NHTSA Complaint #10667022 — 2006 CADILLAC CTS

I AM THE OWNER OF A 2006 CADILLAC CTS 3.6L V6 WITH A BROKEN TIMING CHAIN WHICH IS A $1,500 REPAIR. I WAS TRAVELING 70 MPH DOWN THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE TIMING CHAIN WENT OUT AND ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT TRYING TO PULL ONTO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I CONTACTED GM AND WAS TOLD THAT EVEN THOUGH MY VEHICLE HAS THE SAME ENGINE AS THE 2007 MODEL, IT WAS NOT COVERED BY THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. UPON RESEARCHING THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE CADILLAC CTS FROM THE VERY BEGINNING OF ITS APPEARANCE IN 2003. THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS FROM 2003 TO 2006 FOR THE TIMING CHAIN ON THE NHTFS WEBSITE WAS THE SAME AS THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS IN THE YEARS COVERED BY GM'S SPECIAL EXTENDED WARRANTY (GM SUBJECT 10287 CONCERNING TIMING CHAIN ISSUE) FOR THE 2007-2009 CTS. GM REALIZED THE TIMING BELTS WERE AN ISSUE AND FOUND A WAY TO ONLY COVER THOSE 3 YEARS BY BLAMING THE NEED TO REPROGRAM ENGINE CONTROL MODULE. BY DOING THIS THEY MANAGED TO PREVENT INVESTIGATIONS BY THE NHTFS REGARDING THE TIMING CHAIN ISSUE. WHILE THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE TIMING CHAIN ISSUE IN THE 2007 ' 2009 YEARS, IT IS NOT THE CAUSE OF THE ISSUE SINCE THE PROBLEM EXISTED IN THE 4 YEARS PRIOR TO THE ADDITION OF THE FAULTY ENGINE CONTROL MODULE. THE YEARS FOLLOWING THE EXTENDED WARRANTY THERE HAVE BEEN ZERO COMPLAINTS RELATED TO TIMING CHAIN ISSUES. THIS INDICATES THAT PERHAPS THE TIMING CHAINS BEING USED PREVIOUSLY WERE LIKELY REPLACED, BUT I DO NOT HAVE THE RESOURCES TO INVESTIGATE THAT. THE NHTFS HAS NEVER INVESTIGATED THE TIMING CHAIN PROBLEM IN THE 7 YEARS IT WAS OCCURRING. PART OF THE PROBLEM IS THAT MOST PEOPLE FILING A COMPLAINT ABOUT A TIMING CHAIN DON'T KNOW HOW TO CATEGORIZE IT (I FOUND INSTANCES UNDER AIRBAGS, ELECTRICAL, ETC.) THESE ARE ONLY THE CASES THAT HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO THE NHTFS, BUT THE INTERNET IS FILLED WITH PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE PROBLEM. *TR