Cadillac Owners Forum banner

Brand New CTS-V Overheated and Broke Down

11K views 49 replies 31 participants last post by  Jinx 
#1 ·
I picked up my brand new CTS-V wagon yesterday. I ordered it and waited 6 weeks. I leased it. I drove the car about 23 miles from the dealership, and then the engine overheated and started smoking and several dashboard lights lit up. I pulled over and pressed the OnStar button and asked for a tow truck. The person at OnStar said that she couldn't locate a towing company, but I was in a city with at least 20 towing companies. Then she said that I was going to have to pay for the towing, which infuriated me. I talked to 3 people at OnStar, who were all useless in figuring out how to get a tow truck. I then called the dealership and they called a tow truck for me. It took more than an hour and a half from when the car broke down until the tow truck arrived. I got tired of waiting and left the car with the keys in it before the tow truck arrived. I believe that the engine was damaged from overheating and making black smoke that smelled like burning oil and plastic. I don't feel like I can trust a car that didn't make it home from the dealership. What should I do?
 
#38 ·
spadad said:
The dealer said a hose clamp was loose and a hose popped off. But if it was just antifreeze, I'm not sure why there was black smoke and an odor of burning plastic.
Oh, hopefully everything will be good now.. The smoke was probably just the anti-freeze hitting the hot exhaust creating a chemical reaction.. If there is no other signs of damage then your all set.
 
#39 · (Edited)
Checking in today after spending yesterday blasting through the Rockies on back roads in the V wagon. WOW. Glad it was a simple problem, OP. Enjoy the hell out of your car. I sure am enjoying mine!
 
#40 ·
Glad it got resolved, so far. That really does blow, though. I would be extremely paranoid for a while until I put on some good miles. Hopefully it doesn't become a headache car you're always dropping off at the dealership, for a rental or otherwise something else problematic. The V is a good car though, hopefully yours will shape up once broken in. I hate having my time wasted especially with dealerships who don't do the right thing.

Sounds like your dealership is a good one, but as far as the Onstar goes I'll definitely be ignoring GM's renewal requests now because that part of the story is pretty mind boggling. It should be free when they're that incompetent. How do they expect to survive in the S&P if this is the standard calibration of their service? (GM goes back on Friday for the first time since the bailout)

Thankfully most of us have the Cadillac shield protection in effect, onstar is disappointing and doesn't deserve to be capitalized.
 
#42 ·
I just picked up my brand new CTS-V Coupe. The very next morning my wife and I drove it to our warehouse to inventory our business. About 20 miles from home, so a total of about 25 miles since I got it, cruising on the freeway and all of a sudden the car goes into "Reduced Power Mode" and the Traction Control lights up as well. I activated the OnStar and asked them to run a diagnostic on it.
Comes back as Multi-Port Fuel Injection System-service immediately. I did not want to limp it back to the dealer I purchased it from, so OnStar called a local dealership, where I actually bought my first CTS from, and they said it was the connector on the gas pedal, came loose.

Brand new cars do break!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top