Oil cooler gave out causing car to overheat. Has there been a recall? If yes, what is the process for a claim? *Tt
Engine & cooling
Cadillac Catera Engine problems by year
184 complaints filed with NHTSA about the Cadillac Catera's engine & cooling. Stalling, loss of power, oil consumption, overheating, head gaskets, timing chains and engine failure.
Engine complaints by model year
Latest Catera engine complaints
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 cadillac catera. The contact stated that the engine was leaking oil prematurely. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic where the engine gaskets, belts and the water pump were replaced. However, the failure was not corrected. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000 and the current mileage was 89,000. Updated 01/09/14*lj
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 cadillac catera. The contact stated while driving 10 mph, the vehicle stalled without any warnings. The contact mentioned that the vehicle had to be turn off for a while in order to reset the system. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer in order to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The failure mileage was 53,000.
The car keeps on over heating, the oil light keeps on coming on because of the over heating and also the car does not always want to start I have to jump it off alot. It is not the battery because I have gotten it checked plenty of time. But when I jump it off the wires get really hot and start to melt so I take them off. Also the dashboard light don't work very well I have to bang on the dash board for them to even barley come on at night.. There need to be big time recalls on this car!!! *Tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 cadillac catera. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled while stopped. The contact successfully restarted the vehicle and continued to drive. The failure recurred whether the vehicle was stopped or in motion at various speeds. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,000.
Engine have a problem with oil pressure that stay below minimum at idle when engine is at operating temp. Front control arm bushing fail with less then 90000 miles. Auto transmission fail with less then 90000 miles. Have engagement problems and shifting problem. *Tr
THE WATER PUMP GAVE OUT. *TR
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 cadillac catera. The vehicle stalled whenever he stopped at a traffic light. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but they were unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but they were unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was informed about the failures that has occurred; however, they advised him to take the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnostic test which cost him $100. The failure continued to occur. The failure and current mileage was 75,000.
I would drive the catera right on the main busy road my car made a suicidal stop! I panic! Immediately put the emergency hazardous lights on. I took it to the mechanic and he said he is reading the sensor are bad, so I spent over $300.00 Dollars replacing them, I continue to have the car stop in the middle of the road, I have been very lucky that I have not been hit or in a serious accident. Again I took the car to the mechanic a different person this time. He said; it was the manifold intake, they are...
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plastic and they crack or bend when the car engine heats, the mechanic and I looked for different junkyards to our surprise most of the cadillac of that made the very piece we were looking for was missing. (Plastic air take and the hose) it does not take a rock scientist to know that there is a serious problem with putting a plastic intake inside a engine that holds a lot of heat. Specially for me I live in a year around hot weather. I went to different auto part stores to find the part because the junkyard was out of the question what I did find all the auto parts store had nothing good to say about this car. It has a bad reputation this beautiful dream cadillac caterea is the bad apples of the cadillac, it is ashamed you don't have a recall on these cars. It looks like it cheaper to stop making them than to fix the problem. The problem I see they are still out in the street. Unfortunately I have one. I called gm and they would not help me because I did not buy the car from them or have I repaired the car with them. But is thier car model. Don't get it. They gave birth to defective cars now they want us to fix the problem. *Tr
While driving down the interstate mt check engine light came on I then took my 2000 cadillac catera to the shop who gave the information on technical bulletin from your web site # 623422 it is the secondary air injection hose failure. *Tr
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 cadillac catera. Since may of 2009, the vehicle stalls while driving 45 mph or greater. Initially, the stalling occurred occasionally. Ever since the vehicle was repaired on june 28, 2009, the stalling occurs every other day. The contact feels that this is a serious safety issue. The failure mileage was 92,000. Updated 08/04/09 *bf the mechanic stated the crankshaft sensor was causing the vehicle to shut down. Updated 08/05/09.*Jb
The tensioner pulley & timing belt was a know defect for vehicle and was recalled but I was never notified, at the time of failure I lost all power & control of the vehicle on an decline in a high traffic location in a server rain storm. Vehicle is now doa and gm refuses to remedy tues evening 6/23 the check engine light goes on, in 30-45 seconds the car stopped running, earlier in the day I heard a knock and thought I ran over something as all gauges indicated everything was running normal. Had aaa tow it to...
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my home and next day (wed.) To the caddy dealer. They charge me $109 to assess the problem, then tell me the timing belt broke! It will cost another $600 labor for 5 hours of inspection to check the problem and depending what they find $$$$$$ to fix, daaaaa! I call the service manager he tells me he'll check it out and call me back. Ok so now he calls me and tell me the rep miss-quoted what they were going to do. Now it's the tension pulley that failed casing the timing belt to snap, to replace the whole set is $699 + labor and suggested I invest another $150 to change the coolant pump as it's showing signs of leakage at the same time so it doesn't run me additional costs later as it's in the same part of the engine as the pulley and belt. Grand total of $1207 + tax. "But" depending on what happens after they replace the tensioner pulley & timing belt there might be additional cost if the car still will not start. Ok so I tell him to go ahead. I decided to goggle the problem to see what it is I am paying for, hellllllo! What do I find but a major recall back in 9/2002 on the tensioner pulley failure causing the timing belt to snap!!!!!!!!! & The replacement of the coolant pump. I was never notified or advised of this recall. They never told me anything every time I brought the car in for service. I only have only 20,654 miles on the car, as it's my 2nd vehicle and use it locally for shopping. Normal replacement for the timing belt & tensioner pulley is 70k mi. *Tr
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 cadillac catera. While driving 30 mph, the check engine light illuminated and the vehicle shut off. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the tension timing belt pulley failed. The entire system needed to be replaced at the estimated cost of $1,200. After the dealer replaced the parts, they found that the component was not the cause of the failure. The dealer will re-examine the vehicle in a three part order at the estimated cost of $6,000. A report was filed with...
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the manufacturer and they stated that the vin was included in the recall, but the recall was for specific manufacturing plants; therefore, they would not assist. The nhtsa campaign id number was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 20,000. Updated 08/04/09. *Lj the windshield wiper did not clean the window, the vehicle had 4 batteries, the oxygen sensor was replaced
Chronic failure of gm pn# 90566947 causing loss of coolant and possible fire damage due to proximity of exhaust manifold and catalytic converter. There have been 3 replacements in 62,580 miles. The first @ 16,586 miles, second @ 34,503 miles, and the latest at 62,580 miles. The leaks begin as an odor of coolant, then spots begin on the pavement, then finally the coolant reservoir empties itself. The valve is located at the rear of the engine block up against the firewall, and adjacent to the exhaust pipe on the...
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passenger side. The part has been replaced all 3 times, once under warranty and twice at my expense. Gm refuses to acknowledge a design problem, even though this is not a maintenance part. It is constructed from plastic and does not withstand the hot environment of the application. It is used on the 3 litre 6 cylinder engine of the cadillac catera and cts, and the saab 9-5. Dealer use records show a very high incidence of failure even though there are not that many vehicles using this engine. There is a possibility of fire due to the coolant spraying on the catalytic converter when moving, as well as disabling the engine due to the loss of coolant. *Tr
Tensioner pulley locked up. The tensioner stopped turning. As a result of this, the drive belt shredded like spaghetti and then melted. I avoided an accident by applying brakes and then having the car towed. Total repair cost: $729. *Tr
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked daily. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data