Owners have filed 334 complaints on the Cadillac Catera, covering 1997–2003. The system named most often is Engine And Engine Cooling (114 reports). Worst years by volume: 1997, 1998, 1999; cleanest: 2003, 2001, 2000. 15 reports describe a crash, 6 a fire. On average the car was 4.5 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Cadillac Catera
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 334 Catera complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Engine And Engine Cooling 114 Read
While driving the vehicle, the car stalled without cause. When we attempted to stop the car due to the car stall the car spun out and was hit by an oncoming vehicle. This car has been subject to several stallouts while driving at various speeds since purchased in 2002. This vehicle also has problems with not starting…
1997 cadillac catera problems, vehicle was in the shop for repairs 4 times in the 6 weeks of ownership, right side front door would not open, left side front door would not open, tail light assembly out, engine caught on fire while driving on beltway (insurance estimate a total loss)
The contact owns a 1997 cadillac catera. While driving at any speed the vehicle overheated. The contact noticed smoke coming from the hood and antifreeze leaking from the vehicle. On may 2, 2007 the vehicle was taken to the dealer, who stated that there was a hole in the antifreeze line, but the vehicle was not…
Suspension 32 Read
We have had 4 computerized front end aligments and 3 sets of tires before 18,611 miles, and the dealership has not fixed the problem yet. Dt
Severe inside tire wear. Car is on 3rd set of front tires at 30,000 miles. Dealer says alignment will help but cannot guarantee. Car has been aligned 3 times in past 6 months. Issue is with lower control arms according to others but gm denies it
The day after the car was purchased, the consumer noticed the check engine light on, the light came on several times and the dealer stated that the main computer and some sensors went out, the bad main computer was also causing vehicle vibration
Service Brakes 28 Read
While driving instrument warning lights will illuminate, and vehicle will shut off, losing all power. Dealer has been contacted. *ak stalling of the vehicle while on highway resulting in accident. The vehicle was at dealership three times for brake work
Vehicle's brakes locked up causing accident.*mr when the brakes locked, the consumer spun around and hit a brick wall four times. The consumer sustained several broken ribs as a result of the seat belt. The consumer would like cadillac to pay her $20,000 cash to purchase another vehicle. *ph *jb
When applying ABS brakes system locked up, resulting in a collision in which vehicle hit a guardrail, became airborne, and air bags did not deploy. *ak this vehicle after being airborne, hit a fenced lot and damaged the head lamp
Electrical System 25 Read
Electrical smoldering fire within the dash harness p/n90493373 of my 1997 cadillac catera VIN #[xxx]. No actual flames were seen before the 80 amp main fuse opened. I did see the actual harness at the cadillac dealership and most if not all the wires in the harness had their shielding melted clean away about 1/2". The…
Battery was replaced six times by the dealer, and problem still reoccurring. Feel free to provide any further information
The contact owns a 2001 cadillac catera. The contact stated that the odometer stopped working when the traction control light and the ABS light was illuminated. The vehicle also lost power when the warning lights came on. The gears then started to shift very slowly. The failure mileage was 70,484. The current mileage…
Steering 21 Read
When vehicle hits a pothole it will jump into next lane. Dealer has been notified
Consumer was traveling on a residential area and was running, brakes couldn't stop vehicle although there was no speed involved. Also, power steering was hard to steer
Complete steering lock for left turn capability of vehicle
Air Bags 20 Read
Dt: there was a problem with the airbag warning light coming on. When the consumer took vehicle to the dealership they told him the airbag had to be replaced because it was defective. He had the airbag replaced by an authorized dealership. Another vehicle had hit the consumer's vehicle bumper and the airbags did not…
Airbag failed to deploy. $7,440.00 damage my vehicle. Other vehicle (2002 pontiac grand am) was total loss
Consumer was driving on highway at approximately 42 mph on normal road condition all of a sudden had to apply emergencey brakes, but rear ended vehicle in front. Impact was done at approximately 35 mph. Neither air bags of consumer's vehicle depolyed. Dealer notified
Tires 17 Read
The design of the front wheels was causing premature wear of the tires because the tires came in contact with the road at an angle while driving. *ak based from invoice from dealer, the front wheels of the catera are designed to pitched slightly inward, which may cause the front tires to wear faster. Also, it was…
Purchased 4 pirellie tires (pr00523457v) - pir p6 four seasons p235/45r17 on 2/18/05 with lifetime road hazard warranty. Replaced 2 tres 04/08/05 - impact buldge on outer edge of tires. Replaced another tire (tire was ripped/cut completely around the tire while traveling out of state, with two small children) on…
Consumer was traveling around 50mph on highway and felt a vibration inside of vehicle. Was able to pull over onto shoulder. Noticed that front passenger's tire tread split all around rim , can see clear through tire. Dealership was aware of problem. Tire was a goodyear, eagle. *ak goodyear eagle rs-a, p225/55r15
Seats 9 Read
Dt: the contact stated the rear passenger seat caught on fire while using the heater within the seat. There were no warning signs indicating a problem with the vehicle. The vehicle has not been inspected to determine the cause of the fire. The vehicle has not been repaired
While I was driving I had my seat heater on to warm the leather seats and it caught fire and burned a place in my seat. Its not a large spot, but its there and now I fear if I turn it on the car will catch on fire. I've spoke to other people in the cadillac catera groups and they have had the same problem
- while driving the 2001 cadillac catera with 76000 miles failure for 15 miles he turned the seat heater on. The contact had been driving for a half hour when he turned the seat heater off because it felt hot and he smelled something burning. The contact stopped the vehicle and noticed the back of the passenger's coat…
Catera years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2001 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2000 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 1999 | Air Bags | 3 | 3 | |
| 1998 | Air Bags | 4 | — | |
| 1997 | Air Bags | 4 | 3 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 93 |
| Average complaints per series | 3.6 |
| Worst single series | 15 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 4.5 years |
A model average of 3.6 hides a worst series at 15. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Catera?
By complaint volume, 1997, 1998, 1999 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Catera years are the cleanest?
2003, 2001, 2000 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Cadillac Catera have?
334 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1997–2003. Of those, 15 describe a crash and 6 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.