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2015 Cadillac ATS problems: engine and transmission complaints and recalls

NO ELEVATED SIGNAL
30%
7 of 23 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

No elevated drivetrain complaint concentration in the available NHTSA records for the 2015 Cadillac ATS. Engine, transmission and fuel system account for 30% of relevant complaints.

Better than 70% of the 1,790 model years we track (2010–2023).

Excludes 6 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 24%).

NHTSA data checked October 3, 2026

The VIN is on the listing, the driver’s door jamb, and the bottom of the windshield on the driver’s side.

Does the 2015 Cadillac ATS have engine or transmission problems?

Not as a pattern, going by owner complaints. 7 of 23 relevant complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2015 Cadillac ATS concern the engine, transmission or fuel system (30%). For comparison, the 2014 scores 45% and the 2016 scores 50%. This describes the model year, not any one car: a well-maintained or already-repaired example can be fine, and a clean model year can still have a bad car in it.

Drivetrain complaints
7
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
29
this model year
Fires reported
0
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
4
1 crashes · 1 injuries

Complaints by component

STEERING6 · 21%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM6 · 21%
POWER TRAIN5 · 17%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER4 · 14%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING4 · 14%
SERVICE BRAKES3 · 10%

The years either side

2010
no data
2011
no data
2012
no data
2013
57%
82 of 160
2014
45%
43 of 104
2015
30%
7 of 29
2016
50%
15 of 35
2017
27%
8 of 33
2018
too few complaints
2019
too few complaints
2020
no data
2021
no data
2022
no data
2023
no data

Manufacturers fix things mid-generation. A bad year next to a clean one is common; the fix usually arrived in between.

How the 2015 compares with other Cadillac ATS years

Of the 5 Cadillac ATS years with enough complaints to score, the 2015 is the 2nd-best on engine and transmission share (30%). The worst is the 2013 (57%), the best the 2017 (27%). By volume, the 2015 drew 29 complaints (7 drivetrain), against 104 for the 2014 and 35 for the 2016.

Cadillac ATS years to avoid and best years →

In the full report

The rest of the picture on the 2015 Cadillac ATS

  • Up to 15 owner reports, with the ones about your car's own engine first.
  • What to ask the seller and what to check on the test drive, for this car.
  • Two cars side by side, if you are deciding between them.

What one owner reported

STEERING,SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN10/08/2015CRASH1 INJURED
FIRST IN LINE WHILE STOPPED AT A LEFT-TURN LIGHT ON A CITY STREET. LIGHT TURNED GREEN, BEGAN TO ACCELERATE. MID-WAY THROUGH THE TURN, HEARD A "POP", LOST STEERING CONTROL, AND THE REAR END SPUN CAR INTO THE CURB. KEEP IN MIND THIS IS A 4-WHEEL-DRIVE CAR. WHEN THE CAR CAME TO A STOP, THE NOSE OF THE CAR WAS RESTING ON T…

One of 7 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows up to 15, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.

2015 Cadillac ATS engine and transmission recalls

No engine or transmission recalls. NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns on the 2015 Cadillac ATS, none of them for the engine, transmission or fuel system. A recall is the manufacturer admitting a defect and paying to fix it; whether a specific car still has one open depends on its VIN, which the full report checks. The owner complaints above are a separate record and often point at problems that never became a recall.

4 other recalls on this model year (airbags, lighting, brakes and the rest)
air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module26V329000 · May 2026
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, XTS, 2015-2016 Cadillac ATS, CTS, and SRX vehicles. The front-driver air bag inflator may rupture during deployment.
visibility: defroster/defogger/hvac system15V558000 · Sep 2015
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Cadillac ATS sedan vehicles manufactured April 23, 2012, to September 2, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the coil antenna module…
visibility: sun/moon roof assembly15V463000 · Jul 2015
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Cadillac ATS vehicles manufactured April 25, 2012, to June 25, 2015. The affected vehicles may experience the roof panel closing…
service brakes, hydraulic: pedals and linkages15V358000 · Jun 2015
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Cadillac ATS and CTS vehicles. The affected vehicles have a bracket between the brake pedal assembly and the rod that actuates the brakes…

Source: NHTSA recall campaigns filed against this year, make and model. Checked October 3, 2026.

Checking one particular 2015 Cadillac ATS? This page is about the model year. Accidents, title brands and odometer records belong to the individual car, and that is what a vehicle history report covers.

Get a history report from EpicVIN Before you pay: EpicVIN’s $1 offer is a 3-day trial (up to 5 reports) that renews at $49.99 a month unless you cancel. Other plans are listed under “View all our packages” at checkout. We may earn a commission if you buy through this link. It does not change what this page reports.

Questions people ask about the 2015 Cadillac ATS

Does the 2015 Cadillac ATS have engine or transmission problems?

Not as a pattern, going by owner complaints. 7 of 23 relevant complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2015 Cadillac ATS concern the engine, transmission or fuel system (30%). It describes the model year, not any one car, so an inspection still matters.

What is the most common problem with the 2015 Cadillac ATS?

Going by NHTSA owner complaints, the most common problem filed against the 2015 Cadillac ATS is steering: 6 of 29 complaints (21%) name it, followed by electrical system (6) and power train (5). A complaint can name more than one component, so these overlap. Engine, transmission and fuel-system complaints together make up 30% of the relevant total.

Is the 2015 Cadillac ATS reliable?

On the engine and transmission, nothing stands out: 30% of relevant complaints filed with NHTSA concern the drivetrain, below the 33% line where we call a signal elevated. That is better than 70% of the 1,790 model years we track. Among the 5 Cadillac ATS years we score, it ranks 2nd-best. Complaint data describes the model year, not one car, and it says nothing about trim, paint or electronics outside the drivetrain; an independent inspection still decides it.

Are there engine or transmission recalls on the 2015 Cadillac ATS?

No. NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns on the 2015 Cadillac ATS, none of them for the engine, transmission or fuel system.

Which Cadillac ATS years are better?

Among the Cadillac ATS years we track, the 2017 (27%) has a lower engine and transmission complaint share than the 2015 (30%). Manufacturers fix things mid-generation, so the year before or after can be a different car. Every year side by side: https://thelanecheck.com/cars/cadillac-ats

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Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition of any individual vehicle.