Cadillac Catera Maintenance & Repair

jwalsh1 · May 2005

My son is on the verge of buying a 1999 Cadillac Catera. Please respond soon! Very concerned.

catera9907 · June 2005

Hey whats up i have the same problem with my 99' catera i bought it off an old lady who realized the coolant was leaking but never did anything about it. is that really what it was price wise. if it is i'm driving the catera into the ocean. i hate that stupid car anymore. :confuse: :sick: i still drive it with the leak i dont care anymore it runs

jjackson1154 · June 2005

I have a 2000 Catera and I have just now started having problems with the coolant leaking after on 72,000 miles. List of problems I have had

Coolant leak, left front tire rod, broken shocks in rear and left rear axle boot :lemon: .

Can not wait to get rid of this car worse purchase ever and will never buy another.

cmoe · June 2005

I have a 99 Catera and the brake lights won't go out, I disconnected the switch adjacent to the pedal but they still remain on HELP!!!!!

pinkcaddy · June 2005

hello....i also have a problem w/the coolant leaking. the dealer replaced a valve ($400) and this did not fix the issue....3 months later, it is still leaking. have you taken in your car to fix the leaking coolant yet? if so, what was the outcome?

pinkcaddy · June 2005

it sounds like the majority of the cost is labor. the coolant is leaking on my car as well and the cost to replace a valve was $400.00. 75% of the cost was labor. i am looking for an honest mechanic (not at a cadillac dealership) that can fix my car. no luck yet.

gcartier · July 2005

I am having a similar problem with my 97 Catera. What did your dealer advise?

smoothizbak · July 2005

HEY DID U EVER GET A RESPONSE ON YOUR PROBLEM YET? BECAUSE I OWN A 97 CATERA WHICH I PURCHASE LAST YEAR MARCH..ABOUT 2 MONTHS AGO..I BEGAN TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM.IT HAPPENED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY DRIVEWAY..THIS LIGHT ICON CAME ON WHICH IS THE BOOK STATES HAS TO DO WITH YOUR ENGINE THEN THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON LATER..IT STARTED GOING IT EVERYDAY BUT NOW IT COMES ONE LIKE ONCE A WEEK..I HAD THA COMPUTER RESET AND IT STOP BUT AFTER 5DAYS IT CAME BACK ON..IT GETS STUCK IN ONE GEAR AND WONT SWITCH TO 1ST.I THEN GOT TO PULL OVER THA HIGHWAY TO TURN IT OFF AND BACK OFF BEFORE IT STOPS BECAUSE IF NOT WHEN I SLOW DOWN..IT TAKES DAYS BEFORE IT PICKS UP.I'M ACTUALLY TAKING IT IN TOMORROW TO GET IT CHECK SOMEWHERE ELSE CUZ I TOOK IT TO ONE OTHER DEALERSHIP AND I WAS TOLD THAT MY TRANNY..THA CLUTCH BETWEEN IT IS SLIPPING AND I NEED A NEW TRANNY..SO THAT MIGHT BE YOUR PROBLEM TOO BUT LET ME KNOW IF YOU GOT YOUR FIXED OR FOUND OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS..BECAUSE THIS CAR ONLY HAD 2-,000 MILES AND NOW I GOT 55,000..I'M TRYING MY BEST TO SAVE BECAUSE I AM NOT TRYING TO GET RIPPED..IF U DIDNT' YET LEMME KNOW AND I WILL LET YOU KNOW WHEN THA CAR GETS BACK FROM THE SHOP BECAUSE I AM DROPPING IT TOMORROW..THANX LATA

caterachump · July 2005

Hi,

I have the same thing happening. Did you ever figure it out? Any advice would be so helpful. I like this car, and we are still paying for it, so I guess I'm in for the long haul. I'm about ready to get all new gaskets too, but I need to know it's not having some other catastrophic issue. The pressure is low, but it runs fine and has oil...

