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2021 Cadillac CT4

Gas

Compact Cars
6 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11

Safety Signal

78 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record

RecallsNHTSA campaigns4

Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA7

Crash ratingNHTSA overall—

Fuel economybest combined, EPA27 mpg

2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020

The 2021 Cadillac CT4 is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact car with 6 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the CT4, is EPA-rated at 27 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of C. Owners have filed 7 complaints, most often about the engine.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov

Configuration	Powertrain	Drive	Engine / motor	City	Hwy	Comb	Annual fuel*
CT4	Gas	RWD	2.0L 4-cyl turbo	23	34	27	$2,850
CT4 AWD	Gas	AWD	2.0L 4-cyl turbo	23	32	26	$3,000
CT4	Gas	RWD	2.7L 4-cyl turbo	21	31	25	$3,100
CT4 AWD	Gas	AWD	2.7L 4-cyl turbo	21	29	24	$3,250
CT4 V	Gas	RWD	2.7L 4-cyl turbo	20	29	23	$3,350
CT4 V AWD	Gas	AWD	2.7L 4-cyl turbo	20	28	23	$3,350

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 43240, 43241, 43149, 43151, 43150, 43152.

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Recalls (4)

Source: NHTSA recall database

▲high

Power Train

N242480630

90,081 vehicles

ProblemGeneral Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Cadillac CT6, 2020-2021 CT4, CT5, and 2020-2022 Chevrolet Camaro vehicles equipped with a 10-speed transmission. The transmission may become damaged internally and cause the wheels to lock-up.RiskWheel lock-up while driving increases the risk of a crash.FixDealers will install transmission control module monitoring software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 7, 2025. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N242480630.

NHTSA campaign 25V148000reported Mar 6, 2025General Motors, LLC

○minor

Exterior Lighting

N222386380

740,108 vehicles

ProblemGeneral Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Cadillac CT4 and CT5; 2021-2023 Buick Envision; and 2022-2023 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. The daytime running lights (DRLs) may not deactivate when the headlights are on. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."RiskDRLs that do not deactivate as intended may result in a glare, reducing visibility, and increasing the risk of a crash.FixThe body control module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 23, 2023. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N222386380. This recall expands previous recall number 22V-827.

NHTSA campaign 22V903000reported Dec 8, 2022General Motors, LLC

▲high

Air Bags

N212342780

34,157 vehicles

ProblemGeneral Motors, LLC. (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Cadillac CT4 and CT5 vehicles. The roof rail side-curtain air bags may not have been installed correctly, which could result in an improper air bag deployment during a crash.RiskAir bags that do not deploy properly can increase the risk of injury in a crash.FixDealers will inspect both left and right-side roof rail air bags and reinstall the air bags, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on August 30, 2021. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N212342780.

NHTSA campaign 21V611000reported Aug 5, 2021General Motors, LLC

○minor

Electrical System

N212338110

285,622 vehicles

ProblemGeneral Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Buick Envision, Cadillac CT4, CT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Corvette, Suburban, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL vehicles. The communications gateway module incorrectly processes a loss of communication with the sensing diagnostic module (SDM), causing the air bag malfunction indicator light to inconsistently illuminate.RiskThe air bag malfunction indicator light may fail to warn the driver of a problem with the air bag, increasing the risk of injury.FixThe communications gateway module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 1, 2021. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212338110.

NHTSA campaign 21V421000reported Jun 10, 2021General Motors, LLC

NHTSA defect investigations

Air Bags:Srs Malfunction Warning Lamp/Light — Air Bag Malfunction closed

On April 9, 2021, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE21-010 to investigate instances of air bag malfunction indicator light (MIL) illumination and potential for frontal air bag non-deployment in several vehicles manufactured by General Motors (GM). The vehicles included model year (MY) 2020 through 2021 CT4 and CT5 passenger cars, Sierra and Silverado trucks (1500/2500/3500 models), XT4 and MY 2021 Escalade, Suburban, Tahoe, Yukon SUVs.Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 21-NA-005, issued in March 2021, addresses air bag MIL illumination with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) B0001-1B or B0012-0D. It cites rust particles in the connection terminal interface of the driver air bag

Opened Apr 9, 2021 · closed Aug 24, 2023 · action PE21010

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database

7complaints filed

0 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 0 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2022: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2026: 2

Most-cited components

Engine3

Fuel/Propulsion System2

Tires1

Steering1

Electrical System1

Forward Collision Avoidance1

What owners describe

“While driving at highway speeds on the freeway in my 2021 Cadillac CT4-V, the vehicle experienced a sudden, catastrophic loss of propulsion. Without warning, the transmission dropped out of gear as if it were in neutral. I completely lost the ability to accelerate, creating an immediate, life-threatening hazard as I wa…”Jun 29, 2026 · Fuel/Propulsion System · NHTSA owner report

“Check engine light for P1467 on a 2021 CT4 V. This is for a "purge pump underspeed" issue. The issue is known on CT4 Cadillacs and has an active recall out: N242441120 Evaporative Emissions Purge Pump. This recall is only for the 2.0, LSY engines, but the much more uncommon 2.7, L3B engine in my car uses the same part …”May 31, 2026 · Fuel/Propulsion System · NHTSA owner report

“There is a known issue with hesitation and hard shifting on my vehicle. According to the gm bulletin that was released I believe in may of 25 my year, make and model has a known issue where the transmission control valve may stick or wear causing jerking and shifting issues and could cause a possible crash. According t…”Aug 27, 2025 · Power Train · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

NHTSA has not published 5-Star crash ratings for this model year.

Other CT4 model years

2026 Cadillac CT4

0 recalls · 1 complaints

2025 Cadillac CT4

0 recalls · 2 complaints

2024 Cadillac CT4

0 recalls · 7 complaints

2023 Cadillac CT4

1 recalls · 3 complaints

2022 Cadillac CT4

2 recalls · 6 complaints

2020 Cadillac CT4

4 recalls · 8 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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