1997 Cadillac Catera
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Vehicles › Cadillac › Catera › 1997
These records cover every 1997 Cadillac Catera. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Owner complaints
163 complaints8 involved a crash3 involved a fire8 injuries
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Steering
I was leaving my house and driving out of my complex when the steering wheel locked up on me. I have been unable to turn it for two days. *Tr
- Engine and engine cooling
Tensioner pulley locked up. The tensioner stopped turning. As a result of this, the drive belt shredded like spaghetti and then melted. I avoided an accident by applying brakes and then having the car towed. Total repair cost: $729. *Tr
- Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 cadillac catera. while driving at any speed the vehicle overheated. the contact noticed smoke coming from the hood and antifreeze leaking from the vehicle. on may 2, 2007 the vehicle was taken to the dealer, who stated that there was a hole in the antifreeze line, but the vehicle was not repaired. the current mileage IS 80,100, and failure mileage was 58,600.*ak
- Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch
1997-1999 cadillac catera door latch failures. Per the yahoo group web site I belong to, catera owners, this vehicle suffers chronic door latch failures, trapping occupants inside or not latching. This can be an extremely dangerous situation. My own vehicle has suffered this defect. the latches…
1997-1999 cadillac catera door latch failures. Per the yahoo group web site I belong to, catera owners, this vehicle suffers chronic door latch failures, trapping occupants inside or not latching. This can be an extremely dangerous situation. My own vehicle has suffered this defect. the latches have plastic that breaks and jams the mechanism. Or simply fail to latch or unlatch. I have had both situations. The doors will not open or will not close (latch). I feel this defect has by pure luck not caused (any known) fatalities, but, only a matter of time and warrants a look. *nm
- Structure › Body › Trunk lid
Dt: the contact stated after opening the trunk of the vehicle the trunk fell on him. the supports that were suppose to keep the trunk in the open position failed. the contact sustained minor injuries. the dealership said the failure was with the lift supports. There were no previous problems with the trunk or signs of rust. the vehicle will be taken to a body shop for repairs. *ak updated 01/11/06. *Jb
- Engine and engine cooling › Exhaust system › Emission control
My vehicle IS a 97 cadillac catera and has had the starter replaced and still will not start. two car lots have had the vehicle at the cadillac dealership now and they are giving me the run around they say that its the mass airflow sensor but still have not replaced it yet I'm wondering why…
My vehicle IS a 97 cadillac catera and has had the starter replaced and still will not start. two car lots have had the vehicle at the cadillac dealership now and they are giving me the run around they say that its the mass airflow sensor but still have not replaced it yet I'm wondering why cadillac has not notified people of this problem when I'm being told that it IS a common problem with cateras of them not starting. *Jb
- Electrical system · Electrical system › Ignition · Electrical system › Wiring · Exterior lighting › Hazard flashing warning lights › Switch · Exterior lighting › Headlights › Switch
Dt: contact complained about electrical problems. when the hazard lights were on, all the gauges started jumping around, when the headlight switch was pushed forward the headlights stayed on for about an hour or longer. also, when the key was out of the ignition. after the vehicle was…
Dt: contact complained about electrical problems. when the hazard lights were on, all the gauges started jumping around, when the headlight switch was pushed forward the headlights stayed on for about an hour or longer. also, when the key was out of the ignition. after the vehicle was restarted and the control IS pulled back the headlights functioned normally, the air condition controls did not work, and the O2 sensor did not respond. the spark plugs and wires havd been replaced. *ak
- Engine and engine cooling › Exhaust system › Manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
Vehicle shuts down and pulls to the right. Vehicle has been serviced numerous times, and performance IS still unsatisfactory. Currently, vehicle IS in the repair shop since smoke IS coming from the engine and the rear tail pipe.*ak
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine
-My 97 cadilac catera stalled 7/3/04 . -7/6/04 called trenor motor company (springfield, oh). Service manager refused to look at car. -7/7/04 it appeared as though a recall on the tensioner pulley had not been done. Pulled record on car and found that the recall involving the tensioner pulley…
