2002 Cadillac Seville STS from North America - All Comments

Vibration at highway speeds.

Burning engine oil.

Electrical problems.

Clunking in the front end

Was so excited the night we went to pick up our brand new black on black STS. A new Cadillac, what more could you want.

Salesman was great, He went over that car with us with a fine tooth comb. He showed us how everything worked, Set up our On-Star account, Programed our seats you name it he did it.

We left the dealer as happy as you could possibly be about a new vehicle, after all we just got a brand new Cadillac, The car we always dreamed of having, The one we worked years for to be able to afford.

Our first few miles were great. We were ecstatic. We decided to take it for a fast ride on the freeway, After all this is the American version of a luxury sports sedan. This car will be best at highway speeds. As soon as we got to about 60-65mph we noticed a vibration-pulsation in the steering wheel and could also feel it in the seats. Didn't think much of it, figured it just needs to break in a little bit.

THEN THE NIGHTMARE BEGINS. After the first week we decided to bring it back to our dealer to have it looked at. They said probably just needs the wheels balanced, it will be just a few minutes. Go to our customer lounge, have a cup of coffee, maybe a donut, we will have it done for you in no time. Left the dealer and sure enough it was still vibrating. Seemed like it could of been a little worse.

Over the next few months we got really familiar with the service department at our dealer. Not only for the vibration problem, but for a few others like heated seats that kept blowing fuses, They tried fixing that about 6 or 7 times, finally just putting a larger fuse in to correct it, and excessive oil consumption, They wanted us to come back every week to measure the oil to see if it was to GM specifications. No wonder the customer lounge was so nice, they knew we were going to be spending a lot of time there. They finally threw a service bulletin at us and said it was normal for the engine to burn 1 or 2 quarts of oil every few thousand miles. We thought they must know, This is a Cadillac, The best of the American cars. But the worst one was the vibration. We had everything done that was recommended, Tires repalced with special Michelin's, Rotors cut, Special wheel balancing procedures, New control arms, You name it they did it. You've heard it all before.

The car still vibrated. I talked to the service manager and he said "That's the way these cars are, they have a tight sporty suspension they are supposed to ride a little rough" That was not what I was expecting to here about a $50000.00 car. Not that beautiful black Cadillac I worked so hard for.

Next I contacted Cadillac customer service. They then contacted my dealer to try to resolve this problem. I was told by the service manager there was nothing more he could do with the car. He did everything Cadillac told him to. He also told me I wasn't the only one with this problem.

Next I contacted an attorney. I won't go into details, but I don't have the car any longer, The one I thought I would keep forever, Only had it for a year and a half. Its a Cadillac where could you possibly go from here. I will never look at a Cadillac the way I did before ever again. They blew it.

Don't let them get away with it. I have read a lot of other postings to this site about the same problems over and over.

I would like to respond to the gentleman with the vibrations problem, you got stuck with a lemon, I have had 5 sts's and never had any problems with any of them, the last one I sold was a 99 sts with 157000 miles on it, the only thing I ever put into the engine was a water pump, I have out run bmw's and mercedes with these cars on the highway, by the way my boss has a brand new mercedes s-500, it's been in the shop 6 times, every car maker has a lemon in their bunch, it happens... lance.

This is all becoming very familiar. I have had my 99 STS for about 2.5 years. Bought it used and the warranty was about to expire so I took it in, mainly because the Service Stability light had started to come it, but it had also developed a "shudder" when applying the brakes at higher speeds. I also requested an alignment, which had never been done, and got the service "special" which included a tire rotation and wheel balancing as well. Also requested that they re-look at the engine oil consumption (again) as the de-carbonization procedure did nothing to reduce the consumption of oil (my check oil level light comes on about every 1200 to 1500 miles).

Anyway, only the brakes (which ended up needing the rotors turned as well as pads), alignment, rotation, were able to be completed at the time. I picked up the car and immediately took it out on the freeway and noticed at about 62-70 MPH, this vibration, seemingly in my seat. Took it back to the dealership a couple of days later where they rechecked the balance on the tires. They now say that the balance was perfect, but that my tires are cupped, and the vibration is because of that. I was just researching what cupped tires were when I stumbled across all the issues with the vibration.

Did your dealers put the new tires on? They are telling me that I need to purchase new tires which I am about to do, but not if there is a warranty issue here.

