GM should recall the Cadillac Catera and it should no longer be sold

A car purchase is considered as a major investment. Although vehicles are designed are man made and they are not built to last, as a consumer you want to make sure that you have a quality vehicle. A vehicle which is built to comformity which is substantial to your needs. For most vehicle owner's their concern is maintenance. As a the owner of a 2001 Cadillac Catera I admit I was in love with the vehicle's make. To ensure I was making a worthy investment I had 4 vehicle inspections, and pulled the car fax report. Dealerships and manufacturer's hide the unknown and focus on the visual appearance and feature's  this is what sells.

What the manufacturer, dealership or car fax did not reveal is these vehicle's are known for having major leaks. There are extensive problems to the coolant system. I am not a mechanic, however, I have spent the same amount of time researching the same solutions to end my days on spending money for repairs and diagnostic test to fix the same complaint with the coolant system. The mechanic has spent the same amount time collecting from me , the consumer on attempting to fix the vehicle. 

Recently, a nationwide settlement has been reached with General Motors in the Dex-Cool/ Intake Manifold Gasket class action lawsuits. The lawsuits were filed on behalf of owners of General Motors vehicles, which were factory-filled with "Dex-Cool" coolant. In summary, the lawsuits alleged that Dex-Cool degraded certain vehicles%u2019 intake manifold gaskets and other engine sealability components, and that in certain other vehicles, Dex-Cool formed a rusty sludge, clogging the vehicles%u2019 cooling systems and causing vehicles to overheat

Terms of the Settlement:

GM automobile owners and lessees will have the option to be included in this class action settlement if they incurred out-of-pocket expenses for any of the following repairs:

1. A replacement of the nylon/silicone lower intake manifold gasket, made within the earlier of 7 years or 150,000 miles of the date of initial delivery for 1995-2003.5 Model Year vehicles with 3.1-liter V6 and 3.4-liter V6 engines that were originally equipped with Dex-Cool coolant.

2. A coolant sealability repair (including, but not limited to, throttle body gasket, upper intake manifold gasket, lower intake manifold gasket, etc.), made within the earlier of 7 years or 150,000 miles of the date of initial delivery for 1995 - 2004 model year 3.8-liter V6 engines (RPO L36) that were originally equipped with Dex-Cool coolant.

3. A Dex-Cool sludge repair, made within the earlier of 7 years or 150,000 miles for 1995 - 2000 model year S/T light trucks and sport utility vehicles with 4.3-liter V6 engines that were originally equipped with Dex-Cool coolant.

The precise terms of the proposed settlement remain confidential while the settlement papers are being prepared for court approval. The attorney's  hope to obtain court approval in March and provide formal notice of the settlement beginning in April. At that time the attorney's will be able to answer inquiries regarding the specifics of the settlement and how to file a claim. In the meantime, anyone who believes they incurred an expense in connection with a repair or replacement described above should retain all receipts they have for the repairs or replacement.

General Motor's has deceived the dealerships while the dealerships have deceived the customer's. The national class action law suit applies to all General Motor's vehicle's and the repairs may work on the newer vehicles which are still being made. However, these repairs will not work on the older models where the vehicle's make and model have been discontinued. 

You see the damage was done from the moment the vehicle was designed. The Cadillac Catera has a  3.0 v6 engine which was produced in German. When I purchased my Catera it was sold to me as a certified vehicle still under the manufacturer's warranty. The dealer had a 3 day buy back. I purchased this vehicle from a Chevrolet dealership in Jacksonville, Florida. The dealership stated  the vehicle was free from any leaks. However, 3 weeks after purchase my low coolant light came on, and thermostat warning light came on. The Chevrolet dealership tried to convince me when I brought it in to them to ignore the warning lights. It was merely an electrical problem. I knew that it could not be. There are two Cadillac dealerships in Jacksonville Florida. Cadillac dealer ship #1 investigated the problem and found that I had leak, and stated that I needed to have the heater valve replaced. 

My research to get my vehicle fixed and protect my investment started here. In the state of Florida, there is no lemon law for a used vehicle. There was only a 3 day buy back, and  I had to allow the dealer to attempt to repair the car at least 4times. So, I got General Motor's involved from the beginning. I called and explained the problem to the General Motors service manager, why? Because, the previous owner was so generous to leave her repair receipts in the car and she had the same complaint in 2004. I purchased the car in 2005. The vehicle was still under the manufacturer's warranty. General Motor's had a warranty on their parts. Once the mechanic determined what the issue was, and it was determined the same part needed to be replaced, there would be no charge to the customer.  The coolant system was not covered under the warranty. Why? Because General Motor's implied the dexacoolant was a product used which would prevent maintenance to the coolant system for 5 years or 150,000miles whichever occured first.

