Engine Belts And Pulleys problems of the 1997 Cadillac Catera

Tensioner pulley locked up. The tensioner stopped turning. As a result of this, the drive belt shredded like spaghetti and then melted. I avoided an accident by applying brakes and then having the car towed. Total repair cost: $729.

-my 97 cadilac Catera stalled 7/3/04 . -7/6/04 called trenor motor company (springfield, OH). Service manager refused to look at car. -7/7/04 it appeared as though a recall on the tensioner pulley had not been done. Pulled record on car and found that the recall involving the tensioner pulley work was in fact issued (and paid for) by general motors to trenor. -7/17/04 district service manager approved tear down time at jeff wyler, springfield, OH, to see for certain whether the recall had even been done with the stipulation that if the recall had been done (implying that the new recall pulley had been put on but went bad) general motors would "stand behind" product, paying total repair costs. If pulley had not been replaced, "stop" and send back to the dealer that was paid to perform recall-- number 02041a (which would be trenor). -7/20/04 technician and service manager at jeff wyler, came to me and confirmed that the pulley had not been replaced. I went to trenor to see mr. Ed tehan, who admitted that if the part wasn't bad, the part would not have been replaced by the technician in a recall! he also refused to show a parts stamp on original repair order. Recall directions from dealerworld. Com (gm's website for recalls and vehicle history) state "if tensioner pulley has black bearing seal, then replace with a pulley having brown seals [given in pulley kit for recall, new part kit number 55352000, and additional pulley new number 90573616]". Part number on pulley found in my car has part number 337092ca (the seal is also not brown, as the new one should be, it is black) and according to national traffic safety adm. And general motors, should be replaced. Trenor motors failed to actually perform recall they were paid to do. -I have the actual (original) pulley, pictures, numerous documents, ten technicians to corroborate on these issues.

Timing belt, pulley and water pump replacement cost over $3700 to fix. Back in Nov. 2001, now their is coolant leaking from the head gasket 6/04. Cadillac has been made aware of this situation and insists this had nothing to do with the engine previous overhaul.

While driving about 65 mph on the highway and without warning the vehicle shut down due to a belt which held the pulley into the engine, melting. The driver was able to pull over to the shoulder of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for analysis. The mechanic discovered what the problem was and informed the consumer the part was on recall.

Timing belt tensioner broke 800 miles from home while doing 75 mph on the interstate in missouri. With traffic, there could easily been an accident. Seems to be a common and dangerous problem. Nlm.

I would like to know why every Cadillac dealer in the country knows this is a problem, but gm will not offer a recall on the belt/tensioner. This can literally cause upwards of $5000 damage to the engine. Please advise.

While driving 65 mph, engine stalled. Dealer determined that timing belt had broken and damaged engine. Engine needed to be replaced. When the timing belt broke, there was no indication that engine had stop running eexcept that the vehicle slowed down. Applying brakes became very hard to accomplish. Consumer was able to get vehicle to the side of the highway and restart. The check engine light illuminated.

First of all the Catera is a bad car and is unsafe . We have put this car in the shop over 7 times. We have reason to belive that the odometer have been rolled back. On June 9 01 the car had 56615 on a order repair but when I brought the car on July 3 01 the odometer had 56512 how is possible. Since then the miles have been impossible . It shows that on one order repair that I drove this car 56512 - 58101 July 3 - July 11 01. Thats 1589 miles in10 days in which I took no major trips. My wife drove back in fouth to work. On the 12 of July we had the timing belt changed which broke about 2 weeks later on 8/11/01. Keep in mind we just got the car out of the shop on 7/18/01 odometer read 61095 which means we drove the car 2994 miles in about 23 days. The car have been in and out of the shop. Something strange is going on I have good reasons to belive that this odometer have been tamperd with . It shows that I have went 36532 in about 9 months no way.

Vehicle stalled at 35-40 mph and was towed to dealer. Dealer stated timing belt had broken, causing damage to engine. Engine had to be replaced. Vehicle is still at dealership, Cadillac has no engine for this vehicle. Engine for this vehicle was discontinued, and the new ones will not fit vehicle.

The 1997 Cadillac Catera has a manufacturer's defect but general motos refuses to assist me with getting out of this unsafe car. The tensioner on my car broke may 8, 2002. I thank god that I was not killed. My car stalled right on the highway. I had it towed to the dealership and was told that I had a $6900 engine problem. I was shocked. I learned that general motors has known for almost 5 years about the tensioner defect but di dnot do a recall. When I called, I was giventhe runaround. I told the mechanic to stop until I could get assistance. He said he put on a new tensioner, timingbelt. And water pump. It didn't hold. I've had to take th car back over 4 times. The last time on July 1, 2002,the coolant systemhad a leak. General motors just laughed at me and said the car is driveable. It is unsafe and I will not spendmy time in a garage. The campaign that they supposedly issued is nothing but a hoax to keep from getting folks out of these lemons. They would not be ignoring these defectif it were the escalade or the deville buyers. I am scared to drive the vehicle and have it at a dealership. I've tried to trade it but due to the bad mechanical record, no one will buy them. Even the marketplace/auction syas they're only worth $600 when they should have a $13000 value since it was a $36,000 value car in 97. General motors won't call me back. I am asking for a comparable vehicle to drive at the same payment with the same equipment immeidately. General motors is the third largest corporation in the world but is treating some of its customers like dirt. They are trying to ignore the Catera owners. My vehicle was an $800 repair. Most persons kept trying to drive their car and ended up with a $8000 engine problem and gernal motors paid for that. I've asked for assistance to get into another car - much less than what the engine cost wouldhavebeenif I had kept driving the car. General motors has nothelped me at all. I am tired of the runaround. Cater owners are at risk.