-My 97 cadilac catera stalled 7/3/04 . -7/6/04 called trenor motor company (springfield, oh). Service manager refused to look at car. -7/7/04 it appeared as though a recall on the tensioner pulley had not been done. Pulled record on car and found that the recall involving the tensioner pulley work was in fact issued (and paid for) by general motors to trenor.-7/17/04 district service manager approved tear down time at jeff wyler, springfield, oh, to see for certain whether the recall had even been done with the stipulation that if the recall had been done (implying that the new recall pulley had been put on but went bad) general motors would "stand behind" product, paying total repair costs. If pulley had not been replaced, "stop" and send back to the dealer that was paid to perform recall-- number 02041a (which would be trenor). -7/20/04 technician and service manager at jeff wyler, came to me and confirmed that the pulley had not been replaced. I went to trenor to see mr. Ed tehan, who admitted that if the part wasn't bad, the part would not have been replaced by the technician in a recall! He also refused to show a parts stamp on original repair order. Recall directions from dealerworld.com (gm's website for recalls and vehicle history) state "if tensioner pulley has black bearing seal, then replace with a pulley having brown seals [given in pulley kit for recall, new part kit number 55352000, and additional pulley new number 90573616]". Part number on pulley found in my car has part number 337092ca (the seal IS also not brown, as the new one should be, it IS black) and according to national traffic safety adm. And general motors, should be replaced. trenor motors failed to actually perform recall they were paid to do. -i have the actual (original) pulley, pictures, numerous documents, ten technicians to corroborate on these issues. *jb
- Exterior lighting › Fog lights · Exterior lighting › Headlights
Misaligned headlamps and foglamps. *ak
- Air bags
While starting passenger's air bag deployed. Vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic refused to inspect the vehicle. *ak
- Exterior lighting › Headlights
The aiming mechanism on both headlights on my 1997 cadillac catera failed and left me with the headlights aimed at the ground and unable to re-aim the headlights. this IS extremely common on these headlights, and there IS no fix from gm except to buy entire replacement headlight assemblies at $500…
The aiming mechanism on both headlights on my 1997 cadillac catera failed and left me with the headlights aimed at the ground and unable to re-aim the headlights. this IS extremely common on these headlights, and there IS no fix from gm except to buy entire replacement headlight assemblies at $500 each. the replacement units are made entirely differently (and do not fail) so it obvious gm knows the original design was defective. *nm
- Air bags › Frontal › Sensor/control module
Air bag light stays on, stating air bag system not working. *ak
- Exterior lighting › Headlights
Head light aimers broke, can not adjust head lamps. Plastic parts broke inside head lamp capsule.*ak
- Air bags › Frontal › Sensor/control module · Electrical system › Ignition › Module · Engine and engine cooling › Engine · Exterior lighting › Brake lights › Switch · Exterior lighting › Headlights · Suspension
This car was taken to dealer on 2/8/04 for recall 2041, 1037. Two days after picking up the car, the low coolant light came on my way home from work. My husband checked the coolant reservoir and it was over one inch below full, he also checked the driveway for any antifreeze and checked where you…
This car was taken to dealer on 2/8/04 for recall 2041, 1037. Two days after picking up the car, the low coolant light came on my way home from work. My husband checked the coolant reservoir and it was over one inch below full, he also checked the driveway for any antifreeze and checked where you put oil in the engine but could not find any signs of external leaks, but a white milky substance under the oil cap. The car has been sitting in my driveway since. I emailed gm about this. this was their response! we have contacted the service manager for dan hemm cadillac, mr. Charlie caroll. he IS aware of your concerns with the coolant level for the 1997 cadillac catera. he IS willing to make arrangements to have the vehicle towed in. depending on the nature of the concern it may or may not be related to the recall 02041, and they will need to diagnose the vehicle to verify. he has also informed us that when the vehicle was in for the recall, they did replace parts as necessary. if you have additional questions, we recommend that you contact him. if you should need to contact us in the future, simply reply to this message or call our cadillac customer assistance center at 1-800-458-8006. customer relationship managers are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. be sure to refer to your service request number 1-226247104 in all future communication. if I return this car, let the dealer tow it to service department. I will be told that the reason my car IS not drivable IS my fault, and will be handed a bill for towing and whatever other charges for them looking at it! I had the car back two days, a total of 374 miles. The car has 34867 miles; I have had a lot of other problems with the car, front end alignment, headlight aimers, brake light switch's, headlight switch, ignition coil pack, air bag system. Even with all of the other things that went wrong, I at least could drive it, until I returned it for a recall! *jb
