2001 Cadillac Catera from North America

Summary:

Lemon

Faults:

Tires, transmission, radiator, sensors, dash lights constantly goes out, car can't be lined up, due to the car being on the wrong frame per manufacturer.

Gaskets, radio, coolant jug replaced 3 times, and oil leaks

General Comments:

This is the worst car GM has ever made. I've had nothing but problems since I brought this car. I have to constantly buy tires because they wear so quickly.

I brought 1000,000 miles warranty, then the warranty company filed bankruptcy and the dealership wouldn't help me out on the repairs.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 1st January, 2009

1st Jan 2009, 15:40

This car came close to putting Cadillac out of business.

6th Sep 2009, 22:04

The Cadillac Catera is a German made car. It is made by Opel, a subsidiary of GM. It is called "Opel Omega" in Europe.

The car was designed to run on German "Autobahn", roads in Germany that has no speed limits. The wheel alignment causes the tires to wear quickly on North American roads.

I recommend you have your car look at by mechanics with good background on European cars. In the US, you can find mechanics from eastern Europe who grew with those German made cars.

2001 Cadillac Catera 3.0 from North America

Summary:

Nice EURO car but pricey to keep

Faults:

Crank Position Sensor (CPS) replaced at twice. $500 t0 $700 at the dealer the first time and $250 this time at 75000 miles.

Heater control valve changed twice. Once the overfill tank ruptured also.

$300 for a battery from the dealer.

Brakes have premature wear and require pads at about 25000 miles of driving and if you wait for the indicator light, the new wiring for the indicator light will cost you $150 a piece.

Front tire wear irregularly and this is considered normal as per alignment specs. So in order to get the most from a set of tires, you must rotate and align them often (every 7000 miles).

General Comments:

Cadillac dealers are ill equipped to fix these cars and have failed to train their service departments. Many have done repairs which have failed to correct the original problem/issue. You have to study up and tell them what and how to on many problems, which are common to the Catera. The seats, stereo, and ride are fantastic.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 23rd August, 2008

21st Oct 2008, 16:40

I have a 2001 Cadillac Catera with low miles

I have not seen much on 2001 problems.

2001 Cadillac Catera 3.0 litre from North America

Summary:

Excellent, excellent!!!

Faults:

The only problems I have had with my Catera are the hot water valve and re-occuring coolant leaks. Nothing major has ever gone wrong with my car.

I think they are great cars to drive; the engine and transmission are EXCELLENT!! It runs very smooth and quiet, has lots of power, yet it is still very good on fuel.

I have driven other cars with the same mileage as mine, and nothing compares to the Catera.

General Comments:

My interior is also excellent; most Japanese leather seats are completely destroyed by the time they reach 150 000kms, but mine isn't showing any signs of wear at all.

My A/C works great, the heat is great, and the handling is great for a larger car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th June, 2008

2001 Cadillac Catera from North America

Summary:

THINK before you buy it!

Faults:

The sensors started going bad.

The computer in it went bad, and it costs $400.00 to buy one.

The car is NOT really a Cadillac vehicle! WARNING!!!

I called and they said that they no longer sell the parts for this car.

The only place that had the computer was Germany!

$60.00/hour for someone to fix it.

Great on gas

Great comfort

The dealer was a crook

Overall I really liked this car, and I would buy another vehicle from Cadillac if I have the chance too.

General Comments:

FAST!

Great steering

Comfort 100%

Looks really nice!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 3rd April, 2008

2001 Cadillac Catera 3.0 V6 from North America

Summary:

This car sucks!

Faults:

The check engine light has come on at least 10 times! It costs a ridiculous amount of money to take it to the dealer and have them just turn it off.

The engine is now making a weird squeaky noise and my mechanics don't know what it is.

The brakes absolutely suck. I have had two sets of brakes replaced in a year. I rarely use my brakes and I never have made them lock up. The day after I got my last set replaced, they started squealing and then a week later the right front brake locked up and almost caused an accident while I was driving. (I wasn't even braking at the time)

General Comments:

I believe GM and Cadillac are great car companies, but this car is crap. I thought mine was a lemon until I test drove another Catera and noticed the engine light was on, I asked the salesman about it and he said it keeps coming on and they don't know why either.

I would definitely rather have a BMW and that is what I am currently looking for.

The only positive things I have to say about my car is that the Bose stereo seriously bumps and the inside is comfortable.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th July, 2007

17th Jul 2007, 22:31

I have yet to drive a car where the check engine light doesn't come on. Ignore it unless you find the car acting differently.

26th Aug 2007, 06:09

I bought a 2001 Catera with 37,000 miles on it, and now have 54,000. The engine check light comes on after the car has been sitting in a parking lot or in my garage. I have spent an untold amount of $ on that problem, and the dealer's answer was to change the gas cap.

The light continues to come on, so I disconnect the battery, wait an hour, reconnect it, then drive another week or two to have the same thing happen. I don't notice any difference in performance. I will be trading this car off -- how can I resolve this problem when a dealer can't?