2003 Cadillac Cts

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CADILLAC CTS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH THE REDUCED POWER WARNING MESSAGE DISPLAYED ON THE LED SCREEN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD NO THROTTLE RESPONSE AND BEGAN TO DECELERATE INDEPENDENTLY. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE AND TURN THE ENGINE OFF. ONCE RESTARTED, THE ENGINE AND THE VEHICLE OPERATED NORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED AND REPAIRED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY WAS REPLACED. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT THE DEFECT HAD RECENTLY RECURRED BUT HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND NO SOLUTION WAS OFFERED. THE VEHICLE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

TSB 05-06-01-007A THIS HAS HAPPENED TO MY CADI ON AT LEAST THREE OCCASIONS. FIRST TIME, CADILLAC DEALER CHARGED TO REPLACE THERMOSTAT. DIDN'T WORK. NEXT TIME, REPAIR SHOP REPLACED OIL GASKET. DIDN'T WORK. THIS TIME I FOUND THE BELOW DESCRIPTION ON LINE AND WILL ASK MY REPAIR SHOP TO FIX. IF THIS IS RECURRING TO CTS OWNERS, THERE REALLY SHOULD BE A RECALL. IT IS ALSO A FIRE HAZARD. IRRITATING. MY RESEARCH FOUND THE BELOW AND IT IS RIGHT ON TARGET.....IT RARELY HAPPENS BECAUSE IT IS RARELY BELOW 10 DEGREES IN MY NECK OF THE WOODS.... THE CAR INVOLVED WAS A 2003 CADILLAC CTS. STARTED VEHICLE IN APPROXIMATELY 7 DEGREE WEATHER. AFTER STARTING VEHICLE AND RUNNING FOR APPROXIMATELY 15 MINUTES NOTICE SEVERE POWER LOSS. WITHIN NEXT COUPLE OF MINUTES BLACK SMOKE WITH EXTREME BURNING SMELL FLOODED VEHICLE INTERIOR COMPARTMENT ALSO SMOKE STARTS TO COME FROM UNDER HOOD OF VEHICLE. PULLED INTO SAFE LOCATION FOUND HUGE OIL LEAK ON LEFT SIDE OF ENGINE AROUND VALVE COVER. COULD HAVE POSSIBLY STARTED A FIRE DUE TO HIGHLY COMBUSTIBLE OIL BEING BLOWN ON ENGINE BUT LUCKILY DID NOT CATCH ON FIRE. CHECK ON-LINE FOUND TSB 05-06-01-007A STATING GM KNOWS THIS IS A PROBLEM. "WHEN OPERATING IN EXTREMELY COLD WEATHERCONDITIONS, SOME 2003-2004 VEHICLES WITH 3. 2L V6 ENGINE MAY LEAK ENGINE OIL FROM THE CAM/VALVE SEALS, ESPECIALLY FROM THE LEFT SIDE JUST BELOW THE OIL FILL HOLE IN THE CAM/VALVE COVER. " THIS IS QUITE A BIT MORE THAN A LEAK SINCE APPROXIMATELY A QUART OF OIL WAS BLOWN ON THE ENGINE IN ONLY A COUPLE MINUTES. IF THE ENGINE WOULD HAVE BEEN HOTTER THERE COULD EASILY HAVE BEEN A FIRE. SINCE THIS IS A KNOW ISSUE WITH A KNOWN CAUSE SHOULDN'T THIS BE TAKEN CARE OF BY GM OR AT LEAST THE SAFETY OF THE DRIVERS AND PASSENGERS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED. IT COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE IF THE VEHICLE WOULD HAVE CAUGHT FIRE. *TR

