1997 Cadillac Catera

TENSIONER PULLEY FAILED @ 65MPH ON EXPRESSWAY. WHEN TENSIONER PULLEY LET GO PROCEEDED TO BEND VALVES; DAMAGE AND BREAK PISTONS CAUSING ONE PISTON TO BECOME IMBEDDED IN THE ENGINE HEAD. ENGINE IS A LOSS. NEW ENGINE COST 9500. WE BEGAN TO COAST IN HIGHWAY TRAFFIC IN THE SPEED LANE POSSIBLY CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. FORNATELY THERE WAS NONE. CONTACTED DEALER. NO RESPONSE NO RETURN PHONE CALLS. CONTACTED CADILLAC CUST SERV. THEY SAID COULD NOT ASSIST ME THAT WE SHOULD HAVE HAD THE TIMING SERVICED @ 60K MILES PER MANUAL. WE NEVER RECIEVED A MANUAL WITH CAR.ONE WAS REQUESTED FROM CADILLAC CUST SERV WITHIN 30 DAYS OF PURCHASING THE VEHICLE. IT WAS NEVER RECIEVED. NO NOTICE FOR SERVICE WAS SENT.*AK

VEHICHLE QUIT RUNNING, WHEN BRAKE APPLIED WHILE CRUISE CONTROL WAS ON, AT 68MPH IN HEAVY TRAFFIC . COASTED OVER TO MEDIAN. MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING AND PULLED OVER TO THE LEFT, HAD HE GONE TO THE RIGHT WE WOULD HAVE BEEN HIT BY THE SOUTH BOUND TRAFFIC. WHEN THE ENGINE FAILED. THE CAR WOULD NOT RESTART, MAKING GRINDING NOISE WHEN ATTEMPTING TO RESTART ENGINE. CALLED AAA FOR TOW.(FLAT BED) LEFT SITTING IN MEDIAN IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. LOCAL POLICE STOPPED AND OSP ALSO. IN SPEAKING WITH CADILLAC CUSTOMER SERVICE WE WERE TOLD THAT THERE WAS A RECALL #00042 ON THIS VEHICHLE, OF WHICH WE WERE NEVER NOTIFIED. I WAS TOLD THAT BOND AND RUBBER HUB PULLEY MAY FAIL. 04/25/2001. INFORMED BY CADILAC DEALER ENGINE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED.($9,500) THIS CAR CAN STOP WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING WHEN THE ENGINE FAILS. THIS COULD BE A POTENTIAL HAZARD WHEN TRAVELING AT HIGH SPEEDS, POSSIBLY CAUSING A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. WE WERE VERY FORTUNATE! CUSTOMER SERVICE AT CADILLAC IS NOT RETURNING OUR CALLS OR ACKNOWLEDING THE RECALL. HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR? DEPENDING ON WHEN THIS HAPPENS , SUCH A FAILURE COULD BE A POTENTIAL HAZARD. WE HAVE HAD THE ENGINE REPLACED THROUGH A PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL AND IT IS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION. THE PROBLEM WAS THAT THE BEARINGS CAME OUT OF THE PULLEY THAT HOLDS THE TIMING BELT. THE BELT WAS NOT BROKEN....WE NEED TO KNOW IF OUR NEW ENGINE, WHICH ALSO IS FROM A '97 CATERA WILL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AT 60,000MILES...THANK YOU FOR CHECKING INTO THIS. FJF*AK

CAR WAS MAKING A GRINDING SOUND UNDER HOOD. WAS TOLD TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER WAS ALMOST BROKEN. DLR REPLACED TENSIONER, TIMING CHAIN, AND IDLER PULLEY. CAR HAS HAD 6 ALIGNMENTS SINCE 10/13/00. CAR STILL PULLS TO LEFT AND WEARS OUT TIRES PREMATURELY. CAR HAS 47,000 MILES ON ITAND HAS 3RD SET OF TIRES ON IT. CAR HAD A OIL LEAK ON VALVE COVER GASKETS. DLR REPAIRED AND REPLACED. CAR HESITATES AND SURGES FORWARD. DLR HAS NOT FOUND PROBLEM. CAR HAS ABNORMAL SHIFT PATTERNS. SOMETIMES SHIFT DOWN TO A LOWER GEAR CAUSING CAR TO LOSE POWER AND SPEED, THEN SHIFTS BACK TO OVERDRIVE WITHOUT DEPRESSING ACCELERATOR. DLR HAS NOT FOUND A PROBLEM. THERE IS A SOUND FROM REAR OF CAR. SOUNDS LIKE BAD SHOCKS. DLR REPLACED FRAME SUPPORT BUSHINGS AND LOWER CONTROL ARMS. NOISE STILL THERE. THERE ARE TOO MANY PROBLEMS TO REPORT HERE. CAR HAS SERIOUS PROBLEMS AND HAS BEEN TO DEALERSHIP FOR EXTENSIVE WARRANTY WORK 9 TIMES WITHIN OUR 7 MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP. THE LAST VISIT, THE SEALERSHIP HAD THE CAR FOR 15 DAYS TRYING TO REPAIR THE CAR, AND NOW, MOST OF THE SAME THINGS THAT WERE SUPPOSE TO BE REPAIRED ARE STILL FAULTY. TODAY, THE HEATING SYSTEM WENT OUT. THERE IS NO HEAT IN THE CAR NOW. WE WILL BE RETURNING BACK TO DEALERSHIP THIS MORNING. WE HAVE WRITTEN THE MANUFACTURER AND WILL BE SENDING THAT LETTER OFF TODAY ALSO.*AK