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Cadillac CTS Engine Problems

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Comments

  • nymom96nymom96 Member Posts: 4
    Just curious...Isn't the normal life span of a timing chain usually around 80,000 to 90,000 miles?
  • cdnpinheadcdnpinhead Member Posts: 5,499
    tend to have replacement intervals of 60 - 90K miles. Rumor has it that actual life is considerably greater.

    Timing CHAINS are old-school. They last indenfinitely. . .on other vehicles.
    '08 Acura TSX, '17 Subaru Forester
  • jz17jz17 Member Posts: 1
    Today is my first day on this page and it makes me sick to see so many posts regarding oil consumption on the 05 CTS. I bought mine back in 08 with 31K miles and never had any issues until August of this year. I used to put about 500 miles on my car every three weeks. Now, because of a job change, I put about 500 miles on it every four days with my commute. I drive rural highways with no cell reception and experienced the pinging noise and the check engine light coming on. I immediately called the dealership and made an appointment to take the car in the next day. They told me I was 3 quarts low and they ran tests to ensure no engine damage. When I inquired why the check oil light never came on they had no answer but said oil consumption is normal for Cadillacs...since when? Ever since that day, my car is now consuming oil. I had to add almost 5 quarts last week, 3 weeks after they changed the oil and filter, and yet the check oil light never came on. Of course my warranty ran out in September but was still in effect when the issues started. Any idea to find out how one qualifies for the GM oil consumption program? :confuse:
  • gmcustsvcsarahgmcustsvcsarah Member Posts: 1,964
    Good morning jz17,

    If you were interested in having an oil consumption test performed on your vehicle, your servicing dealership would be able to do this. Essentially, the test involves you bringing the vehicle in every so many miles and they will measure the loss of oil to determine if it is within the acceptable range. We can help get this process started for you, if you like; please contact us at socialmedia@gm.com with more details (including your name and Edmunds username, phone and address, the last 8 digits of your VIN and mileage, and the name of your dealer).

    Sarah, GM Customer Service
  • bdymentbdyment Member Posts: 573
    You should start checking your oil level with the dip stick every few days. If you had to add approx. five quarts the engine was about to burn out. The oil light is an oil pressure light, not an oil level warning light. They often come on too late to save an engine. Cadillac should be ashamed of this engine.
  • ronyxxxronyxxx Member Posts: 19
    Okay, what if its burning more than the "acceptable range", which a Dealer told me was a qt every 2k miles and it has over 36k miles on it...Are you going to do anything about it? If so, what?
  • gmcustsvcsarahgmcustsvcsarah Member Posts: 1,964
    ronyxxx,

    If you've done the oil consumption tests with your dealership and they find that your vehicle is excessively burning oil, they should have access to information on what the appropriate steps are to remedy this. Have you already done the consumption test process?

    Sarah, GM Customer Service
  • ronyxxxronyxxx Member Posts: 19
    No I haven't. They want $200 to start the test and a previous GM Customer Service reply said that there was a 36,000 mile limit and my car has 65,000 on it I Don't see the sense in paying for the oil consumption test if its a dead end
  • billpaulbillpaul Member Posts: 103
    Sarah,

    Isn't it about time that GM officially extended the warranty on these engines?

    Given that these engine failures are so well-documented on the internet, I would think that it has to be affecting car sales. Why not do the right thing?

    Note that Honda extended the warranty on automatic transmissions a few years ago when Honda transmission failures were common.
  • madctsmadcts Member Posts: 6
    Ronyxxx

    My 2008 cts had 60,000 miles on it when it happened to me. They're oil consumption guidelines are a bunch of crap. The way I started was I had them do an oil change. Then, after 3000 miles, took it back and measured what was left. It was almost 4 quarts low! The dealer then did the consumption test for nothing. (100,000 5 year warranty we all have).