Thanks, Tom

:sick:

catera2000 · July 2005

i thought i seen smoke coming out of my 2000, it appears to come out near the vents by the front glass and wiper area. I thought i was seeing things, i also experienced a low oil light for about 4 months, it came off and on, so i had to buy at least 3-5 bottles to fill while i traveled. the problem has stopped and i had it inspected because of it, they said there was no problems. humm.... perhaps a bad sensor?

catera2000 · July 2005

i also have a 2000 catera. she did something funny the other day, i was driving as usual, not in sport mode..i was stopped at a light and when it turned green, i was barley moving. the sport mode button was flashing and my car wouldnt rev or go more than 5mph. i drove off the side of the road and made some calls and checked the manual...it says when the sport mode button flashes that you have "automatic transmission failure" i shut the car off, waited 5 mins the started it without any trouble since. it was scary as i was stuck in the street, will this happen again? anyone....

jojr · July 2005

HI, I HAVE A COOLANT LEAK ALSO CANYOU TELL ME WHAT VALVE WAS REPLACED ? I HAVE A 97 WITH 72K WAS YOUR INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAKING?? PLEASE REPLY SOON THANKS AND GOOD LUCK JOE

pinkcaddy · July 2005

Hello:

To be honest, I have no clue where it was leaking, sorry. I took it in and a day later told me it would cost $400 to fix. 3/4 of the cost was labor and the part was the remainder. Well, it lasted approx. 3 months and now the engine light and radiator light is back on. TSK TSK

Now I am hearing the coolant leak has to do w/the water pump. I have chosen not to fix the car and park for awhile. I just don't have $1200 to fix my car. Such a tragedy as I love my Catera. Good luck.

jojr · July 2005

WHAT PART WAS REPLACED? TO STOP THE COOLANT LEAK I ALSO DON'T PLAN ON KEEPING THE CAR I JUST AM TRING TO FIND OUT IF I MIGHT HAVE THE SAME PROPLEM AND HAVE TO REPLACE THE SAME PART. DID YOU HAVE THE WORK DONE AT THE DEALER? THANKS FOR YOUR HELP JOE

jojr · July 2005

HI, WHERE WAS YOUR COOLANT LEAK? THANKS JOE

rshand · July 2005

I have a problem with the check engine light coming on and the repair shop said it was a fuel sensor. The sensor was replaced but the check engine light came back on. I'm being told it's being caused by a leak in the head gasket which is dripping into the sensor plug. Has anyone else experienced a similar problem?

cat2ksi · July 2005

Anyone have a problem with low voltage when it is hot and worst when AC is on? this killed the battery. I replaced with a new one and already appeared to start draining the battery. I had charging system checked, but it is fine. Any help is appreciated.

1997catera · July 2005

I had my oil changed at Greese Monkey 7/16/05 since then my car alarm has gone off three times last week and twice this week when using the key to open the door which this has never ever happened before. This week Monday while running the air conditon my car oil light came on and battery light i made a complete stop at red light my car stalled i turned off the air condition and radio sat in traffic for about 3 minutes restarted my car and high tailed it all the way home. Later that day i took the car to autozone for a battery and alternator test check and was told that both were very strong i was low on antifreeze so i stocked up and they checked the water in the battery the car ran fine the rest of the day. Today July 23, 2005 my car repeated the same steps above at WEDNYS' drive through window i turned everything off restarted my car and high tailed it home. ANYBODY PLEASE HELP WITH ANY SOLUTION TO WHAT MIGHT BE GOING ON WITH MY CAR 1997 CADILLAC CATERA . THANK A BUNCH JACKIE!

bigmike69 · July 2005

Hello,

I just purchased a 2000 Catera with 74,000 miles on it. The remote locks and unlocks all door properly, however, I cannot open the drivers door (even when unlocked) without putting the key in the door. I do not need to turn the key... just put the key in the door and then it will open. The door opens properly when you open the door from inside the car (the inside door handle. Is this normal? I doubt it. Also, the rear power windows do not work. Any idea of repair costs? Mostly concerned about the door though.

Hope to get a response.

