1999 Cadillac Catera from North America - Comments

I too have a 99 Catera, wow where do I start?

My was wife driving on the interstate (I-75 Atlanta), the oil pressure dropped then the crankshaft broke and came through the block. Needless to say the engine stopped, called the 1 800 Cadillac hotline and told them my problem, they told me to take it to the nearest Cadillac dealer... the dealer told me that the crankshaft broke due to stress fracture on the metal used on the crankshaft, but of course they wouldn't fix my car so I'm getting a lawyer involved... let's see what else.

The radio comes on whenever it wants to, the fuel and trunk release works when it wants to, and by the way there's no key to get into the trunk when this happens, the remote won't open it either.

I can go on and on, but I don't want to waste my time talking about a piece of crap such as the Catera. CADILLAC SHOULD BE SHOT FOR BUILDING THIS PIECE OF CRAP.

I'm a girl and I recently purchased a '99 Catera from an auction in Oct '07 with over 100,000 miles. Good looking car and very clean.

While driving home, the nightmare began. The car started smoking, the engine light came on and when I reached my destination, I turned the car off and tried to start it again and it was dead. Needless to say, I felt as though I was sold a "lemon" and with auctions, everything is "AS IS".

I've had the alternator replaced and the valve gasket covers replaced so far. I've also experienced the car having to "cool down" for about 15 to 20 minutes before it will crank. (The car does that whenever it feels like it).

All of the electrical items are working up to this point. O2 sensors and spark plugs (misfires) are needed because the car failed the emission test due to the check engine light being on. Front end work (alignment) is needed because of a horrific noise and the wobbling that the car does when trying to stop.

Boy how I wish that I had located this website before I dropped that $2K for this car. After reading all of the horrible experiences, this vehicle is obviously unsafe and I should have used my money as a down payment on a newer car. (I was trying to avoid having a car note). Oh well. You live and you learn, I guess. Let's put the pressure on GM to recall this disappointment.

My parents Gave me their 99 catera it has 75000 miles on it. The only problems I am aware of and it's history are as follows, and trust me I am crossing my fingers. First off I love the car. It has a nice ride and looks good. It is in great condition. I know the water pump was replaced prior to my aquiring it. Headlights are an issue! I did clean them up with a kit I got from the auto parts store and it did the trick. Two more things, The sunroof has a mind of it's own opening and closing as it sees fit, so imagine I need a new switch. The coolant light stays on, but the level is fine so the lite being on is no big deal. Oh one of the dash lights went out, but I can still see the dash fine. So all and all, knock on wood it is a nice car.

I bought my 2000 Catera 2 1/2 years ago. It looks good and is a great ride (when it isn't in the shop). The first 6 months were fine with no problems then things started. First the O rings had to be replaced for over $500. Then there was a problem with the coolant system that cost over $350 to fix. The headlights stay on sometimes. It has become more frequent the last 3 months (about 50% of the time). I have to pull the battery cable off for 5 minutes or so to make them stay off. Not very convenient during a rain or snow storm. Then the ABS/TC light came on about 10 months ago. At first only intermittently, now continuously. When that happened, I immediately lost most of the power steering and the speedometer and the odometer readings quit. From looking at web sites I see this had been a common problem and that the problem usually involves replacing a module to the tune of $600-$1000. I've chosen not to fix it yet, so I've driven around not knowing my speed or the exact amount of miles I've driven. I've saved the best for last though. Last week, the motor threw a rod. The estimate is $2600 to fix. I'm not sure if I should spend the money. I still owe on this car and am not sure how I can get out from under the burden of keeping it on the road. Does anyone want a good looking Catera?

Just purchased a 1998 cCtera 4 days ago. I got taken by its looks and wish I had read this site before purchasing. I've noticed the radiator light coming on and off already, and after reading all of these comments, I'm foreseeing a nightmare in the making.

Have had a Catera Since May 2007. I've dropped $3,000 in repairs already. Went to get the oil changes yesterday and found out that the oil filter casing has welded itself to the engine; therefore, they won't change my oil because it will crack 'something'.

Taking it in to my mechanic to see what the damgage will be. Probably getting another vehicle. Not worth the headaches.

Everything on this car costs more than normal. NEVER AGAIN!

I guess I'm with the rest of you. A dealership in town, going out of business, had the Catera on the lot. I offered $2 grand cash and they took it. They closed their doors the next day.

I knew it needed some suspension work, as I'd driven it all ready. It handled nice, barked the tires, cornered like it was on rails and had a very nice look to it. The interior is nice and comfortable and the heat and a/c work fine. I'm thinking I got lucky.

Here it is seven months later. The transmission is fun. Some days I have to manually shift, other days it works just fine. Had it serviced for $300 and it seems to shift better, but that dang light will come on and its back to shifting manually between second and third gears.

The check engine light is my constant companion. I had it diagnosed and the codes said replace the catalytic converters... two of them at $200 ea plus labor. Done. The light is still on and the code says catalytic converters are bad... brand new and bad...geesh. I drive with the light on and its like a friend in the car with me.

The leveling light always flashes. There is nothing wrong with the pressure pump or lines to the suspension. I thought it might be because I weigh 165 lbs soaking wet and that was throwing it off, but I doubt it. Two mechanics have checked it out and they both said they can disconnect the light for me.

The oil pressure and charge gauges don't work unless I turn the key almost to re-engage the starter. Since I check the oil every week, because it leaks from nowhere or everywhere; three mechanics could not locate the drip drip drip... its almost like driving my old 20-ton dump truck from the Army. But I give it fresh oil every week and it doesn't leak more than a few drips on the driveway, so I don't sweat it.

The sunroof doesn't work at all, which doesn't hurt my feelings much. If I need fresh air, I'll roll down the window.

The car loves to fog up too. I don't know where the humidity comes from, but I have a nice squeegee that I can clean the windshield with, so off I drive.

It handles great in the snow of Michigan. It starts every morning and refuses to do anything to make me give it to an ex-wife. It gets much better mileage than my Bravada and is a lot more fun to drive.

For $2,000, I think I did well.

I've owned a 98 for three years. Only problem with it is oil pressure oil light comes on. And that's because it is a little bit too fun to drive. Get your cars checked by a mechanic before you buy.

Do not buy a Catera, nothing but problem$$$$$$.

Cadillac should be ashamed.

I have a 1998 Catera that I have had for a year. Where do I start? I paid $4000 cash for it, and I have had $2000 worth of repairs done on it in the year I have had it.

The starter went out, the battery went out, the brakes went out, and everything to do with the back brakes had to be replaced, which was $600 just for the back.

The radio and interior lights do not work when the car is running, but come on when the car is turned off.

The sunroof opens and closes when it wants to.

My newest problem is with the fuel system. The car cuts out and dies while driving down the road. When it dies, it will not start back for about an hour. If you take your foot off the gas pedal when the car is idling, like at a red light or stop sign, the car will die and not start back.

I really do not want to spend any more money repairing this car. This is the worst car I have ever owned. Cadillac should have to do something about the piece of crap car they made, and make it right by all of the unlucky people who have ended up with these cars.

NEVER BUY ONE OF THESE CARS, unless you are rich enough to pay a lot of repair bills.

I have a 2001 Catera that I purchased with 55,000 miles on it. The car is incredible, has just the right amount of power, handles perfectly, seats 4 adults comfortably, and has all of the features of a much more expensive German car. It currently has 82,000 on it since October of 2006. The problems I've had are as follows:

-Transmission light came on, then trans started slipping between 2nd and 3rd. Eventually blew up and left me on the side of a road with smoke pouring out from underneath it. Transmission guy says don't let the trans places fool you, the filters, the fluid, everything can be changed, and should be every 40,000 miles. This was a $1200 rebuild, and 4 days in the shop. Don't think buying a BMW will help you escape this, because GM sells the 4L30E transmission to BMW for use in the 3-series and 5-series.

-Oil pressure light used to come on regularly. Switched from 5w30 to 10w30, and issue resolved itself.

-Headlamps burned out, replaced easily with $10 replacements from Autozone. Foglamps, same deal.

-Radio, interior lights, and other accessories stopped working while engine was running, but came back on after key was removed. Replaced 10amp fuse for these with 15amp fuse, as they are also on the same circuit as the secondary water pump, issue resolved itself, and hasn't reoccured.

-Valve covers leaked, replaced easily after removing upper air plenum. Valve cover gasket set, upper intake plenum gasket set, and 16 O-rings were $116. Parts from Cadillac are close to $400.

-Car was hemorraging coolant along the firewall, replaced Heater Control Valve ($59 from Conquest Auto).

-Secondary Air Injection pump flagged the Check Engine Light. Pump is $250, but can usually just have its ports cleaned out for it to continue functioning. This is an emissions control item, between the catalytic converters and the exhaust manifold. Pump must provide incorrect reading during two run cycles to flag the check engine light. Have your codes cleared by autozone before emissions testing, and car will pass as this is a passive test in the OBDII system.

This is just a repair list after my 27000 miles. But, as many previous people have commented, this car has a way of making you love it, while having a deeply set hatred for it. I'll just keep putting money into it despite the poor gas mileage, high maintenance costs, and overall unreliability cause it's so fun to drive.

1999 model; nothing but problems.

Leaking coolant, service engine light is always on, even right after what was supposed to be the problem is fixed, eats gas, and tooo many oil changes to name a few.

Do yourself a huge favor and listen to all these reviews. DON'T BUY THIS CAR!!! PLEASE!!!

Thank you very much for this website you've saved me a lot of money...Cadillac's are cute but I'll never buy one now... (ever) the heater core has always been an issue in their vehicles but these last 20 years have put them in the doghouse...

Wow, very interesting to read all these posts on the Catera! You all sound like us! I hate this car! We bought a 99 Catera 4 years ago and it's been nothing but a nightmare! It's almost funny at all the stupid things that go wrong with it. I can't sell the thing to anyone with half a brain and even if I ever did sell it I'd feel guilty that I unloaded it on someone.

This morning my son used the key to unlock the door and the car alarm went off. Nothing we could do would shut it off. Nice for the neighborhood at 0700. Finally we disconnected the battery cable. I have no idea how I'm getting home... I live 4 hours away and I don't think I can cope with driving for that long with the horn honking.

We've put thousands into this car for repairs in the last 4 years. The check engine light is always on and I don't even care anymore.

Funny thing happened last week, some kids got into it during the night (I happened to be looking out the window at 0330 and saw the whole thing) I think they must have been looking for a key. I was wishing I had left a key in there so they could steal it.

I'm with everyone else that has posted. I will never buy another cadillac and look forward to the day when I have enough money to buy a different car.

I own a 97 Catera. It's been headaches after headaches.

First the oil cooler leaked. Cost me $1500.0 to replace.

Keyless entry stopped working.

Sun roof opens and shuts on its own. Car was in a rainstorm one night and the interior got soaked.

Coil pack went bad and was replaced. EXPENSIVE!

Oil leaks into spark plug tube on #6 cylinder.

It never shifted properly. Despite changing fluid and filters.

Battery goes flat every once in a while; nobody can figure that one out.

Power windows work sometimes... only when it feels like it.

Traction control light keeps coming on by itself.

Blows hot air from the heater when the A/C is turned off!

I took it to dealer for estimate on repair to the oil cooler. They quoted more than the car is worth to fix it.

I do most of my own repairs, every job is a nightmare, everything needs to be torn down for the most simple repair, and parts are ridiculously expensive.

Over $400.00 for a new coil pack, and it is difficult to replace. Plug wires cost 185.00.

The first instruction on the repair manual should read... REPAIR DAILY!