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Cadillac Catera check engine light comes on

19 of the 468 owner complaints about the Cadillac Catera describe check engine light, most of them for the 1999 model year.

owner complaints
19
worst model year
1999
typical repair cost reported
$2,000
typical mileage
58,200
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.

By model year

What owners say

Filed Sep 22, 2009 · Engine · 115,759 miles · WA

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.

Filed Jul 16, 2009 · Brakes, Electrical · 73,000 miles · TX

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 cadillac catera. The contact was experiencing issues with the ABS locking. The failure also caused the speedometer to malfunction. The brakes worked intermittently. The dealer stated that the ABS repair would cost $2,000. The manufacturer offered no assistance. The current mileage was 74,232 and failure mileage was approximately 73,000. Updated 08/04/09 *bf the check engine light illuminated and the speedometer was not accurate. Updated 08/06/09.

Filed Jul 2, 2009 · Engine, Fuel system · 20,654 miles · FL

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 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.

Filed Jun 26, 2009 · Engine, Visibility · 20,000 miles · FL

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 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 federal safety agency 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

Filed Jul 16, 2008 · Engine · 136,000 miles · OH

The motor in the car started cutting out and slowing down when I would try to accelerate. There was never a knocking sound. There was no engine light and the car was overheating. From reading about this car online it sounds like a timing issue. I took it to a mechanic and was told he did not want to work on the car because of the complexity of the job. From what im told this has happened to alot of these cars and no recall has been issued!! Why not!

Filed May 28, 2007 · Body, Brakes · IN

I have had problem with my 2000 catera every since I bough it, first the seat would not heat ,put the key in and it would not turn,tires wore out in less than a year,driver side door is coming a part,glove compartment lock broken ,belt broke car ran hot had to get a new radiator,check engine light on ,secondary air injection hose failures,this car has been in the shop more times than out, junk,and g m does nothing to help,water pump went out ,heater coil hose leaking,vaule cover gasket replace , all before 60,000 miles.

Filed Aug 2, 2006 · Electrical, Engine · 16,000 miles · IN

Engine light comes on while driving, stop light goes off, if I drive about 10 miles it comes back on. Dealer has tried numerous corrections. None worked.

Filed Mar 31, 2006 · Electrical, Engine · 49,351 miles · HI

My engine light came on and dealer can't seem to resolve it. They have replaced the fuel tank, fuel filter, bg44k, module, and the car's computer system. To no avail. I now have a "check engine" light and "gas cap" light on.

Filed Oct 20, 2005 · Engine · 67,000 miles · AZ · 1 injury

Car's "check engine" and transmission dash lights intermittently stay on and the car won't start. Sometimes the car will start and move with the transmission light on but the car is sluggish. Two or three hours later the car will start and run fine. This problem was identified a week after purchase (sep 2004) but the dealer couldn't identify a problem. It has gradually worsened, but none more than this evening when my family and I were almost killed! We were driving on an interstate at 70 MPH. No engine lights were on. The speedometer all of a sudden went to zero and I lost all power. An eighteen wheeler missed us by inches as I tried to get the car off to the side of the road. My daughter slammed her head against the side window. Gm and cadillac should be ashamed of putting this product out. They have all but washed and turned their back on catera owners. I am retiring from the u.s. Air force in two weeks after 25 years of service. I get chills when I think of americans who died in wars and contingencies to protect people and businesses like this. I can't believe there isn't one official recall on this vehicle. I've had nothing but trouble with this car from the beginning but none as dangerous as the current problem. I have read story after story on yours and other internet sites about this lemon of a car (1997 to 2001). Tomorrow I will take time off from work to bring this car to the dealer. Everything will be based on their schedule and I will have to find rides back and forth (30 minutes from my work and 45 minutes from my home). They will not be able to identify any dtc codes and I will pay for things that they think is wrong with it. Ironically, my research indicates that the problem may be a crankshaft sensor. They disagreed during the warranty period and did not replace it. It may or may not be the sensor, but someone must be responsible and accountable for identifying and fixing this common catera problem before someone gets killed!

Filed Jun 14, 2005 · TN · fire · 1 injury

Where do I even start with the 1999 catera that I just had to trade in this weekend due to so many things that had went wrong with that car. 1st, when filling the car up with gas, it would not automatically shut off. Dealer fixed 1st time, but messed up the gas gauge. It started doing it again 1 month later. You could not keep a set of tires on the car no matter how many alignments that you had performed. The sunroof would not open most of the time when you tried to open it, but it would open on it's own at random. Dealer replaced the switch twice, problem still occurred. The transmission went out at 60k and had to be replaced due to the *s* light flashing. The first radio would not pick up any stations, the radio was replaced by the dealer. 4k later after warranty expired, it happened again. At 65k, the cd player would no longer work. The locks would not completely lock with the remote or when the car was put into gear. At 90k, the drivers side heated seat literally caught fire while driving and burned a 4" diameter hole in front bolster. Gm stated that this is "normal wear and tear, but normally, they just stop functioning. They would not pay for the repairs of the seat at all. Almost caused me to wreck the car as the acbin quickly filled with smoke and as soon as I cracked the window, the fire started to get larger as it got more air to feed it. The check engine light showed cylinder misfires and I was told that it would be $2500 to $5000 to repair it. I traded the car on 6/11/05 for a new 2005 chevy silverado extended cab. I hope that gm reads this and calls me at the number I provided so I can provide more detailed info on this. I was literally screwed on this car. It was a lemon from the start and no one seemed to care!

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

Questions about the Cadillac Catera check engine light

Why does the check engine light come on in the Cadillac Catera?

Owners who report it most often also describe won't start, misfire or rough idle and sudden loss of power.

Which Cadillac Catera years have check engine light problems?

The model years with the most reports are 1999 (6 complaints), 2000 (6 complaints) and 1998 (4 complaints).

How much does it cost to fix check engine light on the Cadillac Catera?

Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $2,000 (median of 6 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.

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