Thanks!

lenasdad · July 2005

is this for real and how do i use this to my advantage if dealer won't budge. :confuse:

vicv · July 2005

We're on our 3rd heater control valve on a '98. It's the 2nd replaced at our cost. I talked with Rebecca Baker at Caddy Customer Relations about Caddy at least paying for the part this time. Nice lady, but do dice. The car was my wife's. We gave it to our son two years ago when we replaced it with a new Mercedes. Apparently Caddy thinks it's better to ignore systemic problems than keep up good will. My wife would probably be driving a new STS if they'd paid attention to us the first time. Now they've lost my son as a future customer, too. And GM management wonders why they're awash in red ink.

Don't buy GM

skip1 · July 2005

I had the car go into sports mode 4 months ago, it turned out at that time to be a solenoid in the transmission that was replace. But since then at start up I go into an rpm of 3800 at 25 mph. Cadillac told me since there was no error code they could not fix the intermittent problem. I video taped it and was told the same thing. I ended up seeing the A Cadillac rep and they said they would look into it. no one else has this rpm problem and sent the tape to Detroit, Got a call yesterday that they have 4 or 5 possible solutions. I also have my battery go dead for no reason. They changed a body module about a month ago that was suppose to solve both problems That didn't work either it went dead yesterday. Keep an eye out for these other problems popping up. Good Luck

babygirl2 · July 2005

I have a 99 Catera, 90,000 miles I've had for about 6 mths and my lights are messing up too. I spoke with a friend and they think it might be some type of short in the wires or something. I have not had the chance to take it the dealer. I'm afraid that it might be something electrical....So I am trying to prepare myself for that visit.

caterabasher · July 2005

I feel that this car was put on the market way to fast and Cadillac had no intentions of standing by their product. If they did we the owners of this car would not be having so many aftermarket problems and visits to the dealership.
With all the mechanical failures and over-priced specialized parts the cars ability to handle the road and sound sytems doesn't make up for the impudence of Cateras.
We have only had this Used car about 7 months now and it was one problem after another especially since it was bought through a secondary dealer Brumos International Motors. They sold a lemon with problems and knew they sold us a lemon and won't stand behind it either. Cadillac won't touch the car since it was not bought through a Cadillac dealership.

willisel · August 2005

Hi,

I bought my car in 2003 and it had 32,000 miles on it and this car has been in the shop twenty times since I bought it for misc. reasons. Right now it is in the shop for the same reason, low voltage and not starting except when the car is jumped. I took it to the repair shop due to it not starting, they replaced the battery the next day it won't start, they replaced the starting switch or sensor, forgot the exact terminology for it. Two weeks later it won't start again, this time I am told it is the alternator, they replaced that then three days later it won't start again, I was told it was a bad alternator, well one month later it wouldn't start again, so it is in the shop again. I noticed when the air is on and I am running around in the car the alternator voltage almost hits the red mark. I think it has something to do with the car running w/air and very hot outside, this is just my observation on this problem. Funny thing when the car sits over night it starts right up and the voltage needle doesn't move until the car runs a while.

Did you (cat2ksi) ever receive an answer on your problem with low voltage? I am up to my eyes with problems on this car and I would really appreciate any help with this problem.

Thanks.

badcaddy · August 2005

I hope your son didn't buy the caddy. My girlfriend has one and it's a money pit. Unless he likes fixing them himself or paying others lot's of money, tell him to skip it.

skip1 · August 2005

I have had a battery problem for 22 months that Cadillac finally found. I ended up buying a jumper pack to put in the car so I wouldn't keep getting stuck. Every time I took it in they said every thing was ok and no error code so they did nothing . Finally this last time they found a short in the seat switch which would drain the battery. Cadillacs favorite saying is there is not error code so nothing is wrong.

