2002 Cadillac Seville STS from North America - Comments

For that steering wheel vibration, don't bother going back to the dealer. No matter how carefully they balance with their static and dynamic spin balancer it won't help if something else is off balance. Find a front end out fit that will balance your front tire ON THE CAR, and I'll bet your problem will be solved till the next set of tires.

I own an '02 STS and bought it with 50,000 miles on it. It's a great car, but I've had all the issues that others have mentioned: 1) burns oil, particularly synthetic; 2) front end "shimmy" - took 3 weeks to completely diagnose; 3) driver's side seat warmer doesn't work; and 4) some random electrical problem in the radio circuit - sometimes pulls current when the engine is off overnight.

It bought it for $14,000, but I've put nearly $3,000 in parts and labor to keep it running.

Just bought 2002 STS with 88000 miles. I paid $8k. Hoping I don't have problems other owners have mentioned...

Own a 00 STS. Bought it around last April.

I have had this serious vibration since day one. Nothing has worked so far. Dealer balanced tires 4 times. Then I took it to a Cadillac dealer and had them balance the tires. Still nothing. Went back to where I bought it and they finally put 4 brand new Michelin's on it. Still same problem.

Since then I just recently replaced (myself) both front wheel hub's and outer tie rod ends. Still same thing, vibration still just as noticeable.

I just ordered 4 brand new cross drilled/slotted rotors for front and rear along with all new semi metallic pads. Hoping that the new rotors and pads will help a little bit.

Also does use oil, dual zone climate control.. the air on the drivers side just stopped blowing cold air, yet the passenger side does. And the center console rattles and is super loose and will not tighten, which causes an awful rattling sound every time the wind blows.

Great power from the Northstar, and the transmission shifts smoothly except into 2nd, which is a little on the hard side.

Cabin noise is fair, but could be a little better.

Overall hard to rate the car's ride because of the awful vibration. Don't know if I'd wanna buy another one.

Just Purchased a 2002 STS with 52 k on it. Beautiful!!! Of course it shimmies, yet it is a beutiful car. The Stablization System light is coming on and I assume it's for the Trans/fluid change that it is scheduled for.

When I got my license, I drove Isuzu SUV,Rodeo v6. That car is not definitely my type. My dad got me a 2002 cadillac seville sts with gold package two years later. The ride is very smooth, yet cornering is sports car crisp. The Northstar engine is unbelievable. At idle it is extremely smooth and quiet, but step on the pedal and it lights up with plenty of power. It does seem to use a couple of quarts of oil between changes, but that's only a small inconvenience for having such a wonderful engine. Handling is so fine. I always drive like 80 mph and 100 at night time on 270. I don't feel any vibrate. My caddy is the most beautiful and finest car in my college parking lots.

THANKS DAD. p. s chicks like caddy.

We have a 1999 SLS, have owned a 2000 SLS and just bought a 2002 SLS. We love these cars, they are easy to fix if you know how to use the On Board DS and have the service books. Yes, they consume oil, have trunk leaks and vibration, the latter can be tricky to fix. We put Goodyear Assurance's on and had no problems for the longest time, but when the rack was replaced the tire shop they used couldn't get the alignment right, I need to take it back to Goodyear to have the balance done right, we moved so I need to find a new one. As far as the Stability System light, this is usually not a trans or other issue, it will start intermittently but will lead to unwanted stability system activation, you'll know it when it happens, this will kill your rotors by overheating them. The problem is usually caused by a faulty SWAPS sensor. You can either have it replaced, could be costly labor wise, or you can disable the system. The system is comprised of three components (SWAP, Accelerometer, yaw rate sensor). The Accelerometer is located next to the battery under the rear seat, unplug, and the Service Stability system will always appear on start-up indicating that it is deactivated. Your ABS and Traction control are still functional only the stability system that applies the brakes during aggressive driving is disabled.

I have a '98 STS, purchased in July of '04. I must say that I have had many of the problems mention, which upon reading it is obvious that these are "normal" occurrences that happen with this car. I bought the car from manheim auto auction in PA. It had 66k miles on it when I got it. I went through the credit union to get it and knew that it would be a good idea to extend the warranty, which I did. I now have 132K miles on it and it still rides like a dream.

I was very lucky because at one point I had a MAJOR oil leak and a blown head gasket, among other things, but most of the work was covered under the extended warranty I purchased. Of the $5500 repair the caddy dealer had done, there was only $750 worth of repairs that weren't under warranty.

One of the problem that I've had is when it rains really hard water leaks into the trunk, onto the passenger's seat and by the driver's feet. This is very, very annoying, as I have to constantly vacuum the trunk, especially where the spare tire is located. It will be a pool of water back there when it rains a lot. I also have to vacuum the passenger side foot area EVERYTIME it rains, otherwise there will be a mildew smell in the car. this is something I should've had done under warranty.

I recently got a tune up, cross drilled & slotted rotors and fresh pads. I also have 20" aftermarket TIS wheels with low profile tires. It honestly still rides ultra-smooth as long as I'm on smooth road.

As everyone else has already stated, this thing guzzles oil like crazy. I always put premium fuel in it because I thought I was only supposed to put in premium.

In essence, I've had my fair share of problems with this car, but I must admit I still love almost as much as I did when I 1st got it. And for a car that is a decade old, it rides exceptionally well and I get an awful lot of attention in it.

There are a few other minor issues I've had, but I'm tired of typing now. :)

-valdez

www.myspace.com/valdezent

I don't know why some people are saying their Cadillacs have the vibration problem when they drive over 60. But mine doesn't. My car can easily go up to 100 mph without any vibration. Probably I don't have any problem with my car because I'm using 20 inches Asanti rims, Brembo brakes and Michelin performance tires.

My car runs 16 city and 22 highway. And I drive 45 miles everyday to college, and the gas price is over 4 dollars. So the only problem that I have with my car is the gas price, but I like fast cars though.

I read all comments, now I am not sure I should buy one.

I am actually trading my 2004 Chevy Silverado LS1500 ext cab for this 2002 STS plus 2k cash.

Is this a good deal? Any comments will be appreciated.

Got two days to decide. Email me at afkaik1@msn.com

Thanks.

2002 SLS paid 4 G for it with 110k, now at 125k.

Smooth ride. Until I hit 49mph. From 49 to 62, rides rough, some days rougher than others, due to the tires I think. Cold air makes her smoother, tires have less give. Could be I'm riding 22" rims, on very low pro cheap tires.

Had a few problems, but not unexpected with an older vehicle. EGR valve was biggest problem, common to Northstars or so I'm told by my ASE friend.

I was worried about red lining her due to the age and mileage, but good to know she can run for a good bit. Glad my shimmy is at a lower speeds, must be hell on the highway!

It's sad to say, but the $52,000 STS is now worth about $3,200. Maybe less. I am really wondering what's going on with Cadillac, there must be something wrong. A car that loses 94% of it's value in 5 years is just ridiculous. I just bought one for $2,400, and all it did was leak oil. Ran great and all, but I am concerned.

"It's sad to say, but the $52,000 STS is now worth about $3,200. Maybe less. I am really wondering what's going on with Cadillac, there must be something wrong. A car that loses 94% of it's value in 5 years is just ridiculous. I just bought one for $2,400, and all it did was leak oil. Ran great and all, but I am concerned."

HA HA! I'm sorry sir, but I had to laugh at that. For anybody to say the domestics hold their value now would just be ridiculous. My son's car is a '95 Neon. It's currently worth about $1800 and that's in pretty rough condition. That's pretty sad that a newer vehicle that cost nearly 4 times as much as a Neon when new is now worth only about twice its used value.