A few months ago, I started to notice that it felt like my car was slipping when I backed up. In reverse it felt like the front tires slipped on ice despite perfectly dry ground. There was also an accompanying noise. It only happened when I was backing and turning, but it was noticeable. I thought it may be a manual transmission thing because it was only when the car was being powered and in reverse (i.e. not when I was backing down a hill with the clutch in). I then noticed that it was only when the car had been sitting for over an hour or so. It slowly got a little worse, until I decided to take it to the dealer. They asked GM what to do and told me that they would flush out the rear differential. I have FE3, so it has a limited slip differential. After the flush at the dealer, it was fine for about the rest of that day. Then it started slowly again and is now just as bad as before. I've avoided the problem for the last month by backing into my parking spot in the lot.

Took it to the dealer at 7:30 today, and they called me back by 9:30 saying that they had again experienced the problem, called GM and GM said to replace the rear differential. I hope this solves the problem, and I'm betting that it will.

Has anyone else experienced this with the manual or auto? It doesn't sound like a typical problem, and I hope for everyone's sake that it isn't.

I'll update on the status when I get the ol' CTS back on Thurs.

Uh, oh. That has been a BIG problem on Gen1.

what year is your CTS is it an 08 ?
If so this could be the start of a world of trouble the older cts guys have had.

Yes, it's an '08. I'll start searching the earlier forums to see if I have the same symptoms. No time now though.

How many miles?

How many miles?

3500 now, problem started around 1000 though. At least that's when I noticed it. The first ~700 miles were all on one trip from MI to VA.

Well, I am concerned, but there is no proof that yours is anything other than a one-off. Stuff Happens. Hope all works out well.

Thats not good. Did they use a getrag diff in the 08?

Thats not good. Did they use a getrag diff in the 08?

Not sure if it's the getrag differential, it's RPO is G80, so if it's the same as before, it might still be the same diff. I'll ask the dealer when I get it back.

Just looked at some of the symptoms pointed out in the 03-07 threads. I have some of the same symptoms ('chatter' on backup), but I have noticed no leaking. There seemed to be a lot of differential leak problems with the older diffs. I'll check the parking spot when I get home, but I'm pretty sure there's no leak.

is your car automatic

That RPO is the same as the LSD option from the Gen1's. So its entirely possible that the base CTS of Gen2 is using the same diff as previous gen's.

is your car automatic

6sp manual transmission

I came out of an 05 CTS V and the differentials were problematic for those models over the years. All these were manual 6 sps, and the main problem was whining and grinding. Some of the differentials just didn't hold up well behind 400 hp. Most thought the torque of the motor, hard shifting and wheel hop created stress on the case and some shattered. Also some problems with cradle bolts needing to be retorqued. But I don't recall many experiencing slipping. The 06's leaked fluid out the diff vent, but that seemed to be an overfilling issue.

If your car has a limited slip differential it sounds like the clutch packs need replacing. Changing the fluids in the differential might solve the problem but might only fix it for a while. I had a similar problem with my 99 Vette.

There is a TSB on the Gen1 LSD growl.

This really sucks here all of us existing cadillac owners thought they would address this with the new gen since this is now cadillac's flagship car.

I have that same problem with my 04 CTS. Mine is a manual transmission and I have that problem when I back out of my drive way, it feels like I either ran over something or just like there was a same patch of ice underneath me. I took my car to a transmission place here because second gear pops out of place sometimes when I put in gear then I have to hit the clutch and put it back in gear. And they said that it could be 3-4 different things, my differentials, synchros, or bearings. They said the only way for them to know exactly what the problem is to take out my transmission and take it apart. So, I'm probably going to take it in later this week. I can't take it to the dealer because my warranty is over.

I would take it to the dealer and let them know that you know about the known issues with the differential. And if they won't honor it under warranty write a letter to gm corporate and they may reimburse you.

Did they use a getrag diff in the 08?

Yes they did.

Got my car back today sans differential problem. The new one seems like it's working a lot better. I drove it back from the dealer, then let it sit for about 6 hours in the lot. When I backed out of the parking spot, it had no problem. No noise. No sudden jerk to the side.

Dealer said that the differential should be the same getrag diff that was in the prev gen. He also said that sometimes parts will be supplied under the same part number and name after it has been redesigned to keep it from failing, so it might be the same part, but reworked. I'll report back here if I start having any problems, but for now, it seems like the problem is fixed. Thanks for the insight and information in this thread!

wow i hope we don't have these problems again. it is a shitrag rearend, but it appears to be COMPLETELY re-designed, it looks like it could handle a good beating(its going to with the LS8). hopefully it was just a fluke and we won't be seeing much of this.

wow i hope we don't have these problems again. it is a shitrag rearend, but it appears to be COMPLETELY re-designed, it looks like it could handle a good beating(its going to with the LS8). hopefully it was just a fluke and we won't be seeing much of this.
LS8? I thought it was a LSA motor in the V?

LS8? I thought it was a LSA motor in the V?

Yes, it's an LSA motor going into the new V. The LS9 motor is for the ZR1. Never heard of an LS8.