    They ended up replacing all the pistons, rings, rods, the whole top end. Then they found out that all that oil in the exhaust ruined the catalytic converters. The converters came loose and jammed into the exhaust pipe. They ended up replacing everything from the heads to the tail pipe!

    They had it for 26 days! I had a rental paid by warranty.

    Take it to another dealer. It does not cost them anything if they know what they're doing.

    They just replaced the water pump last week. (Under warranty)
  • gmcustsvcsarahgmcustsvcsarah Member Posts: 1,964
    Good morning madcts,

    How is everything running on your CTS now that all of these repairs have been performed?

    Sarah, GM Customer Service
  • ronyxxxronyxxx Member Posts: 19
    Glad for you that you were so well taken care of. Mine is an '05 so out of warranty. Probably why Sarah hasn't replied to my reply to her.
  • gmcustsvcsarahgmcustsvcsarah Member Posts: 1,964
    ronyxxx,

    I hadn't replied as you did not seem interested in proceeding with your dealership; I didn't want to badger you on the issue.

    Sarah, GM Customer Service
  • synmansynman Member Posts: 3
    The new Government Motors is worse then the old GM.
    Timing chain issues with my 2006 SRX with 59,000 miles.
    The Blazer I sold to buy this vehicle had 160,000 miles, no drivetrain issues or any leaks.
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    Are you getting this looked into, synman? If you are working with a dealership and wanted for us to check into this further with them, we can be contacted at socialmedia@gm.com (include your name and contact information, a summary of the situation, the last 8 digits of your VIN and mileage, and the name of your dealer).

    Sarah, Chevrolet Customer Service
  • jpfjpf Member Posts: 496
    Your Blazer probably had an old tech 4.3 litre OHV V6. No timing belts or chains like the new tech 3.6 OHC V6 with THREE timing chains. You probably could have driven the 4.3 another 50k to 100k miles without any major engine issues. If I buy GM, it will only be an OHV engine. This means a full size pickup or used car because GM in it's infinite wisdom stop producing its most reliable engines (e.g. 3800 V6). GM hasn't shown it can build a reliable OHC engine. Good luck.
  • firstnotlastfirstnotlast Member Posts: 1
    Hi,

    Did you ever find out what was wrong with your vehicle? I am experiencing something very similar. My car has cut out on me 4 times (no lights, no steering, no brakes, NO WARNING). The dealer cannot seem to recreate the issue and I am not sure what to do. I purchased the car new (December 2011), so it's not even 1 year old. I need some guideance, so any feedback you can provide will be helpful.

    Thanks! :lemon:
  • rriddlerriddle Member Posts: 7
    Firstnotlast,
    Not sure I have a complete answer for you. I had one Cadillac dealership look at it in Waldorf, MD (not where I bought the car but closer to my home). They had the same problem you did which was not able to recreate the problem. I then took the car to the Cadillac dealership in Greenbelt, MD where I bought the car. They also inspected it top to bottom and were not able to recreate the problem. The problem happened to me 3 times in all since I bought the car at random situations and times. It has not happened to me (knock on wood) since I got the car back from the latest visit. My only thought is that all the inspecting/tightening of all connections from the two dealership visits fixed the problem. If the dealership did not do this, ask them to go through the engine/electrical and tighten/check every connection that could cause this. Maybe this alone will be a solution as it seems for me thus far.
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    We're sorry to hear that this intermittent cut-out concern has been interfering with you enjoying your CTS. If we can check into this further with you and your dealership, please email us at socialmedia@gm.com with more information (including your name and contact information, a summary of the situation, the last 8 digits of your VIN and mileage, and the name of your dealership).

