Differential Unit problems of the 2004 Cadillac CTS

At about 100k I noticed the axle seals on the rear differential is leaking. There are recalls on this but not based on my VIN number. When I noticed this the car was on a lift in the air being inspected by a mechanic.

Had my cruise control set at 70 mph for highway driving when I heard a psshhh sound and cruise control broke violently and smelled burnt rubber with smoke coming from back end of car. Pulled over immediately and car smoke from back end and smell only increased. Thought for sure I had a tire blowout. Walked around car and nothing wrong with tires. Had car towed to an auto repair place and am told that the rear differential went out. I have since investigated and found many, many forums about this issue. There are no recalls for this particular model but a certain recall for 2005 models. This situation could have been deadly and I feel both fortunate and upset with gm that such a problem has been so commonly noted but with no "real" resolve. The auto repair place has called around and this is a special part that is not available in my state and a new one costs an estimated $1,200. With so many issues with models 2004-2006 how come there is no recall for 2004 and only a lesser degree of a recall for 2005?.

I have a 2004 Cadillac Cts 3. 6l. I purchased the car with 28,000 mile on it and have noticed a whining and humming noise coming from the rear end. I brushed it off thinking it would not be anything. But then I did researched on it and noticed that there are numerous preliminary information bulletins the rear end problems. I have taken the car to the Cadillac dealership about 6 times or more with complaints and they have heard the noise but tell me that it is normal gear rash noise yeah right!!. Here is a list of pi's take to ur dealership November 24, 2004 - pip3140 - abnormal noise and vibration while driving - kw accessory aftermarket axle buzz case growl groan howl moan prop rattle resonance shaft transmission whine body boom part modification no oem pip3051 pi 03-05 Cadillac Cts , Cts-v and srx howl whine noise from rear axle - kw accelerate decelerate July 8, 2004 pip3140 pi abnormal noise and vibration while driving - kw accessory aftermarket axle buzz case growl groan howl moan prop rattle resonance shaft transmission whine body boom part modification no oem November 24, 2004 pip3152b pi 04-05 Cadillac srx, Cts, Cts-v and 05 Cadillac sts shudder or bind on low speed turns - kw differential groan growl moan noise rear slow vibration December 7, 2004 pip3152f pi shudder or bind on low speed turns - keywords axle differential groan growl moan noise rear slow vibration October 28, 2005 pip3051b pi howl whine noise from rear axle - keywords accelerate decelerate September 13, 2005 pip3051a pi howl whine noise from rear axle - keywords accelerate decelerate may 20, 2005 pip3152e pi shudder of bind on low speed turns - keywords axle differential groan growl moan noise rear slow vibration April 26, 2005 they have extend a "rear end warranty to me for additional 3yrs". . Read more...

The contact owns a 2004 Cadillac Cts. The contact purchased her vehicle with numerous failures. She stated that the recall repair should have been performed prior to the sale of the vehicle. The contact experienced several issues with the front end suspension, steering wheel shaft, and rear differential. She was informed to take the vehicle to another location because it was under warranty; however, due to the number of failures, the vehicle was not repaired at all. The dealer does not want the contact to trade the vehicle in or take it back. The contact believes that the vehicle is a lemon. The failure mileage was 34,000.

Rear differential leaking - driver side axel seal will need to be replaced again. Was replaced for same issue at about 6k miles now same problem at about 10k miles, I suspect the case is warping.

2004 Cadillac Cts-v rear differential leak\noise. Howling differential replaced 2005. New one now leaks and whines.

So ill start off with about complaining to the dealer about my rear end making a moaning whinning sound. I went in more than once to tell them about how it keeps getting louder and that I know something is not correct. I am currently selling my car and want it perfect for anyone who buys it. The Cadillac dealership keeps telling me that all of this is normal and they do nothing. So let me tell you a little bit about how it all starts. I was at a raceway road course practicing driving one of my race cars for a race that I have coming up. My girlfriend wanted to go around the track a few times to see how it felt so I took her for a little ride in the Cadillac nothing more than driving up a windey road. We pack up our stuff and I leave with my girlfriend to meet my folks for dinner. I started driving up a freeway on ramp and hit a little bit of water as I was accelerating then get a little bit of wheel hop and boom! my car suddenly stops in front of a big rig that was on my tail the whole time and I barely have time to move to the side of the road without getting ran over. I trailer my car to the dealership and they tell me my car was abused! I knew about the rear ends and didn't want to deal with the car and all its problems and that is why I didn't want to risk dealing with it. I feel that this is a huge hazard that Cadillac seems to just be ignoring. They need to do something before someone gets killed. I keep thinking about it and how it could have been a lot worse for me and my girlfriend. The dealership refused to fix this problem but at least we walked away! now I am scared for whomever I sell this car too. Someone from this website needs to do a google on all of the problems we are having because I don't think people know about this website. Thanks guys, michael lebard.

The rear differential on my Cadillac Cts-v has failed twice in the 20,100 miles that I have driven it.

The events leading up to this failure were daily normal driving. For the second time in two years, the rear end of my car began to exhibit a whining sound when accelerating in 4th gear, and the sound became progressively louder. The differential on my car was replaced under warranty.

