1994 Cadillac Seville

REAR BRAKES LOCKED UP WHILE DRIVING FIVE TIMES IN THE PAST YEAR, CAUSING THE REAR BRAKE PADS TO SMOKE AND CATCH ON FIRE. CONSUMER REPLACED THE REAR CALIPERS/ROTORS AND MASTER CYLINDER. CONSUMER CALLED GMC, AND WAS TOLD THAT WARRANTY EXPIRED, AND THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. EACH TIME THIS HAPPENED CONSUMER WAS IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, AND WAS ALMOST REAR ENDED. *AK

WHILE DRIVING, VEHICLE'S POSITVE BATTERY POST WILL OPEN CAUSING VEHICLE TO SHUT OFF AND UNABLE TO START. DEALER NOTIFIED. TS DEALERSHIP STATED STRESS ON THE POSITIVE TERMINAL CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO DIE OUT, THE BATTERY TO CRACK AND LEAK ACID. CORROSION WAS ALSO FOUND IN THE BATTERY TRAY AND THE BATTERY AND CABLES HAD TO BE REPLACED. THIS IS THE FOURTH BATTERY REPLACED. *TT

THERE IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH CRANK CASE LOWER SEAL ON THE 4.6 NORTHSTAR ENGINE AND MANUFACTURER HAS NOT RESPONDED. OIL LEAK IS HITTING EXAUST AND CAT CONVERTER WHICH COULD CAUSE A FIRE. THIS SHOULD BE A SAFETY ISSUE AND A RECALL FOR REPAIR. THERE IS A TSB ON THIS ISSUE , BUT NO RECALL. I WANT A FIX!!! LOCAL DEALER WANTS OVER $2000 FOR REPAIR! DT

ON 7/25/01, ENGINE OVERHEATED AS PER ENGINE SCREEN. 255 DEGREES. REPLACED "FAILED THERMOSTAT" TOPPED OFF COOLANT AND RECHECKED. CAR SMELLED LIKE ENGINE HOT. VEHICLE LOST COOLANT. CALLED PUTNAM CADILLAC/BUICK. THEY CHANGED OIL & CHECKED. NO DETECTION OF OVERHEATING. 7/23/02 CAR DRIVEN TO PUTNAM CADILLAC. $5,153 CHARGED TO TEAR DOWN HEADS & FOUND 5 STRIPPED HEAD BOLTS ON FRONT BANK AND ONE ON REAR BANK. SIX TOTAL THREAD REPAIRS. CYLINDER HEAD PRESSURE TESTED. RESURFACED & RESET VALVES. 6 HELI COILS INSTALLED. REINSTALL CYLINDER HEADS AFTER MACHINE SHOP REPAIRS. HEADS WERE CHECKED FOR WARPAGE DUE TO EXTREME HEAT CAUSED BY MANUFACTURER'S OVER-TORQUING THE HEAD BOLTS AND SPINNING THEM IN THEIR THREADS. NEW VALVE SEALS ADDED. REPLACED WATER PUMP. CADILLAC SERVICING CENTER REVEALED THAT NUMEROUS OTHER 94 SLS CADILLACS HAVE BEEN REPORTED AT OTHER SERVICE CENTERS TO HAVE THE SAME FLAW OF "LOOSE HEADBOLTS COMING LOOSE FROM THE ENGINE BLOCK CAUSING HEAD GASKETS TO LEAK & OVERHEATING." THIS IS DANGEROUS AND EXPENSIVE BECAUSE THE COMPUTER IN THE ENGINE STATES "SHUT OFF ENGINE" THIS OCCURRED JULY 23, 2002 WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT . WE HAD TO PULL OFF THE SHOULDER OF THE FREEWAY AND ALLOW THE CAR'S TEMPERATURE TO DECLINE. WE LIMPED HOME DANGEROUSLY BY HAVING TO DRIVE SLOWLY AND STOP SEVERAL TIMES TO KEEP THE TEMPERATURE DOWN.*AK

ENGINE SHUT DOWN WHILE DRIVING UP MOUNTAIN ROAD DUE TO OVERHEATING. PROBLEM DIAGNOSED BY DEALER AS BLOWN HEAD GASKETS DUE TO LOOSENING OF HEAD BOLTS. PROBLEM IS USE OF STEEL BOLTS DIRECTLY IN ALUMINUM BLOCK WHICH VIBRATE LOOSE OVER TIME, CAUSING LOSS OF ENGINE COOLANT. WIDELY RECOGNIZED PROBLEM BY REPAIR SHOPS AND THERE IS A TECHNICAL SEVICE BULLETIN ADDRESSING THIS REPAIR; NEVERTHELESS CADILLAC CLAIMS IT IS NOT AWARE OF ANY DESIGN DEFECT AND REFUSES TO ASSIST WITH REPAIR. REPAIR COST $4,600 TO REBUILD ENGINE OR $7,800 TO REPLACE ENGINE. PROBLEM DEVELOPED WITH NO WARNING AND CAUSED OCCUPANT AND FAMILY TO BE STRANDED.*AK

CAR WAS PARKED FOR ABOUT 1 MONTH. IT WAS STARTED, ALLOWED TO RUN FOR A FEW MINUTES, THEN MOVED APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET TO ANOTHER LOCATION IN OUR YARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF AND THE KEYS REMOVED. ABOUT 20 MIN. LATER, SMOKE WAS SEEN COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD. BURNING PIECES OF PLASTIC WERE SEEN FALLING FROM UNDERNEATH THE DASH ON THE INSIDE OF THE CAR. TWO FIRE EXTINGUISHERS WERE EMPTIED IN ATTEMPT TO PUT OUT THE FLAMES WITHOUT SUCCESS. THE CAR WAS COMPLETELY ENGULFED IN FLAMES WITHIN A FEW MINUTES. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED ON THE SCENE AND FINALLY PUT OUT THE FIRE. THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE WAS UNDETERMINED BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. WE CONTACTED THE PRODUCT ALLEGATIONS DEPT. AT CADILLAC. THEY ASSUME NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR LOSS. OUR INSURANCE HAD EXPIRED 11 DAYS PRIOR TO THE FIRE WITHOUT OUR KNOWLEDGE. THEY FAILED TO NOTIFY US OR OUR LEIN HOLDER THAT WE NO LONGER HAD INSURANCE ON THE CAR. *AK