- Engine and engine cooling
Timing belt, pulley and water pump replacement cost over $3700 to fix. back in nov. 2001, now their IS coolant leaking from the head gasket 6/04. cadillac has been made aware of this situation and insists this had nothing to do with the engine previous overhaul.*ak
- Engine and engine cooling
Lost all coolant, radiator light on, funny burning smell, car towed. heater valve replaced, dex cool anti-freeze replaced. cooling fan on car IS now coming on while driving, air conditioning not working, funny motor noise, car has to go back to shop for diagnostic test. Cadillac 800# claims…
Lost all coolant, radiator light on, funny burning smell, car towed. heater valve replaced, dex cool anti-freeze replaced. cooling fan on car IS now coming on while driving, air conditioning not working, funny motor noise, car has to go back to shop for diagnostic test. Cadillac 800# claims there IS no recall on this. Some gauges not working properly. car purchased -23,503 miles- now have 40,120 miles. have had tires replaced twice.*ak
- Vehicle speed control
When driving at highway speeds vehicle surged forward. Consumer had vehicle towed to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic was unable to duplicate the problem. *Ak
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine · Vehicle speed control › Accelerator pedal
At highway speed vehicle accelerated. consumer pressed the brake pedal to the floor, but there was no reaction. then, consumer down shifted to stop the vehicle. Consumer had vehicle towed, and dealer determined that engine and accelerator control switch needed to be replaced. *ak
- Suspension › Front
While driving steering wheel had to be steered to the left to avoid vehicle from going automatically to the right. Took vehicle to the dealer, and dealer determined that something in the front end was bent. *ak
- Power train › Automatic transmission › Control module (tcm/pcm/tecm) · Service brakes, hydraulic › Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip › Control unit/module
The ABS and traction control system failed on my 1997 cadillac catera in kingsport, tn during a snowstorm. this resulted in a loss of control of the vehicle and un-drivability of the car during inclement weather. dealer attempts to correct with replacement of computer module and valve/pump have not solved the problem.
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine
Problems getting 1997 cadillac catera engine repaired.*mr on 08/01/03, vehicle stopped on new jersey turnpike. Vehicle had to be towed. Mechanic attempted to repair the engine, but needed a part from an authorized dealer. On 08/04/03, customer was informed the part was recalled. Vehicle…
Problems getting 1997 cadillac catera engine repaired.*mr on 08/01/03, vehicle stopped on new jersey turnpike. Vehicle had to be towed. Mechanic attempted to repair the engine, but needed a part from an authorized dealer. On 08/04/03, customer was informed the part was recalled. Vehicle was towed to another dealer. This dealer informed the consumer the parts were missing/damaged and would cost the consumer $100. Dollars to repair before recall could be addressed. On 08/06/03, consumer visited dealership and seen parts in the trunk ofthe vehicle. Consume agreed all the parts were there and he was responsible for damaged parts. August 14,2003, consumer was informed vehicle could be repaired but he would be responsible for the damaged parts (vacuum storage tank and wire harness cover). August 18,2003 consumer received information that one of the parts were ordered and called weekly for progress. He was then informed that cadillac didn't have anything to do with independent mechanics and repairs. Consumer requested documentation of what he was told, but was denied. Sept. 16,2003, consumer learned vehicle was ready and he would be responsible for $753.46 dollars because cadillac wouldn't cover some of the engine repairs. *ph
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Gasoline › Belts and associated pulleys
While driving about 65 mph on the highway and without warning the vehicle shut down due to a belt which held the pulley into the engine, melting. The driver was able to pull over to the shoulder of the road. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for analysis.*ak the mechanic discovered what the problem was and informed the consumer the part was on recall. *Jb *nm
- Exterior lighting › Headlights
The 97-99 cadillac catera in my opionion has a bad headlight design. my 6 year old car has broken headlight adjustors. this makes it basically impossible to aim (adjust) the headlights. replacment headlights are available from the parts department, but the cost about $340 per headlight. this…
The 97-99 cadillac catera in my opionion has a bad headlight design. my 6 year old car has broken headlight adjustors. this makes it basically impossible to aim (adjust) the headlights. replacment headlights are available from the parts department, but the cost about $340 per headlight. this IS an excessive cost to consumer to repair. my understanding IS this IS a very common failure on this car. headlight assemblies should last the lifetime of the vehicle, not just several years. I consider it a saftey hazard that the headlamps cannot be adjusted.