They have been telling me that for 6 months now on an rpm problem that goes up to 3800 when excellerating to 25mph after sitting for 8 hours intermitantly. no error they cant fix it. they finally started to work on that after I drove with a video camera to record it. It has been in there service garage for 4 weeks and Detroit's hot shot team hasn't figured it out yet. Because there is no error code they wont change anything out. The other day Detroit said they didn't think it was the Engine or transmission may be the wiring. I said then change the harness there answer we cant just change parts out Guess why "THERE IS NO ERROR CODE. Friday they said to me that they are going to have to give me the car back if they dont find anything this week. Because there is no code. and its intermitant and they cant duplicate the problem. They must of thought there was a problem to send the tape to Detroit. Needless to say this is the last GM car I'll ever buy and I get an employee discount all the time

offgridman · August 2005

The positive battery cable had internal corrision that created high resistance that prevented the battery from getting a proper current flow. Battery operated voltage eventually caused battery to not start car. 6 repair trips to cadilliac and a note from my son in law describing what was creating the problem they decided to replace positive cable. By this time the cable had actually turned white near the battery from overheating.
Problem solved. STEALERSHIP got me for $500 plus in unneeded repairs and battery replacements (3).

hulacatera · September 2005

I have a 98 bought new from dealer (Sewell who was great, in TX; now in Hawaii. Just told transmission will have to be replaced because its not electronic(?) problem for $4500 plus. Dealer also wants $800+ for side mirror because its cracked but works. This is all besides the $114 for each item they diagnose. I only have 67,500 miles and am currently talking with GM while dealer has car. We also had to replace battery twice in past year and both times the driver's airbag light came on; Goodyear fixed first time but refused second time saying it was the car's problem not them replacing battery -- am I driving around with no airbag? Told dealer couldn't afford a third diagnoses fee until I knew about the transmission. Also, since very early days, the skyroof gets stuck and has to be reset to close -- but problem getting worse -- any help there? I hope I'm not being naive about help from GM. I love my Catera -- the air is great; wonderful ride and protects me better than other cars from outside fumes. :confuse:

hulacatera · September 2005

hulacatera here; GM and Dealership coming through for me on transmission! :shades:

ecabrera77 · September 2005

I bought my catera about 3 years ago. it is a 1997 catera fully loaded with only 36,000. since i have owned it i have had the one of the pulleys for the timing belt break(this was at 39,000 miles), which for those of you that don't know engines that well my values stayed down well my pistons came up, bending all my values cracking both heads and putting a hole in the engine oil cooler. cost, and this with my mechanic doing the work for free, 4500 dollars. after finding out that a campaign that gm came out after i had shelled out the money for the pulleys to be recalled, i called gm and they gave me 2500. also i have had the transmission sensor changed once which cost 400 dollars plus labor. and now it needs to be replaced again. recent issue are a bad alternator and two electrical shorts. since i have new mechanic, he has had the car a total of a month and a half. i will never by another gm for the rest of my life unless it is an old classic, i also own a 1992 ford bronco 351 5.8 liter which has 330,000 miles on it and it still runs great.

tford2 · September 2005

I to own a 1997 catera I have it in the repair shop now with a bowed out or bent piston? THe repair shop can't figure out what caused this, they are saying lack of lube condition. There is oil in the engine do you have suggestions what I can tell them to check to see what caused this?? I have purchased an extended warranty and they will not cover this unless the repair center can tell them what caused this?? The repair company says the oil pump and etc is fine??? Any suggestions???

silva2 · October 2005

:sick: Does anyone know where they sell the positive battery cable besides the dealer? Is this cable a straight cable or splits up have way down to alternator.

ecabrera77 · October 2005

last time i saw a bowed piston was when the engine got to hot and it made the piston week, this was on a different car it had all of it's pistons bent. the mechanic said the the oil had not be changed in a year. it might have been caused by the previous owner not changing the oil on the car when needed.

tford2 · October 2005

It is a bowed connecting rod #3 piston. Would you be able to drive this car for 11 months without a problem?? How would the mechanic prove this . The warranty company wants an exact cause or they will not cover the part?

babyface1 · October 2005

I have a 98 Catera it has a coolant leak. My husband thought it was the water pump but after taking hoses etc. off discovered it was not the water pump. Anyone have any answers. My car has 110,000 on it and I haven't had a lot of problems except tie rods in the front and O2 sensors.

podres · October 2005

I have been readings posts for other vehicles, but since I have owned a '97 Catera since it was new, I thought I'd post my experiences.

Biggest problem was that I had to replace the head unit that controls the A/C twice. First under warranty, and the second time just after the warranty wore out This was a $1,000 job.

Besides that, the car has been pretty trouble-free. A little problem here and there, but mostly normal wear and tear. I now have 80,000 miles and really enjoy driving it, especially on the highway, where it is quiet, responsive, solid feeling and nimble. It is a well engineered car. Good sound system, too.

Biggest problem: other than dealerships, few mechanics want to work on them. It is an orphan child.

I would give it a B+ / A- as an overall experience.

rharvey68 · October 2005

I own a 2001 Catera with 54.500 miles has anyone had a problem with it shutting off while driving?

lynn8 · October 2005

i was given this car by a good friend a few months ago, and now i think i know why he gave it away, he did tell me the car had problems, when we first start driving the car we noticed white smoke out of tailpipe, and temperture gauge very high, we took the car to a mechanic who then told us the car needed head gasket
replaced which cost $1300 when car was picked up from shop after being told it was fixed, we drove around and notice still white smoke, took car back mechanic attempt to do more work on car. well three days later we pick car up and still white smoke. after threatning to take mechanic to court for not fixing my car, i drove it around for few weeks and smoke cleared up, but noticed when air conditiong is running temperture gauge very high, well last week car started fluttering like wants to cut off when idle, and check engine light on, took car to advance auto he says needs mass air flow sensor that cost $299 after locating part at local salvage yard for $65 we put it on and car still doing same thing, idling very high, transmission seems to be shifting funny. can anyone help me im about to give up on this car i own a volvo and never had these kind of problems. everyone i talk with says i need to get rid of it, but i would really like to keep car, very nice i just dont wont to spend fortune. HELP!!!

savageatl · October 2005

Hi, I'm having problems with my local (Atlanta) Cadillac dealer, Hennessy;

Long story short: My car was due for an oil change, so I brought it in, after calling ahead, to have the oil changed. The service writer (Joey Davidson) came back shortly thereafter to tell me that The drain plug is stripped so we cant do it, youll have to bring it back Monday. What do you mean, the drain plug is stripped? I asked, Do you mean that you stripped the drain plug? The cars never been serviced anywhere but here since it was new. He went to check on this and then returned to confirm this. We cant do anything with it now, he told me, Its stripped and we cant get it out.

At this point I've driven 45 minutes to the damn dealer from Decatur to discover they can't do a simple oil change. I'm really, REALLY not happy, and no, I don't have time to bring it back on Monday, I WORK. This is after the car has had a problem with overheating on the freeway with the A/C on, and they cannot find it after it's been sitting there three times. I want to call/write the local office and complain, does anyone know how to do that? I don't want to waste any time talking to some call centre peon who is going to mouth platitudes at me. (I apologise to all call centre peons because I was one once and so know how much power they have.) So if anyone knows how I can get in touch with someone who might care please let me know. :mad:

e041643 · November 2005

I have a 1997 Catera, owned for 7 years. My current problem is the transmission. It will shift from 1st to 2nd OK then you have to coax it into third. It won't go into 4th and easily drops out of third (to nothing) unless it locks into third (the transmission light will come on when it locks), if locked, it won't down shift after coming to a stop without turning the car off and restarting. The dealership says it needs a new transmission ($4500 at the dealer, maybe $2500 for a used one by a private installer. How did you get GM and the Dealership to help?

stci · November 2005

Hi,

Fist, excuse my bad english cause I'm french.

I have a cadillac catera 1998 and it has an intermitent problem. It happens regularly that I cannot start because the battery was completely emptied. I changed the battery once but the problem is always present. The dealer does not find any solution with my problem. Would you have an idea where the problem come from please?

Thank's in advance for your help.

