2003 Cadillac Cts

HAVE 2003 CADILLAC CTS, HAD THE DIFFERENTIAL REPLACED BECAUSE IT WAS HOWLING & GETTING WORSE (THIS IS COMMON COMPLAINT BY OWNERS OF 2003 - 2005 CTS MODELS - SEE CADILLAC USERS GROUP, CTS FORUM). PICKED UP CAR AFTER DIFFERENTIAL WAS REPLACED. DROVE APPROXIMATELY 2 MILES FROM DEALER WHEN DIFFERENTIAL LOCKED UP AT 50 MPH. MANAGED TO CONTROL SLIDE/SKID AND SLIDE OFF FOUR-LANE ROAD SURFACE WITHOUT HITTING OTHER VEHICLES, BUT HAD IT HAPPENED A MILE FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD, I'D HAVE BEEN ON I-85 IN HEAVY INTERSTATE TRAFFIC AT 70 MPH... DEALER REPLACED FAILED REAR END WITH ANOTHER NEW ONE WHICH, THUS FAR (500 MILES OR SO) IS TROUBLE-FREE, BUT IN VIEW OF THE PROBLEMS I & OTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED WITH THESE UNITS, I HAVE LITTLE CONFIDENCE THAT THE BASIC PROBLEM HAS BEEN RESOLVED. UNCOMFORTABLE AT THOUGHT OF DEPENDING ON VEHICLE FROM BOTH SAFETY & BASIC TRANSPORT ASPECT - RELUCTANT TO CONTEMPLATE A LONG DISTANCE TRIP FOR THESE REASONS. CALLED CADILLAC & THEY SENT A WARRANTY RIDER EXTENDING COVERAGE OF THE DIFFERENTIAL/CARRIER ASSEMBLY TO 2010 OR 100,000 MILES, WHICH IS USEFUL. HOWEVER, GM MINDSET SEEMS TO BE THAT IT IS CHEAPER TO REPLACE THESE UNITS AS THEY FAIL WITH NEW UNITS WITH THE SAME FLAW , THAN IT IS TO DETERMINE WHY THEY ARE FAILING, CORRECT THE FLAW & PROVIDE OWNERS WITH REDESIGNED, SAFE UNITS. I MAY BE OFF A BIT ON THE ACTUAL DATE OF THE INCIDENT INVOLVING FAILURE OF DIFFERENTIAL AS MY DEALER, CLASSIC CADILLAC IN MONTGOMERY, AL, HAS NOT AS OF YET PROVIDED ME A COPY OF THE PAPERWORK DOCUMENTING THE INCIDENT & INSTALLATION OF THE THIRD DIFFERENTIAL. I CALLED MY SERVICE REP YESTERDAY & HE APOLOGIZED FOR THE "OVERSIGHT" & SAID THEY'D MAIL ME THE DOCUMENTATION. THE DIFFERENTIAL THAT SEIZED IS NOT AVAILABLE - I TOLD THEM I WANTED TO SEE IT, BUT WAS INFORMED THAT THEY HAD TO SEND IT BACK IN ORDER TO GET ANOTHER REPLACEMENT. *NM

THERE NEEDS TO BE AN IN-DEPTH INVESTIGATION REGARDING THE NUMBER OF CTS AND CTS-V REAR DIFFERENTIALS THAT HAVE BEEN REPLACED. I HAVE NOW BEEN THROUGH 2 PERSONALLY, AND AN ONLINE POLL OF 65 CTS-V OWNERS SHOWED THIS: 26% HAVE HAD 1 REPLACEMENT, 5% HAVE HAD 2 OR MORE REPLACED, AND 8% HAVE HAD 3 OR MORE REPLACED. THE LINK FOR THIS POLL IS: HTTP://CADILLACFORUMS.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?P=305662&POSTED=1#POST305662. PLEASE CONTACT ME REGARDING ANY INFORMATION LEARNED. THANK YOU. *AK!

BOUGHT CAR IN AUGUST OF 2004, THIS IS THE FOURTH TIME CAR HAS BEEN PUT IN SHOP. CAR WOULD BE STILL RUNNING BUT "ENGINE REDUCE POWER DISPLAYED ON SCREEN", NO GAS WOULD GO TO PEDAL I WOULD HAVE TO COAST TO A SAFE LOCATION. DEALER CLAIMS IT IS THE THROTTLE BODY, EACH TIME THEY SAY THEY HAVE REPAIRED IT BUT THIS IS NUMBER 4. REPLACED A COMPUTER CHIP, FLUSHED OUT THROTTLE BODY COMPONENT, REPLACE CRAKED CRANK SHAFT CASE, HAVEN'T HEARD WHAT NOW THEY ARE REPLACING.

2003 CADILLAC CTS, NO SEVICE LIGHTS ON, WHEN STOPPED AT LIGHT, SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD, THEN SMOKE INSIDE OF THE CAR. TURNED OFF ENGINE AND ASSISTANCE OPENED THE HOOD, FLAME UNDER HOOD AND SMOKE FROM FIRE NEAR BATTERY. WAS TOLD THAT PVC VALVE BURST UNDER PRESSURE FROM COLD OUTSIDE TEMPERATURES, CAUSED OIL TO SPRAY OVER ENGINE AND UNDER HOOD AND BECAUSE ENGINE WAS HOT FROM USE, CAUSED IT TO IGNITE. ALSO TOLD THAT THIS WAS THE 3-4TH CAR REPORTED LAST WEEK TO ONE DEALERSHIP WITH SAME PROBLEM. NOT SURE WHAT REPAIRS WERE DONE, CAR IS REPAIRED TODAY.*AK

NOTICED A HIGH-PITCHED WHINE COMING FROM REAR AT 50000 MILES. STOPPED BY THE DEALERSHIP, THE SERVICE MANAGER DROVE THE VEHICLE AND STATED IT WAS THE TIRES CAUSING THE NOISE. CONTINUED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE, SOUND BECAME MORE PRONOUNCED. A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT APPEARED, SO NEEDED TO SERVICE THE CAR. THIS REPAIR WAS UNRELATED TO THE WHINE, AN EMISSION CONTROL VALVE HAD FAILED. WHILE AT THE DEALERSHIP REQUESTED THEY CHECK, AGAIN, THE WHINE FROM THE REAR. WAS NOTIFIED THAT INDEED IT WAS THE DIFFERENTIAL THAT NEEDED REPLACING. HAVE NOT TAKEN POSSESSION OF THE VEHICLE, BUT AM CONCERNED ABOUT DRIVING IT NOW. MUCH CONCERNED ABOUT THE RELIABILITY OF THE VEHICLE.*AK

RECALL 03V115000 CONCERNING INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT BOLT. WHILE DRIVING 5-10 MPH VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST, STEERING GEAR OFF TO THE RIGHT AND HIT A CURB. THIS WAS THE SECOND INCIDENT THAT OCCURRED WITH THIS ISSUE. *AK THE CONSUMER STATED THAT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT THE BREAK LINE WAS BAD AS INDICATED ON THE TRACTION CONTROL INDICATOR. *TC