1999 Cadillac Catera problems & reliability
80 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1999 Cadillac Catera. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
5 complaints report injuries (6 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 30 | 38% |
| Electrical System | 12 | 15% |
| Tires | 12 | 15% |
| Steering | 11 | 14% |
| Unknown OR Other | 8 | 10% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 7 | 9% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 7 | 9% |
| Power Train | 6 | 8% |
| Suspension | 6 | 8% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 5 | 6% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 64,000 miles (middle 50% between 52,750 and 87,999 miles), based on 20 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl* the contact owns a 1999 cadillac catera. The contact stated while driving 10 mph, the vehicle stalled without any warnings. The contact mentioned that the vehicle had to be turn off for a while in order to reset the system. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who advised the contact to take the vehicle…”
Engine · filed Sep 10, 2012
“The running lights would not turn off. I was in harms way in the rain and had to take the care 70 more miles, while I could get out of the buffalo area to a safe location for the night. The lights never went off till the battery was exhausted. When recharged the headlights remained on again, unable to be turned off…”
Electrical System · filed May 2, 2012
“My headlight assemblies (sealed beam) on 1999 cadillac catera are broken. These parts can not be repaired - bulbs will burn out in several months due to jarring/bouncing. We have owned this car for the previous 5.5 years and it has not been in an accident. I consider this a safety issue. *tr”
Exterior Lighting · filed Mar 5, 2010
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
58 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1999 Cadillac Catera. The 10 most recent:
This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy transportation policy.
17-NA-073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 21, 2023
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 31, 2020
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco TheftLock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696E · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 22, 2019
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco TheftLock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 5, 2019
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco Theft Lock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 31, 2018
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 20, 2017
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 22, 2017
This technical bulletin provides a procedure to reprogram the media disc player with the latest calibrations to correct a condition of the rear entertainment system not operating as intended in colder ambient…
16NA260 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 26, 2016
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco TheftLock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 4, 2015
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about cooler line fittings that come with the 4T65E General Motors remanufactured transmission may not be the same as Original equipment…
PIP5346 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 2, 2015
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1999 Cadillac Catera in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1999 Cadillac Catera?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 64,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.