Well, the vehicle make and model which I have is a 2001 Cadillac Catera. The previous owner had the coolant tank replaced in 2004, due to a leak. This was at 3 years, and 39,000miles. The dealership which I purchased the car from advertised it certified and told me on all the paperwork which have there were no leaks. Do you know why the Chevrolet dealership never found the leaks, and the Cadillac dealership found the leak? This is has to do with how the vehicle is designed. Mechanic's at both dealerships are GM certified. But, Chevrolet did not know about Cadillac's.  One reason Chevrolet did not notice the leak, is because they did a visual inspection. They only looked at the vehicle nothing was removed. The Cadillac Mechanic revealed these cars are not mechanical friendly. You cannot just take them anywhere. They had to remove the engine  in order to see the leak.

Now, is the kicker. I have had this vehicle for 3 years now, I have had over 9 repairs to the vehicle for the same complaint. General Motors assisted me with some of the repairs during the first year of ownership. I thought they were helpful. Until I noticed the pattern the repairs would only last 30 days. Each time I took the car back it was either the same repair being performed or a different part of the coolant system being replaced. Finally, General Motors told me they could not perform any more customer satisfactory repairs or reimbursement. Yes, I proved my point to department of motor vehicles and proved there was no way they could have certified the vehicle. The dealership reimbursed me for $1200.00 for repairs which I paid for. General motors and Cadillac dealership #1 attempted to fix the vehicle, using the TSB's which General Motor's designed based on the customer's complaint. But, these repairs only lasted 30 days. Why?  Because it was economical for the manufacturer, but it was not the root cause of the problem. The repairs which the previous owner had and myself within the years of 2003-2005 involved the coolant tank being replaced, along with the heater valve, auxillary water pump relay, cluster assembly IPC, and the  which Cadillac dealership #1 performed involved them replacing the coolant sensor 5 times. I even had an EDR installed to record the engine temperatures. 
 These repairs add up, but some of them done at my expense and other's were done between a negotiation deal made between Cadillac and General Motors on good faith.  The repairs did not resolve the problem. The issue continued and has turned into major problems.  

Cadillac dealership #1 told me they would not do any more repairs until I  replace  the thermostat. This is when the plot thickens. General Motor's then told me this would be the last repair they would reimburse me for.  I decided to go to Cadillac dealership #2 to get the thermostat replaced I was sick and tired of missing time from work to get to the bottom of it. After all the repairs I was only given a rental car once.  I explained to Cadillac dealership #2, that I had a diagnostic check at Cadillac dealership #1, and I explained the complaints of the low coolant light coming on , Thermostat warning light coming on, and now I know the problem is getting worse because the check engine light is now on.  This complaint was ongoing for three years now, and it started under the manufacturer's warranty. I felt like although they attempted to repair the vehicle, none of the repairs were lasting. I had to bring back each month. The repairs which I paid $1200.00 for, I did not get reimbursed for until after the first year.  I explained to the service manager at Cadillac dealership #2 all of the prior repairs which were done. His response was I cannot believe that dealership #1  would have recomended those repairs. I showed him the documentation. He responded, that he would repair the vehicle based on the diagnosis from Cadillac dealership #1 per my request. But, he did not think that it would work. He said there was nothing wrong with the thermostat. He responded that I have leak against the intake manifold, that is the problem. He  recommended that I get the check engine light diagnosed. He said that was his fear. Because of the all the previous repairs done which did not resolve the issue, there is possibility I could be on my way to more serious problems. He does not recommend anyone to buy  a Cadillac Catera. He feels like General Motors got over on them with this one.

The mechanic had to keep my car for two days. He said there was so much corrosion around the thermostat housing case, that he had to soak it off. If he pulled it on he would break something. I wanted to see this matter through simply because the Cadillac dealership #1 was doing the warranty work based on the TSBs, and General Motor's was aware of it. I called General Motor's to tell him what the mechanic had told me about the repairs done by Cadillac dealership #1 not being the correct solution to the problem. I told him that he stated it was a leak against intake manifold. But, I was having the thermostat  repair done, because Cadillac dealership #1 knew the history from the beginning. 

General Motor's stated this would be last the repair, they could reimburse me for. They would recommend that if this did not work, that I trade in the vehicle. They could offer me a customer voucher for $2,000 towards the purchase of a new  or used vehicle. I responded I have not had the vehicle for a complete 2 years yet. I have this vehicle financed. I owed $14,000 at that point. This would mean that I would have to come up with a hefty down payment to assume some the negative equity, because of the problems and decrease in value, I would higher payments.  $2,000 would not be enough. At the time the kelly blue book value was $8,000. This meant I would have a rebate of $6,000-$7,000, or they would have to recommend a Gm dealership on my behalf to buy back the vehicle and pay off the existing loan.  General Motors declined to do that. They implied that I would have to do all the legwork on that. I stated then there was no deal. It would be to my advantage to keep the car a little longer, because I could not afford to pay any more money to trade from under the vehicle.  But, I did say something would good would come out of it eventually. Because, I find it quite strange that this vehicle has been to three dealerships with GM certified mechanics, and two of the main Cadillac dealerships in Jacksonville, florida have a difference of opinion as to what is wrong with the vehicle. But, it was unfair for me to bring the car back every month. 

Needless to say after the thermostat was repaired, the mechanic was right  at Cadillac dealership #2. In fact , I went on to have the check engine diagnosis on the vehicle, and found out  that I did have a leak against the intake manifold. I also found out the engine temperatures were recording a higher temp to the computer the actually reading from the hand  held thermometer read the engine temps to were to low. 

I share this information with General Motors and advised them that I felt like was deceived. I thought they were helping me and they were merely looking out for themselves. You see when you understand wht causes your vehicle to be recalled, and you have history of events and keep good receipts and records you can stand by your case.

General Motors understands where the recalls begin. They state the recalls can be discovered in several ways: Internaly quality audits to thelp catch problems even before a vehicle leaves the supplier or assembly plant.  The Gm employees are encouraged to report isues they find in the vehicles they are driving. Problems can also be discovered when warranty reports show the same type of vehicles are being repaired for a related issue at their dealerships.  The last discovery is Customers alerr them or government agencies about possible problems. 

I admit they were polite, but they were not on the customer's side. They made you feel like they were doing everything to assist me. This was not everything they could do. They fixed repairs under the TSB which cost them less money. I am in my third year of ownership and I have since then replaced  the radiator, oxygen sensor, and another heater valve leak, I have been told that I need to replace the coolant tank again.

The focus is on the intake manifold leak where the dexacoolant is because the gasket that seals the intake manifold to the cylinder heads may leak and allow coolant to enter the intake port, crankcase or dribble down the outside of the engine. Some engines such as General Motors 3.1l and 3.4l V6 engines as wellas 4.3l, 5.0l and 5.7l V8's are notorious for leaky intake manifold gaskets. The intake manifold gaskets on these engines are plastic and often fail at 30,000 to 80,000 miles. 

The internal coolant leaks are the worst kind of coolant leaks for two reasons. One is they are impossile to see because they are hidden inside the engine. The other is that the internal coolant leaks can be very expensive to repair. The internal leaks are usually due to a bad head gasket. This could cause the cooklant to leak into the crankcase dilute the il and can damage the engine's bearings. This repair involves removing the cylinder head to replace the gasket . This typically runs at a $1,000-$1500.00 repair job. 

I know for a fact that my issue has escalated due to Cadillac dealership performing the minor repairs based on tsb's which General Motors recommended which would be at no cost to me. These repairs were not the root cause of the problem. My vehicle is older, It is a 3.0 not a 3.1. My issue has escalated to a cracked cylinder head. This can cause coolant to leak inside the engine. A cracked head or block can also occur if the cylinder head or block will leak coolant into the cylinder. This dilutes the oil on the cylinder walls and can damage the piston rings. If the coolant contains silicants it, can also foul the oxygen sensor and catalytic converter. If enough coolant leaks into the cylinder ( as when the engine is sitting over night, it may even hydro-lock the engine and prevent it from cranking when you try to start it.  

A coolant leak into the crankcase is also bad news because it can damage the bearings. Coolant leaking into the crankcase will make the oil level on the disptick appear to be higher than normal. The oil may also appear frothy, muddy or discolored becuase of the coolant contamination.  When Cadillac dealership #1 replaced my heater valve this year due to a leak, they never mentioned anything to me about the oxygen sensor, or radiator being replaced. They never even said anything about the cracked cyllinder head. But they told me by the way you have a oil leak. This leak they are talking about they state was caused by the filter not being put on properly. I had the leak diagnosed and it was not external it was internal. I have a leaky ATF oil cooler. Internal coolant leakage can also occur in the automatic transmission fluid , there is an oil cooler inside the radiator. I was told by Jiffy lube that I needed to have my transmission fluid changed, and they identified that I would know by the change in color of the transmission fluid. When I took the vehicle to Cadillac dealership #1, they asked who told me that, and stated that I should not listen to another dealership other than Cadillac.  Maintenance on the transmission fluid is not due until 100,000 miles. However, this last repair is what caused me to purchase a new vehicle, and the dealership would not accept the Cadillac Catera as a trade. So, guess what I still have it and I making two car payments. 

