I have a 01 DeVille and I went to put in a new battery under the back seat
today and there is corrision from the battery on the floor pan. I cleaned up the corrsion and I could see the floor of the garage through a hole. There is
a 2" X 6" hole in the floor now. The factory did not put a plastic battery
tray on any of the deVilles. :confused: Has any body else had this problem?

Pretty sorry of them don't you think. I was looking at mine today and it had
some places eaten out but no hole thankfully.

GM is aware of the battery acid leak problem and there is a fix kit available. Maybe if you whine at a dealer long enough, GM will install the fix for you.

I would log a complaint at:

Home | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA) | U.S. Department of Transportation (http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/)

If enough of us complain it will force a recall.

MY Y2K has a one-inch hole... I just bought the car last week, 'service electrical system' came across the info bar on the dash, battery was dead later that day.

I replaced the battery, and noticed powdered residue - cleaned it, and saw the driveway - P.O.d, but after I calmed down, thought I can fix it, but not without some trouble....

How common is this?

What else is there to 'maintain' on the 'service electrical system' warning?

Thanks,

Caddy FNG

Yeah...Had the same problem. My 2001 Deville wouldn't start, so I pulled up the back seat(I didn't even know the battery was there!). Battery was so badly corroded that the positive terminal came loose from the battery. I cleaned up the area where the battery sits, primed the area and my son repaired the hole with body panel adhesive and sprayed RinoCoat. Better than factory. Can't understand why GM didn't do something about this. Plastic tray or ???
When you replace the battery, make sure you get a "vented" battery. I called around all over town and found a Delco replacement cheaper than any place. Around $110.00

I got in as complaint no. 10166274.

Thanks for the link!

John


I would log a complaint at:

Home | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA) | U.S. Department of Transportation (http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/)

If enough of us complain it will force a recall.

I would log a complaint at:

Home | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA) | U.S. Department of Transportation (http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/)

If enough of us complain it will force a recall.
Shear numbers of complaints won't force a recall. It has to be safety related, like the fuel rail (fire potential).

I would think an unknown hole in the floor would be a safety issue. This could let exhaust gases in the car and possibly kill. There are many warnings in manuals when adding trailer equipment and such not to compromise the body sealing, so it seems it must be an issue.

True, but remember that the hole is contained under the seat. Not sure how NHTSA would look at that , but can't hurt to file a report.

Had the same problem. I also noticed it during a battery replacement. Regarding safety, I think the potential of having the battery fall through a rotted floor should be cause enough for a recall.

Im really worried that 5-10 years from now, I'll be driving behind a Deville and sprayed with battery acid.

I haven't ever looked at mine, but I will now and I'll file a report if I find a problem

Deville batteries under the seat? That's crazy. My 71 MGB batteries were in the same place, and they are wide open! A little steel cover with a failing gasket around it. I'm in the process of repairing one and replacing the other. They had 2 battery trays since they ran 2 6-volt batteries. I'm repairing with galvanized sheet angle. Take a look... August 2006 (http://www.tgnagy.com/mgb/progressPages/200608.cfm)

[QUOTE=mgb4tim;793743]
....Deville batteries under the seat? That's crazy. [QUOTE]

Why is that crazy?? Inside the car is a much more battery friendly environment than under the hood.

Does anyone have a warranty on through GM or Caddy? I am going to check mine and want to know if it is covered under the certified warranty program.

How is the battery leaking acid into the car? It's sealed and there is a vent system that leads outside the car. The floor in my '01 looks fine, though it was thoroughly cleaned by a river and then by me.

Jim

[quote=mgb4tim;793743]
....Deville batteries under the seat? That's crazy. [quote]

Why is that crazy?? Inside the car is a much more battery friendly environment than under the hood.

Crazy, that the huge Caddy and my tiny MGB stick it in the same place. What is crazy is the MGB just hung under the car, all the road dirt and crap slinging all over it. I guess that's why I just cut the one out last night and am replacing it this week.

Does anyone have a warranty on through GM or Caddy? I am going to check mine and want to know if it is covered under the certified warranty program.

How do they spell out outer body rust throught warrentee?

Detroit was always super careful about sealing body joints so that exhaust fumes CO could not get into passenger cabin. Very diligent in design and inspection in assembly plant.

Note that at same time they were preventing deaths and litigation w sealants and coatings outer body panels of same auto were rusting out.


This battery acid corrosion of floor pan is more than shocking. I don't understand how preventive engineering reviews would allow this car to be sold.

I suggest that you do not attempt to repair this defect. If your repair fails later you could be assuming the manufacturer's liability.

A mere owner / consummer complaint willl not suffice. A letter of complaint
written on your family attorney's letterhead will get immediate attention.

One thought is that the owners manual is written in language that slyly transfers responsibilty to the owner/operator. Yes that is it, it is a maintenance issue. failure to maintain the vehicle.

There must be over 300,000 cadillacs w this design. That is merely a guesstimate.

I am going into the showroom tuesday - Reading owners manual and requesting a look under rear seat.

Don't mean to fan the flames but it is hard to understand.

regards

gradyb

I pulled my seat today and see no signs of corrosion anywhere. Do you think I need to actually pull the battery out? The terminals are very clean and so is the floor that i can see.