What's Wrong with the 1st Generation (2004–2009) XLR?

XLR owners have made 15 complaints about the 2004–2009 model years. Using our PainRank™ system we've ranked it 25th out of 35 Cadillac generations in overall reliability, with real lights and body concerns.

Common 2004-2009 Cadillac XLR Problems

Some of the worst issues 1st generation XLR owners have to deal with.

  1. XLR Roof Detatches

    The XLR roadster comes with a retractable roof system that is supposed to give owners the option of riding around with the top down. Unfortunately, a problem with the adhension of the roof means owners may suddenly find themselves riding ar…

    Continue reading article "XLR Roof Detatches" XLR roof frame where the composite roof has come off

  2. What Are We Missing?

    We know there's more problems than this. Let us know which one you'd like to see us cover next.

    Continue XLR roof frame where the composite roof has come off

What Owners Complain About

Sometimes it helps just to tally up the complaints and see where the biggest stacks are. Use this information to learn about troublespots or to run for the hills.

Worst Issues

What Breaks the Most

Years to Avoid

1st Generation (2004–2009) XLR Key Numbers

  1. 3 model years

    Grouping all models by their year can reveal some baddies.

  2. 15 complaints

    Running tally of owner grievances filed to CarComplaints.com.

  3. 25th in reliability

    Overall reliability rank out of 35 eligible generations.

Recent 1st Generation (2004–2009) XLR News

There's a lot of news out there, but not all of it matters. We try to boil down it to the most important bits about things that actually help you with your car problem. Interested in getting these stories in an email? Signup for free email alerts over at CarComplaints.com.

  1. The agency tasked with keeping our highways and roads safe has determined that a roof suddenly detatching from a car at 65mph doesn't warrant a recall.

    XLR owners have made so many complaints about the roof detatching from the frame that it sparked a federal investigation back in February of 2019.

    But during the course of that investigation, safety regulators discovered that most of the complaints happened more than 10 years after the cars were manufactured and that, along with what they're calling a "relatively low incident report rate", wasn't enough to issue a recall.

    keep reading article "XLR Roof Flying Off While Driving? The Feds Are Fine With That."

  2. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is opening an investigation into complaints about parts of the 2004-2005 XLR roof flying off.

    In some cases, the entire roof flies off while driving.

    NHTSA will look at degradation problems with the adhesive used to secure the outer roof panels to the roof frames. If they find a quality issue it's likely they'll issue a recall.

    keep reading article "The XLR Detatching Roof Problem Is Under Investigation"