22nd Jul 2009, 01:39

My dad has owned this 1994 Cadillac STS for 12 years now and we have seen multiple and continuous problems with this vehicle.

Just within the last year we have pulled the motor to re-seal the oil leaks ($1200 in parts).

The transmission blew the valve body oil filter out of the valve body, which broke the shift solenoid in half, causing the transmission to stop shifting (the dealer sells a repair kit for this with a "L" shaped bracket to hold the valve body filter from popping out again. The kit from the dealer costs $117 dollars and included 2 new shift selonoids, a new valve body filter and the filter holding bracket).

The heater tubes rusted out behind the motor and are a nightmare to replace.

Wiring problems lately.

The car clunks badly when you hit bumps, the struts are bad. However, the struts are very expensive as they have ride control built into them.

The car only has 136,000 miles.

22nd Jan 2010, 22:41

This is a great car! 140,000 miles and just a beauty!

Don't expect it (or any vehicle) to be trouble-free with this much mileage though. Replaced a few things here and there, but that is called maintenance. Not a single sign of head gasket failure and nor do I expect it. I replaced my suspension with aftermarket assemblies from strut masters, and was about $700 for all four wheels. It rides like it's new, and I can still feel all 295 horses whenever called upon!

Keep it sheltered if you can, don't let any noises go unnoticed, and research "Cadillac WOT (Wide Open Throttle) procedure" to keep the combustion chamber free of carbon, which will prevent your head gasket problems.

* Remember that the "Northstar" is a sophisticated race bred engine with Corvette and Lotus heritage. It is abusive if it is not driven how it was designed to be driven every now and then.

This automobile is an incredible yet over-looked, under maintained, and unappreciated piece of automotive history.

Cadillac really had something here, but it came too late after the 80's disasters.

14th Nov 2010, 20:14

I own a '94 Seville SLS. It is an amazing car, it has 80,000 miles, and the only problems I have had are:

1) The serpentine belt had excessive wear and was slipping occasionally.

2) The road sensing shocks are worn out, due to poor treatment from the previous owner. They need to be replaced.

So, honestly, either you aren't treating your car right, or you just might have failed to check for problems before you bought it.

Sorry you had this poor experience. If you take the time to find the right Seville, you will not regret it.

9th Feb 2011, 18:29

I've been driving a 1994 Cadillac STS for three years. My father had it before me and it has been relatively trouble free since he bought it at 100,000 km.

It just turned over 300,000 km and now needs the struts replaced. We've also had to replace the in tank fuel pump and it leaks oil from a few spots, but nothing worth repairing yet.

13th May 2012, 17:23

The funny thing of course is they did go bankrupt, and for good reason; yes, they didn't care. They should be ashamed of themselves for destroying Cadillac, but the clowns at RenCen don't see it as more than a profit, more than a car; "we'll make thousands more" they think. The Northstar in hindsight will go over as just as much of a catastrophe as the HT4100 did in the 80's. The trouble is now BMW is putting out just as much junk as Cadillac did in the 90s. Do your research before you make a major purchase people; with the Internet word travels fast, especially about junky cars and poor customer service.