The contact owns a 2008 Cadillac DTS. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Alternator Not Charging" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that oil was leaking onto the alternator and exhaust manifold. The alternator was replaced. However, the contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was a significant amount of smoke coming from underneath the vehicle. There was no warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the contact noticed a trail of oil leak in the driveway. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.
2008 Cadillac DTS: fire, smoke or burning smell
9 of the 86 complaints about the 2008 Cadillac DTS describe fire, smoke or burning smell.
- owner complaints
- 9
- of this car's complaints
- 10%
- typical mileage
- 92,000
- recalls
- 3
Is there a fix? There are 3 recalls and 144 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Fire, smoke or burning smell by model year
- 20089
- 20071
- 200610
What owners say
The contact owns a 2008 Cadillac DTS. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle there was smoke coming from under the hood. Upon inspection, it was discovered that engine oil had leaked onto the hot surface in the engine compartment. The leaking oil also caused damage to the alternator. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 115,000.
December 16 2020 the federal safety agency id number 11383838 oil leak under engine coming from engine, transmission, and power steering pump. Also white smoke coming from engine on passenger side following stop on driveway.
Oil leak under engine coming from engine transmission and power pump. Also white smoke coming from engine on passenger side when stopped on driveway.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 cadillac dts. The contact stated that there was oil and transmission fluid leaking from the bottom of the engine while the vehicle was parked in the driveway. Also, upon coming to a stop, there was white smoke coming from underneath the engine on the passenger's side. There was no warning light illuminated. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.
Rear fuse block fuel pump relay shorted out melted fuse block...could catch back seat on fire and very close to gas tank.
I bought the car with 69k miles in may of 2016 and now its has 80k miles feb 2017 and I have an oil leak that is leaking on the drive side of the oil pan from the front to the back and its leaking on the the exhaust the runs from the front of the engine that is bolted on the the oil pan and I am worried that it is going to catch on fire and I see that this problem is on a lot of this cars and with lower miles then mine I think gm should recall it because less then 100k miles and to have an oil leak that leaks about 1 quart every 1500 miles or so and its leaking right next to the exhaust and right on top of it the could case fire is unsafe, and to cost $1000-2000 to fix there design flaw the owners should not have to pay I could understand if it had more then 100k miles
On 9/4/15 @ approx 5:45 p.m, vehicle would not start - it acted like there was no fuel getting to the injectors. Three hours later I tried to start the car and it started just fine; took it for a drive around the block w/o any issues. On 9/7/15 the problem resurfaced; I had the car towed to a local mechanic who diagnosed the problem on 9,/8/15, to be a bad fuel pump relay. Car worked fine for one day; on 9/9/15 the problem resurfaced once again - if the car sat off for a couple of hours the problem would go away. I took the car to the buick gmc dealer and they diagnosed the root cause to be a bad fuse box assembly ($318 part). The fuel pump relay got hot enough to melt the hard plastic of the fuse box assembly, and there are burn marks on the body of the fuel pump relay - I have the old parts and pictures of same. The service rep at the buick gmc dealer said they have seen this problem on buick lacrosse. Being that the fuse box is under the rear seat of the car, there is the potential for the car to catch on fire.
My 2008 cadallic dts was trying to start on its on. The keys were on the table and the spare key hanging on the key rack. In doing so it caused my car to catch on fire which caught my garage on fire. My family was all in bed when we were awoken by a person passing by the house and recognized that the light he was seeing was a fire. In return our lives were saved, also it was detected the next day that our spoke detector battery was dead. We thankful to god above for the young man who just happened to be a firefighter and our hero.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Electrical system
- Vehicle Wide Programming (VWP) is a new process to update software on GM Vehicles
- This bulletin provides information on identifying Non-GM Engine Calibrations for Gasoline Engines using...
- This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Service Programming System (SPS)...
- The intent of this service bulletin is to identify aftermarket ALDL or DLC interface devices as potential...
- This bulletin provides information for electrical ground repairs using new General Motors replacement...
- Electrical system
- This informational bulletin provides information for the IPC odometer programming method quick reference...
Related recalls
Electrical system: ignition
- What is wrong
- This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Buick LaCrosse, 2006-2011 Buick Lucerne, 2000-2005 Cadillac DeVille, 2006-2011 Cadillac DTS, 2006-2014 Chevrolet Impala, and 2006-2007 Chevrolet Monte Carlo vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the weight on the key ring and road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine.
- Risk
- If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury. Additionally, a key knocked out of the run position will cause loss of engine power, power steering, and power braking, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will install two key rings and an insert in the key slot or a cover over the key head on all ignition keys, free of charge. The recall began on September 23, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1‑800‑521‑7300 (Buick), 1‑800‑458‑8006 (Cadillac), and 1‑800‑222‑1020 (Chevrolet). GM's number for this recall is 14299.
Recall number 14V355000 · Recall details
Electrical system
- What is wrong
- Gm is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 buick, lucerne; cadillac dts; hummer h2; model year 2008-2009 buick enclave; cadillac cts; model year 2007-2009 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; gmc acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl; saturn outlook; and model year 2009 chevrolet traverse vehicles equipped with a heated washer fluid system (hwfs). A recall was implemented in 2008 to add a fuse to the control circuit harness to address the potential consequences of a printed circuit board (pcb) electrical short. However, there have been new reports of thermal incidents on hwfs modules after this improvement was installed. These incidents resulted from a new failure mode attributed to the device's thermal protection feature. The significance varies from minor distortion to considerable melting of the plastic around the hwfs fluid chamber.
- Risk
- It is possible for the heated washer module to ignite and a fire may occur.
- Remedy
- Dealers will permanently disable and remove the heated washer fluid module. An updated page for the owner manual will be provided and inserted in the owner manual to document that the feature has been permanently disabled and removed from the vehicle. The safety recall began on june 11, 2010. Owners may contact buick at 1‑866‑608‑8080, cadillac at 1‑866‑982‑2339, chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438, saturn at 1‑800‑972‑8876, gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463 and hummer at 1‑800‑732‑5493 or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.
Recall number 10V240000 · Recall details
Electrical system
- What is wrong
- Gm is recalling 857,735 my 2006-2008 buick lucerne; cadillac dts; hummer h2; my 2007-2008 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; gmc acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl, saturn outlook; and my 2008 buick enclave vehicles equipped with a heated wiper washer fluid system. A short circuit on the printed circuit board for the washer fluid heater may overheat the control-circuit ground wire.
- Risk
- This may cause other electrical features to malfunction, create an odor, or cause smoke increasing the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a wire harness with an in-line fuse free of charge. The recall began on september 12, 2008. Owners may contact buick at 1‑866‑608‑8080; cadillac at 1‑800‑982‑2339 or http://www.cadillac.com; chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438; saturn at 1‑800‑972‑8876 or http://www.saturn.com, gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9436; or hummer at 1‑800‑732‑5493; or through their website at http://www.gmownercenter.com .
Recall number 08V441000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2008 Cadillac DTS fire or smoke
Is fire, smoke or burning smell a common problem on the 2008 Cadillac DTS?
9 of 86 owner complaints about the 2008 Cadillac DTS (10%) mention fire, smoke or burning smell. The model year with the most reports is 2006.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2008 Cadillac DTS?
There are 3 recalls and 144 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2008 Cadillac DTS
Fuel pump 13Won't start 6No deployment 5Headlights 5Stalling 5
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