Cadillac Catera
Owners filed 468 complaints across 7 model years of the Cadillac Catera. The 1997 drew the most (163).
Model years7
Complaints468
Recalls0
Fires9
Deaths0
Which Cadillac Catera years should you avoid?
Going by 468 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the Cadillac Catera years to avoid are 1997.
- 1997163 complaints, 2.0× a typical Catera year, most often about the engine.
How this is worked out: each year is compared with a typical year of the same model, which takes most of the difference in sales out of it, and its share of serious failures is compared with every other car of the same model year, because older cars were complained about differently. A year needs 25 complaints to be judged at all. Complaints are unverified owner reports. Full method →
Every Cadillac Catera model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 3 | 0 | — | — | Electrical System › 12v/24v/48v Battery | Routine | |
| 2002 | 2 | 0 | — | — | Vehicle Speed Control › Accelerator Pedal | Routine | |
| 2001 | 30 | 0 | — | 4 | Tires | Routine | |
| 2000 | 67 | 0 | 1 | 5 | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 1999 | 80 | 0 | 4 | 4 | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline | Routine | |
| 1998 | 123 | 0 | 1 | 6 | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine | Routine | |
| 1997Avoid | 163 | 0 | 3 | 8 | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine | Routine |
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, October 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.