2004 CADILLAC CTS Complaints

OIL LEAKING FROM REAR DIFF IN 2004. DEALER REPLACED SEAL, BUT LEAKED AGAIN IN 2006 AND DEALER THEN REPLACED REAR DIFF. THEN IN 2007 A SEAL ON THE NEW DIFF LEAKED AND WAS REPLACED. IT APPEARS THAT THE REAR DIFF IS IMPROPERLY DESIGNED AND WILL CONTINUE TO FAIL OUTSIDE MY WARRANTY PERIOD. IN MY OPINION, THE REAR DIFF IS THE ONLY DESIGN PROBLEM WITH THE 2004 CTS. *JB

REAR DIFFERENTIAL LEAKING - DRIVER SIDE AXEL SEAL WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED AGAIN. WAS REPLACED FOR SAME ISSUE AT ABOUT 6K MILES NOW SAME PROBLEM AT ABOUT 10K MILES, I SUSPECT THE CASE IS WARPING. *JB

1) I TOOK MY CAR IN ON 3/30 COMPLAINING OF A LEAKING REAR DIFFERENTIAL. I WAS INFORMED NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. 4/20 I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT NORMAL SPEEDS. I DOWN SHIFTED AND HEARD A LOUD BANG. THE ENGINE REVVED YET THE CAR WOULDN'T MOVE. THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL HAD QUITE LITERALLY EXPLODED. 2) THE HOUSING TO THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL SHATTERED CAUSING ONE OF THE BOLTS TO COME OUT AND THE REMAINDER OF THE HOUSING TO HANG AT AN ANGLE. THE INTERNALS OF THE DIFFERENTIAL LOOKED AS THOUGH A GRENADE HAD BEEN SET OFF IN THEM. THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR HALF SHAFT WAS HANGING OUT OF THE HOUSING. 3) I'M CURRENTLY LOCKED IN A FIGHT WITH MY LOCAL CADILLAC DEALERSHIP. THEY ARE TRYING TO REFUSE WARRANTY. *JB

COME TO STOP SIGN PUT FOOT ON BRAKE PEDAL TO STOP. INSTEAD OF STOPPING CAR STARTED TO ACCELERATE AND WOULD NOT STOP WITH BRAKE PEDAL APPLIED UNTIL IT WITH THROUGH NEIGHBORS BARN. TOTALLED VEHICLE. PASSENGER VERIFIES BRAKE WAS BEING APPLIED DURING THIS INCIDENT. *JB

2004 CADILLAC CTS-V REAR DIFFERENTIAL LEAK\NOISE. HOWLING DIFFERENTIAL REPLACED 2005. NEW ONE NOW LEAKS AND WHINES. *NM

UPON COMPLETION OF AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY TRIP AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, I PULLED INTO MY DRIVEWAY AND CAME TO AN INVOLUNTARY DEAD STOP WITH A LOUD NOISE WITH THE RH FRONT END RESTING ON THE WHEEL. THE SUSPENSION ON THE GROUND. THE NUT RETAINING THE LOWER BALL JOINT WAS MISSING. THE RH SIDES OF FRONT END COLLAPSED ON R FRONT WHEEL.. 2004 CADILLAC CTS. EARLIER MODELS HAD FACTORY RECALL FOR SAME LOOSE NUT NOT THIS MODEL. FRONT END COLLAPSING ON FRONT WHEEL AT HIGH SPEED IS GUARANTEED CATASTROPHE. IF A NUT IS RELIED ON TO RETAIN BALL JOINT, THAT NUT MUST BE POSITIVELY PREVENTED FROM LOOSENING BY HOLE THRU BOTH NUT AND BOLT, WITH COTTER PIN THROUGH HOLES. NO SUCH BASIC SAFETY IN EVIDENCE. DESIGN FLAW CATALYTIC CTS 2004 AND EARLIER MODELSA ALSO SUSPECTED. USED TO BE LOOSE LIPS SINK SHIPS - NOW - LOOSE NUTS KILL PEOPLE. BAD BAD BAD. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE PULLING INTO THE DRIVEWAY UNDER NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS AT 10 MPH, THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE COLLAPSED. THERE WAS NO PRIOR WARNING BEFORE THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO DETERMINED THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO THE NUT HOLDING THE BOLT OF THE LOWER FRONT BALL JOINTS WAS MISSING. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AND NO FURTHER PROBLEMS OCCURRED. THE CONTACT WROTE THE MANUFACTURER A LETTER PERTAINING TO THE PROBLEM THAT OCCURRED, AND HAD NOT RECEIVED A REPLY AS OF YET. *NM UPDATED 10/30/06. *JB

