1999 Cadillac Catera

CAR'S "CHECK ENGINE" AND TRANSMISSION DASH LIGHTS INTERMITTENTLY STAY ON AND THE CAR WON'T START. SOMETIMES THE CAR WILL START AND MOVE WITH THE TRANSMISSION LIGHT ON BUT THE CAR IS SLUGGISH. TWO OR THREE HOURS LATER THE CAR WILL START AND RUN FINE. THIS PROBLEM WAS IDENTIFIED A WEEK AFTER PURCHASE (SEP 2004) BUT THE DEALER COULDN'T IDENTIFY A PROBLEM. IT HAS GRADUALLY WORSENED, BUT NONE MORE THAN THIS EVENING WHEN MY FAMILY AND I WERE ALMOST KILLED! WE WERE DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE AT 70 MPH. NO ENGINE LIGHTS WERE ON. THE SPEEDOMETER ALL OF A SUDDEN WENT TO ZERO AND I LOST ALL POWER. AN EIGHTEEN WHEELER MISSED US BY INCHES AS I TRIED TO GET THE CAR OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. MY DAUGHTER SLAMMED HER HEAD AGAINST THE SIDE WINDOW. GM AND CADILLAC SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF PUTTING THIS PRODUCT OUT. THEY HAVE ALL BUT WASHED AND TURNED THEIR BACK ON CATERA OWNERS. I AM RETIRING FROM THE U.S. AIR FORCE IN TWO WEEKS AFTER 25 YEARS OF SERVICE. I GET CHILLS WHEN I THINK OF AMERICANS WHO DIED IN WARS AND CONTINGENCIES TO PROTECT PEOPLE AND BUSINESSES LIKE THIS. I CAN'T BELIEVE THERE ISN'T ONE OFFICIAL RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE. I'VE HAD NOTHING BUT TROUBLE WITH THIS CAR FROM THE BEGINNING BUT NONE AS DANGEROUS AS THE CURRENT PROBLEM. I HAVE READ STORY AFTER STORY ON YOURS AND OTHER INTERNET SITES ABOUT THIS LEMON OF A CAR (1997 TO 2001). TOMORROW I WILL TAKE TIME OFF FROM WORK TO BRING THIS CAR TO THE DEALER. EVERYTHING WILL BE BASED ON THEIR SCHEDULE AND I WILL HAVE TO FIND RIDES BACK AND FORTH (30 MINUTES FROM MY WORK AND 45 MINUTES FROM MY HOME). THEY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY ANY DTC CODES AND I WILL PAY FOR THINGS THAT THEY THINK IS WRONG WITH IT. IRONICALLY, MY RESEARCH INDICATES THAT THE PROBLEM MAY BE A CRANKSHAFT SENSOR. THEY DISAGREED DURING THE WARRANTY PERIOD AND DID NOT REPLACE IT. IT MAY OR MAY NOT BE THE SENSOR, BUT SOMEONE MUST BE RESPONSIBLE AND ACCOUNTABLE FOR IDENTIFYING AND FIXING THIS COMMON CATERA PROBLEM BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED!*JB

DT: THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT COMING ON. WHEN THE CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY TOLD HIM THE AIRBAG HAD TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE IT WAS DEFECTIVE. HE HAD THE AIRBAG REPLACED BY AN AUTHORIZED DEALERSHIP. ANOTHER VEHICLE HAD HIT THE CONSUMER'S VEHICLE BUMPER AND THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THIS OCCURRED IN AUGUST 2004. ON SEPTEMBER 21, 2005 THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AND STAYED ON. WHEN THE CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY TOLD HIM THAT THE AIRBAG MODULE WAS DEFECTIVE. THE DEFECTIVE PART WAS THE REPLACEMENT PART. *AK

