General Motors is investigating rear brake pad noise reported by Cadillac Optiq owners, a condition that spans every model year of the electric crossover built so far — 2025 through 2027. Customers have described the noise while driving in reverse, according to bulletin PIC6656, a Preliminary Information document distributed to Cadillac dealerships in July 2026. The bulletin states the condition may occur mostly in humid or colder weather. GM has not identified a cause and no remedy has been established.
Highlights
- Bulletin PIC6656 went to Cadillac dealerships in July 2026 covering rear brake pad noise
- Model years 2025 through 2027 of the Cadillac Optiq are within scope
- Reverse driving is the reported condition, occurring mostly in humid or colder weather
- No cause identified, with the document to be updated or replaced by a Technical Service Bulletin
What GM Told Dealerships
The bulletin instructs dealerships to advise Optiq owners that the vehicles can still be driven normally. GM has told dealers the Preliminary Information document will either be updated or replaced by a Technical Service Bulletin once the automaker determines whether a cause exists and, if so, how it will be addressed.
A Preliminary Information bulletin is a diagnostic advisory rather than a repair instruction. In this case it carries no remedy, no part numbers, and no labor operation — only an acknowledgment that GM is examining the complaints and a directive on what dealers should tell customers in the meantime.
Which Vehicles Are Covered
The bulletin applies across the full Optiq production run to date, from the 2025 launch model through the current 2027 model year. GM has not published a figure for how many vehicles have generated complaints.
Optiq Powertrain and Production
The Optiq is Cadillac’s most affordable electric vehicle. Output has shifted across model years as the lineup expanded:
| Model Year / Variant | Drivetrain | Horsepower | Torque |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Optiq | Standard AWD, two-motor | 300 hp | 354 lb-ft |
| 2026 Optiq RWD | Single motor | 315 hp | 332 lb-ft |
| 2026 Optiq AWD | Dual motor | 440 hp | 498 lb-ft |
| 2026 Optiq-V | Dual motor | 519 hp | 650 lb-ft |
The Optiq-V was revealed in June 2025 and reaches 60 mph from a standstill in 3.5 seconds with Velocity Max mode activated. The 2026 model year also made the Optiq the first GM vehicle to carry an NACS charge port, now standard across the automaker’s 2027 model-year EVs.
Changes for 2027 were limited to four new paint colors, interior colorway name and RPO code adjustments, and a Deep Ocean Design Edition finished in Deep Ocean Tintcoat. Pricing starts at $52,695 including destination freight.
The crossover rides on GM’s BEV3 platform and is assembled at the automaker’s Ramos Arizpe plant in Mexico, sharing the line with the gasoline-powered Chevrolet Blazer, the Blazer EV, the Chevrolet Equinox EV, and the Honda Prologue.
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