The rear differential in my 2004 Cadillac Cts-v had been whining and grinding for about 5500 miles (starting when the car had 9000 miles on it). The differential fluid had been changed three (3) times in 4000 miles and the problem was not solved. Finally, took the car to the dealership with 14500 miles and Cadillac agreed to change replace the differential with the 2006 part.

Premature rear differential failure. Apx 5000 miles prior to failure the differential began to whine and during turns, the differential would grind horribly.

I just purchased this vehicle and noticed a whine in the rear. Took it in to lindsay Cadillac (great dealership) and they are now replacing the bearings. I hear this is a common problem with Cts-v's and I'm worried about what will happen when the warranty ends. . . .

The rear end in my 2004 Cts becomes prematurely unusable after normal use. I am on my second rear end, and it to now needs to be replaced. Three rear ends within 21,000 miles is premature as well as unacceptable.

Vehicle has excessive wheel hop, causing rear differential failure. I've gone 2 times for differential bushing replacements and 1 rear end replaced. The vehicle has gone through a TSB which was supposed to correct axle wheel hop. Still no fix the vehicle still wheel hops.

Failure of a second rear differential I was on the highway doing 55 mph in the center lane when the rear went. The car shut down forcing me to pull to the right in traffic without power. The car had to be towed as it would no longer move.

I own a 2004 Cadillac Cts-v. After owning the vehicle for a few months, with approximately 6,000 miles on the car, I began to experience an extreme whining noise from the rear-end of the car. I took the car to the dealership and they said the noise was normal for my vehicle. I continued driving the vehicle and about 5 weeks ago I took my car in for excessive noise coming from the rear of my car. The dealership found that the rear differential unit had excessive play and needed to be replaced under warranty. This concerned me so I did some research. My research found that many, many Cts-v owners are having the exact same problem and that my problem was in no way isolated. I also found that the differential unit used in the Cts-v is underrated and is not designed to handle the power produced by the engine from the factory. I am concerned that a failure in the near future will cause serious injury to someone if no action is taken.

I purchased the car new on 1/08/05. The car started to make a howling noise after several thousand miles, gm tech's indicated that it was coming from the rear differential. The original rear differential was replaced at 3220 (7/1/05) miles due to internal failure of differential assembly. The howling noise occurred again at 5. 565 ( 12/08/05) miles. Again, the rear differential was replaced and the repair order noted that it was also leaking differential fluid. I contacted several other owners of the same type of car and they have the exact same problem. I'm concerned that this is a re-occurring problem due to a under rated differential.

Differential gear whine-crack in carrier. Carrier assembly replaced by dealer. 43 days in service department.

The differential was fine up until the time of casing failure. On a rainy night, the car exhibited a bit of wheel hop inherent on that car with a small amount of throttle. The casing shattered immediately. The differential was promptly replaced by an identical oem replacement.

Premature rear end differential failure.

Rear differential failure/half driveshaft failure. Rear differential case fracture dand broke in half shafts.

Two differential failures in the first year and under 10,000 miles of ownership. Currently on the 3rd differential and it is whining/leaking. Have read several reports of failed differential's causing substantial damage to the vehicle on Cts/srx platform vehicles. Cadillac denies there is an issue. Dealership unwilling to accept the defect either.

Rear end differential assembly underrated for vehicle. The differential whined up until failure. The differential was replaced under warranty.

This vehicle exibits excessive wheel hop, when under har accleration, the rear suspension carriage assembly hit the frame. The wheels jump up and down violently. Some cars have broken axles or damaged the rear differential. This could also cause loss of control.

Major differential problem on a 2004 Cadillac Cts-v. Really loud "clunk" noise on the car dealers claim it's normal. Differential is underrated for the horsepower that the car outputs therefore causing problems. Gm denies claims on people and consumers are forced to spend over $3000 on a part that is faulty and will break again.

Rear differential whines.

Oil leaking from rear diff in 2004. Dealer replaced seal, but leaked again in 2006 and dealer then replaced rear diff. Then in 2007 a seal on the new diff leaked and was replaced. It appears that the rear diff is improperly designed and will continue to fail outside my warranty period. In my opinion, the rear diff is the only design problem with the 2004 Cts.

The contact owns a 2004 Cadillac Cts. While driving 10 mph, she heard a rumbling noise under the vehicle as if it were unstable. Instability while driving increased the risk of a vehicle crash. The dealer replaced all four tires; however, the failure resurfaced. An authorized technician concluded that the differentials needed to be replaced. No repairs have been made. The failure mileage was 35,000. The current mileage is 118,000.

Rear differential whine from 45 mph after vehicle has driven at least 5 miles.

2004 Cadillac Cts. Consumer wants to know what happened with the investigation on the 2004-2005 Cadillac Cts-v. The consumer stated he drove the vehicle about 200 miles before the rear end needed to be replaced. The manufacturer informed the consumer they were not aware of any problems with the limited slip differential.

2004 Cadillac Cts having problems with rear differential. The rear differential has been replaced twice. The manufacturerindicated that the loud humming noise coming from the rear diffeential was normal.