2005 Cadillac CTS Fuel System Problems

ON ANY IN CLINING ROAD OR ACCERATION OF THE GAS, STALLING AND POWER ACCELERATION DECREASES DRAMATICALLY.AND EXTREMELY SMELL OF GAS INSIDE THE CARRIAGE CAUSED NAUSEA, SEVERE MIGRAINES, LIGHT HEADNESS, TO ME AND MY TOO YOUNG DAUGHTERS. FUEL EFFICIENCY ALSO DECREASED...

2005 CADILLAC CTS EXPERIENCED WHAT HE PERCEIVED WAS A FUEL PUMP PROBLEM. *MW THE CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL YEARS LATER, AFTER HE PERFORMED THE REPAIRS ON THE VEHICLE AND AT HIS EXPENSE. *JB

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY UNDER NORMAL OPERATING CONDITIONS, MY PROPERLY MAINTAINED AND UNMODIFIED 2005 CADILLAC CTS CAUGHT FIRE. THE FIRE CAUSED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE DRIVE TRAIN AND FUEL TANK WITH THE PLASTIC FUEL TANK SECONDS AWAY FROM BEING TOTALLY BREACHED BY FLAMES AND LIKELY SIGNIFICANT INJURIES INCLUDING DEATH. THE FIRE BURNED FOR 30-40 MINUTES UNTIL THE RESPONDING FIREFIGHTERS WERE ABLE TO JACK UP THE VEHICLE AND EXTINGUISH THE FIRE WITH WATER FROM UNDERNEATH. FORTUNATELY, THE FIREFIGHTERS WERE ABLE TO EXTINGUISH THE VEHICLE FIRE PRIOR TO THE FUEL TANK BREACH WITH NO APPARENT RELATED INJURIES. PURSUANT TO AN EXPERT ANALYSIS AND REPORT, THE FOLLOWING MANUFACTURING AND/OR DESIGN DEFECTS SEQUENTIALLY CAUSED SAID FIRE: 1. WHILE DRIVING, THE REAR CARRIER PINION BEARING FAILED; 2. FAILED CARRIER PINION CAUSED EXCESSIVE PLAY IN THE PINION GEAR; 3. EXCESSIVE PLAY IN THE PINION GEAR CAUSED FAILURE OF THE PINION GEAR SEAL IN THE RING AND PINION HOUSING; 4. FAILED PINION GEAR SEAL ALLOWED THE REAR CARRIER LUBRICANT TO LEAK; 5. WITH VEHICLE IN MOTION, REAR CARRIER LUBRICANT CONTACTED ROTATING DRIVESHAFT ASSEMBLY; 6. ROTATING DRIVESHAFT AND PINION YOKE "SPRAYED" LUBRICANT IN THE REAR AXLE HOUSING AREA INCLUDING ONTO EXHAUST, PLASTIC FUEL TANK, RUBBER DRIVESHAFT COUPLER AND FLOOR PAN; 7. HEAT FROM EXHAUST OR PINION GEAR IGNITED LUBRICANT & SUBSEQUENT FIRE QUICKLY SPREAD ACROSS THE BOTTOM OF THE VEHICLE. EXPERT REPORT CONCLUDED THAT MANUFACTURING AND / OR DESIGN DEFECTS WERE PREVIOUSLY WELL-DOCUMENTED BY NHSA 2005 CADILLAC CTS NHSA OWNER COMPLAINTS AND SAID FIRE COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED BY VEHICLE MANUFACTURER THROUGH RECALL NOTICES AND USE OF NON-COMBUSTIBLE MATERIALS.