    Sarah, GM Customer Service
  • gregbgardt1gregbgardt1 Member Posts: 2
    edited November 2012
    I was driving a 1998 Honda Accord with 165k miles on it when I decided to buy the CTS with 58k miles. Here is a nice laundry list of repairs one can expect when owning this car:

    03/30/07 - Check service stability system - Diagnosis: replace steering wheel position sensor $262.28 - 61,687 miles

    09/07/2007 - Can't turn car - Diagnosis: Power steering pump failed - $688.51 - 67,235 miles

    09/07/2007 - Noise in rear end at low speeds - Diagnosis: Gears failed, replace carrier assebly - $1307.94

    06/24/2010 - Excessive play in front end - Diagnosis: Replace left front tie rod - $260 - 84,304 miles

    08/23/10 - rear pinion seal leaking - Diagnosis: replace - $264 - 86,009 *also checked for engine oil leak, couldn't tell what it was. See 10/5/12 issue

    03/2011 - Car wont move, spewing fluid, have to tow to dealer - Diagnosis: Coolant line blew, radiator replacement - $667 - 90,000 miles

    07/1/11 - Humming noise in rear end - Diagnosis: replace right rear hub & bearing assembly - $826.68 - 95,295 miles

    03/2012 - Did recommmended 100k tune up - Normal wear and tear but wanted to make sure everyone knows I take care of the vehicle. Also have changed engine oil every 6,000 miles since I have had it.

    10/05/12 - Thud in front left - Diagnosis: replace left front strut - $354 - 111,203

    10/05/12 - Oil leaking from engine - Diagnosis: $5 part failed, replace oil filter adapter gasket - $302 - 111,203

    Currently: 112,000 miles and check engine light is on. The vehicle in not reaching operating temperature Diagnosis: replace thermostat - $700
    Currently: Got stranded on highway cause vehicle ran out of gas, however, not my fault. Tank read 1/4 tank left. Fuel sender is faulty which also has a TSB out there that they manufactured with a faulty part (siphon hose) - Cost to drop tank and replace is $700.

    Needless to say, my honda had one repair from the 60k to 165k I drove it. EGR valves had issues. This CTS has been an absolute lemon so if you are looking to purchase, look forward to taking an additional loan out on the vehicle to the tune of about $6,300.

    Enjoy! Greg. - 40133811
  • cdnpinheadcdnpinhead Member Posts: 5,499
    edited November 2012
    You're my kind of person. Where I work they call what you just posted "objective evidence."

    I went off the reservation (mine anyway) 13 years ago and bought an American car that attempted to compete with Europeans. Prior to that I'd owned mostly Asian vehicles. My current daily driver is an Acura, and my wife drives a Nissan product.

    Your list is why, though the CTS is in a class by itself in terms of money pit potential. At least you haven't suffered the dreaded oil loss engine failure. Many who post here have.