MY GIRLFRIEND AND I WERE GOING TO A FRIENDS HOUSE TO SPEND THE NIGHT. AT AROUND 2AM ON 12/09/2013 AS I WAS COMING AROUND A CORNER I HIT A PATCH OF ICE AND LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR. MY 2003 CTS SLID ACROSS THE ONCOMING LANE OF TRAFFIC AND HIT A TREE STUMP ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE TREE STUMP IMPACTED THE DRIVERS SIDE FRONT TIRE, SHATTERING THE FRONT WHEEL AND TIRE THE FLIPPED THE CAR ONTO THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. MY CAR WAS COMPLETELY TOTALED AND BOTH ME AND MY GIRLFRIEND WERE TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL. WITH ALL THE DAMAGE AND SEVERAL TYPES OF IMPACTS DONE TO THE CADILLAC CTS NOT A SINGLE AIR BAG WAS DEPLOYED. THIS SEEMS VERY ODD TO ME AND IM HOPING SOMEBODY CAN SHED SOME LIGHT ON THIS FOR ME. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CADILLAC CTS. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL MALFUNCTIONED AND AN ABNORMAL CRACKING NOISE WAS HEARD. IN ADDITION, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED AND BECAME VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 138,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CADILLAC CTS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE SWAYED ABNORMALLY FROM SIDE TO SIDE WITH THE ILLUMINATION OF THE STABILITY TRACTION SENSOR LIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE IT WAS STATED THAT THE STABILITY TRACTION SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,204. THE CONSUMER STATED BACK IN 2012, SHE STARTED HAVING ISSUES WITH THE STABILITY TRACTION ENGAGED DISPLAYING ON THE SCREEN. WHEN THE FOOT PEDAL STARTED TO VIBRATE, SHE CHECKED THE MANUAL TO FIND THE CAUSE, AND IT STATED THE STABILITY TRACTION SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. AFTER BEING QUOTED A PRICE, OF $500, SHE DECIDED TO WAIT. BUT, ON MAY 29, 2013, WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY, AT 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE STARTED TO HOP ACROSS THE LANE, THE STABILITY TRACTION ENGAGED WAS DISPLAYED ON THE SCREEN. THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO DRIVE TO THE DEALER, WHERE SHE WAS INFORMED, AGAIN ABOUT THE TRACTION CONTROL SENSOR. UPDATED 11/20/13

WE OWN A 2003 CADILLAC CTS THAT WE BOUGHT NEW BACK IN LATE 2002. IT CURRENTLY HAS ABOUT 85,000 LIGHTLY DRIVEN MILES. ABOUT 1 1/2 YEARS AGO, THE ENGINE BECOME STUCK AT HIGH REVOLUTIONS. IN OTHER WORDS, THE CAR ACCELERATED TO HIGH SPEED AND WOULD NOT SLOW DOWN. HAD TO TURN OFF THE ENGINE TO REGAIN CONTROL. WE REFERRED TO THIS AS A "THROTTLE CONTROL" PROBLEM--ALTHOUGH THAT MAY NOT BE THE CORRECT TERMINOLOGY. IT WAS REPAIRED BY THE CADILLAC DEALER AT THAT TIME (AT CONSIDERABLE COST). SINCE THEN, THE SAME PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED TWO MORE TIMES. IT WAS REPAIRED BY THE DEALER ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO BUT THE PROBLEM HAS NOW RETURNED FOR A THIRD TIME.THE CAR IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AS UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION MAY OCCUR AT ANY MOMENT. MOST RECENTLY, THE DEALER CLAIMS THAT THE PROBLEM IS DUE TO THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (COMPUTER)--BUT IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN IF THAT WILL INDEED REPAIR THE PROBLEM. ON ANOTHER OCCASION, WHILE ON A SHORT TRIP ABOUT 9 MONTHS AGO, THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RUN EXTREMELY UNEVENLY--BARELY FUNCTIONING. WE LIMPED INTO A CADILLAC DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS TWO FAULTY COILS. THEY REPLACED THOSE (AGAIN AS CONSIDERABLE COST) AND THE CAR RAN WELL AGAIN--UNTIL THIS LATEST EPISODE OF UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION WHERE THE ENGINE BECOMES STUCK AT EXTREMELY HIGH REVOLUTIONS. *TR

