1998 Cadillac Catera

CADILLAC CATERA 1998, DRIVER SEAT BECAME EXTREMELY HOT THAT CONSUMER BACK WAS BURNED. *BF THE CONSUMER FIRST HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE SEAT NOT HEATING WAS BACK IN DECEMBER OF 2000 WHICH WAS REPAIRED. ON PREVIOUS OCCASION THE CONSUMER HAD WORK DONE. THE MOLDING AROUND THE WINDSHIELD WAS LOOSE, THE CONSUMER REPORTED A WOBBLE IN THE TIRE, ONE MONTH LATER THE CONSUMER HAD A FLAT TIRE, HE WAS THEN TOLD THE TIRES NEEDED TO REPLACED, THERE WAS STATIC FROM THE RADIO, THE FRONT PADS WERE REPLACED AND THE BRAKE SENSOR WAS REPLACED TWICE. *JB

LIKE ALL CADILLAC CATERA OWNERS WE KNOW, WE HAVE HAD AND ARE CONTINUING TO HAVE ENDLESS MAJOR REPAIR BILLS ON THE CATERA (98 MODEL). THE WATER PUMP HAS FAILED AND CAUSED THE ENGINE TO RUN HOT. THE WATER PUMP WAS ON RECALL. CADILLAC REPLACED THE PUMP BUT CHARGED FOR BELTS AND OTHER PARTS DAMAGED BY THE FAILURE. WE HAVE SPEND OVER $1,900 TRYING TO SOLVE A MORNING COLD START SKIPPING PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM COMES AND GOES. CADILLAC DEALER REPLACED THE HEATER CONTROL VALVE AND CHARGED $953. PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. THEN A REPAIR SHOP CHARGED OVER $600 TO REPLACE THE SPARK PLUGS AND SPARK PLUG WIRES. PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. THEN THEY TOLD US IT HAD TO BE THE COIL PACK. WE SPENT OVER $300 ON THAT. PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. THE CAR IN BACK AT THE CADILLAC DEALER'S SHOP YESTERDAY AND TODAY. SO FAR THEY CANNOT LOCATE PROBLEM. A CO-WORKER OF MY WIFE'S AT THE GEORGIA MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY DEPARTMENT OWNES A CATERA. SHE AND HER HUSBAND HAVE SPENT OVER $9,000 ON THEIR CATERA IN THE PAST TWO YEARS FOR REPAIRS. THEY CANNOT KEEP TIRES ON THE CAR. THE CO-WORKER SAID THEY HAD THE SAME COLD START PROBLEM WITH THEIR CATERA. IT COST OVER $500 FOR A STARTER SWITCH PART. IT APPEARS CADILLAC THREW THE CAR TOGETHER FROM AN ENGINE FROM ENGLAND, A TRANSMISSION FROM FRANCE AND ASSEMBLED THE CAR IN GERMANY. I DON'T THINK IT IS FAIR FOR CONSUMMERS TO HAVE TO FOOT THE BILL FOR CADILLAC'S NEGLEGENCY IN NOT PROPERLY TESTING THE CAR PRIOR TO MARKETING. THIS IS NOTHING SHORT OF CONSUMMER FRAUD. WE HAVE OWNED TWO CADILLAC SEVILLES, A DEVILLE, AND A SMALL CADILLAC BACK IN THE 80'S. WE PRESENTLY DRIVE A SEVILLE. WE HAVE NEVER HAD ANY MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH CADILLAC PRODUCTS UNTIL THIS CATERA. IT IS NOT CADILLAC QUALITY AND APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN MARKETED WITHOUT PROPER TRAINING OF MECHANICS IN THE FIELD IN SPITE OF GM'S CONSTANT ADVERTISEMENTS ABOUT THE EXCELLENCE OF "MR. GOOD WRENCH." CADILLAC SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO FIX THEIR PROBLEMS WITH THE CATERA DESIGN.

BOUGHT THIS 98 CATERA NEW. TO BE SAFE FROM BLOWOUTS TIRES NEED TO BE REPLACED ABOUT EVERY 20,000 MILES; BASICALLY, INSIDE SHOULDER WEAR. GM MAINTAINS THIS IS NORMAL AND WILL NOT TAKE ANY RESPONSIBILITY. NOW AT 67,000 MILES TIMING BELT TENSIONER PULLEY FAILED RESULTING IN SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS OF ENGINE DAMAGE ! VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THIS GM PRODUCT AND NOTE THE LAUDED 'CADILLAC SERVICE'' IS CLEARLY FALSE ADVERTISING. IN GOOD FAITH WE ARE UNABLE TO SELL THIS CAR. IS THIS GOVERNMENT SITE OF ANY REAL USE ? CLEARLY THE TIRE WEAR SAFETY PROBLEM AND EXPENSIVE IDLER/TENSIONER FAN BELT/TIMING BELT PROBLEMS DESERVE SOME CONSUMER PROTECTION! *LA