    You still have that to look forward to. Let us know.
    '08 Acura TSX, '17 Subaru Forester
  • temj12temj12 Member Posts: 450
    Unbelievable repair record. Thanks for sharing in such detail. The problem is, when you start the repair process, you think with each repair that this will be the end of it. As you get further along, you have invested so much in the vehicle that it makes less economic sense to trade it.
  • chuck2011chuck2011 Member Posts: 19
    although I do not own a Cadillac I keep wondering how their cars came to be such lemons. They were once known for engineering excellence and forward thinking. Its too bad this once prestigious brand has come to this and if it were not for loyal customers the brand would have died long ago.
  • whb53whb53 Member Posts: 4
    My 2012 CTS stopped dead at 60 mph on a highway in New York the same month I bought it. The only reason I did not have an accident was that it happened in the middle of the day on a holiday. Otherwise, the highway would have been jammed. The dealer kept the car a few days and said they could not reproduce the problem and would look at it if the problem happened again. The dealer said the problem was probably a "software glitch." I have been in the software industry for 30 years and have never heard of such a thing. Besides, if there was a problem with the software, it would occur in other vehicles with the same software. Not wanting to take my life in my hands, I sold the car to another dealer and bought a new Acura, which has performed great! I told the dealer about the CTS problem, and it appears from the subsequent OnStar reports that I received that the CTS was not sold for many, many months. I assume the cutout happened again, and the dealer was trying to get it fixed. I will never buy a GM car again!
  • gregbgardt1gregbgardt1 Member Posts: 2
    You are spot on. I think it's funny how the GM customer service is non-existent in response to my post and through the repair process.
  • jpfjpf Member Posts: 496
    GM will become solely a truck company in a few years because no one will buy their cars. With social media, the bad word will get around about the unreliability of their cars and the only vehicles GM will be able to sell will be Silverados, Sierras and Tahoes. Bankruptcy maybe just around the corner again. Just saying.
  • darynraydarynray Member Posts: 2
    i just bought a 2005 cts with the 3.6l in it, i would have never, if i knew of the problem with the motor.it didnt not leak oil anywhere or use it to my knowledge when i bought the car july 12 of this year(2012) and it only came with a 3 month or 3,000 mile warranty and as far as i knew cadillac has a great reputation and what not. so i didnt buy the extended warranty. well needless to say i put almost 4,000 miles on the car in 2 months and 12 days after i bought it and the car is blown up, still havent got it fixed because of this problem and i still owe just under$10,000 on it. i called dealership and they only wanna give me up to $1,000 to help with the repairs when they said originally that they would cover all parts costs if i would pay for labor.now that the used motor is gonna be $2,000 plus they dont wanna pay.to top it off to make sure that the motor had spun a bearing they had car towed to the dealership and then made me pay a partial fee to tow it back to my house becuase i wasnt getiing it fixed there. now when i do get the car fixed i am gonna sell it as soon as i can or trade it in because its gonna be a huge headache!!! is there anything GM can do or is there a recall yet or maybe a class aaction law suit is in order because i am sure that all these people with complaints are gonna win including me,why continue to see a car with a motor that conitinues to have problems!!!!!!!????????!!!!!
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    edited December 2012
    Good morning darynray,

    I can certainly understand how this is a very frustrating situation! If you would like for us to check into this further with you and your dealership, please email us more information at socialmedia@gm.com (include your name and contact information, the last 8 digits of your VIN and mileage, a brief summary of the situation, and the name of your involved dealership).

    Sarah, GM Customer Service
  • darynraydarynray Member Posts: 2
    thank you i will provide you the information
  • fcarronfcarron Member Posts: 6
    I feel pregnant, everybody else gets an email from Sarah at Cadillac Customer Service about their engine problems. My Cadillac, (2012 CTS with the 3.0L) had the engine fail at 2060 miles 105 days after delivery and not one email or call. What gives?
  • fcarronfcarron Member Posts: 6
  • fcarronfcarron Member Posts: 6
    I feel pregnant because everybody else with Cadillac engine problems get emails from Sarah. My 2012 CTS (3.0L) engine failed due to bearing problems with 2060 miles and 105 days after delivery. SEE # 614
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    Good morning fcarron,
    My apologies that your post was missed! I do see that you had Service Request 71-1058037892 opened, and it was closed as you no longer have the vehicle - is that correct? If you would like to discuss this further with us, please email us at socialmedia@gm.com (include your case number).

