1997-1999 cadillac catera door latch failures. Per the yahoo group web site I belong to, catera owners, this vehicle suffers chronic door latch failures, trapping occupants inside or not latching. This can be an extremely dangerous situation. My own vehicle has suffered this defect. The latches have plastic that breaks and jams the mechanism. Or simply fail to latch or unlatch. I have had both situations. The doors will not open or will not close (latch). I feel this defect has by pure luck not caused (any known) fatalities, but, only a matter of time and warrants a look.
1997 Cadillac Catera: doors won't lock, open or latch
6 of the 163 complaints about the 1997 Cadillac Catera describe doors won't lock, open or latch.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 4%
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
Doors won't lock, open or latch by model year
- 20002
- 19993
- 19983
- 19976
What owners say
1997 cadillac catera problems, vehicle was in the shop for repairs 4 times in the 6 weeks of ownership, right side front door would not open, left side front door would not open, tail light assembly out, engine caught on fire while driving on beltway (insurance estimate a total loss)
Door would intermittenley fail to unlock/open after turning off ignition switch. Sometimes consumer would have to wait 40-45 minute before vehicle releases the door lock. Consumer would have to climb out the window. Dealer notified.
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 )
Driver's door would not close on cold weather. Vehicle had to get warm before door would close. Dealer notified.
Power door locks failed.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 1997 Cadillac Catera door locks
Is doors won't lock, open or latch a common problem on the 1997 Cadillac Catera?
6 of 163 owner complaints about the 1997 Cadillac Catera (4%) mention doors won't lock, open or latch. The model year with the most reports is 1997.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1997 Cadillac Catera?
There is no recall or service bulletin for this area of the car on record.
Other symptoms on the 1997 Cadillac Catera
Stalling 12Headlights 11Engine failure 10Ball joint 9Grinding brakes 7Loss of power 7Overheating 7Pulling 6Fire or smoke 5Won't start 5
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