2003 Cadillac CTS
large luxury car / 4-door sedan
Moderate overlap front: original test
Rating applies to 2003-07 models built after September 2002
Tested vehicle: 2003 Cadillac CTS 4-door
The Cadillac CTS was introduced in the 2003 model year as a replacement for the Cadillac Catera.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has evaluated the crashworthiness of the CTS in two 40 mph frontal offset crash tests into deformable barriers. In the first test, the airbag deployed too late for optimal head protection. This led Cadillac to modify the airbag crash sensors on models produced after September 2002 (note: information about when a specific vehicle was manufactured is on the certification label typically affixed to the car on or near the driver door). The Institute tested a second CTS with the modified sensors, and the airbag inflated earlier.
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Chest | |
| Leg/foot, left | |
| Leg/foot, right | |
| Driver restraints and dummy kinematics |
Action shot taken during the second of two frontal offset crash tests.
The dummy's position in relation to the steering wheel and instrument panel after the second crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained well.
Loading of the head into the airbag is shown in this photo taken during the second test.
Dummies' knees and/or shins routinely hit and often damage the areas under the dashboard. These areas are smoothly contoured in the CTS.
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | CEF0221 |
|---|---|
| Footwell intrusion | |
| Footrest (cm) | 8 |
| Left (cm) | 12 |
| Center (cm) | 16 |
| Right (cm) | 8 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 8 |
| Instrument panel rearward movement | |
| Left (cm) | 1 |
| Right (cm) | 2 |
| Steering column movement | |
| Upward (cm) | 3 |
| Rearward (cm) | -1 |
| A-pillar rearward movement (cm) | 1 |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | CEF0221 |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 232 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | negligible |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.2 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 15 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.37 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 33 |
| Legs | |
| Femur force - left (kN) | 4.5 |
| Femur force - right (kN) | 2.2 |
| Knee displacement - left (mm) | 0 |
| Knee displacement - right (mm) | 0 |
| Maximum tibia index - left | 0.31 |
| Maximum tibia index - right | 0.63 |
| Tibia axial force - left (kN) | 1.9 |
| Tibia axial force - right (kN) | 2.2 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 76 |
| Right | 65 |
Rating applies to 2003 models built before October 2002
Tested vehicle: 2003 Cadillac CTS 4-door
The Cadillac CTS was introduced in the 2003 model year as a replacement for the Cadillac Catera.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has evaluated the crashworthiness of the CTS in two 40 mph frontal offset crash tests into deformable barriers. In the first test, the airbag deployed too late for optimal head protection. This led Cadillac to modify the airbag crash sensors on models produced after September 2002 (note: information about when a specific vehicle was manufactured is on the certification label typically affixed to the car on or near the driver door). The Institute tested a second CTS with the modified sensors, and the airbag inflated earlier.
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Chest | |
| Leg/foot, left | |
| Leg/foot, right | |
| Driver restraints and dummy kinematics |
Action shot taken during the first of two frontal offset crash tests.
The dummy's position in relation to the steering wheel and instrument panel after the first crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained well.
A high head acceleration occurred when the dummy's head bottomed out the airbag and hit the steering wheel in the first test.
Forces on the lower right leg were high enough to indicate the possibility of injury in the first test.
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | CEF0209 |
|---|---|
| Footwell intrusion | |
| Footrest (cm) | 7 |
| Left (cm) | 11 |
| Center (cm) | 13 |
| Right (cm) | 11 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 10 |
| Instrument panel rearward movement | |
| Left (cm) | 0 |
| Right (cm) | 1 |
| Steering column movement | |
| Upward (cm) | 3 |
| Rearward (cm) | -1 |
| A-pillar rearward movement (cm) | 1 |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | CEF0209 |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 687 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | 104 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 0.0 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 30 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.45 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 28 |
| Legs | |
| Femur force - left (kN) | 3.9 |
| Femur force - right (kN) | 2.0 |
| Knee displacement - left (mm) | 0 |
| Knee displacement - right (mm) | 0 |
| Maximum tibia index - left | 0.50 |
| Maximum tibia index - right | 1.02 |
| Tibia axial force - left (kN) | 2.1 |
| Tibia axial force - right (kN) | 3.4 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 72 |
| Right | 64 |
Head restraints & seats
Seat type: Seats without adjustable lumbar
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Dynamic rating | |
| Seat/head restraint geometry |
| Seat type | Seats without adjustable lumbar |
|---|---|
| Geometry | |
| Backset (mm) | 82 |
| Distance below top of head (mm) | 58 |
| Seat design parameters | |
| Pass/fail | Fail |
| Max T1 acceleration (g) | 10.5 |
| Head contact time (ms) | 100 |
| Force rating | 3 |
| Neck forces | |
| Max neck shear force (N) | 351 |
| Max neck tension (N) | 1,148 |
How the head restraint & seat test is conducted
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.