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Trembling at idle

182K views 525 replies 136 participants last post by  goofygoober 
#1 ·
My 2.0T has a tendency to tremble at idle. I've switched to premium gas with no results. Also it doesn't alway happen, very irregular. Any ideas?
 
#37 ·
Well the dealer did some "updates" but could not duplicate the tremble. So I left hoping that would solve the problem. Well as of today it did not. I was again sitting at a traffic light and it did the same thing. I drove it straight to the dealer and of course no service on Saturday so it is going back Monday. I also emailed Katie_Lucille@gmexpert.com, with my VIN number but have yet to hear anything back. I sure hope GM can figure out what this issue is as this is the second time it goes back in three weeks. At some point I would really like to drive what is an otherwise great car.
 
#38 ·
Carolina, I apologize for my email delay but I have been away from the office since 2/20. I will be returning emails in the order I received them over the next two business days; so if you would like more immediate service, please don't hesitate to contact my phone hotline counterparts at our Cadillac Customer Assistance Center (contact information and hours of operation in my post above).

Best,

Katie
Cadillac Customer Service
 
#39 ·
I'm also having an intermittent stumble at idle that last for a 1-2 seconds. If this is happening because the idle is set low to conserve fuel, then I think this setting is too aggressive. Even though it may not damage the car to stumble periodically, it gives the impression that something is wrong with the car which is bad, especially for someone new to Cadillac and still forming first impressions. If this is an issue across the board, Cadillac should make it a priority, and it should be a quick fix. Perhaps Cadillac engineers can just reprogram the ECU to increase the RPMs at idle.

I've emailed Katie and will keep you posted. Hopefully Cadillac will move quickly on a fix for this!
 
#41 ·
Wow ZR1! Since I got the car on the 15th it has spent more time in the shop than I have actually had a chance to drive it. Tomorrow they want to talk about "options" like putting me in another ATS. My answer is heck no, especially if what I am experiencing is NOT an isolated issue as evident just in these forums. I just wonder how many more people who don't come here are experiencing this problem. I just hope Cadillac can fix this cause it would be a sad day if this car goes the way of the Caterra.
 
#44 ·
Update for everyone: I received a call from my Dealer and there is a software update that supposedly will correct the idle issue. Since my car is already at the dealer getting the paint worked on they are going to update the software as well. Since the idle issue is intermittent for myself, I’m sure I won’t notice anything right away. But, for those of you who frequently come across this issue, you may want to contact your local GM/Caddy dealer to see if the update is available!! I'll be sure to update later if the problem persists or is corrected!!
 
#47 ·
Hey guys.. My 2.0 turbo has been in the shop 28 days out of the. 70 days I have owned it.
It has actually stalled out twice while at a stop light! It really rocks back and forth hard.. My dealership had said they fixed it. Then said that can not duplicate it. 4 times I have been in. Today I asked to be traded
Out of my lease, they said sure, with 5 grand down and a payment of 700, I can upgrade to a 3.6!
I drove my car home.. On my way home it shook 3 times while in traffic.. To the point to where
People would stare!
Also while adjusting my side mirrors going down the highway.. My back windows went down and my trunk popped open! I keep looking for a hidden camera thinking I'm being punked!!
 
#48 ·
Hair Slinger I feel your pain. My ATS 2.0T has spent more time in the dealer than in my driveway. The first time they performed an update and the issue persisted. The second time they said "could not duplicate the issue " but did some torque bolt tightening/adjustments. The third time they kept it for about 4 days and said GM put a bulletin out on the issue and that did some more torque bolt tightening/adjustments. Well the issue continues and while mine has not stalled it has come incredibly close. As I have said before, other than that the car is a really nice vehicle but I am at my limit with the idle problem to the point that I have no confidence to take it on a long road trip as I fear it will stall. My dealer said they would try to put me in another vehicle but alas I have yet to hear from them. I am taking it back for the 4th time next week which at this point activates my state's lemon law. If they can't put me in something similar with no out of pocket expense I am not sure if I want to continue to have to pay for a vehicle that is has a known issue but cannot seem to be resolved. It just boggles my mind that Cadillac is not doing more to fix this issue considering how important this car is to them and GM.
 
#50 · (Edited)
Carolina Caddy
I agree! Visit number 5 for my car!! I took my car back yesterday morning. Because, while I was sitting at the bank in the drive through, my car shook like crazy, then died. I restarted it, grabbed my phone and shot video of the next few seconds after I started it..and it shook again, not as hard, but the lights on the dash flickered and the rmps went up and down a little.
My dealership is not being helpful. Some times they don't even make a ticket, and leave out most things I tell them. I am leasing, I'm so very upset. Tomorrow I am contacting an attorney that handles Lemon Laws... such a shame.
 
