NHTSA Complaint #10218299 — 2005 CADILLAC CTS

I AM THE 2ND OWNER MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP IS CALLING MY PROBLEM "CATASTROPHIC FAILURE DUE TO CUSTOMER ABUSE". I OWN A 2005 CADILLAC CTS-V. MY ISSUE WAS ABOUT 10 OR 11 DAYS AGO. I LEFT WORK HEADED HOME AND ON THE ONRAMP TO HIGHWAY 240 IN ASHEVILLE, NC I HIT THIRD GEAR GOING ABOUT 45 OR 55 MPH AND MY REAR DIFFERENTIAL MADE A LOUD POP THE CAR JERKED AND THEN JUST BEGAN TO FREE ROLL. I THEN PROCEEDED TO CROSS THREE LANES OF TRAFFIC WITH NO MEANS OF ACCELERATION IN A HIGH TRAFFIC 60MPH ZONE IN ORDER TO GET TO A SAFE STOPPING ZONE. GM ROADSIDE SERVICE TOWED THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP I PURCHASED THE CAR AT. THE NEXT DAY WHEN I CAME TO SEE WHAT THEIR VERDICT WOULD BE THEY TOLD ME THAT WARRANTY WOULDN'T COVER IT AND I WOULD HAVE TO PAY OUT OF POCKET FOR A NEW DIFFERENTIAL AND LABOR AMOUNTING TO AROUND 2800 DOLLARS. I HAD CAME TO THE SAME DEALERSHIP THREE TIMES PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT AND REPORTED A POPPING IN THE REAR END WHEN SHIFTING BUT THERE WAS NO ACTION TAKEN AT ANY OF THE COMPLAINTS AND TO MY KNOWLEDGE NONE OF MY COMPLAINTS WERE FILED, THEY ONLY TOLD ME THAT IT WAS THE CLUTCH AND I WOULD JUST HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO PROPERLY SHIFT THE CAR. I THEN CALLED CADILLAC CUSTOMER SERVICE TO MAKE A COMPLAINT AND TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANY WAY TO HAVE THE WARRANTY COVER THE COST. CUSTOMER SERVICE CALLED ME BACK AND TOLD ME THAT THEY CONTACTED THE SERVICE MANAGER AT THE DEALERSHIP AND HE TOLD THEM IT APPEARED TO BE "CATASTROPHIC FAILURE DUE TO CUSTOMER ABUSE". THIS IS WHERE I AM STUCK AND THE CAR IS STILL AT THE DEALERSHIP IN THEIR HOLDING AREA WHERE IT WILL STAY UNTIL, A: SOMEHOW BY MIRACLE THEY SEND THE LOCAL CADILLAC REP. AND HE OKS THE WARRANTY REPAIR OR, B: I MAGICALLY COME UP WITH THE COST OF REPAIR. I WAS SHIFTING TO THIRD, YES THERE WERE MANY CLOSE CALLS WHILE GETTING THE CAR OFF THE ROAD I HAD THREE LANES TO CROSS AT NIGHT IN A 60MPH ZONE ON A BUSY NIGHT