1999 Cadillac Catera problems
The 1999 Cadillac Catera has 140 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (22%) concerns engine. Next are electrical system (9%) and tires (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 140 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 22% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 5 and 4
- Injuries and deaths
- 6 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 60,000 miles 27 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 0 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 1 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 8 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 9 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 6 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 3 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 27 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 60,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 5 complaints mention a crash; 4 complaints mention a fire; 6 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1999 ranks 3rd most-complained-about out of 5 model years of the Cadillac Catera with enough data (76 complaints in that window).
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Where do I even start with the 1999 catera that I just had to trade in this weekend due to so many things that had went wrong with that car. 1st, when filling the car up with gas, it would not automatically shut off. Dealer fixed 1st time, but messed up the gas gauge. It started doing it again 1 month later. You could not keep a set of tires on the car no matter how many alignments that you had performed.
As car came to a stop, the vehicle lunged foreward. It jumped a curb went through some landscapeing and clammed into a brick building. Engine continued to run after the crash at elevated rpms.
The automatic shut off from fuel tank filler does not register when tank is filled and the amount of fuel spillage is dangerous. Alarm and doors do not respond to keyless remote; car pulls to the right even after wheel alignment. Dt
Windshield wipers only worked on the fast setting, and failed to disengage unless the vehicle was completely turned off. Windshield wiper motor was replaced, however the problem continued.. The consumer believed the probelm was electrical.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 cadillac catera. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the vehicle stalled without any warnings. The contact mentioned that the vehicle had to be turn off for a while in order to reset the system. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer in order to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The failure mileage was 53,000.