My dealer has said nothing to me about the "service order" referencing this issue, but I am about to bring it up.

I find it interesting that before I took it in, there wasn't any vibration from cupped tires, but after having all the things done that should put the car in an optimum driving state, that this vibration has come up. Maybe because of the rotors being turned???

Never, never fix a fuse that keeps blowing by replacing it with a bigger one. Huge fire potential! All you probably needed was new heated seat elements. (common problem).

Shame. I recommend Lexus, but if you want American luxury try a Lincoln Town car, they're quite reliable.

I bought a 2002 S.T.S. in May. The dealer had installed H rated Continental ContiTouring Contacts. After a week I noted a vibration beginning at 62 and up. Took it back and rebalanced. Some help, but not fixed. Took it on a trip and began hating the car. Took it back and road force balancing showed 2 tires with road force in excess of recommendations. Replaced those 2 and the vibration was gone. Began to notice then that every seem in the road jarred my teeth. Went on search for the answer. Cadillac T.S.B. states to replace the original Good Years with Michelins. Michelin advised to use MXV4 Plus, but my adviser said he thought I would find that ride too hard, so we put on Symmetry yesterday. Today I am pleased with the ride and handling of these tires even though they are rated below the car's capabilities.

I have a 2002 Seville, STS, It is black/black and I have a hard bumping on the drivers side under the front. It can be felt in the steering and especially when braking and turning. Dealer replaced the hub. Stopped for 4 weeks. then returned louder. I bought the car with 27,000 miles on it 2 months ago and has been in the shop for air conditioning problems, window motor, blown bulbs, and the above. It has a 4 yr. warranty, but, I travel 100 miles to take it in and loose 1 day @ work. This is getting aggravating. I had a 97 concours and it used oil and had air problems, but, with 60,000 miles. Starting to reconsider!

I recently bought a 2002 Seville with 19.500 miles on it. It is still under warranty. I too have the same problem with vibration. Dealer put on new Goodyears as part of the purchase agreement. The car vibrated all over the place especially between 62-72 mph. Tires were force balanced and still the condition continues, Dealer rebalanced about 3 times. Then the dealer replaced with Michelins Synmetry's-still same problem. Dealer then replaced wheel- (rim slightly out of round) -still the problem. Dealer found bulletin relating to control arms and had them replaced-problem still exists. The dealer that sold me the vehicle was not a Cadillac dealer, but he was a Gm dealer. The manager said he had done all he could do and that maybe The Cadillac dealer had a better idea of the problem. Looking at the previous history of the vehicle-I found that the brake rotors had been turned. No wonder the previous owner got rid of the car!!!

I have just read comments about the Cadillac Seville (STS). I was going to buy American. Now I've changed my mind. When are these people going to realize they are losing business to other countries. I want to buy American, but... with these type of comments I will start to look at a Lincoln.

Afetr reading all the comments on the STS I am shocked. I have just purchase a 2000 STS with 61,000 kilos (36,000 miles) The original owner has had it since day 1. He indicated to me the vibration was eliminated instantly once the oem tires had been replaced. As far as the gentlemen that stated he was changing his mind on North American cars and will be looking at BMW or something foreign, I hope you have a big checking account. I owned a BMW 5 series and spent over $12,000.00 on it after the warranty had run out. that was the first year. I absolutely love my STS, but just remeber, this is not an old man's caddy. Drive it hard, it has a racing engine and needs to see 5 to 6000 rpm's.

NEVER allow the workshop to "turn" your rotors.

Either buy new ones or leave them alone.

Never let the pads wear so thin that they score the rotors.

"Turning" reduces their thermal capacity and makes them prone to warping.

I owned a 1993 Seville I loved it because I had it looking good, but I sold it cause it vibrated like crazy. I had wheels, rotors, brakes you name it and the car still shook like crazy. I know that you are talking about the 2002's, but but this might be a trend. I love cadi's, but I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place because I drove my grandfathers 2005 Lincoln town car from California to main and the first 75 percent of the trip was a comfortable fun ride and the last 25 percent was comfortable, but we were just ready to get to our destination. when I drove my seville across country I had a head ache from the vibrations I dreaded the ride back to Cali :) I still love Cadillacs.

I suggest that anyone considering the purchase of a Seville visits www.cadillacforums.com. Here, many of the idiosyncrasies of these autos can be researched in much greater detail than those comments here.

