P0521 on Cadillac vehicles The oil pressure sensor reading does not track what the engine is doing
P0521 is named on 10 Cadillac model years (2016–2019): 11 manufacturer filings and 0 owner reports in NHTSA’s files, across ATS-V, ATS, CTS, CTS-V, ELR and 2 more.
Which Cadillac model years name P0521
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints| Model year | Filed under | Bulletins | Owner reports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 Cadillac ATS-V | Engine | 2 | — |
| 2019 Cadillac ATS | Electrical System | 1 | — |
| 2019 Cadillac CTS | Electrical System | 1 | — |
| 2018 Cadillac ATS | Engine | 1 | — |
| 2018 Cadillac ATS-V | Engine | 1 | — |
| 2018 Cadillac CTS-V | Engine | 1 | — |
| 2017 Cadillac ATS-V | Electrical System | 1 | — |
| 2016 Cadillac ELR | Engine | 1 | — |
| 2016 Cadillac SRX | Engine | 1 | — |
| 2016 Cadillac XTS | Engine | 1 | — |
A model year is listed because the code is named in its own record — a bulletin filed against it, or an owner’s complaint about it — not because every one of these vehicles sets it. Counts are documents in NHTSA’s files, not failure rates.
Cadillac filings that name P0521
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communicationsBulletins and campaigns Cadillac filed with NHTSA whose summary names P0521. Quote the document number at the service desk — it is a diagnosis the maker has already written down.
- PIP4786C Service bulletin2016-08-15 · Engine And Engine Cooling
- THIS PRELIMINARY INFORMATION COMMUNICATION PROVIDES INFORMATION TO THE TECHNICIAN ABOUT VEHICLES THAT MAY HAVE LOW OIL PRESSURE MESSAGE. TECHNICIAN MAY ALSO FIND A DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE P0521 IN THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE. TECHNICIAN SHOULD FOLLOW ALL PUBLISHED SERVICE INFORMATION DIAGNOSIS. WHEN USING A SCAN TOOL IF THE OIL PRESSURE IS LOW BUT THE OIL PRESSURE AT THE OIL FILTER HOUSING IS CORREC
- 18-NA-246 Service bulletin2022-03-11 · Engine And Engine Cooling
- This service bulletin provides repair procedures, depending on model year, to correct a customer concern of a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) Illuminated with DTC P0172, P06DE and/or P0521 Set.
What P0521 means
Source: SAE J2012 / OBD-IIThe oil pressure sensor reading does not track what the engine is doing.
A stored code names the test that failed, never the part that caused it. The record above is what Cadillac and its owners have filed about it; the code’s page across every make has the whole file.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA files and the OBD-II standardIs P0521 a known problem on Cadillac vehicles?
It is a documented one: NHTSA's files hold 11 manufacturer filings and 0 owner reports naming P0521 on 10 Cadillac model years (2016–2019). Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count — but a bulletin that names the code on your model year is the place to start.
Which Cadillac models does P0521 appear on most?
2016 ATS-V (2 documents), 2019 ATS (1 document), 2018 ATS (1 document).
Does P0521 on a Cadillac mean it is recalled?
No. Recalls are filed by campaign and matched by VIN; no recall is triggered by a scan tool. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or open the model year's page here for the campaigns filed against it.