Timing belt tensioner broke, causing vehicle to break down. Dealer repaired, and car broke down again. Consumer informed that dealer will not give her copy of service invoice. Very dangerous for consumer to travel with repeated breakdowns. Consumer received a campaign letter on 06/2002 with regard to problem. Coolant leaks, the coolant light is on and the engine is sluggish after tensioner was replaced.

On January 30, 2001 napoli motors had to replaced left & right outer tie rod ends, inner tie rod end,center link and both outer stabilzer end, on August 20, 2001 as I was driving on interstate i95 south the steering wheel locked on me while on the middle lane almost hit several vehicles been that I could not turned either way, vehicle had to be towed in by roger's in milford technicians there at napoli motors could not figure what was wrong with vehicle when I called the technicians told me that the timing chain caused the engine to blow. On September 10, 2001 vehicle was taken back for same problems, they had replaced the engine but the vehicle kept running ruff. On October 31, 2001 vehicle was back at napoli, November 15, 2001,on February 19, 2002 I was rear ended by another vehicle while at a red light where the other person damage the whole rear of vehicle neither air bag driver or passenger came out all lights in vehicle were on and key will not come out of the ignition, on March 22, 2002 vehicle was taken back to napoli for the key problem and remotes. On may 6, 2002 vehicle was towed to napoli when the technician diagnose what vehicle had this time was the serpentine belt that broke and caused the steering wheel to lock on me again. To be honest I won't even go far with the vehicle because of safety issues. Thank you in advance and hope to hear from this department soon.

Engine failed going abouy 70 miles an hour timing belt broke, causing complete engine failure, dealer stated that this is a common problem car repaired but still has problems, dealer caused additonal problems when making repair broke bolt in engine cost to repair 800 dealer refuse to repair oil leak on valve cover gasket again dealer refuses to repair all though covered under warrenty. Cadillac refuses to acknowledge problems given the run around on customer service line car was out for 5 weeks at dealer, car has severe vibrations when idled due to repair new dealer unable to determine problem or make repair, headlamps also failed at about 50,000 miles replacement cost $1,000 to many problems to list.

Engine stalled at 5 mph. Vehicle was towed to dealership. Dealer determined timing belt pulley had seized.

Engine damage was due to a bad timing belt tensioner that caused timing belt to come off causing the car to suddenly stop in the left lane on I-75 going going 75 mph. The results of this was bent intake valves, therefore making the heads not replaceable. I had to replace the engine. I've also have found out that Cadillac is well aware of this problem becasue thay now have a kit to take care of this problem. What I don't understand is that if they knew thay had a problem whay didn't they issue a recall. Going 75 miles per hour and suddenly losing all power on a very busy interstate could be very dangerous. My father and I were very fortunate not to have had a serious wreck in the left lane. I have filed a complaint against Cadillac on this issue. The cost of this faulty part of gm/\Cadillac has cost me $5826. Plus a week without a vehicle. C00.

While driving at 60 mph consumer noticed car felt funny. As consumer attempted to change lanes all power was gone, consumer was able to get vehicle on the shoulder safely and had vehicle towed. Dealer found timing chain had broke causing the entire engine to blow. Manufacturer refused to make necessary repairs even though the owners manual says the timing belt should not have to be change for 100,000 miles or 96 months.

Was driving in the left lane climbing a mountain on interstate 24 about 60 mph when I noticed the car felt funny. Proceeded to get back into right lane just as I lost all power. Was able to get on the shoulder safely. Had to have my car towed 45 miles away to a Cadillac dealership only to be given an estimate of $12,000. They told me the timing chain had broke and caused the entire engine to blow. The service advisor also told me there had been numerous reports to Cadillac for the same problem on the Catera. Cadillac customer service has refused to make the necessary repairs even though the owner's manual says the timing belt shouldn't have to be changed for 100,000 miles or 96 mos whichever comes first. This is definitely a safety hazard! if I had been going down this mountain instead of up there is no doubt in my mind I would have been in a serious accident. Please help! Cadillac needs to do something before someone is seriously injured or killed.