On most vehicles with automatic transmissions , ATF is routed through an oil cooler inside the radiator. If the tubing leaks, coolant can enter the transmission lines, contaminate the flud and ruin the transmission. Red or brown drops of the oil in the coolant would be a symptom of such a leak. Because the coil cooler is inside the radiator, the radiator must be replaced to eliminate the problem. The transmission fluid should also be changed. I had the radiator and oxygen changed, but I did not have the transmission fluid changed yet. These repairs were not done a Cadillac Dealership, but they caused me a financial hardship simply because  this issue has been ongoing  from the beginning so the damage has settled in. Leaks of the coolant have started to impact other parts of the vehicle. 

General Motor's has not addressed what they will do about a 3.0 engine, because it is no longer made. The vehicle is discontinued. Therefore, to satisfy the customer you would have to check to see if there is a cracked head, and replace the radiator and oxygen sensor, and transmission fluid. Their implied warranty on servicing the transmission or changing the fluid says 100,000 miles. 

These vehicles are having to be serviced for more than one component of the coolant system which totally goes against every written document stated in their owner's manual or my gm website.Yet, you have customers who have financed these vehicles, and the repairs are greater than the amount of the value of the car.

You are either stuck walking, having your credit damage due to voluntary repossesion, or repossesion because you simply cannot afford to pay for the car repair and make a car payment at the same time. Yet, all they can do is offer a customer rebate. They key word is liability. Who is responsible for the liability of the design of the vehicle? Who is responsible for the vehicled being defected . Who has implied the product will increase the life of the vehicle? The answer is the manufacturer.  It is not the dealership. They are not on the assembly line. They are responsible to sell you on features and benefits. 

The manufacturer's focus is quality. When someone tells you something verbally all you have is their word. But, when you have implied warranty, or contract or agreement in writing you have ground to stand on. I simply could not afford this. I have done everything to maintain my credit in good standing, and everything to hang on to the vehicle Until the repairs started to get more costly, and were no longer under warranty. 

Your lien holder only wants to know why you can't pay. If you did not purchase the vehicle sold as is, and you do not have a lemon law to protect you in your state, you look for a Federal law to protect you. 

I am not mechanic, or an attorney. But, I have been forced to search for the terms which a mechanic would understand or and law which an attorney would understand in order to protect me, and other concerned citizens who have experienced the same issues.  At this point if your vehicle is no longer made, and the mechanic did not replaced your head gasket then anywork you have done is patch work. The dexacoolant is the source which is causing the corrosion, and over the years the issue spreaded.  At this point, you simply need to get from under the vehicle, but the customer should not be pentalized. 

I am recommending the attorney's who are participating in the national class action lawsuit to file an ammendment and force them to consider your vehicle's make and model.  A recall should be done, and if your vehicle is financed the manufacturer should reimburse the customer based on the lemon law guidelines, even if it does not apply in your state:

If you financed the purchase of your vehilce, by borrowing all or a portion of the purchase price, your finance institution( e.G. bank, credit union or finance company has a lien on a vehicle which is obviously defected. 

The lemon law states that in these situations if a refund is awarded, the cusotmer and the lienholder shall be paid as their interests may appear. This usually means the consumer is swarded the amounts paid by the consumer towards the purchase of the vehicle, reduced by the offset for use , and the loan on the vehicle is paid off by the manufacturer. The consumer should have documentation or other proof of the amount paid, such as cancelled checks , receipts , invoices, etc. 

I also feel that if you taken out any personal loans to repair the vehicle, which have caused a hardship to you financially you should be compensated for those to. There are plenty of consumer who use payday loans to repair their vehicles. These loans caused the consumer to pay more than they borrowed. 

In the event the attorney's will not take the vehicle's make and model under consideration, then a seperate class action lawsuit should be filed. Let's aim the target to have the manufacturer assume the liability for their mistakes. Our voices can be heard when we work together. To those Cadillac Catera customers who share the same issues, please join  in. This petition is not intended to offend anyone who has not experienced any problems with their vehicle. However, if you do have the same concerns and documents of proof let's pull together and take action.