Coolant had to be added every couple of weeks and then the water pump failed, consumer states that the engine self destructed due to the tension bearings going on the timing belt, both bearings were gone with the failed pulley shearing off the retaining bolt.
1997 Cadillac Catera electrical complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 24 of 24, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Instrument panel displaying faulty reading. Vehicle towed to dealer for inspection. Feel free to provide any further information on this matter.
Car would not start. Had to jump start. Dealer replaced alternator and battery. Battery was previously replaced 06/03/99. Oil light above oil pressire gauge came on while driving, and oil pressure gauge moved up and down erratically. Dealer found no problem. Battery cover and was burnt/was brittle and had a white ashey look to it. Engine produces a lot of heat. Dealer replaced cover and tray. Temperature gauge reads higher than normal. Dealership recalibrated ipc for temp gauge. Temp gauge still reads the same as before. Ticking sounds from left and right sides of dash when heat is on. Dealer replaced fan motor twice. Ticking sounds still there and now there is no heat. Disc brake pad indicator lamp did not illuminate when pads needed replacing. Had to have front brake job and replace sensors for indicator lamp. Dealership said sensors got damaged when pads were worn down past the sensors.
While vehicle was at a complete stop and consumer shifted gears to move ahead slowly, but the vehicle acclerated and would not stop. Defect caused vehicle to run into a cement pole which resulted in vehicle stopping. Consumer hit pole to avoid hitting pedestrians and other vehicles. Vehicle hit pole head-on, and airbags did not deploy.*ak consumer was injured in accident, consumer states vehicle accelerated as if the cruise control was turned on, cadillac refused to accept responsibility of the air bag failing to deploy. Battery has been replaced 3 times. Brakes have been repaired. Consumer states key would not turn the igntion on numerious occasions.
Vehicle stalls at any speed and at any time. Dealer cannot find cause.
Incidentdate of problemdate of returninvoice #roadside case#problem. No safety defect listed in summary.
Vehicle has had excessive failure of the electrical system continually, radio, sunroof, headlight system, dashboard lights, heating and air conditioning would experience problems.
No summary
Steering problem not corrected as of 5/19/2000. Servicing dealer has acknowledged popping noise in steering but to date (05/19/2000) has not corrected the problem. Servicing dealer has recommended waiting until the problem worsens with steering. All other items have been corrected by servicing dealership.
This is a seriously unsafe vehicle . No safety defect (s) mentioned in summary.
Brake lights burned out.
Battery replacement 2 months after purchase; tensioner pulley disintegrated; fog lights have been replaced twice
This car has had ongoing problems with various electrical components. The dealer is often unable to replicate the problem while in the repair shop. The car has been serviced for electrical malfunctions of various nature 19 times, and in the repair shop 44 days. It has been out of the shop 2 days and again the door locks will not let us in the vehicle. This started with the rear door lock not letting us out of or into the car. The problem now affects all four doors. They cannot be locked or unlocked using the remote, the key, or manually. We therefore must exit and enter using the windows. The windows (all4) have also malfunctioned. The dash lights ABS, traction control, replace wiper fluid, illuminate when there is not a problem. The o2 sensor has been replaced. The alignment on the wheels has also caused repeated problems and I have replace 4 tires. The car intermittently dies while driving. The dealer is unable to replicate the problem and says cadillacs just do that sometimes! My daughter ended up in the median of 71 hwy after the car died at 70 miles per hr. The dealer has replaced the battery, the starter, many various doorlock parts and harness wiring, ABS wiring, traction control wiring, and worked on the ignition switch. The problems still occur. We now carry a hammer with us to break out of the car in an emergency should the doorlocks not work. *ak( dot number: tire size: fits cater )
Electrical system malfunctioned.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 1997 Cadillac Catera?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history