WHERE DO I EVEN START WITH THE 1999 CATERA THAT I JUST HAD TO TRADE IN THIS WEEKEND DUE TO SO MANY THINGS THAT HAD WENT WRONG WITH THAT CAR. 1ST, WHEN FILLING THE CAR UP WITH GAS, IT WOULD NOT AUTOMATICALLY SHUT OFF. DEALER FIXED 1ST TIME, BUT MESSED UP THE GAS GAUGE. IT STARTED DOING IT AGAIN 1 MONTH LATER. YOU COULD NOT KEEP A SET OF TIRES ON THE CAR NO MATTER HOW MANY ALIGNMENTS THAT YOU HAD PERFORMED. THE SUNROOF WOULD NOT OPEN MOST OF THE TIME WHEN YOU TRIED TO OPEN IT, BUT IT WOULD OPEN ON IT'S OWN AT RANDOM. DEALER REPLACED THE SWITCH TWICE, PROBLEM STILL OCCURRED. THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AT 60K AND HAD TO BE REPLACED DUE TO THE *S* LIGHT FLASHING. THE FIRST RADIO WOULD NOT PICK UP ANY STATIONS, THE RADIO WAS REPLACED BY THE DEALER. 4K LATER AFTER WARRANTY EXPIRED, IT HAPPENED AGAIN. AT 65K, THE CD PLAYER WOULD NO LONGER WORK. THE LOCKS WOULD NOT COMPLETELY LOCK WITH THE REMOTE OR WHEN THE CAR WAS PUT INTO GEAR. AT 90K, THE DRIVERS SIDE HEATED SEAT LITERALLY CAUGHT FIRE WHILE DRIVING AND BURNED A 4" DIAMETER HOLE IN FRONT BOLSTER. GM STATED THAT THIS IS "NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR, BUT NORMALLY, THEY JUST STOP FUNCTIONING. THEY WOULD NOT PAY FOR THE REPAIRS OF THE SEAT AT ALL. ALMOST CAUSED ME TO WRECK THE CAR AS THE ACBIN QUICKLY FILLED WITH SMOKE AND AS SOON AS I CRACKED THE WINDOW, THE FIRE STARTED TO GET LARGER AS IT GOT MORE AIR TO FEED IT. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT SHOWED CYLINDER MISFIRES AND I WAS TOLD THAT IT WOULD BE $2500 TO $5000 TO REPAIR IT. I TRADED THE CAR ON 6/11/05 FOR A NEW 2005 CHEVY SILVERADO EXTENDED CAB. I HOPE THAT GM READS THIS AND CALLS ME AT THE NUMBER I PROVIDED SO I CAN PROVIDE MORE DETAILED INFO ON THIS. I WAS LITERALLY SCREWED ON THIS CAR. IT WAS A LEMON FROM THE START AND NO ONE SEEMED TO CARE!

RECENTLY PURCHASED A 1999 CADILLAC CATERA WITH APPROX 49000 MILES ON VEHICLE. FIRST DAY OF PURCHASE SON WAS FILLING VEHICLE WITH GASOLINE AND AUTO FILL SHUT OFF NEVER SHUT PUMP OFF FUEL SPILLED ON GROUND UNTIL PUMP WAS MANUALLY SHUT OFF AT HOSE. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES SINCE SON TRIED DIFFERENT GAS STATIONS THINKING IT MIGHT BE THE PUMP - HAPPENED AT EVERY PUMP AND TODAY I FILLED THE VEHICLE BUT WAS THREE THREE FEET AWAY CLEANING BACK WINDOW WHEN THIS HAPPENED AGAIN AND APPROX 1/2 GALLON OF FUEL SPILLED FROM OVER FLOWING UNTIL I COULD RELEASE THE FUEL HANDLE FROM PUMP. START JUNE 4TH THROUGH PRESENT PROBLEM HAS HAPPENED. FIRE COULD EASILY HAVE STARTED AND CAUSED PROPERTY DAMAGE AND OR INJURY OR DEATH IF FIRE HAD STARTED. *JB

MY STOPPED WORKING I TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC AND HE SAID YOU NEED TO CALL THE DEALER AS SOON THE MECHANIC TOLD THEM THE PROBLEM THEY SAID IT WAS A RECALL ON THAT CAR I AM ANGRY BECAUSE I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED AND NOW MY ENGINE IS GONE AND THEY FIXED MY CAR THREE ARE FOUR TIMES HERE AND IN TEXAS AND NEVER BREATH A WORD ON THE RECALL I FEEL THEY SHOULD OFFER ME ANOTHER CAR AT THE SAME PURCHASE PRICE. *AK