1998 Cadillac Catera

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. *TR

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 NHTSA 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

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! *TR

1998 CAD. CATERA - NO INCIDENT STARTED THE PROBLEMS - A MECHANIC KNEW IT HAD A BAD HEAD GASKET BEFORE OPENING THE HOOD OR BEING TOLD WHY I WAS THERE BECAUSE HE SAID 9 OUT OF 10 CATERAS HAVE THIS PROBLEM. CONSUMER REPORTS LISTS THIS YEAR AND MODEL AS A MUST TO AVOID CAR. AT 60K MILES HAD A BAD HEAD GASKET, OIL HAD GONE THROUGH THE SYSTEM, CAR OVERHEATS, THE HOSES HAD TO BE REPLACED, IT HAS TO BE FLUSHED REGULARLY, NOW AT 80K MILES, THE POWER STEERING FLUID IS LEAKING, THE COOLANT IS LEAKING, THE BEARINGS AND BRAKES ARE FAILING, THE OIL CANNOT BE CHANGED BECAUSE THE PAN WILL BREAK BECAUSE THE CAP IS WELDED ON BECAUSE OF THE HEAT IN THE ENGINE. WHY WASN'T THERE A RECALL. THIS IS TOO YOUNG A CAR TO BE FAILING LIKE THIS. I WOULD LIKE COMPENSATION! *TR

I'M REPAIRING THE BLOWN HEAD GASKET ON THE SAME ENGINE FOR THE THIRD TIME IN LESS THAN 50000 MILES, 100000 TOTAL MILES. THESE CARS WERE LEMONS! CADILLAC KNOWS IT, BUT DOES NOT FEEL THE NEED TO RESPOND TO THE THOUSANDS OF CATERA OWNERS WHO HAVE SUFFERED THE EXPENSE OF REPEATED REPAIRS, TOTALING $10,000 WITH TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT, MAJOR ENGINE REPAIR, TIMING BELTS, COOLING SYSTEMS, WATER PUMPS,AND OH YEAH...ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILURE!!! GIVE ME A BREAK! AND ANY ADVICE BESIDES THE OBVIOUS. *AK

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY, THE ENGINE STALLED AND THERE WAS A LOSS OF ALL VEHICLE POWER WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT MANAGED TO PULL THE VEHICLE OVER WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE ENGINE WOULD NOT RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHO DETERMINED THE TIMING BELT SEPARATED INTO AND DAMAGED THE ENGINE. DUE TO THE BELT SEPARATION, THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED.