Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||||
| 01792 | 01/01/2004 | 10006332 | 4.0l l47, 4.6l ld8 l37 engine water pump cover p/n 12571913- thermostat loose. also including model 2003 cadillac eldorado. *mr | 04/28/2004 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| 3951 | 10/19/2006 | 10020584 | Knockig noises or excessive oil consumption. vehicles with ld8 or l37 4.6l v8 engines. *kb | 11/20/2006 | |
| 01771 | 01/01/2004 | 10006307 | 4.0l l47, 4.6l ld8, l37, lh2 engine coolant or oil leak.*mr | 04/28/2004 | |
| 990601010C | 11/01/2003 | 990601010B | 10005597 | Engine cold/knock/tick noise. *tt | 03/04/2004 |
| 030601027 | 10/01/2003 | 10004769 | This bulletin is being issued to inform dealers of enhancements to crankcase, oil distribution plate and oil pan sealing by using rtv sealant. *tt | 01/06/2004 | |
| 020601009C | 10/01/2003 | 020601009B | 10004748 | Higher than expected oil consumption. *tt | 01/05/2004 |
| 020601009A | 11/01/2002 | 020601009 | 10000455 | Higher than expected oil consumption. *tt | 02/27/2003 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||||
| 990601010B | 06/01/2003 | 990601010A | 10002890 | Engine cold/knock/tick noise. *tt | 09/30/2003 |
| 020601011 | 03/01/2002 | 632324 | Subject regarding revised fastener tightening specificatin for cylinder head replacement. *tt | 07/12/2002 | |
| 020601009 | 03/01/2002 | 631313 | Some customers may comment on higher than expected oil consumption. *slc | 05/22/2002 | |
| 150201 | 02/15/2001 | 619241 | This product technical information concerns an intermittent stumble or stall condition. some customers may comment that intermittently they experience a stumble or stall condition when coming down to a stop. in most instances the engine | 05/21/2001 | |
| 990601010 | 06/01/1999 | 606086 | Some customers may complain about a engine cold / knock / tick noise. *tt | 08/06/1999 | |
| 971101776119 | 11/01/1997 | 54203 | Vehicles exhibiting chirping, ticking, knocking, or trashy noises from the front of the engine. *yc | 03/30/1998 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||||
| 971201736535 | 12/01/1997 | 54179 | Condition on a evap emission odor and the malfunction indicatior lamp displays. *yc | 03/30/1998 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 04/06/2012 | 65000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 1997 cadillac deville. the contact stated that while driving 30 mph, he smelled a burning odor. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that the oil pan seal was leaking oil. as a result, the oil was leaking onto the engine manifold. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but offered no assistance. the contact expressed extreme concern over a potential fire hazard. the failure mileage was 65,000. kmj | |||
| 04/06/2012 | 65000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 1997 cadillac deville. the contact stated that while driving 30 mph, he smelled a burning odor. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the oil pan seal was leaking oil. as a result, the oil was leaking onto the engine manifold. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but offered no assistance. the contact expressed extreme concern over a potential fire hazard. the failure mileage was 65,000. sm. | |||
| 03/03/2011 | 100000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 1997 cadillac deville. the contact was driving approximately 40 mph when the vehicle began to overheat followed by stalling. the a/c warning indicator was illuminated following the failure. the vehicle was not inspected by a dealer nor repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted to report the failure. the failure and current mileage was approximately 100,000. the vin was unavailable. | |||
| 03/03/2011 | 100000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 1997 cadillac deville. the contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph when the vehicle started to overheat and then it suddenly stalled. the a/c warning came on stating that the vehicle was overheating. the vehicle has not been inspected by a dealer nor repaired. the manuafcturer was not contacted either. the failure and current mileages were approximately 100,000. the vin was unavailable. tb | |||
| 08/05/2010 | 120000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 1997 cadillac deville. the contact stated that while driving the vehicle over heated and blew the head gaskets. the contacts commute from work is only 4 miles and the vehicle was not idling in traffic. the contact stated a few years ago the vehicle caught fire because of a recall; however the caller could not recall what the recall was for. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure mileage and current mileage was 120000.rl | |||
| 02/10/2009 | 147855 | 1 | |
| 1997 cadillac deville engine head gasket and cooling system malfunction dealer refused to fix overheating may cause explosion or fire defective pohanka cadillac fredericksburg,va 22408 sd replace entire engine, refused to provide 12 month warranty unacceptable response from gm cadillac dealer. *tr | |||
| 01/14/2009 | 108900 | 1 | |
| I bought a used 1997 cadillac from a cadillac dealership, before i bought the car i took it for a test drive, it drove like a dream, then on the way back to the dealership the oil light came on. i told the salesman about it, and he said he would have it checked out, he asked what i thought about the car other than the oil light coming on , i told him other than that i couldn,t find nothing else wrong with it. a couple of days latter i drove by the dealership and noticed the car was gone, i pulled in and preceded to look at other cars, when the same salesman came out to wait on me and i asked about the 97 cadillac and he told me that they had found the problem and it was a blown head gasket, and if they were to fix it, would i still be interested in the car if the price was right, i said yes,....( i thought to myself a cadillac being repaired at a cadillac dealership by a cadillac mechanic, why not, how could i go wrong)...so after talking a while i left and came back about a week later and according to the salesman it had been fixed, so i preceded to test drive it again didn,t find any thing wrong and bought the car, drove great, could,nt ask for a nicer car, until 5 months. and just under 4000 mi. latter same problem blown head gasket, well i bought the car as is, and i know what as is means' i live on a disability check, and you can imagine the repair cost, so it sits in the driveway, and i,m out a car....my problem is with general motors i have checked under complaints at nhtsa and other sites and this has been happening ever since they came out with the northstar engine but until their is a recall they don't have to do anything about the problem, my question is why has their not been a recall...but yet they get bailout money while people like me are forced to walk. look forward to hearing from you on this matter before i have to send my car to the junkyard because i sure can,t afford to fix it living on $849.00 amonth.... *tr | |||
| 01/19/2007 | 161000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 1997 cadillac deville. the vehicle will not start up after the key is turned in the ignition. the contact makes at least five attempts to get the vehicle to start. when the vehicle finally starts, the muffler produces a large amount of smoke and the engine light flashes on and off. the vehicle has been inspected by a mechanic a few times and the starter and alternator have been replaced; however, the failure persists. the current mileage was 182,895 and failure mileage was 161,000. | |||
| 04/14/2007 | 1 | ||
| Engines in these cars are very bad. *tr | |||
| 08/28/2007 | 2 | 07/27/2007 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 1997 cadillac deville. the contact stated that the check engine light remains illuminated. she stated that the vehicle gets very hot and displays a warning that instructs her to shut off the engine. another warning indicator stated that there was no coolant in the engine. the dealer inspected the vehicle, but the contact was uncertain if any repairs were done. the current mileage was 106,200 and the failure mileage was unknown. | |||
| 05/13/2005 | 69000 | 2 | 03/01/1997 |
| Dt: the gas gauge did not work properly. the consumer took the vehicle to a mechanic. the mechanic said there was a recall with the fuel rail . he told the consumer to go to the dealership because vehicle had a transmission and oil leak. the vehicle was taken to the dealer they did the recall and gave them a copy of what mechanic had given the consumer. they replaced the water pump, and said there was a bad oil leak. this wasn't consistent with what the mechanic said. felt like the vehicle was a safety hazard due to the north star engine.*ak the consumer was told the vehicle needed a new crackcase seal due to an oil leak, the water pump was leaking and there was no transmission leak.*jb | |||
| 04/10/2005 | 90000 | 2 | 07/18/2004 |
| My 1997 deville has an oil leak due to poor engineering and results in the car dying out at any time. this has resulted in loss of power steering and brakes. i have had the car serviced but the problem quickly reoccured.*ak | |||
| 08/26/2004 | 1 | ||
| The motor was racing, the consumer could not get it back into idle mode. on the belt way, the consumer let up on the accelerator and the vehicle continued to race at a high speed. please provide any further information. *jb | |||
| 01/10/2003 | |||
| Consumer stated that while driving and without warning oil is leaking from the vehicle and causing the consumer to refill more then often. cause is unknown. dealer notified. ts | |||
| 01/28/2002 | 1 | ||
| Engine is consuming more than a quart or oil in less than 1000 miles. once the vehicle had an oil leak but it has since been repaired. the consumer was told that oil maybe leaking inside engine. mechanic has tried a number of repairs, and none of them were worked to stop this oil usage.*ak consumer states engine stalls and coolant leaks, the engine was also overheating and the vheicle was blowing blue smoke. *yh | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||
| 01/14/2009 | 108900 | 1 | |
| I bought a used 1997 cadillac from a cadillac dealership, before i bought the car i took it for a test drive, it drove like a dream, then on the way back to the dealership the oil light came on. i told the salesman about it, and he said he would have it checked out, he asked what i thought about the car other than the oil light coming on , i told him other than that i couldn,t find nothing else wrong with it. a couple of days latter i drove by the dealership and noticed the car was gone, i pulled in and preceded to look at other cars, when the same salesman came out to wait on me and i asked about the 97 cadillac and he told me that they had found the problem and it was a blown head gasket, and if they were to fix it, would i still be interested in the car if the price was right, i said yes,....( i thought to myself a cadillac being repaired at a cadillac dealership by a cadillac mechanic, why not, how could i go wrong)...so after talking a while i left and came back about a week later and according to the salesman it had been fixed, so i preceded to test drive it again didn,t find any thing wrong and bought the car, drove great, could,nt ask for a nicer car, until 5 months. and just under 4000 mi. latter same problem blown head gasket, well i bought the car as is, and i know what as is means' i live on a disability check, and you can imagine the repair cost, so it sits in the driveway, and i,m out a car....my problem is with general motors i have checked under complaints at nhtsa and other sites and this has been happening ever since they came out with the northstar engine but until their is a recall they don't have to do anything about the problem, my question is why has their not been a recall...but yet they get bailout money while people like me are forced to walk. look forward to hearing from you on this matter before i have to send my car to the junkyard because i sure can,t afford to fix it living on $849.00 amonth.... *tr | |||
| 11/21/2005 | 81180 | 2 | 10/21/2005 |
| On november 21, 2005, i payed working man's auto in austin, tx two thousand dollars as down payment for an as is 1997 cadillac deville. upon getting the car i informed the salesman of a service engine soon light that was on the dashboard. he informed me that it just needed to be reset. due to my lack of knowledge regarding vehicles i took him at his word. when the took the vehicle to get inspected, it wouldnt pass inspection due to this service engine soon light. the manager and salesman asked if i would be willing to go there other site in north austin to get the cars computer reset. i agreed, and on my way the car overheated and broke down. the owner came and replaced the coolant in the car and asked what would you like us to do? i asked for a loaner vehicle until the car was repaired. he informed me that he couldnt do that due to insurance reasons. he told me to go by there location friday and i did. the mechanic claimed to had fixed the problem even though i asked him if with the light being on still, was it okay, and he said yes. he asked if i could come back the following monday to have the computer reset. again i agreed and again on the way home the car overheated and broke down again. they came to get the car to be repaired on november 28 of 2005. with constant phone calls, requests, missed hours of work, stress, not being able to register for school, i hadnt recieved any information from them as to when my car would be repaired. the owner refuses to give me my down payment back, he refuses to place me in another vehicle, and refuses to discuss the matter with me. *nm | |||
| 01/15/2004 | 122000 | 1 | |
| I january 2004 i took my 97 cadillac deville to be serviced due to an indicator light on to check the coolant system. i was told that i would need a new engine due to the engineering design of the cadillacs since 1992 of mounting steel bolts in alluminum motor mount which was designed to last only up to 100,000 miles. the options i was giver were to replace the engine or have the mounts rebuilt but the later no longer came with a warranty option since a family opted for that at which time their engine fell out in the middle of the road on their way to california. gm informed me that they would give no assistance for any source of repair with openly admitting they were aware of the defect but were not planning to make any changes to the engine design much less recall the vehicles. after spending many hours communicating with them and an attorney writing a courtesy letter on my behalf, their resolve was to give me a certificate towards the purchase of a new vehicle. they have eno concern that this problem is a safety issue, as well as a deliberate engineering design flaw to cause the consumer to continue to spend money. gm indicated that they were perfectly happy with false advertisement stating they backed their product with integrity and quality all well knowing this is a lie to the public. telling lies and stealing from the american consumer has to stop! unfortunately the courts will not go against gm but hopefully the news media will take a stand for the american consumer. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - RADIATOR ASSEMBLY | |||
| 02/28/1998 | 2 | 01/31/1997 | |
| Radiator leaked at hose connection. yh | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 08/14/2008 | 116000 | 1 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 1997 cadillac deville. while driving at an unknown speed, the contact noticed a signal on the instrument panel that indicated to turn off the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the head gasket had blown. the contact did not notice any differences beforehand. the current and failure mileages were 116,000. updated 10/16/08. *lj updated 10/17/08. *jb | |||
| 12/09/2005 | 1 | 01/03/2002 | |
| I had antifreeze leaking from my cadillac deville and took it to a mechanic that i have a lot of trust in. i expected to hear i had a bad radiator and would have to replace it. instead he called me and told me that gm has a bad design defect with the materials they used on the head bolts to hold the motor. they deteriorate because of this and strip out causing pressure on the radiator and it cracks. all this is a result of using aluminum instead of steal. the mechanic said he see the same thing every other week and to date gm has not done anything about it. i called gm and they blew me off. they gave me a file number of 1-380-399-885. *nm | |||
| 02/22/2005 | 2 | ||
| While driving. the panel lights illuminated. stating to turn engine off. while driving consumer heard a popping noise coming from the front end of the vehicle. found that it was the head gasket, was told not to drive the vehicle. please provide any further information. *nm | |||
| 12/01/2004 | 1 | 12/12/2002 | |
| While driving the vehicel stalled. *nm a poping sound was heard and the vehicle shut down and was very hard to restart. *tc *jb | |||
| 05/05/2004 | 63028 | 3 | |
| The consumer stated the vehicle leaked excessive oil. the dealer stated the head gasket has failed. *jb | |||
| 03/24/2004 | 73000 | 5 | 05/21/1997 |
| My 1997 cadillac deville stalled while driving. this has happened at steady speed on the freeway, while exiting on a clover leaf ramp at highway speeds, while driving on a country road, while approaching a stop sign. the dealer service dept. says it shows codes that car stalled but no reason. therefore, even though the car is under cadillac extended warranty, they will not attempt to diagnose the problem unless the car stalls while they are driving it or if the stall leaves a code stating the cause. i feel the car is unsafe for my family to be driving and am frustrated that they won't try to fix the problem. i've called cadillac customer care, the dealer's gmgr, the svc. mgr. and they all say they won't do anything till it acts up for them. if i put the car in neutral, i can always restart, but if this condition occurs in highway traffic with a vehicle following close, there could be horrible consequences.*ak | |||
| 01/12/2004 | 120000 | 20 | 09/23/1996 |
| Vehicle burns oil excessively. *ak the vehicle may stop working at anytime. it seemed as though the engine didn't have an oil pan. the oil was changed regularly as scheduled and would burn 2 to 4 quarts between changes and began to use more between 39k to 42k miles. the manufacturer was made aware of the problem but would not help remedy the problem. *sc *jb | |||
| 06/24/2003 | 144000 | 1 | 10/06/1999 |
| While driving at an undetermined speed vehicle stalled, making it difficult for the driver to pull out of traffic. *ak consumed smelled gas and noticed the vehicle consumed 12 gallons instead of 4. service center wouldn't start or move vehicle once they discovered gas stray emanating from motor. they stated consumer was lucky vehicle didn't catch fire. *ph | |||
| While driving and without prior warning vehicle shutdown. dealership is aware of problem.*ak | |||
| 05/06/2002 | |||
| Valve cover gasket was leaking oil onto engine while driving. dealer notified. feel free to provide any further information.*ak | |||
| 04/05/1999 | 1 | 06/06/1997 | |
| Loose oil filter causing leakage. mjs | |||
| 03/11/1997 | 7 | 03/01/1997 | |
| Shocks, struts and motor mounts replaced due to noise in suspension, however noise in front end is still present. (qcaw) | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 12/09/2005 | 1 | 01/03/2002 | |
| I had antifreeze leaking from my cadillac deville and took it to a mechanic that i have a lot of trust in. i expected to hear i had a bad radiator and would have to replace it. instead he called me and told me that gm has a bad design defect with the materials they used on the head bolts to hold the motor. they deteriorate because of this and strip out causing pressure on the radiator and it cracks. all this is a result of using aluminum instead of steal. the mechanic said he see the same thing every other week and to date gm has not done anything about it. i called gm and they blew me off. they gave me a file number of 1-380-399-885. *nm | |||
| 08/19/2002 | 1 | 02/01/2002 | |
| Car was manufactured in sept.1996, during nhtsa recall bulletin, campaign no. 97v064000, 77449 affected vehicles, april -dec. 1996. no safety defect listed. *ak | |||
| 05/01/2002 | 1 | ||
| Oil is leaking from underneath of engine. *ak vehicle is under 50,000 mile/4 year warranty, however, dealership covered 60 percent of repairs. *tt | |||
| 10/01/1998 | |||
| Vehicle is using oil. started after about 45,000 miles which was reported to automobile dealer with no solution. just want to check if others are having same problem. *ak | |||
| 12/20/2001 | 4 | 07/01/2000 | |
| This condition appears to be the same as listed in service bulletin 150201. no safety defect listed. *ak | |||
| 05/18/2000 | 1 | 01/01/1997 | |
| I have constantly had problems with my 97 deville. i have reported it both to cadillac of memphis and bud davis cadillac that is located at 5433 poplar avenue, memphis tenn. 38119. their telephone number is 901-761-1900.no safety defect listed. *ak | |||
| 03/15/2000 | 12/31/1999 | ||
| Vehicle experiencing problem with engine burning upto a 1 1/2 quarts of oil every 3,000 miles. dealer notified, and informed consumer that this was normal. can nhtsa provide some help in this matter.*ak | |||
| 05/10/2000 | 2 | 05/01/2000 | |
| Vehicle purchased 05/09/2000. on the way home, bucking occurred. 05/10/2000, car would not start. towed to the dealership. new battery installed as well as spark plugs. cadillac indicated that the car has possible chronic electrical repair problems previous replacement of radio receiver, hoses, battery , starter, modular computer & cable. this i did not know at time of purchase. dealership working on problems. i had the car one day after purchase. *ak | |||
| Vehicle consumes a quart of oil every thousand miles. dealer has been notified.*ak | |||
| 01/01/1999 | 5 | 06/01/1997 | |
| Engine stalls while driving under various conditions & speeds. transmission placed in neutral and key engage starter to get engine going. dealer has replaced plugs, wires and onboard computers. cannot solve problem. *ak | |||
| 11/26/1999 | 4 | 12/01/1998 | |
| I was travelling at 80 mph in the far left lane when the vehicle lost power- the gas indicator indicated that i had 5 gallons of gas left and could go 110 + miles. yet when i finally got the car to the side of the road and tried to start it again, it indicated empty. this is the fourth time this has happened. dealer says he can't find anything wrong. | |||
| While driving at any rate of speed and without warning vehicle completely shut down. dealer cannot identify problem. please give any further details. *ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| Engine failed causing coolant to leak. | |||
| Vehicle uses a quart of oil every thousand miles. the dealer has been notified. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||
| 07/11/2011 | 138000 | ||
| Upon starting the car first thing in the morning, the engine backfired through the induction system starting an engine fire. by the time the fire was extinguished it had caused enough damage that the car had to be junked. | |||
| 1 | |||
| A fume odor in passenger's comparment causing a hazard to occupants of vehicle. fume odor is coming from exhaust. consumer has contacted dealer, dealer has replaced parts, but problem still occurs. *ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| Emissions recall notice not received by consumer. | |||
| 1 | |||
| Emission problem recall notice not received. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | |||
| 12/09/2005 | 1 | 01/03/2002 | |
| I had antifreeze leaking from my cadillac deville and took it to a mechanic that i have a lot of trust in. i expected to hear i had a bad radiator and would have to replace it. instead he called me and told me that gm has a bad design defect with the materials they used on the head bolts to hold the motor. they deteriorate because of this and strip out causing pressure on the radiator and it cracks. all this is a result of using aluminum instead of steal. the mechanic said he see the same thing every other week and to date gm has not done anything about it. i called gm and they blew me off. they gave me a file number of 1-380-399-885. *nm | |||
| 06/18/2004 | 85480 | 1 | |
| While driving head gasket blew out. consumer managed to drive home. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak | |||