2003 CADILLAC CTS Complaints

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

MY CAR FAIL TO STOP ON THE INTERSTATE I-80 CAUSED A CRASH . WITH ALOT INJURY ON MY BODY . *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

BOUGHT CAR FOR TEENAGE DAUGHTER AND THE AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON. FOUND OUT 2005-2007 HAD A RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE. CADILLAC REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR REPAIRS. I AM CONCERNED THAT UNTIL PARTS COME IN MY NEW DRIVER IS UNPROTECTED IF IN AN ACCIDENT. *TR

AS I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY, THE STABILITY CONTROL LIGHT CAME ON, THEN THE BRAKES SEEMED TO JERK A LITTLE AND THE CAR LOST MOST OF IT'S POWER. I HAD A MECHANIC TEST IT, AND THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND A REASON FOR IT. THE STABILITY CONTROL LIGHT STAYED ON, BUT I DIDN'T SEEM TO HAVE THE PROBLEM AGAIN UNTIL ABOUT 2-3 MONTHS LATER WHEN I WAS GOING 70 DOWN THE HIGHWAY, LOST ALL POWER AND THE MOTOR SHUT DOWN. CADILLAC WOULD NOT RESTART, HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED OVER 2 HOURS BACK HOME, ONLY TO FIND THAT THIS TIME THE TIMING BELT HAD BROKEN AND THE MOTOR IS BLOWN SINCE THESE CARS HAVE INTERFERENCE MOTORS WHICH CAUSES THE VALVES TO GET BENT WHEN THE TIMING BELT BREAKS. I AM NOW WITHOUT A VEHICLE AND WAS ALMOST IN 2 ACCIDENTS DUE TO THIS. ANOTHER ISSUE IS THE LIGHT COVER FROM THE LIGHTS ON THE TRUNK CAME OFF IN THE CAR WASH AND BROKE. APPARENTLY THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE YET CADILLAC REFUSES TO FIX IT. THEIR ADHESIVE WAS NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO HOLD ON THE PLASTIC. THIS WAS MY FIRST CADILLAC, AND WILL BE MY LAST. THEY ARE DANGEROUS AND THEY REFUSE TO FIX THEIR FAILURES. *TR

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER. I WAS ALMOST HIT BY THE CARS BEHIND ME. THE TIMING BELT HAD BROKEN, AND THE MOTOR IS NOW BLOWN DUE TO THE VALVES BEING BENT. THIS WAS NOT ONLY DANGEROUS FOR ME AND MY FAMILY, BUT IS VERY VERY COSTLY. I HAD PREVIOUS ISSUE WITH THE VEHICLE LOSING POWER ONCE WHILE DRIVING, ALSO ALMOST GOT INTO ACCIDENT, BUT THE MECHANIC COULD NOT FIND THE CAUSE. THIS WAS ABOUT 3 MONTHS EARLIER. IT ONLY HAPPENED ON THE HIGHWAY GOING BETWEEN 60 - 70 MPH. THIS IS SO DANGEROUS! I WAS OVER 2 HOURS FROM HOME, AND HAD TO PAY A RIDICULOUS AMOUNT TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED BACK HOME. *TR