    Sarah, GM Customer Service
  • metal3883metal3883 Member Posts: 2
    I bought a new 2005 CTS 3.6L with manual transmission in 2007 with only 1 thousand miles on it. Such a beaut and so rare. I loved it. From the moment i bought the car it was riddled with problems. I wasn't too concerned because i was covered under my warranty. At 38 thousand miles and several warranty repairs and non warranty upgrades, my bearings spun causing metal to go through out the engine causing permanent damage. Because of the year I purchased the car the warranty had just run out. I went to my dealership at Bay shore Cadillac in NY. and with much convincing, threatening and begging and basically crying, GM decided to honor my out of warranty repair. I was ecstatic!!! They claimed to have replaced the engine with new one. I had to pay a small 150 dollar deductible. From 38,000 miles to now roughly 76,000 miles. The car was nothing but problematic with issues such as several destroyed rear differential bushings. I replaced it twice then I finally went to a urethane bushing made for the cts V. success, never had that problem again. Then I had to replace the drive shaft twice because Cadillac doesn't sell just the "bushing". I also had to replace the bushing for my clutch. (the busing that allows the shifter to get into gear. Since this part is permanently back ordered i had a custom shop mill one out of Teflon. NOW...at 76,000 miles on a supposed NEW ENGINE, plus cam sensors being replaced...all the coils being replaced etc.... the same problem happens again. The bearing spun again. I knew i couldn't bring it to Cadillac since i was out of warranty. My very trusted mechanic assesses that the oil pan was resealed and the engine looks original. Could Cadillac have dooped me into rebuilding my engine instead of replacing it? i will never know the truth. But for the same problem to happen again at the near exact same mileage is beyond me. I still owe 4,300 on the car. The pisser here is i was about to drive my car and trade it in for a used CTS V despite all my bad luck and 10 plus thousand dollars in repairs put into a new car. Now i have a hunk of metal that's worthless. I have one final hope to bring to GM corporates attention again to see if they will at least accept as a trade in and repair the car at their cost and resell it on one of their lots. I love Cadillac's but after this experience i wouldn't wish upon my enemy. I treated my car so well and did early oil change, only 93 octane was put in the car. Nothing but the best for my CTS. Not sure what other options i have at this point. I don't know what to do. if i default on my payments and just refuse to pay off...i will have the banks on my butt. what should i do??????? ARGH!!!
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    metal3883,

    It looks like, from your post, you may already be working with us to get this checked into. If I'm mistaken, though, and you wanted to start a Service Request with us, please contact us via email at socialmedia@gm.com (include your name and contact information, the last 8 digits of your VIN and mileage, a brief summary of the situation, and the name of your involved dealership).

    Sarah, GM Customer Service
  • fearlessflyfearlessfly Member Posts: 15
    edited January 2013
    Can anyone address whether the high engine oil consumption problems of the older CTS (2003-2009) cars been eliminated from the 2011-2013 models with the V-6 engine? Please address the overall reliability of the newer (2012-2013) CTS models. Thanks for your help!
  • jpfjpf Member Posts: 496
    These engines have three timing chains. The problem occurs because one or more of the chains stretch. Personally, I would not buy a vehicle with three timing chains. Too many bad things can happen. My 2 cents worth. GM please bring back the 3500, 3800, or 3900 V6 engines.
  • darko2darko2 Member Posts: 3
    Still have the original tires on the original rims, never driven tires still have packing paint on the treds. Tires taken off at dealers.
  • rexi914rexi914 Member Posts: 1
    OMG! I just got my CTS back after having the engine replaced because of the same reason you had! The creepy warranty people denied the claim even though it was under warranty until July of this year. The dealership said they had never seen anything like this in all the years they have been in business, and I know they've been around for well over 50 years. The owner of the dealership finally got the warranty creeps to pay for a third of the total bill, the dealership paid third and we paid a third. And I was just going to let this go but, now I'm wondering how many other people have had this happen? My original intent was to contact my state attorney general's office...sounds like I should stick to my original plan. I am sorry you were screwed over and lost your car. Up until this happened, I really loved my CTS. Now, not so sure.... :mad:
  • scharley2010scharley2010 Member Posts: 4
    My 2005 CTS is using oil to , a quart about every 1,000 miles it only has 79,000 miles on it. I will never buy another Cadillac again, I aways get my oil change at the Dealership here in Augusta and I ask the service guy there about my car using oil , he told me that was a first . I knew it was a lie when he told me that. The problem started around 50,000 miles . I love my car till this started .
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    scharley2010,

    Did your dealership offer to perform an oil consumption test on your CTS?