#51 ·
Carolina Caddy
I agree! Visit number 5 for my car!! I took my car back yesterday morning. Because, while I was sitting at the bank in the drive through, my car shook like crazy, then died. I restarted it, grabbed my phone and shot video of the next few seconds after I started it..and it shook again, not as hard, but the lights on the dash flickered and the rmps went up and down a little.
My dealership is not being helpful. Now when I bring my car in, they dont even make a ticket, and leave out most things I tell them. I am leasing, and they sold my 2010 SRX right after I traded it... I'm so very upset. Tomorrow I am contacting an attorney that handles Lemon Laws... such a shame.
They all scatter when I come in, and now they treat me as if I am lying.
Contact Louis or Katie. They can help with the dealership issues. Also, do you have any other dealers near by?
 
#52 ·
I managed to get a pretty good sized quake out of my 2.0 this morning. Here is the scenario. The engine had only been on for about 6 min in the cold. I drove down a street at about 30 mph for less than a minute and came to a stop sign. I thought she was going to stall for sure but managed to stick it out. It was the biggest quake yet and if I had a passenger my face would have red for sure.

Looking back at when it happens its seems to be when its cold out and the motor has only been on a short time and occurs after coming to a stop.

I guess the easy fix is to warm up the car but it appears GM made a software fix per the above posts so Ill add that to the list for when I take it in for the CUE update.
 
#53 ·
My sales associate received a 2.0T AWD Performance last week. I went to view the vehicle and used the remote start. Once I got in and placed the vehicle in gear I noticed the trembling. I assumed it was due to the cold weather. This particular vehicle had 70 miles on the odometer. The vehicle did not have the driver assist pkg so i passed. My salesman claimed it was ok to use regular unleaded. I explained to him that performance would be reduced. I wonder how many dealers are delivering 2.0T's with regular unleaded. Is this a factor for the trembling?

The 1st car(2.0T) I drove was started cold and we experienced no trembling.
 
#55 ·
My thought is that this car in a 2.0 turbo was just a bad idea. When driving down the interstate, I adjusted my side mirror and my back windows went down and my trunk popped open, I was baffled. My trunk had popped open by it's self several times. I feel this car is dangerous. I hate to even say what's next.
Today the "loaner" car i have been driving since the morning of the 9th.. that is a 3.6... after being parked in my driveway after work for about 10 mins, the trunk popped open by its self also.
I am way over the whole ATS thing.. any of them. I am so disappointed in Cadillac/GM over this. I could have any car I want, and I picked Cadillac!! My last vehicle was a 2010 SRX Premium, and I loved it!!! I have had my ATS in the service 5 times, and now over 30 days. I am making payments on a Lemon!! Today I contacted an attorney. I have been avoided long enough. Again, I am so sad.
 
#56 ·
Here's hoping your troubles go away and you get to go back to the things you liked about the car.

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Here hoping your troubles go away and you get to go back to the things you liked about the car.

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Dave3283 said:
Here's hoping your troubles go away and you get to go back to the things you liked about the car.

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Oops.
 
#57 ·
Perhaps the trembling/stalling may be due to regular gas after all. My car was delivered with a full tank of regular. It did not like low revs at all, and nearly staple a couple of times pulling into my garage. After running the tank down as far as I dared, I fill it with premium. The car really likes this better. It runs much better at low revs and pulls better, too. Didn't run it at full revs during the first tank, so I can't comment on ultimate power with regular, but I was surprised how much better it ran with premium. If those with the problems have only used regular, please try a tankful of premium before condemning the car.

As far as the trunk opening, it's usually due to something in the pocket pressing the trunk button. Happened with my CTS, too. Isolating the key fob helps; some of my pants have a fob pocket, and I never have an issue in those pants.
 
#58 ·
I always use premium gas. I've tried to be patient but now I am into my 3rd payment and still no car. I have lost my faith in Cadillac. I am being ignored, but I have been calm. Also my remote on my 2010 SRX never had an issue. In fact my SRX was a perfect vehicle. The loaner car I have is a 3.6, and the trunk has opened 2 times. ATS needs to be re evaluated!
 
#59 ·
Thank you Dave3283, it is a beautiful car, I picked it because it was loaded and beautiful, not ever once thinking I would be taking it in for so many things going wrong. I truly am heart broken over this whole thing. Today GM Cadillac division told me that no one else had any issues with the ATS. She said I was the only one she knew of. I found that odd. She told me that anyone could post anything on line. Very Very rude. I'm picking up my stalling vehicle in the morning. Again, it's very pretty, but I feel it's dangerous. :(
 
#60 ·
Just now found out from my insurance company that the reason my insurance has gone up is because the insurance commission has found the cadillac ats to not be as safe of a vehicle as they
thought. Therefore my thoughts confirmed that I am in an unsafe vehicle!!!!!!! Please check with your insurance companies!
 
