Cadillac CTS Engine Problems

661 messages,  Last post on May 24, 2013 at 8:37 PM

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What is this discussion about? Cadillac CTS, Engine, Sedan

    
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#516 of 661 Engine Seized cts 2006 by tkrecioch

May 31, 2012 (3:41 pm)

So we purchased a 2006 CTS in November 2011 with 57000 miles. Kept up with oil and oil changes. This last weekend with 76000 miles on the car we were driving and the engine started clicking and made a horrible racket and died. No indicating lights and oil had 76% life left. We are faced with having to get a new engine. We did not purchase a warranty. Who else has this happened to and what is being done? I do not feel we should have to pay for a new engine or labor. I have faxed over a letter to the CEO of the Cadillac division at GM and about to file a complaint with the Better Business Burea.

#517 of 661 Re: Engine Seized cts 2006 [tkrecioch] by gmcustsvcsarah

Jun 01, 2012 (5:48 am)

Replying to: tkrecioch (May 31, 2012 3:41 pm)
tkrecioch,
 
It looks like you've already started taking some action with the BBB, which would preclude me from looking into this situation further with you. However, I had wanted to express my apologies that you are facing these concerns with your CTS and wish you the best as you work through the repair process.
 
All the best,
Sarah
GM Customer Service

#518 of 661 Re: Engine Seized cts 2006 [tkrecioch] by mgruca05

Jun 18, 2012 (12:22 pm)

Replying to: tkrecioch (May 31, 2012 3:41 pm)
I have a 2005 CTS 3.6l with 57k miles. The engine started knocking and eventually died and would not start. Talked to GM Customer Service who asked me to have it diagnosed by a dealer. I did that. The dealer told me I could do two things, change the timing chain and hope the engine works or replace the engine altogether incase its a spun bearing.
 
I changed the oil myself on the car with Mobile 1 synthetic every 3,000 miles. It burned oil like crazy as well as coolant. I added oil and coolant almost every week and had to check them both daily.
 
I bought the car with 35k miles on it and put 22k miles on it. I still owe $12k on it and its just sits in my driveway. A co-worker picks me up everyday.
 
GM Customer Service said in order to determine if they can help me out, they would need the dealer to completely tear down the engine. The dealer quoted me at $8,000 to do this. I laughed. If I went that route and GM decided not to pay for it, I'd be out $8,000 and would still need to have the engine fixed. Why would I do that when I can buy a used Saturn Vue engine for $1,000 and put it in the car with a little work. BUT I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO DO THIS!!!! Everyone Facebook how terrible GM is handling this and everyone on Earth will know about it. I am thoroughly P.O.'d with the purchased of my Cadillac. I'd do anything to go back and buy the Camry that I passed on.
 
Thanks, GM, for the financial hardship and terrible choices with regards to the engine's repair.

#519 of 661 Ahh Relief by avguy2

Jun 18, 2012 (1:31 pm)

I finally dumped the CTS for a 2012 Subaru. I ended up eating about $5000, but to not having to worry about it leaving me stranded and having another $7000 repair bill was well worth it. The used engine that I had put in it started showing the same signs of going bad like the first one did at around 80,000 miles so it was time. The funny part is that 5 days after I traded the car, the dealer that I traded it to was struck by a hail storm that destroyed the car. This is a good thing because I was afraid that they would re-sell it and someone else would be going through the same thing we all have gone through. I fell bad for the dealer but that's what insurance is for.

#520 of 661 Re: Engine Seized cts 2006 [mgruca05] by jpf

Jun 18, 2012 (6:30 pm)

Replying to: mgruca05 (Jun 18, 2012 12:22 pm)
It's truly sad to read what GM's customers have had to put up with. It's like GM forgot how to build a reliable engine. The irony is that the new GM has replaced all of its old tech OHV V6's with these 3.0 and 3.6 liter engines. I own two GM vehicles; one is a 1994 Pontiac Grand Prix with the 3100 OHV V6. I bought this car last year for $3k and it had 125k miles. This car is not used a lot and it sits for 2 or 3 months at a time without being used. Starts up on the first crank all the time and burns no oil. My other vehicle is a 2007 Chevy Uplander with the 3900 OHV V6. It has 71k miles and burns no oil between oil changes. GM has shown it can build reliable engines; it's time that they start building them right again.

#521 of 661 Re: Engine Seized cts 2006 [jpf] by chuck2011

Jun 19, 2012 (2:13 pm)

Replying to: jpf (Jun 18, 2012 6:30 pm)
Are these engines being manufactured in China? Could that possibly explain the utter lack of reliability in these motors? GM has made millions of engines and its a wonder why these are failing so much...especially in a premium priced automobile.