    Sarah, GM Customer Service
  • ronyxxxronyxxx Member Posts: 19
    Hi Sarah

    If I did the dealership oil consumption test, and they found it to using a quart about 1,800 miles, would Cadillac do anything about it? My car is am 05 with about 68,000 miles on it.

    I would do the test if knew that Cadillac would do something about it if it exceeded a quart every 2000 miles. Otherwise I don't want to waste the $200
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    Good morning ronyxxx,

    I'm sure the dealership would seek to find out why your CTS is consuming oil if the consumption rate exceeds one quart every 2,000 miles. Given the age of the vehicle, however, this is no longer under warranty. If you wanted for us to see if there are any available options we could look into this further but I cannot guarantee any results up front.

    Sarah, GM Customer Service
  • scharley2010scharley2010 Member Posts: 4
    I brought this car in 2007 and it only had 29,000 miles on it . at around 50,000 it started using oil, with that many miles it should not be useing that much oil, from what am reading on this site a lot of other people are having the same problem as i am. i have had a lot of cars in my lifetime but never anything like this.
  • ronyxxxronyxxx Member Posts: 19
    Yes I would be interested in options. How can I contact you?

    Ron
    ronc4488 at gmail com
  • 05gmlemon05gmlemon Member Posts: 6
    The oil consumption test is a joke. First they put your car up on a lift and do a white glove test. If they see any oil at all they say you have an oil leak. You must have this fixed before they can conduct the test. They told me my timing chain housing showed signs of a slight leak. This would cost me 1400.00 to repair. My 2005 cts uses about 2 qts every 1000 miles with no sign of leakage ever!
  • ronyxxxronyxxx Member Posts: 19
    Welcome to Cadillac ownership 05gmlemon.

    Check out posts 614 and 616. I've never heard back from Sarah at GM Customer Service. All we get is lip service. Your case is a blatant case of "if they complain, sell them something else". All good sales courses teach this... at least all the ones I went to. Lucky us huh?

    Cadillac management has apparently chosen to stick their heads in the sand and make us go away. I'm thinking CNN, 60 minutes, class action and EPA.

    I tried posting a call to class action, but Edwards chooses to side with GM and deleted my post.

    Unlike the Cadillac Motor Company I cannot in good conciense sell my car to some unsuspecting sucker...I too am stuck with a rapidly depreciating LEMON!
  • ctsenginectsengine Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2012 CTS coupe, AWD. At 26k, the oil pressure lite kept going on when I was standing still. When I revved the engine, it went off. First trip the service guys couldn't find an issue, second trip, the oil gauge was replaced, third trip, the oil pump, and then the engine seized. GM replaced the engine with what they allege was a production engine, but my car was out of service for at least two months, I continued to pay the note, and now I haves a one year old car with a stigma attached to it. If GM is aware of the issues and continues to sell this car with these problems, why can't they be stopped. I am told I have no options other than maybe an extended warranty? What about the money for the rental car, the loss in value of the car, etc.
  • fcarronfcarron Member Posts: 6
    I think you need a good lawyer. I went through the same B.S. you are dealing with except I refused to take the engine failed car back after repairs were made. I paid a hefty price for so called Cadillac quality and reliability. You need to take into consideration things like: A. How is the dealer going to align the AWD components? B. Diminished value of this car when you trade it in, remember, the repairs are visible in the computer record of this car for all to see. I wish you the best, but don't under estimate the disdain that Cadillac and G.M. have for customers that encounter major problems like engine failures. Cadillac is not interested in dealing with your problem, all they want is for you to go away. Go back to #514 to see my Cadillac engine failure. Good luck!, signed #514
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    ronyxxx,
    I'm sorry I never saw your response - sometimes the tool we use to find posts doesn't catch them all. We can be reached at socialmedia@gm.com (include your name and contact information, the last 8 digits of your VIN and mileage, and a summary of the situation).
    Sarah, GM Customer Service
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