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.
Cadillac DTS fire or smoke problems
20 of the 527 owner complaints about the Cadillac DTS describe fire, smoke or burning smell, most of them for the 2006 model year.
- owner complaints
- 20
- worst model year
- 2006
- typical repair cost reported
- $800
- typical mileage
- 92,000
Is there a fix? There are 4 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Fuel pump 2Won't start 1Power steering loss 1Oil consumption 1Fuel leak 1
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.
My lights I have changed and tried every thing only got 1 to work so far ! I smell a ! Burning smell ! My power steering is screwed and likes a small leek all electric some things has had issues ! Blow fuses cigarette lighter stops working can't charge phone ! Back rear power struts only work part time me l back up lights that warns don't work most of the time ! My key can turn the car but drive with out key in the ignition the ignition can switch it self ! Have had to fix battery and alternator problems and front tire problems!
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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 cadillac dts. On several occasions, the contact noticed oil on the ground. While driving, the contact noticed smoke coming from the hood of the vehicle and oil leaking from the manifold. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to johnson motor company of georgia cadillac at (1122 walton way, augusta, ga 30901, (706) 955-1086) where it was diagnosed that the oil pan gasket and the seal needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 116,000. The VIN was unavailable.
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
Heated and cooled seats stopped working while driving after burning smell and smoke that was coming from under passenger seat.
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: 12v/24v/48v battery: cables
- What is wrong
- General motors is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 dts and buick lucerne vehicles equipped with v8 engines. The starter or alternator cable is in contact with the power steering return line. If either the starter or alternator cable is contacting the power steering return line, the cable could wear through the line, causing a power steering fluid leak.
- Risk
- A power steering leak could result in a loss of power steering, increasing the risk of a crash, and/or the leak onto hot engine parts could cause an engine compartment fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will secure and if necessary reroute the lines to prevent contact. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on november 19, 2010. Owners may contact cadillac at 1‑866‑982‑2339, buick at 1‑866‑608‑8080 and at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.
Recall number 10V553000 · 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 Cadillac DTS fire or smoke
Which Cadillac DTS years have fire, smoke or burning smell problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2006 (10 complaints), 2008 (9 complaints) and 2007 (1 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix fire, smoke or burning smell on the Cadillac DTS?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $800 (median of 5 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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