#522 of 661 Re: Engine Seized cts 2006 [mgruca05] by cadman4

Jun 19, 2012 (2:25 pm)

Replying to: mgruca05 (Jun 18, 2012 12:22 pm)
Hi,
I had my 2005 3.6 CTS engine replaced 63,000 miles. My Uncle is in the auto repair business and found a used engine with 32,000 miles. Engine plus shipping was $3,200. A friend that owed him a favor put in the new engine, water pump hoses etc. for $1,200 plus parts.
 
I have used it for 4 months with no problems. I check the oil dip stick every day I drive it.
Resale is horrible so I will keep it for now. (I loved everything about the car except the oil/engine problem.)

#523 of 661 2006 CTS 3.6L Engine Siezed by jaiscott1980

Jun 19, 2012 (7:01 pm)

I bought a used CTS with 78,000 miles on it back in December. I checked the oil twice in that time. It was low. I read about the oil cunsumption problems on these AFTER I bought it! No biggie right? I topped it off and continued to enjoy it.
 
About a month later I took it on a road trip and I started to feel something wasn't right with the way the engine was performing. The next day I drove it to work and on my way there it started to run rough. I pulled over and could hear a knocking sound. Got it to my work to find the oil was almost 2 quarts low. This was approx. 1,000 miles since I topped it off last. I topped it off again praying that the engine noise would go away. It quieted down a bit but was still there. I had an extended warranty on it so I decided to take it to the Cadi dealer the next day. It never made it. On my way home the engine SIEZED!!!
 
Towed it to the dealer to have them tell me they need to pull the pan to see what failed. They ended up tearing it apart. Took the motor and transmission out, pulled off the heads, pulled out every wiring harness they could find under the hood and so forth. Long, long, story short, the warranty company came out to inspect and DECLINED the claim due to "Lack of lubrication". The #3 rod bearing had spun. To fix the car the dealer said it would cost over $7,000. Had them put it back together and had to pay $1,100!!!
 
I know from reading these forums that this is a common problem which GM has no intention of resolving, so does anyone have a rational solution on how to get someone to take care of this issue?

#524 of 661 Re: Engine problems 2006 CTS [billpaul] by texkatt1

Jun 26, 2012 (9:59 am)

Replying to: billpaul (Mar 18, 2012 5:26 pm)
it has been identified, i have a 2006 CTS and the dealership had to do a complete rebuild on mine at 35k 1.5 years ago because it lost over 4 qts in two weeks. they said its was a failure of the rings. I haven't had a problem with that issue since, and I now have 52k. although I have had many other problems with the CTS over the years that I have owned it. That's why I got the 100k / 6 year factory bumper to bumper warranty. hope that helps.

#525 of 661 Re: 2005 CTS with the same disappearing oil problem [bill_anderson] by bill_anderson

Jun 26, 2012 (6:37 pm)

Replying to: bill_anderson (Dec 29, 2011 3:03 pm)
I wanted to update the forum on what is happening with my 2005 CTS "SUSPECTED " oil consumption problem. As some of you might recall, we took the car in Aug 2011 because of a loss of power and a horrible clanking noise. When we picked the car up they said the problem was there was no oil showing on the dipstick. I asked how there could be no oil and they just said it could be "anything" but we were topped up and were "good to go".
 
Oct 2011 we were returning from a Halifax - Montreal - Halifax trip when the horrible cluncking noicse appeared again. We had driven less than 4000 km and the GM dealer in Douglastown NB added 4 litres. When we got home the dealer took the car, and in Dec 2011 they replaced the right cam gasket. This did not solve the problem, I was now monitoring my dipstick (noone had ever said I had to do this, and I have never had to do it for any other car I have ever owned. I ALWAYS do the 5000km checkup) So Feb 28th 2012 the Cadillac dealer would not admit they had enough evidence to say there was a problem so they put me on an oil consumption monitoring "program"
28 Feb 98867 km filled the oil
90808 km added 0.5 litres
100680km added 0.5 litres
101605km added 1 litre
May 3rd 103010km added 1 litre I said surely enough is enough.
May 4th They told me we were approved for new piston and rings
May 31 No phone call that parts were in so I called them. They said we never were approved so I took it in and they added 0.5 litres at 103996
 
We took the car in again in mid June I don't know how much oil was added, but finally they said we were approved to have rings and pistons replaced. The work is scheduled to start 28June. I have mentioned to the dealer my concerns that if it is a permanently distorted air cleaner that caused the piston/ring problem, all this oil consumption was just going to reoccur. And also I have seen posts that the oil consumption problem may well have damaged our timing chain earlier than it already would have been damaged. The dealer did say that when they do the tear down, if they should discover anything else, they must STOP all work and get further authorization from GM.
 
I have heard that FORD is the only car company not to get bail out money from the Govt. I have never owned a FORD but you can me assured I will likely give one a go, as it is unlikely that I would risk buying another CTS. Sad to say.
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