While driving at highway speeds engine check light illuminated. Driver lost power of engine, making it hard to brakes and steer vehicle. Driver had vehicle towed to dealer, and dealer stated timing belt tensioner had failed. Please provide any further information.

Currently Cadillac has no published information regarding the replacement of the timing belt for this vehicle. It is my understanding that in speaking with various dealer across texas, that the Catera has been experiencing failure to the tensioner. When the tensioner breaks, the timing belt then either breaks as well or falls off, causing the engine to suffer sever damage. I am currently taking up the issue with Cadillac because the price quoted to me by the dealer far exceeds the value of the vehicle. If you have any questions regarding this issue or can lend any assistance please do not hesitate to contact me.

Driving on highway about 60mph when funny ticking noise occurred and engine stopped and did not respond. Brought it to dealer to find out that the timing belt broke / pulley failed, causing engine to be totalled.

While driving approximately 65 mph, the vehicle's timing belt tensioner assembly exploded. This caused the engine to stop in the fast lane of a fivelane interstate. The vehicle was towed to a Cadillac dealership. The service personnel are aware that this event has happened to numerous Catera models! Cadillac customer service refuses to assist customer in making expensive repairs. This should be considered a safety hazard to all Catera owners! please help Cadillac do the right thing before someone gets hurt or killed!.

I took my car in for the 75,000 mile check up and advised dealership I was hearing a noise. They advised car was fine. I paid $200 for the work. The next week the car was making the same noise, I took it back to the same dealership and this time they said it was the belt tensioner. I paid $280 to have that fixed. The very next week, while driving on the hov lane to take my baby to daycare, the car stopped accelerating and went dead while I was going 65mph. The car was inoperable and towed to the dealership. They then advised that the timing chain had broke ruining the entire engine at the cost of $8000. I then began doing research and found 6 other complaints similar to mine on msn carpoint and about 3 on the NHTSA site. I believe gm was aware of the problems this car has and should have recalled it and made the necessary repairs. I feel very fortunate because my child and I could have been seriously injured because of this defect. Gm needs to take responsibility for the inadequacies of their vehicles. Does someone have to die before action is taken?.

Faulty timing belt caused massive engine damage resulting in loss of power on the road.

Defective pulleys caused the timing belt to come off its track. Bent valves do not allow proper compression to give the vehicle power so it will not start or run. Visual signs of wear on the pulleys show apparently bad craftmanship.

Tensioner pulley failed @ 65mph on expressway. When tensioner pulley let go proceeded to bend valves; damage and break pistons causing one piston to become imbedded in the engine head. Engine is a loss. New engine cost 9500. We began to coast in highway traffic in the speed lane possibly causing an accident. Fornately there was none. Contacted dealer. No response no return phone calls. Contacted Cadillac cust serv. They said could not assist me that we should have had the timing serviced @ 60k miles per manual. We never recieved a manual with car. One was requested from Cadillac cust serv within 30 days of purchasing the vehicle. It was never recieved. No notice for service was sent.

After timing belt went bad vehicle would stall out without any prior warning. Consumer has contacted dealer.

Timing belt bolts have worn out prematurely. A new tensioner was insalled, however the results are still the same.

Vehichle quit running, when brake applied while cruise control was on, at 68mph in heavy traffic . Coasted over to median. My husband was driving and pulled over to the left, had he gone to the right we would have been hit by the south bound traffic. When the engine failed. The car would not restart, making grinding noise when attempting to restart engine. Called aaa for tow. (flat bed) left sitting in median in heavy traffic. Local police stopped and osp also. In speaking with Cadillac customer service we were told that there was a recall #00042 on this vehichle, of which we were never notified. I was told that bond and rubber hub pulley may fail. 04/25/2001. Informed by cadilac dealer engine needs to be replaced. ($9,500) this car can stop without prior warning when the engine fails. This could be a potential hazard when traveling at high speeds, possibly causing a serious accident. We were very fortunate! customer service at Cadillac is not returning our calls or acknowleding the recall. How many people are having this problem with this car? depending on when this happens , such a failure could be a potential hazard. We have had the engine replaced through a private individual and it is available for inspection. The problem was that the bearings came out of the pulley that holds the timing belt. The belt was not broken. . . . We need to know if our new engine, which also is from a '97 Catera will have the same problem at 60,000miles. . . Thank you for checking into this. Fjf.

1997 Cadillac Catera problems, vehicle was in the shop for repairs 4 times in the 6 weeks of ownership, right side front door would not open, left side front door would not open, tail light assembly out, engine caught on fire while driving on beltway (insurance estimate a total loss).

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.

The timing belt broke while consumer was waiting at a stop light causing extensive damage t0 the engine. Nlm.

While driving engine crankshaft/pulley came off, causing the vehicle to lose all power. Ause unknown. Please give any further details.

While parking the pulley on the crankshaft broke, causing loss of vehicle control. Cause unknown.

Consumer stated that the engine was replaced due to both tension bearings and timing belt failure, consumer has since sold the vehicle.