- Electrical system › Wiring › Interior/under dash
Electrical smoldering fire within the dash harness p/n90493373 of my 1997 cadillac catera vin #[xxx]. no actual flames were seen before the 80 amp main fuse opened. I did see the actual harness at the cadillac dealership and most if not all the wires in the harness had their shielding melted…
Electrical smoldering fire within the dash harness p/n90493373 of my 1997 cadillac catera vin #[xxx]. no actual flames were seen before the 80 amp main fuse opened. I did see the actual harness at the cadillac dealership and most if not all the wires in the harness had their shielding melted clean away about 1/2". the exposed wires shorted together to cause the fuse to open. I was told the authorized dealership was the only people able to determine if this was a manufacturing failure but that they were not able to actually able to make the determination. they pointed out, its possible that anyone could have done something to contribute to this issue. they would not say if there was any evidence of tampering though, even when asked to look for it. Cadillac factory service rep [xxx] opened file #[xxx] on 8-14-03 and offered to look into any possible assistance, but said there would be little to none. when I asked if I should report this to nhtsa they then threatened to withdraw the file and any possible assistance. by talking to the manager [xxx], the file I was told would remain open but not available to anyone.*ak the consumer wanted to know the status of the complaint submitted. *jb *ph *jb information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(B)(6). *tr
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 10248444Vehicle Recalls
- 10246631Expanded Availability for Remanufacture and Return (R&R) Electronic Control Modules
- 10171318This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8 starting/charging tester and Vehicle Data Recorder tools, giving website address and step by step instructions to complete the update.
- 10168979This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco TheftLock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to contact the radio unlock center to retrieve the unlock code from the scrambled code. The PI update to version D is to advise the unlock procedure is temporarily unavailable. E version update is to add administrative details.
- 10166638This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy transportation policy.
- 10165876This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco TheftLock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to contact the radio unlock center to retrieve the unlock code from the scrambled code. The PI update to version D is to advise the unlock procedure is temporarily unavailable.
- 10157018This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8 starting/charging tester and Vehicle Data Recorder tools, giving website address and step by step instructions to complete the update.
- 10154641This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy transportation policy.
- 10141381This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco Theft Lock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to contact the radio unlock center to retrieve the unlock code from the scrambled code.
- 10138060This warranty administration bulletin provides policy information with the field action courtesy transportation policy.
- 10137901This informational bulletin provides the technician with information on what E85 fuel may due to a non E85 vehicle.
- 10114947This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco TheftLock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to contact the radio unlock center to retrieve the unlock code from the scrambled code.
- 10114924This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco TheftLock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to contact the radio unlock center to retrieve the unlock code from the scrambled code.
- 10113443This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8 starting/charging tester and Vehicle Data Recorder tools, giving website address and step by step instructions to complete the update.
- 10022481Air bag indicator IS on dtc 52 in sdm.
- 10015013High intensity discharge (hid) headlamps - disposal instructions. *Ttt
- 10015002Revised diagnostic trouble code (dtc) p0335.
- 10013176Tensioner kits on backorder.
- 10013126Cam drive idler tensioner pulley and water pump.
- 10009503Timing belt marks special policy program used on three liter engines.
- 10008634The cam drive timing belt idler pulleys and tensioner pulley and water pump may fail.
- 10007617Engine replacement IS only availble from gmspo as a short block.
- 10005588Poor radio reception or radio static/ increased interference with rear window defogger on or some rear window defogger grids may be inoperative.
- 10004097Radio inoperative with key on, auto door lock feature disabled, air conditioning compressor does not engage and diagnostic trouble code u1255 stored in the radio. Radio may work in rap or accessory until the door IS opened.
- 10000470Customer satisfaction program - cam drive idler and tensioner pulleys and water pump - back order.
- 10000187Dealer information regarding customer satisfaction program 02041 - cam drive idler and tensioner pulleys, and water pump.
- 10000186Cam drive idler and tensioner pulleys and water pump.
- 10000177This message IS to help dealers with frequently asked questions about customer satisfaction program 02041 - cam drive idler and tensioner pulleys and water pump replacement.
- 6091417Subject regarding crankshaft harmonic balancer pulley failure - inspect / replace.
- 6091415Some vehicles may exhibit a condition in which the adhesive bond between the rubber hub and metal rim of the engine crankshaft harmonic balancer pulley may fail.
- 636711Special policy adjustment program - some owners may experience failures of the cam drive timing belt, idler and tension pulleys and / or the water pump.
- 635814The cam drive timing belt idler pulleys and tensioner pulley, and water pump may fail.
- 634253Some vehicles may experience failures of the cam drive timing belt, idler and tensioner pulleys and / or water pump.
- 634246Special policy adjustment bulletin regarding vehicles experiencing failures of the cam drive timing belt, idler and tensioner pulleys and / or water pump.
- 631903Information regarding the 4l30-e automatic transmission service policy procedure. *Slc
- 627538Information regarding itching type noise from rear of vehicle.
- 624588Subject regarding revised thermostat replacement and installation procedures.
- 624511Subject on regarding: revised thermostat replacement and installation procedures.
- 623880Some owners may comment on a loss of coolant, low coolant light on, and / or engine overheating.
- 623743Subject regarding coolant leaks at the engine oil cooler cover.
Every Cadillac Catera model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.