2006 Cadillac CTS from North America

Faults:

Tires for this car wear out way too fast. The factory Eagle GTs had to be replaced at 19,000 miles, so I bought Yokohama YK520's with a 60,000 mile warranty. 31,000 miles later they need to be replaced again. I'm not throwing good money at tires again, and will definitely replace this vehicle within the next 20,000 miles, and get something with a better record.

I've also had at least 3 recall notices for the rear differential, pinion seal and front brake lines.

General Comments:

Nice car. Looks good and performs well, but not the level of quality you'd expect in a marquis name car.

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

Review Date: 24th November, 2010

2006 Cadillac CTS 2.8 from North America

Summary:

Hoping for the best..

Faults:

Radio is acting up intermittently.

Car has a high pitched whine at low speeds that sounds a lot like a bad torque converter. However, the torque converter has been checked and is OK. At this time, it seems to be noise generated by the timing chains and gears. So far, the dealer says the noise is a "normal variation". I am pressing the issue and hope to get this problem repaired. It is still under factory warranty.

General Comments:

Very nice driving car. You can tell that GM spent a lot of energy in suspension tuning. This car handles wonderfully. It is fairly quiet. The 2.8L V-6 is only adequate, wish I had gotten one with the much more powerful 3.5L engine. The manual shift option works well.

Interior is pretty austere for a Cadillac. They were obviously going for "sporty" rather than "luxury." On base cars like mine, the interior is taxi-cab pain. By the way, the interior is often described by dealers as "leather". It is not, it is "leatherette." Which is not necessarily a bad thing, since it seems to be very nice material. It is not widely known, but the base model 5-series BMWs used similar materials.

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

Review Date: 20th December, 2009

21st Dec 2009, 23:06

Better get it fixed while it's still under warranty, because once that warranty expires, I guarantee you they'll have no problem finding all kinds of stuff wrong with it that causes the noise you describe, and stick you with a huge repair bill.

22nd Dec 2009, 13:02

Original poster here: After a lot of hassle, multiple discussion with techs and service advisors, and driving other CTS's with same drivetrain, etc I have come to the sad conclusion that the high pitched noise is "normal" for these cars. Maybe I can learn to ignore it. Or maybe GM has some recommendations for ear plugs?

22nd Dec 2009, 16:49

Leatherette is nothing more than high grade vinyl. Hardy and tough, it can pass off as leather if done properly - just ask any European cab driving using a Mercedes-Benz with MB Tex seating.

18th Jan 2010, 17:03

Original Poster here... Whether this low-speed, low-rpm engine noise is "normal" or not, it is annoying and intrusive. I may have to sell this thing, as it is just annoying the H*** out of me. Anyone else out there having a similar issue?

2006 Cadillac CTS from North America

Summary:

GM does not stand behind their vehicles

Faults:

Engine light did not come on. Engine only had 1 litre of oil left in it. It was full when I left for a 2 day trip. Dealership did not even check for the oil light. 1,000 kms over warranty and they said we cannot help you.

General Comments:

Had no problems till it hit the warranty limit at 60,000 miles, then watch out.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 27th August, 2009

28th Aug 2009, 12:12

I almost never trust the oil light. And when it comes on it is always usually too late.

With any 'new to me' car I always check the oil at consistent intervals until I establish a consistent rate of oil consumption, and ALWAYS check it on long distance drives.

For some reason, cars seem to consume more oil when driving at high speed/rpms and almost nothing when puttering around town.

29th Aug 2009, 18:54

My 91 Chevy Caprice had two oil lights. One told the driver about the oil level and the other told the driver about the oil pressure. The "Low Oil" light came on when the oil was only 1 quart low. You just can't trust new cars. Too many complex electronics that don't always work well.

2006 Cadillac CTS 3.6L from North America

Summary:

I no longer feel safe in this vehicle

Faults:

On 12/05/2006, with only 5,960 miles on the vehicle, the rear differential carrier seized causing the rear tires to lock completely while traveling 65 mph on a major highway. Luckily, no one was injured or killed. Dealer claims that they have been experiencing problems with the new CTS models where the rear pinion seals have been leaking. Even so, Cadillac has yet to issue a recall. So if you own a CTS, you might consider having the dealer check the seals before someone is seriously injured or even killed.

General Comments:

GM was very uncooperative with providing me with a different vehicle even after experiencing the scare of my life. They wouldn't even put new tires on the vehicle to compensate for the wear and tear caused by the excessive skidding on the highway.

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

Review Date: 28th December, 2006

28th Dec 2006, 16:48

This is when you take them to court, you will win.

29th Dec 2006, 08:50

I’m not sure if it’s GM or the dealer that is the problem. Maybe you could go the tire brand store and have them checked. If they document the tires are damaged “flat spotted” maybe you can get them replaced by the dealer. Good luck.

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