NUMEROUS ISSUES WITH 1998 CATERA. HAD TIMING BELT TENSIONER-PULLEYS/CAM DRIVE REPLACED LAST YEAR(3-2002) WHILE UNDER WARRANTY. "SERVICE CAMPAIGN" WAS ISSUED BY CADILLAC IN SEPT 2002 FOR CATERA'S TO HAVE CAME DRIVE IDLER/TENSIONER PULLEY/WATER PUMP REPLACED WITH NEW VERSION. GOT VEHICLE SERVICED TODAY AND WAS INFORMED THAT CAR HAD ANOTHER SERIOUS PROBLEM THAT NEEDED TO BE CORRECTED-OUT OF POCKET-COOLANT CROSSOVER LEAKING INTO OIL COOLER, AND VALVE COVER WAS LEAKING OIL.....THE CAR RUNS EXTREMELY HOT, HAS POOR PERFORMANCE, GETS TERRIBLE GAS MILLAGE, BATTERY HAS LOW VOLTAGE WHEN NOTHING IS LEFT ON BY MISTAKE, REPLACED THE BATTERY 4 TIME IN TWO YEARS, A/C HAD NEW COMPRESSOR REPLACED PAST SUMMER 2002 STILL NOT ABLE TO COOL CAR AND WHILE IN USE THE CAR SOUNDS LIKE A TRACTOR, BOGGS DOWN THE PERFROMANCE. HAD TO HAVE ENTIRE BRAKE SYSTEM REPLACED (COST OVER 800.00) AT 34,000, PURCHASED 4 SETS OF MICHELLAN MXV4 TIRES IN LAST 2 YEARS-INSIDE TREAD SEPERATION ON FRONT TIRES CAUSED BLOW OUT TWICE.

THE CADILLAC CATERSA HAS A DESIGN FLAW THAT CAUSES THE TIRES TO WEAR RAPIDLY. THE FIRST TIME THERE WAS A PROBLEM I NOTICED A VIBRATION IN THE CAR AND TOOK THE CAR IN TO HAVE THE TIRES BALANCED AND ROTATED. I WAS TOLD THE TIRES WERE WORN OUT AND THERE WAS NO NEED TO ROTATE OR BALANCE. THE CAR HAD APPROXIMATELY 17,000 MILES ON IT AND YOU COULD SEE THE CHORDS ON THE INSIDE OF TIRE. FRANK KENT REPLACED THE TIRES AND I WAS TOLD IT MUST HAVE BEEN A BAD SET OF TIRES BECAUSE EVERYTHING ELSE WAS WITHIN SPECS. IN JULY OF THIS YEAR, MY WIFE TOOK THE CAR IN TO GET THE TIRES ROTATED AND BALANCED BEFORE GOING ON A TRIP TO OKLAHOMA. AGAIN, WE WERE TOLD TWO OF THE TIRES WERE WORN OUT AND THERE WAS NO NEED TO HAVE THE TIRES ROTATED AND BALANCED. THE CAR HAD APPROXIMATELY 28,000 MILES ON IT. THIS TIME FRANK KENT TELLS ME THE CATERA IS WITHIN PRESCRIBED SPECS BUT, IT HAS BEEN DISCOVERED THE SPECS, SPECIFIED FOR THE REAR TOE IN, CAUSES THE CAR TO WEAR OUT TIRES IN UNDER 20,000 MILES EVEN IF ROTATED EVERY 6,000 MILES. FRANK KENT REPLACED TWO OF THE FOUR TIRES AND ADVISED ME CADILLAC WILL NOT REPLACE ANY MORE TIRES AFTER 30,000 MILES, AND WE SHOULD HAVE THE TIRES ROTATED EVERY 6,000 MILES. THEIR MANUAL SAYS 10,000 MILES. THIS VEHICLE HAS A DESIGN FLAW. THE WINDOW STICKER LULLS CUSTOMERS INTO BELIEVING THE TIRES ON THE VEHICLE ARE WARRANTED FOR 50,000 MILES AND THEN THEY WEAR OUT AND BECOME DANGEROUS IN 20,000 MILES OR LESS. WORN OUT TIRES CAUSED BY THE DESIGN OF THE VEHICLE COULD CAUSE BLOW OUTS AND DEATH. I WOULD THINK CADILLAC WOULD WANT TO FIX THE PROBLEM NOW RATHER THAN LATER BUT, THEY HAVE REFUSED. IF THERE IS ONE ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THIS DESIGN FLAW THAT IS ONE TOO MANY! WE BOUGHT THE CAR AND PAID FOR IT IN GOOD FAITH.WE NEED YOUR HELP IN THIS UNFAIR PROBLEM.*AK