SO ILL START OFF WITH ABOUT COMPLAINING TO THE DEALER ABOUT MY REAR END MAKING A MOANING WHINNING SOUND. I WENT IN MORE THAN ONCE TO TELL THEM ABOUT HOW IT KEEPS GETTING LOUDER AND THAT I KNOW SOMETHING IS NOT CORRECT. I AM CURRENTLY SELLING MY CAR AND WANT IT PERFECT FOR ANYONE WHO BUYS IT. THE CADILLAC DEALERSHIP KEEPS TELLING ME THAT ALL OF THIS IS NORMAL AND THEY DO NOTHING. SO LET ME TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW IT ALL STARTS. I WAS AT A RACEWAY ROAD COURSE PRACTICING DRIVING ONE OF MY RACE CARS FOR A RACE THAT I HAVE COMING UP. MY GIRLFRIEND WANTED TO GO AROUND THE TRACK A FEW TIMES TO SEE HOW IT FELT SO I TOOK HER FOR A LITTLE RIDE IN THE CADILLAC NOTHING MORE THAN DRIVING UP A WINDEY ROAD. WE PACK UP OUR STUFF AND I LEAVE WITH MY GIRLFRIEND TO MEET MY FOLKS FOR DINNER. I STARTED DRIVING UP A FREEWAY ON RAMP AND HIT A LITTLE BIT OF WATER AS I WAS ACCELERATING THEN GET A LITTLE BIT OF WHEEL HOP AND BOOM! MY CAR SUDDENLY STOPS IN FRONT OF A BIG RIG THAT WAS ON MY TAIL THE WHOLE TIME AND I BARELY HAVE TIME TO MOVE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITHOUT GETTING RAN OVER. I TRAILER MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY TELL ME MY CAR WAS ABUSED! I KNEW ABOUT THE REAR ENDS AND DIDN'T WANT TO DEAL WITH THE CAR AND ALL ITS PROBLEMS AND THAT IS WHY I DIDN'T WANT TO RISK DEALING WITH IT. I FEEL THAT THIS IS A HUGE HAZARD THAT CADILLAC SEEMS TO JUST BE IGNORING. THEY NEED TO DO SOMETHING BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED. I KEEP THINKING ABOUT IT AND HOW IT COULD HAVE BEEN A LOT WORSE FOR ME AND MY GIRLFRIEND. THE DEALERSHIP REFUSED TO FIX THIS PROBLEM BUT AT LEAST WE WALKED AWAY! NOW I AM SCARED FOR WHOMEVER I SELL THIS CAR TOO. SOMEONE FROM THIS WEBSITE NEEDS TO DO A GOOGLE ON ALL OF THE PROBLEMS WE ARE HAVING BECAUSE I DON'T THINK PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THIS WEBSITE. THANKS GUYS, MICHAEL LEBARD. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED AT VARIOUS SPEEDS WITHOUT WARNING, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE ABOVE 20 MPH. ALSO, WITHOUT WARNING, THE VEHICLE STALLED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, AND WOULD NOT RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, WHO REPLACED THE THROTTLE TWICE AND THE THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY HARNESS, BUT THE PROBLEM PERSISTED. *AK UPDATED 10/25/2006 - *NM

THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL ON MY CADILLAC CTS-V HAS FAILED TWICE IN THE 20,100 MILES THAT I HAVE DRIVEN IT. *JB