DOT is finally investigating the differential problem with CTS and CTS-Vs
Mods/Admins please make this a sticky.
I received a phone call from Steve McHenry with the Department of Transportation in Washington D.C.
He is currently investigating problems with the Cadillac CTS and CTS-V rear differential. The NHTSA has turned over all of the complaints to DOT and after seeing so many reports, DOT is launching a full investigation.
He contacted me because I had reported my problem to the NHTSA and he got my contact information from there. I asked if he had tried any of the forums and listed several. He said that while NHTSA is the main source of contacts, he has looked at different forums. However, he said that it was difficult to get contact information from a message board. Mr. McHenry requested that I put his contact info up on the boards for us to give him our accounts of problems we've had.
What Mr. McHenry is asking is that anyone who has experienced catastrophic failure with their differential in the CTS or CTS-V to please contact him at either
stephen.mchenry@dot.gov or (202) 366-4883
Email is the preferred method of contact as it keeps a written record of your account.
Unfortunately, he cannot do anything about leaking or whining differentials. He only wants reports of complete failure. If your car has had differential failure while you were driving, he's looking for your info.
Please send any pictures and paperwork that you have and give your account of exactly what happened when you had the failure.
I think it's great that they're finally taking the issue seriously enough to look into this matter. Hopefully, we're about to get some serious support for our cars.
I had a total failure while driving down the road. It happened at about 40mph with the kids in the car. Rear locked up and grenaded instantly then just free reved and left a cool trail or parts behind...
That is when the local dealers said they wouldnt cover it and tried to make me pay for another one.. I had to tow it 8 hours north to another caddy dealer that was not in the same jurisdiction of the area warrenty rep. Then they fixed it.
They had said a Scan tool that i had in the car that only reads codes, Flashed the rear end and made it shift harder than stock. LOL! Idiots....
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I've only read 3 or 4 stories of total failure- most are whining or binding.
How many people will really be affected by this?
Good point Tony, but I think Cadillac/GM should answer for the higher-than-normal rear-end replacements for our cars; as a percentage, I am hard-pressed to believe any other vehicle in the GM lineup comes close to the V. An explanation for a low number of total failures is that many diffs were replaced by dealerships on initial complaints, or after constant complaints from customers. Owners should have a comfort level when they perform spirited driving, and not be concerned if the diff will hold together.
Good point Tony, but I think Cadillac/GM should answer for the higher-than-normal rear-end replacements for our cars; as a percentage, I am hard-pressed to believe any other vehicle in the GM lineup comes close to the V. An explanation for a low number of total failures is that many diffs were replaced by dealerships on initial complaints, or after constant complaints from customers. Owners should have a comfort level when they perform spirited driving, and not be concerned if the diff will hold together.
Agreed. I'll be the first to agree that the rear diff in these cars is not up to the task, but I have grown really tired of the hysteria that has flooded the Internet over this issue.
You'd think that once a week some poor CTS-V owner goes spinning off the road due to an exploding diff, when in reality most complaints center around whining/binding, and would have NEVER (yes, I said never) been noticed if the owner hadn't read about it on an Internet forum. Once they read it, they're listening intently for any sound, convinced that the problem will now happen to them.
Internet car forums have created a new disease: Automotive hypochondria.
I've only read 3 or 4 stories of total failure- most are whining or binding.
How many people will really be affected by this?
just fyi, this is for CTS's too. i know my caddy dealer said that they see a few a week. i think it's fair to say that with the amount of CTS's on the road, there is going to be a higher number of failures (even if the ratios aren't the same).
either way, i'm happy to see them really doing something about it. from what i understand, GM has to turn over all paper work and reports to DOT now. (including that Getrag report that states the diff is underrated).
Agreed. I'll be the first to agree that the rear diff in these cars is not up to the task, but I have grown really tired of the hysteria that has flooded the Internet over this issue.
You'd think that once a week some poor CTS-V owner goes spinning off the road due to an exploding diff, when in reality most complaints center around whining/binding, and would have NEVER (yes, I said never) been noticed if the owner hadn't read about it on an Internet forum. Once they read it, they're listening intently for any sound, convinced that the problem will now happen to them.
Internet car forums have created a new disease: Automotive hypochondria.
i agree with the sentiment, but being one of the people that had catastrophic failure, i appreciate that they're looking in to it. i took my car in 3 weeks before b/c it was leaking. caddy told me it was fine. then kaboom.
certainly now that my "new" diff is leaking a mere 3 months after total replacement. there are a boat load more issues that i have, but they're more with my dealer than GM. i still think GM should be accountable for putting a sufficient rear in the car. just my .02
My service writer was telling me that EVERY V Owners he has worked with has had a rear end gernade on them. He and the rest of hte dealership have replaced quite a few total failures.
It's not uncommon and the rears should be fixed with an updated version that can handle what the V was meant for. Open your eyes, it's an issue.
wow this is the first i heard of this!! my wife drives our cts all the time, so i would like to know more about it. i would hate for it to go out while she driving!!!
Is this a joke? I've read of a few dozen. Mine was also a total failure. Do you get around to other fourms?
A few dozen leaking or clunking maybe, but not a few dozen failures. I've only got about 4,000 posts since 2004 (and maxed reputation) on cadillacforums.com, so it's safe to say I've been around for a while.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tony Orlando
You'd think that once a week some poor CTS-V owner goes spinning off the road due to an exploding diff, when in reality most complaints center around whining/binding, and would have NEVER (yes, I said never) been noticed if the owner hadn't read about it on an Internet forum. Once they read it, they're listening intently for any sound, convinced that the problem will now happen to them.
Internet car forums have created a new disease: Automotive hypochondria.
For those that think I was wrong to post this, I present the following:
Quote:
Originally Posted by corum
wow this is the first i heard of this!! my wife drives our cts all the time, so i would like to know more about it. i would hate for it to go out while she driving!!!
I have had 2 grenade on me.... the first was on the dragstrip when the wheel hop started, and the second was on the street. The one on the street happened when I passed through a water puddle on an entrance ramp to the highway and it started spinning then wheel hop and ended with a new puddle on the street, this time of diff fluids.
Since then I have had one replaced due to whinning. I have also installed a BMR antiwheel hop kit, bushings only not the control arm support bar. I have not had any catastrophic failure since the install of the bmr kit.
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looking for something fast again, probably another V
Agreed. I'll be the first to agree that the rear diff in these cars is not up to the task, but I have grown really tired of the hysteria that has flooded the Internet over this issue.
You'd think that once a week some poor CTS-V owner goes spinning off the road due to an exploding diff, when in reality most complaints center around whining/binding, and would have NEVER (yes, I said never) been noticed if the owner hadn't read about it on an Internet forum. Once they read it, they're listening intently for any sound, convinced that the problem will now happen to them.
Internet car forums have created a new disease: Automotive hypochondria.
I've got my 05 in the shop right now with massive clunking in the drive train when I push the clutch in under low gears. If I get any crap, I'm sending the DOT an email. I have such a love/hate relationship with this car. sigh....
DOT is finally investigating the differential problem with CTS and CTS-Vs 
