2003 Cadillac Catera

Routine

Owners filed 3 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the electrical system › 12v/24v/48v battery. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails

Component	Reports	Injuries
Vehicle Speed Control › Accelerator Pedal	1	0
Electrical System › 12v/24v/48v Battery	1	0
Air Bags	1	1

What owners reported

Newest filings

Air Bags1 injured

Filed Feb 26, 2016109,000 milesND

MY CAR WAS PARKED IN MY GARAGE (BACKED IN). I ENTERED THE VEHICLE AND THEN PLACED THE KEY IN THE IGNITION AND STARTED IT. MY LEFT HAND WAS ON THE TOP OF THE STEERING WHEEL, MY RIGHT ON THE GEAR SELECTOR, AND MY LEFT FOOT ON THE BRAKE. AS I PULLED THE GEAR SELECTOR FROM 'PARK', THE STEERING WHEEL AND DRIVERS SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAGS DEPLOYED (VERY LOUD EXPLOSION!). THE CAR WAS STATIONARY AND DID NOT MOVE - I RETURNED THE GEAR SELECTOR TO PARK, TURNED OFF THE CAR AND EXITED IT THROUGH THE DRIVERS DOOR. I WAS NOT INJURED, EXCEPT FOR THE RINGING IN MY EARS THAT DISSIPATED OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS.

Vehicle Speed Control › Accelerator Pedal

Filed Nov 10, 2004WI

WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH VEHICLE ACCELERATED UNCONTROLLABLY. CONSUMER APPLIED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. CONSUMER DRIVER WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, AND PULLED OVER. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT ACCELERATOR PEDAL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK

Electrical System › 12v/24v/48v Battery

Filed Aug 12, 2002NJ

BATTERY WAS REPLACED SIX TIMES BY THE DEALER, AND PROBLEM STILL REOCCURRING. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

3 of 3 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 1997

Year	Complaints	Fires	Assessment
2003 — this page	3	0	Routine
2002	2	0	Routine
2001	30	0	Routine
2000	67	1	Routine
1999	80	4	Routine
1998	123	1	Routine
1997	163	3	Routine

Compare every Catera year →

Other Cadillac models

All Cadillac models →

Srx 3,262 Deville 2,540 Cts 2,217 Escalade 1,692 Seville 749 Dts 527 Escalade Esv 524 Sts 430 Eldorado 427 Ats 380

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.