4/12/2010 - I WAS SLOWING DOWN PREPARING TO TURN INTO MY DEVELOPMENT WHEN ANOTHER DRIVER RAN A STOP SIGN. THE OTHER DRIVER WAS GOING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, SHE STATED THAT SHE DID NOT SEE MY CAR, BUT SAW THE ONCOMING CARS AND THE CARS BEHIND ME SO SHE DIDN'T PREPARE TO STOP AT THE STOP SIGN. SHE WAS TRYING TO BEAT THE ONCOMING VEHICLES AND THE TRAFFIC BEHIND ME AGGRESSIVELY ACCELERATING AND IMPACT WAS MY DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT DOOR. WE BOTH HAD OUR SEAT BELTS ON, HER AIR BAGS DEPLOYED, MINE DID NOT. HER CAR WAS TOTALED. THE IMPACT WAS JUST LIKE A WRECKING BALL COMING OUT OF NOWHERE. THE IMPACT WAS SO THAT MY STRUTS HAD TO BE REPLACED. I HAD SUSTAINED TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY (TBI) AND I'M STILL RECOVERING, THAT IS WHY IT'S TAKEN THIS LONG TO SUBMIT A COMPLAINT. MY CAR WAS TOWED TO THE CADILLAC BODY SHOP FOR THE BODY WORK AND TUTWILER WAS TO TAKE CARE OF THE MECHANICAL ISSUES. WHEN I PICKED UP MY CAR AT TUTWILER CADILLAC THEY WOULD NOT PROVIDE ME ANY OF THE PAPERWORK FOR THE REPAIRS OR ANYTHING IN WRITING AS TO WHY THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, I WAS TOLD THAT THE ITEMIZED RECEIPT WOULD GO TO HER INSURANCE COMPANY SINCE THEY WERE PAYING FOR THE WORK TO BE DONE. THE CHIROPRACTOR BILL WAS IN EXCESS OF 7,000.00 AND MY MEDICAL (STILL RECOVERING) BUT HAS EXCEEDED WELL OVER 40,000.00. THE ELECTRICAL ISSUES, BAD RADIO, CARPET, BELL HOUSING LEAK, EXHAUST SYSTEM, GAS GAUGE SHOULD HAVE ALL BEEN REPAIRED UNDER WARRANTY WHEN I TOOK THE CAR IN ON 1/5/2009 WHILE THE CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. I WAS NOT AWARE OF THE AIR BAG ISSUE NOT DEPLOYING UNFORTUNATELY UNTIL THE ACCIDENT IN APRIL OF 2010.

THE "SERVICE AIR BAG" LIGHT CAME ON. BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP ON 2/26/2010. THE SAID THE SEAT WEIGHT SENSING MODULE WAS BAD AND OFFERED TO REPAIR IT AT ABOUT $611.00. THEY SAID IT WAS NOT COVERED BY ANY WARRANTY OR RECALL. I CALLED CADILLAC CUSTOMER SERVICE ON 2/22/2011 AFTER DISCOVERING RECALL # 10V644000. I SPOKE TO A MAN NAMED JOHN WHO SAID THE RECALL DOES NOT APPLY TO THAT VIN, AND REFUSED TO HELP OR TO REFER ME TO A SUPERVISOR. SIMILARLY, AROUND THE SAME TIME, I HAD TO HAVE THE ECU RE-FLASHED AT A COST OF$110.00, BECAUSE THE CAR WAS SHUDDERING UNDER ACCELERATION. I GOT THE SAME ANSWER, EVEN THOUGH I ADVISED THEM OF RECALL #06V020000, THAT MY VIN WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THAT RECALL. IT APPEARS THAT THIS IS A DELIBERATE EFFORT BY CADILLAC NOT TO AVOID PERFORMING RECALLS. I REQUEST THAT THIS VIN BE INCLUDED IN THE ABOVE REFERENCED RECALLS, AND THAT CADILLAC'S PATTERN OF BEHAVIOR BE INVESTIGATED.

05 CADILLAC CTS 2.8L TRAVELING AT ABOUT 55/60 MILES PER HOUR...CAR PULLED IN FRONT OF ME CUT ME OFF. TO AVOID COLLISION, I SLAMMED ON BRAKES AND CAR DIED. I CALLED DEALER IMMEDIATELY AND ADVISED, ASKING WAS THIS SOME KIND OF SPECIAL FEATURE, DEALER ADVISED CAR NOT DESIGNED TO DO SUCH AND ASKED ME ABOUT QUANTITY OF GAS I HAD IN THE VEHICLE. I ADVISED 1/4 TANK AND DEALER EXPLAINED BY SLAMMING ON MY BRAKES ALL GAS RAN TO FRONT OF TANK LEAVING AIR POCKET CAUSING CAR TO DIE....ALSO AFTER JUST PURCHASING THE CAR, SITTING AT RED LIGHT AND THE WHOLE CAR SHOOK AND MOTOR REVVED UP HIGH RPMS AND DIED...BOTH TIMES THE VEHICLE DID START BACK UP.. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO CORRECT DUE TO DEALER ADVISED THE VEHICLE MUST DO THE SAME THING TO THEM. I AM FULLY AWARE RECALL IS IT OUT FOR THIS EXACT PROBLEM, BUT I HAVE NOT BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE RECALL AND UNABLE TO GET ANY COOPERATION FROM DEALERSHIPS REGARDING THE ABOVE PROBLEM....THE RECALL ADVISED MUST KEEP 1/4 TANK OF GAS OR MORE IN VEHICLE AT ALL TIMES TO AVOID ENGINE FAILURE, ALSO STATES WILL HAVE TO REPROGRAM THE ECM (ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE) WITH NEW SOFTWARE. *JB