1998 Cadillac Catera

Typical pattern

6.6% of complaints about the 1998 Cadillac Catera came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 1998 vehicle — around the middle of the 180 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 3.8 yr in service. The most-reported system is engine cooling (60 complaints), typically at 5.8 yr or about 60,000 miles.

Complaints: 227
Median age at failure: 3.8 yr
Median mileage: 60,000 n=90
Crash / fire / tow: 6.2% of reports
Safety recalls: 0

In owners’ own words

Electrical system mileage not reported 11 mo in service

THIS IS A NEW CAR. THE BATTERY HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE. THE AIRBAG MODULE HAS BEEN REPLACED. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL ELECTICAL PROBLEMS. I HAVE HAD IT IN FOR REPAIRS OVER AND OVER. I HAVE ASK CADILLAC TO REPLACE THIS CAR,BUT THEY HAVE REFUSED. PLEASE HELP ME.

Electrical system mileage not reported 11 mo in service

THIS IS A NEW CAR. THE BATTERY HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE. THE AIRBAG MODULE HAS BEEN REPLACED. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL ELECTICAL PROBLEMS. I HAVE HAD IT IN FOR REPAIRS OVER AND OVER. I HAVE ASK CADILLAC TO REPLACE THIS CAR,BUT THEY HAVE REFUSED. PLEASE HELP ME.

Electrical system mileage not reported 11 mo in service

THIS IS A NEW CAR. THE BATTERY HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE. THE AIRBAG MODULE HAS BEEN REPLACED. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL ELECTICAL PROBLEMS. I HAVE HAD IT IN FOR REPAIRS OVER AND OVER. I HAVE ASK CADILLAC TO REPLACE THIS CAR,BUT THEY HAVE REFUSED. PLEASE HELP ME.

Engine cooling mileage not reported 1.8 yr in service

WHENEVER VEHICLE IS PARKED OVERNIGHT IT WOULD FAIL TO RESTART AGAIN. WOULD HAVE TOW VEHICLE TO DEALER EACH TIME THIS HAPPENED, 8 TIMES SO FAR. MECHANIC WOULD REPROGRAM KEY; REPLACED BATTERY/FAULTY FUEL INJECTORS AND THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE. GMC EPURCHASED THIS VEHICLE IN OCTOBER, 1999 FOR THE FULL PURCHASE PRICE LESS $400.OO *AK

Other Catera model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

1998 Cadillac Catera

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

In owners’ own words

Other Catera model years

How to read this