IllustrationTHE CRUISE CONTROL FAILED AND THE VEHICLES ENGINE TREMBLED BECAUSE WATER HAD GOTTEN INTO ONE OF THE CYLINDERS. PH *NLM
1998 Cadillac Catera
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1998 Cadillac Catera do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 67.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Catera years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
50–25K
625–50K
2050–75K
275–100K
5100–150K
1150K+
39 reports with mileage · 84 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 56 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Tires. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
6 crash reports1 fire reports4 injury reports
Vehicle Speed Control complaints
3 reportsNEAR MISS OF SEVERE ACCIDENTAL INJURY/PROPERTY DAMAGE. PROBLEM: SAFETY HAZARD DESIGNED INTO CRUISE CONTROL SWITCH POD. NO PERMANENT OFF FEATURE. CRUISE ACTIVE AND BYPASS OF OFF SWITCH IN ANY MODE SELECTED BY SET-ACCEL/COAST-RESUME ROCKER SWITCH. SET-ACCEL/COAST-RESUME ROCKER SWITCH DETENT ON MY CATERA FAILED (BROKE). ROAD BUMP…
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NEAR MISS OF SEVERE ACCIDENTAL INJURY/PROPERTY DAMAGE. PROBLEM: SAFETY HAZARD DESIGNED INTO CRUISE CONTROL SWITCH POD. NO PERMANENT OFF FEATURE. CRUISE ACTIVE AND BYPASS OF OFF SWITCH IN ANY MODE SELECTED BY SET-ACCEL/COAST-RESUME ROCKER SWITCH. SET-ACCEL/COAST-RESUME ROCKER SWITCH DETENT ON MY CATERA FAILED (BROKE). ROAD BUMP OR USE OF TURN SIGNAL ACTIVATES SWITCH. DURING PASSING AT 65MPH+, RIGHT SIGNAL ACTIVATED ACCEL FEATURE. SPEED IMMEDIATELY INCREASED TO 80+MPH AND I NARROWLY AVERTED REARENDING CAR(S) AHEAD. SIMILAR FAILURES MAY BE CAUSE OF OTHER REARENDERS AND/OR UNEXPLAINED ACCELERATION ACCIDENTS. SWITCH CONFIGURATION IS NOT SIMILAR TO U.S. DESIGNS, BUT OPERATION LEARNING CURVE IS NOT DIFFICULT. SERIOUS HAZARD IN DESIGN. RECOMMEND STANDARD U.S. SWITCH ARRANGEMENT IN SAME ERGONOMIC POD AND RECAL AND REPLACEMENT.
CONSUMER WAS WAITING FOR LIGHT TO CHANGE, WHEN SHE DROVE OFF, VEHICLE ACCELERATED AND REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE. SHE THEN TRIED TO PUT VEHICLE IN DRIVE, BUT VEHICLE WOULD JUMP BACK AND FORWARD AT LEASED THREE TIMES, CONTINUING TO HIT THE VEHICLE IN FRONT. *AK
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.