2005 Cadillac STS transmission problems

The 2005 Cadillac STS has 22 transmission complaints filed with NHTSA — 15% of the year's total, and the first year with meaningful reports in this category.

Transmission complaints

15%

Share of year

Crash-involved

Related recalls

Transmission complaints by year

STS transmission complaints by model year. Red bars are years to avoid.

Related recalls

07V589000TransmissionDecember 20, 2007 · 275,936 units

Defect

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE REAR AXLE PINION SEAL DOES NOT MEET ALL OF THE SPECIFICATIONS AND MAY EXPERIENCE A FLUID LEAK.

Consequence

A REAR DIFFERENTIAL FAILURE MAY CAUSE LOSS OF MOTIVE POWER AND POSSIBLY LOSS OF CONTROL INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE PINION SEAL FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 1, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-800-458-8006 OR HTTP://WWW.CADILLAC.COM; PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668 OR HTTP://WWW.PONTIAC.COM; AND SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876 OR HTTP://WWW.SATURN.COM.

What owners report

“DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THERE WAS A SUDDEN LOUD BANG, MY CAR SWERVED, MY RPMS REVVED UP, WHITE SMOKE AND I SMELLED BURNING. I PULLED OVER AND HAD IT TAKEN TO THE LOCAL CERTIFIED CADILLAC DEALERSHIP, MY REAR DIFFERENTIAL NEEDS TO BE REPLACED RELATED TO A REAR PINION SEAL LEAK. THERE'S A RECALL…”
Complaint filed with NHTSA · Transmission · January 30, 2015 · fire

Common questions

How many transmission complaints does the 2005 Cadillac STS have?

NHTSA has 22 complaints about the 2005 Cadillac STS transmission — 15% of all complaints filed for that model year.

Are there recalls for the 2005 Cadillac STS transmission?

Yes — 1 NHTSA recall campaign for this model year is tied to the transmission: 07V589000.

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.