Yes, Northstars burn oil. They are designed as a high performance engine and need periodic cycles of wide open throttle to keep the engine operating at peak efficiency. Most owners do not do this thinking the engine should be babied. In turn, the piston rings don't get worked properly as carbon builds up. Regular wide open throttle, per the forum's recommendation will reduce, if not eliminate, excessive oil consumption. A well maintained Northstar will go 200K-250K miles before it starts to show its age. Regular maintenance is very minor - the car will tell you when to change the oil, and coolant should be changed before 5 years or 100K.

Some Sevilles seem to have a shudder at 65-70 mph. This is well documented. The suspensions on these cars are so hyper-sensitive to the slightest road or tire imperfection that the vibration will frequently find its way into the cabin. Generally, out of round (bent) rims and defective tires are the main culprits. Sometimes a loose brake caliper can cause the problem, or a worn suspension bushing. The Seville, and specifically the STS, is not intended to ride like a Deville. If you're looking for the plushest possible ride, the Deville will be the better choice.

Referencing the Town Car and Seville in comparisons is rather pointless. These are completely different autos. The Town Car has antiquated engine and suspension technology, putting it in a completely different price point and target audience than the Seville. If a soft, floating ride is what you're after, then again, I recommend you take a look at a Deville.

These are great cars. My '98 STS has over 117,000 miles and is going strong. It still looks every bit as nice as any brand new car, and I regularly get about 25.5 mpg per tank running on 87 octane. Highway trips return close to 29.5 mpg. It is unfortunate that the people who have great experiences (several hundred thousand Seville owners since the '98 model was released) are rarely heard. I feel for the few folks out there that have had a bad experience, or have encountered a service department that wasn't up to the task. Keep in mind that every rose has its thorn, and no other manufacturer is any different.

New Owner of 2000 STS with 108k.

I love this car. So much to like about it. I was having a problem with the suspension stability warning. Plus it was clunking on some real uneven country roads. I finally closed my eyes and was prepared for the worst when I took it into the dealer. I was hoping for a loose wire to one of the struts. I was so happy when they said it was an error in the right side and they reprogrammed the computer and eliminated the problem. I haven't given it a real workout yet, but I think I'm good to go. Yeah, I noticed mine vibrates too. Sounds like I should just deal with it as you can drive yourself crazy and appreciate the fact that I could blow away just about any car on the road and don't have a car payment. This car replaced an old Jeep Cherokee, so I can live with a little vibration. Anybody get any good deals on having their remote keypads programmed or a good place to buy from? Thanks, Dave.

Another thing to consider about the Northstar engine in the Seville STS and SLS is that it uses a highly aggressive crosshatch pattern on the cylinder walls. This helps to retain more oil for better lubrication of the pistons, especially at the upper RPM ranges. Consequently, this also means that oil consumption is to be expected.

The trade-off here is that the engine won't wear out quite as easily and will last longer, especially when it's pushed hard, at the mere cost of a little oil.

Of course, to minimize oil consumption to the bare minimum in these cars, you must periodically let the car "spread its wings" as suggested by another poster here for the very reasons that have been stated.

Also, because of the expected oil consumption, you may as well just stick with conventional oil (preferrably Castrol GTX) of the proper viscosity grade. Just keep the oil level within the hashmarks on the dipstick and change the oil when the car's "information center" indicates the need. Otherwise, I would recommend Amsoil synthetic, such as 0w-30 Series 2000 or their regular full synthetic 5w-30.

To add another comment in regards to vibration at highway speeds, try a different set of wheels from a quality aftermarket manufacturer. Of course, get some wheels that match the look of the car and try not to be tempted to get those stupid "spinners." - Reinhart.

I am awe struck by some of your comments about the 2002 STS. I purchased my 2002 2 months ago and have been putting about 100 miles a day on her. Everything has been working better than expected. This is my first experience with Cadillac, and am very pleased with comfort and style. I am amazed how so many people look my way. This car is 4 years old and still attracts looks and probably will for some time to come. No vibration or road feel at all except for the brake shake on down hill curves. 43,000 miles on her and time to check the rotors. Previous owner may have been on the brake too much. Good to hear that the North star engine can take up to 200,000 miles on her. Technology has come a long way. I hope all who have problems with their STS will soon correct them or try another sts. You may in fact have gotten one of those so called lemons.