Sylvie

tford2 · November 2005

Has anyone experienced a problem with their extended warranty co. not wanting to pay for a covered part? I don't know what to do I have a spun bearing to piston #3. Inspectors report says starved for oil, all fluids are found to be good in car including oil. I had oil changes done on the side by a friend he wrote me reciepts but the warranty co wants an exact cause of this if not lack of oil in the engine.Repair center unable to find exact cause of failure. Does any one have any suggestions??? What could cause the oil not to get to the piston other than no oil in the car?

tburhani · November 2005

I bougth 98 Catera from used car dealer on Nov 1, 2004 with 90,000kms on it, no problems at all until End of Oct this year. Engine coolant leaking, it has 125,000 kms on it and haven't even changed the timing belt. I like the car, lots of goody features on it. It might cost me about $3500.00 to fix all this. Should I keep it or get rid of it? Please advice guys!
Thanks for your help.

kushnir8295 · November 2005

I had a problem with a local GM dealer years ago, that went on for over 2 years (very frustrating). During that time I when up the chain of the company. The one who helped me most, was the Regional rep. (state level). That person reprimanded the dealer and got the work done.

kushnir8295 · November 2005

I recently purchased a 97 Catera with 88k miles. The car was rough, but is cleaning up nicely. My major problem with the car is the transmission, it won't change gears on its own and the shift indicator lights in the center column don't work. I read a lot online that the one code, P1700 usually means that the fluid level is low and could cause this condition, so I just had the fluid and filter changed, yet it is still not shifting automatically. The codes that came up are P1700 (Manufaturer Control Transmission), P0705 (Trans Range Sensor Curcuit Malfunction), and P0455 (EVAP Emission Control System Leak (Large)) If P0705 indicates that there is sensor malfunction, where is that sensor or where do I begin? Could the EVAP Emission Control System leak have anything to do with the shifting? HELP!!! :confuse:

podres · November 2005

You can probably buy another Catera for that money. Check the KBB values. Look at E-Bay auctions. It's a very nice car, but it may be time to change the color.

burntcaddy · December 2005

I HAD '97 CATERA WITH SAME PROBLEM ALONG WITH MANY OTHERS. I DON'T THINK YOUR WATER PUMP HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE RADIO BECAUSE THE WIRES ARE IN THE DASH. I AM NOT 100% SURE ABOUT THIS WITHOUT LOOKING AT WIRING DIAGRAM, AND THE ONLY WAY TO DO IS TO BUY A SERVICE MANUAL AT $140 + S/H. I THINK U R GETTING HUNG. MY CAR HAD VALVE COVER LEAK (VALVE COVER GASKET SET $50), A WATER HEATER AUX. PUMP $250 BUT USED BRASS 90 ELBOW AT $3, WATER PUMP ABOUT TO GO, HEAD GASKET OR HEAD GOING BAD AT $1000+, AIR BAG LIGHT ON ( NEVER PRICED TO SCARED TO HEAR THAT. I DID REPAIR ALL THE PROBLEMS VERY, VERY, VERY CHEAPLY. HOW U ASK?
TRADE IT IN!!!!!!!!!

hicks_usn · December 2005

my catera is overheating. i thought i blew the head gasket from what happened when it over heated, but now it shows no sign of overheating. when it overheated the oil was a milky color. what could be the problem, could it be a thermostat or what. i want to get it fixed so i can resell the damn thing, and get a jeep.

dray1997 · December 2005

I have same problem with my 97 Catera. Dealer replaced the CAMSHAFT COVERS for $684 parts plus labor. That job did not take because I had to take the car back after I noticed lots of smoke spewing out from under the hood. Dealer agreed to redo the job for free. Dont have the car back yet. The smoke is a result of oil leaking on the hot parts of the car. Right now I am trying to get the oil leak fixed so that I could sell the car and run like hell away from Cadillacs. So far I have spent thousands of dollars repairing this car. It seems to me the manufacture took the Catera off the assembly line before it was complete. And all the money we spend in repairs is what the manufacture should have spent to properly manufacture this car. Good luck with yours.

Cadillac Catera Maintenance & Repair

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