THIS MORNING WHEN I BACKED MY CTS OUT OF THE PARKING SPOT TO GO TO WORK I NOTICED THE BRAKES WERE A LITTLE SOFT. I THEN PARKED THE CAR AND OPENED THE HOOD TO LOOK AT THE BRAKE FLUID RESERVOIR AND NOTICED IT WASN'T COMPLETELY FULL BUT THERE WAS STILL A SUFFICIENT LEVEL OF FLUID. I THEN LOOKED AT THE GROUND AND NOTICED A LINE OF LIQUID THAT TRACED MY MOVEMENT BACKWARDS OUT OF THE PARKING SPOT AND THEN BACK INTO THE PARKING SPOT, THIS LIQUID WAS BRAKE FLUID. IMAGINE MY SURPRISE AT HAVING A SECOND GM VEHICLE WITH A BRAKE LINE FAILURE 30 DAYS AFTER EXPERIENCING A BRAKE LINE FAILURE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY 40+ YEARS OF DRIVING AND OWNING VEHICLES. THE FIRST WAS A 2001 TAHOE WHICH I REPORTED LAST MONTH TO NHTSA AND WHICH COST ME OVER $1,000 TO REPLACE ALL OF THE BRAKE LINES. AFTER WORK THIS EVENING I EXAMINED THE CTS AND DISCOVERED EXTREME CORROSION IN THE TWO BRAKE LINES RUNNING FROM THE MASTER CYLINDER TO THE ABS UNIT IN THE FRONT OF THE ENGINE BAY. THE CORROSION IS WORST WHERE THE LINES RUN BEHIND THE RADIATOR AND IT APPEARS BOTH LINES HAVE FAILED. THE LORD MUST HAVE BEEN LOOKING OUT AFTER ME BECAUSE LAST NIGHT I DROVE 37 MILES FROM BALTIMORE ON THE INTERSTATE. HAD THE BRAKES FAILED THEN I IMAGINE I WOULD HAVE BEEN IN A SPECTACULAR ACCIDENT ON I-95 THAT MAY HAVE TAKEN MY LIFE AS WELL AS OTHERS. GM RECALLED THE CTS FOR BRAKE LINE CORROSION BY THE CALIPERS WHERE THE LINE CONNECTS INSIDE A RUBBER PIECE. NHTSA IS INVESTIGATING BRAKE LINE CORROSION ON 1999 TO 2003 FULL SIZE GM TRUCKS AND PICKUPS AND I SUGGEST THE INVESTIGATION BE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE ALL GM VEHICLES OF THIS VINTAGE AS IT APPEARS GM USED AN INFERIOR GRADE OF STEEL IN THEIR BRAKE LINES IN ALL OF THE VEHICLES. *TR

STARTING AROUND SEPTEMBER, MY CAR WOULD RANDOMLY SHUT OFF WHILE IN MOTION, AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. AFTER HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS IN DIAGNOSTIC FEES, I FOUND SOME CADILLAC FORUMS STATING IT WAS A CRANK SHAFT SENSOR MALFUNCTION, WHICH IS COMMON IN 2003 MODELS. MY CAR WOULD ALSO SHOW THE TRACTION CONTROL WAS OFF WITH NO WARNING, AND NOT GET OUT OF GEAR WHILE BEING ON, WITH NO WARNING AS WELL. THE COMPUTER SYSTEM WOULD SHOW LOW OIL PRESSURE AND OTHER WARNINGS ALTHOUGH NOTHING WAS WRONG. AND LASTLY, AT AROUND 78,000 MILES, WHILE DRIVING 70 ON A HIGHWAY, THE CAR MAKE A HUGE BANG, AND SMOKE ERUPTED, ALMOST CAUSING ME TO CRASH ON THE HIGHWAY. ALL THE OIL LEAKED OUT, AND THE CAR WON'T START. I'M BEING TOLD TO REPLACE MY ENTIRE ENGINE BECAUSE OF A POSSIBLE HEAD GASKET, WHICH ACCORDING TO MULTIPLE FORUMS, TENDS TO BE FAULTY IN THE '03 MODELS. THESE SHOULD OBVIOUSLY BE RECALLED IF SO MANY CARS ARE AFFECTED. I'M PAYING OVER 5000 DOLLARS IN REPAIRS AND COSTS FOR THIS. I REFUSE TO EVER LET ANYONE I KNOW, AS WELL AS MYSELF, PURCHASE ANOTHER CADILLAC, UNLESS THIS GETS RESOLVED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CADILLAC CTS. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS THE THIRD BRAKE LIGHT WOULD NOT ILLUMINATE UPON DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE REAR BRAKE LIGHT PLASTIC PANEL HOUSING WAS FAULTY. IN ADDITION, THE CENTER OF THE FRAME EXHIBITED SEVERE CORROSION. THE DEFECT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR WAS IT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE DEFECT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNAVAILABLE. UPDATED 09/05/13 *LJ