#62 ·
I'm sorry, I just got off the phone with my insurance Geico.. they told me the reason my insurance had gone up was because the 2013 ATS was not as safe of a vehicle as they thought. I am waiting on documents to be emailed to me by the insurance company, and also have contacted the insurance commission for the state of TN. I was shocked beyond.. No BS here, I love Cadillac, I have always had a great experience with Cadillac. But I just seemed to have gotten a bad one this time. Trust me, I'm very upset. The car is so beautiful, and it is loaded. I don't know why it is the
way it is.. very upsetting. I posted this because I have been scared with this car ever since it died in a intersection with me last month. Safety is my concern.
 
#63 · (Edited)
My guess is that Geico made a mistake in their original loss projections on the ATS. Since it's a new vehicle, they probably didn't have any data to base their risk assessment on so they made projections. And now that it's been out a few months, they are probably getting back data on their losses and it's higher than they projected so they are raising premiums to cover their losses. I would seek out quotes from other insurance companies. You should not have to bear the burden of their poor forecasting. As far as safety in a crash goes, I wouldn't worry. The NHTSB rated the ATS 5 stars overall and 5 stars in each of the frontal, side, and rollover categories. http://www.safercar.gov/Vehicle+Sho...htype=model&make=CADILLAC&model=ATS&year=2013

But you are right, the stalling issue in your vehicle is a safety concern. Have you been in contact with Cadillac customer service directly (not through the dealer)?
 
#64 ·
I did contact them. They said if the dealer does not report that they can duplicate the issue then there is nothing they can do. I doesn't stall when they have driven it, but I drive it a lot more, it
happens. But I can't keep my video on my phone expecting it to stumble. I expect it wont. It happens fast, I'm driving, so I can not get my phone and turn on a video camera to document it.
Like I said, I do not expect it to happen. It surprises me too. It's such a beautiful car
 
#65 ·
Well it makes sense that they won't treat a problem they can't see. This isn't just a Cadillac thing, this is the typical policy for most manufacturers. How would you even go about treating a problem you can't see?

If I were you, I would do the following:

1) Change fuel brands. I recommend only running Shell or Exxon Mobil 93 octane while you're having this issue.
2) When the car is idling, put your left foot on the brake and your right foot on the gas pedal. Use your right foot to keep the RPMs up and you left foot to keep the car stopped. This may help prevent the car from stalling when you are pulling away from a stop.
3) Find another Cadillac dealer to take your car to. Describe the exact conditions when the stalling happens (at stop sign, at traffic light, for how long?, when engine cold or hot, car in drive or manual shift mode, etc...). Ask them to take your car for one week and give you a loaner to see if they can replicate the problem.
4) Ask the dealer to make sure your ECU has the latest software upgrade (Cadillac just released an update recently).
5) Do you have any friends who are mechanically inclined? If so, ask them to check the air intake and throttle body for any issues. Also, have them check the mass airflow sensor connector and condition as well as the battery and alternator connections and voltage.
6) If none of the above helps, you will definitely need to find a way to document the issue so the dealer can see what is going on.
7) Research your state's lemon law. Unfortunately all manufactures have lemons from time to time, and you may have gotten one. With the trunk and window issues you are describing in addition to your stalling, it may be a problem with an electrical unit which can be harder to diagnose.
 
#68 ·
I too only use Premium gas, mostly from Shell. Today mine died again... I am really getting scared to drive it. I just want to feel safe, and have a dependable car. This is effecting my daily life with stress.. and disrupting my work schedule.
I have had several cars in my life, but not anything has ever happened like this...ever! I no longer wish to lease this vehicle.. it is not safe

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Louis, I have contacted GM... no success.... It is still happening. I have contacted an attorney. My car is dangerous!!! Lauren said I am the only person she had heard of having this problem..
Right. Someone will wind up getting hurt.
 
#72 ·
I too only use Premium gas, mostly from Shell. Today mine died again... I am really getting scared to drive it. I just want to feel safe, and have a dependable car. This is effecting my daily life with stress.. and disrupting my work schedule.
I have had several cars in my life, but not anything has ever happened like this...ever! I no longer wish to lease this vehicle.. it is not safe



How frequently are you stalling, Hair Slinger? Exactly what is happening in the car when it stalls? Is the engine warmed up or cold? Is it after you have been idling for a while and then put your foot on the gas to accelerate? Mostly at stop signs or stop lights?
 
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