injury cases, and Class Actions. He has consistently been recognized as the nation's "most active consumer attorney." In 2020, Mr. Lemberg represented Noah Duguid before the United States Supreme Court in the landmark case Duguid v. Facebook. He is also the author of "Defanging Debt Collectors," a guide that empowers consumers to fight back against debt collectors and prevail, as well as "Lemon Law 101: The Laws That Lemon Dealers Don't Want You to Know."
