NHTSA Complaint #10118204 — 2003 CADILLAC CTS

HAVE 2003 CADILLAC CTS, HAD THE DIFFERENTIAL REPLACED BECAUSE IT WAS HOWLING & GETTING WORSE (THIS IS COMMON COMPLAINT BY OWNERS OF 2003 - 2005 CTS MODELS - SEE CADILLAC USERS GROUP, CTS FORUM). PICKED UP CAR AFTER DIFFERENTIAL WAS REPLACED. DROVE APPROXIMATELY 2 MILES FROM DEALER WHEN DIFFERENTIAL LOCKED UP AT 50 MPH. MANAGED TO CONTROL SLIDE/SKID AND SLIDE OFF FOUR-LANE ROAD SURFACE WITHOUT HITTING OTHER VEHICLES, BUT HAD IT HAPPENED A MILE FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD, I'D HAVE BEEN ON I-85 IN HEAVY INTERSTATE TRAFFIC AT 70 MPH... DEALER REPLACED FAILED REAR END WITH ANOTHER NEW ONE WHICH, THUS FAR (500 MILES OR SO) IS TROUBLE-FREE, BUT IN VIEW OF THE PROBLEMS I & OTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED WITH THESE UNITS, I HAVE LITTLE CONFIDENCE THAT THE BASIC PROBLEM HAS BEEN RESOLVED. UNCOMFORTABLE AT THOUGHT OF DEPENDING ON VEHICLE FROM BOTH SAFETY & BASIC TRANSPORT ASPECT - RELUCTANT TO CONTEMPLATE A LONG DISTANCE TRIP FOR THESE REASONS. CALLED CADILLAC & THEY SENT A WARRANTY RIDER EXTENDING COVERAGE OF THE DIFFERENTIAL/CARRIER ASSEMBLY TO 2010 OR 100,000 MILES, WHICH IS USEFUL. HOWEVER, GM MINDSET SEEMS TO BE THAT IT IS CHEAPER TO REPLACE THESE UNITS AS THEY FAIL WITH NEW UNITS WITH THE SAME FLAW , THAN IT IS TO DETERMINE WHY THEY ARE FAILING, CORRECT THE FLAW & PROVIDE OWNERS WITH REDESIGNED, SAFE UNITS. I MAY BE OFF A BIT ON THE ACTUAL DATE OF THE INCIDENT INVOLVING FAILURE OF DIFFERENTIAL AS MY DEALER, CLASSIC CADILLAC IN MONTGOMERY, AL, HAS NOT AS OF YET PROVIDED ME A COPY OF THE PAPERWORK DOCUMENTING THE INCIDENT & INSTALLATION OF THE THIRD DIFFERENTIAL. I CALLED MY SERVICE REP YESTERDAY & HE APOLOGIZED FOR THE "OVERSIGHT" & SAID THEY'D MAIL ME THE DOCUMENTATION. THE DIFFERENTIAL THAT SEIZED IS NOT AVAILABLE - I TOLD THEM I WANTED TO SEE IT, BUT WAS INFORMED THAT THEY HAD TO SEND IT BACK IN ORDER TO GET ANOTHER REPLACEMENT. *NM