1998 Cadillac Catera

TIMING BELT TENSIONER FAILED AT 51,000 MILES (WARRANTY ENDS AT 50,000 MILES) CAUSING MAJOR DAMAGE TO THE VALVES AND GEARS. REQUIRES NEW VALVES, TENSIONER, HEAD GASKET, BELT, ETC. SERVICE DEPARTMENT TOLD ME THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM SPECIFIC TO THE CATERA. HE SAID THAT TENSIONER SYSTEM IS UNIQUE TO CATERA. THIS PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH A FAULTY SYSTEM. OTHER CADILLAC MODELS DO NOT HAVE THE SAME TIMING BELT SYSTEM. QUOTED REPAIR COST IS $4,800. THIS IS NOT JUST A TIMING BELT PROBLEM, WHICH IS A NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR PROBLEM. MOST CAR OWNERS EXPECT TO REPAIR TIMING BELTS SOME TIME DURING THEIR OWNERSHIP, IF THEY KEEP THE VEHICLES LONG ENOUGH. HOWEVER, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A $40,000 VEHICLE. CONSUMERS SHOULD NOT EXPECT SUCH A COSTLY PROBLEM TO OCCUR ON THIS CAR FOR A VERY LONG TIME, IF EVER. HOPEFULLY, ONCE REPAIRED, THIS WILL NOT OCCUR AGAIN. MOST CONSUMERS CAN NOT AFFORD AN UNEXPECTED $4,800 REPAIR BILL ONCE, LET ALONE EVERY FEW THOUSAND MILES. IT JUST SEEMS LIKE THE TENSIONER MUST BE FAULTY OR HAVE A FAULTY DESIGN. THE EDMUNDS WEBSITE SHOWS MANY CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM. GM KNOWS ABOUT THIS COSTLY PROBLEM. WHY HAVEN'T THEY MADE SOME PROVISION FOR FIXING THE PROBLEM?*AK

TIMING BELT TENSIONER PULLEY BEARING IS PREMATURELY FAILING AND CAUSING MAJOR DAMAGE IN THE ENGINE VALVE TRAIN. IF THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY, THIS DEFECT RESULTS IN THE CUSTOMER HAVING TO PAY A REPAIR BILL OF SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS. IF THE DEFECT IS FOUND SOON ENOUGH IT STILL COSTS THE CUSOMER OVER FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS. WHEN I BOUGHT THE CADILLAC THE TIMING BELT WAS SUPPOSE TO LAST AT LEAST 100,000 MILES AND NOW I HEAR THEY ARE RECOMMENDING THE REPLACEMENT OF THE ASSEMBLY (P/N9120501) WITHIN 60K. THE ONLY PROBLEM WITH IS SOME CARS HAVE THE PROBLEM BEFORE 60K. THE WARRANTY ON THE REPLACEMENT PARTS IS 12 MONTHS/12K. THERE ARE ALSO NO PROCEDURES TO ASSIST THE CUSTOMER IN REDUCING THE COSTS OF THE NECESSARY REPAIRS. THE EDMUNDS WEBSITE LIST MANY CUSTOMERS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM. GM SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO HAVE A RECALL TO FIX THIS PROBLEM AND THEY SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO REIMBURSE ALL CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM. AS FAR AS I KNOW ALL YEARS OF THIS MODEL CAN EXPERIENCE THIS PROBLEM. ALSO THE CURRENT REPLACEMENT PARTS ARE PRONE TO FAIL AT THE SAME RATE AS THE ORIGINAL PARTS SINCE THE DESIGN HASN'T BEEN IMPROVED. *AK

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

BRAKE INSP.BRAKE REPLACED3/9/00;CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON 5/12/00-FUEL INJECTOR DIRTY, REPLACE SENSOR; LEFT WINDOW SLOW IN OPERATION - 6/23/00;INGINTION REMOTE KEY NOT WORKING- TWO REPLACEMENT 6/23/00;CAR JERKING IN SPORT MODE, PRBLEMS WITH HEADLIGHTS, SUNROOF SLIDES BACK AN FORTH WITHOUT TURNING DIAL,RECALL ON ENGINE CHECK PULLEY 7/05/000; CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON CAR STALLS7/31/00; VIBRATION ON ACCELERATION TOLD NOTHING WRONG WITH CAR BUT TIRES, REPLACE TWO FRONT TIRES, I WAS TOLD TO REPLACE TIRE RODS. I ASK FOR A REA SUSP. I WAS TOLD IT WAS NOT NECESSARY AND THAT THEY DID NOT HAVE TIME TO DO IT THAT DAY. RIGHT FRONT HEADLAMP OUT 3/01/01; LEFT HEAD LIGHT OUT 4/13/01;CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON, SUNROOF OPENS WHILE DRIVING W/O TURNING DIAL,5/24/01; REMOTE KEY NOT WORKING REPLACE KEY , CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON, 6/21/01; CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON , SLOW PICKUP, REAR SUS. ROUGH RIDE HELP-RECALL EMISSION 7/26/01; CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON CONTACT DEALER ON MY WAY OUT OF TOWN TOLD NOT TO WORRY ABOUT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND TO ADJUST THE KNOB ON THE GAS TANK BY TURNING IT SEVERAL TIMES. 8/6/01; CAR WILL NOT START BATTERY DEAD, SUNROOF NOT WORKING. CONTACT TOW SERVICE THEY REFUSE TO TAKE CAR TO DEALER. TOW SERVICE BOOST CAR BATTERY AND LEFT. SUNROOF REFUSE TO OPERATE. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON 8/13/01-CAR PARKED GOING ON VACATION; CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON RETURN FROM VACATION 8/23/01-HELP- DOING THE FIRST YEAR OF 1999 I HAD PROBLEMS WITH MY BREAKS THOSES DOCUMENTS WERE DESTROYED IN A HOUSE FIRE. MY HOUSE CAUGHT ON FIRE ON 11/24/99.*AK (TIRESIZE: 14RHS)