Selling a junk Cadillac STS
Any STS sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.
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What owners report about the Cadillac STS
NHTSA has 610 owner complaints on file for the Cadillac STS, model years 1998 to 2011, the 364th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are air bags (106, 17%), electrical system (86, 14%), engine (51, 8%). 74 complaints involved a crash, 26 a fire, and 7 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 70,000 miles. The 2006 model year has the most complaints (197). Data as of 2026-10-12.
When the top complaint is air bags, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to selling a car after an accident: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.
Cadillac STS by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 3 | Lights | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1999 | 16 | Engine and cooling | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2000 | 15 | Electrical system | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 2001 | 17 | Steering | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2002 | 10 | Brakes | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2003 | 15 | Electrical system | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2004 | 9 | Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2005 | 145 | Electrical system | 20 | 7 | 3 | 62,000 |
| 2006 | 197 | Air bags | 28 | 14 | 4 | 77,402 |
| 2007 | 67 | Air bags | 8 | 0 | 2 | 61,000 |
| 2008 | 77 | Air bags | 7 | 3 | 1 | 76,000 |
| 2009 | 24 | Air bags | 7 | 0 | 0 | 77,500 |
| 2010 | 6 | Lights | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 9 | Electrical system | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.
Cadillac STS recalls
NHTSA lists 7 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for fuel system (2), steering (1), transmission and drivetrain (1). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.
- 2006 model year, fuel system (campaign 14V542000, Sep 2014): General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2007 Cadillac CTS-V vehicles manufactured October 6, 2003, to March 15, 2007, and 2006-2007 Cadillac STS-V vehicles manufactured June 23, 2005, to March 15, 20…
- 2008 model year, lights (campaign 08V108000, Mar 2008): GM IS RECALLING 4,586 MY 2008 CADILLAC STS AND STS-V PASSENGER VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 138, 'TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEMS' (TPMS). THE STANDARD…
- 2005 model year, transmission and drivetrain (campaign 07V589000, Dec 2007): ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE REAR AXLE PINION SEAL DOES NOT MEET ALL OF THE SPECIFICATIONS AND MAY EXPERIENCE A FLUID LEAK.
- 2005 model year, suspension (campaign 06V125000, Apr 2006): CERTAIN VEHICLES HAVE A LEFT OR RIGHT REAR SUSPENSION TOE LINK THAT COULD SEPARATE BECAUSE OF AN INCORRECT WELD.
- 2005 model year, fuel system (campaign 06V020000, Jan 2006): CERTAIN VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH V6 ENGINES MAY HAVE A CONDITION WHERE FUEL IS NO LONGER SUPPLIED TO THE ENGINE. THIS CONDITION OCCURS WITHOUT THE ILLUMINATION OF THE FUEL LEVEL LOW INDICATOR LIGHT OR THE WARNING CHIME.
What a Cadillac STS is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk STS on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.
Guides for selling this car
How to sell a car after an accident 
How much is my junk car worth? 
How junkyards price cars 
Catalytic converters and junk cars 
How to prepare your car for the junkyard 
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Questions people ask
- What is a junk Cadillac STS worth?
- What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same STS gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Cadillac STS that doesn't run?
- Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
- Should I fix an open recall before selling a Cadillac STS?
- Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
- Where do these Cadillac STS numbers come from?
- From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.