NHTSA Complaint #743031 — 1997 CADILLAC CATERA

CAR WAS MAKING A GRINDING SOUND UNDER HOOD. WAS TOLD TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER WAS ALMOST BROKEN. DLR REPLACED TENSIONER, TIMING CHAIN, AND IDLER PULLEY. CAR HAS HAD 6 ALIGNMENTS SINCE 10/13/00. CAR STILL PULLS TO LEFT AND WEARS OUT TIRES PREMATURELY. CAR HAS 47,000 MILES ON ITAND HAS 3RD SET OF TIRES ON IT. CAR HAD A OIL LEAK ON VALVE COVER GASKETS. DLR REPAIRED AND REPLACED. CAR HESITATES AND SURGES FORWARD. DLR HAS NOT FOUND PROBLEM. CAR HAS ABNORMAL SHIFT PATTERNS. SOMETIMES SHIFT DOWN TO A LOWER GEAR CAUSING CAR TO LOSE POWER AND SPEED, THEN SHIFTS BACK TO OVERDRIVE WITHOUT DEPRESSING ACCELERATOR. DLR HAS NOT FOUND A PROBLEM. THERE IS A SOUND FROM REAR OF CAR. SOUNDS LIKE BAD SHOCKS. DLR REPLACED FRAME SUPPORT BUSHINGS AND LOWER CONTROL ARMS. NOISE STILL THERE. THERE ARE TOO MANY PROBLEMS TO REPORT HERE. CAR HAS SERIOUS PROBLEMS AND HAS BEEN TO DEALERSHIP FOR EXTENSIVE WARRANTY WORK 9 TIMES WITHIN OUR 7 MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP. THE LAST VISIT, THE SEALERSHIP HAD THE CAR FOR 15 DAYS TRYING TO REPAIR THE CAR, AND NOW, MOST OF THE SAME THINGS THAT WERE SUPPOSE TO BE REPAIRED ARE STILL FAULTY. TODAY, THE HEATING SYSTEM WENT OUT. THERE IS NO HEAT IN THE CAR NOW. WE WILL BE RETURNING BACK TO DEALERSHIP THIS MORNING. WE HAVE WRITTEN THE MANUFACTURER AND WILL BE SENDING THAT LETTER OFF TODAY ALSO.*AK