New ATS - Service Stabilitrak - driving jerkily

Look. I know they are covered by powertrain portion of the bumper to bumper warranty. I have bought a new car, not leased every 3 yrs since I was 18. So I know how powertrain warranties work. I guess you didn't understand my statement. Alot of times car companies, when they find that a part or design has had higher than normal failure rates based on similar segments in the industry will send a letter that states the higher than expected failure rate and will say to retain the letter for safe keeping. The letter will also state that that if the failure of said part happens after the factory warranty then it would be fixed at no charge to the customer. It also states that if you've already paid for a repair for said part that you can file for a reimbursement for the repair. It is much like a voluntary recall without doing a full out recall and fixing all cars effected. It just covers the original owners incase of a failure outside of the factory warranty. My qoute wording " We know we used crappy parts in your engine to save money, but now to make it right we will honor engine repairs due to piston failure outside of our factory bumper to bumper warranty." Was to show my frustration regarding the situation. Smitty, Thanks for your understanding, as I have received a few of these exact letters over the years from Jeep, infiniti, Mercedes, and land rover. This is a way for companies to "do the right thing", and not get hit financially all at one time for a recall. It is simply like a tsb that is sent to customers, but offers repair beyond the factory warranty if there is failure. There is nothing wild and unfounded if there is a tsb for our 2.0t pistons. I am not making accusations as we are not in a court of law, we are simply in a forum where I am voicing my displeasure that a lot of engines may have received faulty parts. As a loyal Gm stockowner i have been very displeased with the way they handled the ignition recall fiasco, but I stuck with them and bought a premium ats like you except I wanted more performance, so I opted for a turbocharged engine. I did not expect to get a vehicle that had deficient engine internals. If you owned a 2.0t you would also be more understanding and probably not very excited either.

Ditto on the shaking idle. Going in on the 27th to get it diagnosed...

That is complete crap! This is straight from there warranty procedure, if the car is unsafe to drive (as your is now) then they need to give you a rental. Please read the red remark.

WARRANTY AND COVERAGE

Cadillac 4-year/50,000-mile1 Bumper-to-Bumper Limited Warranty with no deductible
Cadillac 6-year/70,000-mile1 Transferable Powertrain Limited Warranty with no deductible for 2013 and newer models (5-years/100,000-miles1 for 2012 and older models).
Cadillac 6-year/70,000-mile1 Roadside Assistance for 2013 and newer models (5-years/100,000-miles1 for 2012 and older models).
Cadillac 6-year/70,000-mile1 Courtesy Transportation for 2013 and newer models (5-years/100,00-miles1 for 2012 and older models)



BUMPER-TO-BUMPER LIMITED WARRANTY

Cadillac backs your new vehicle with its no deductible, Bumper-to-Bumper Limited Warranty. The entire vehicle is warranted for repairs, including parts and labor, to correct any defects in materials or workmanship for 4-years or 50,000-miles, whichever comes first (except routine maintenance). The warranty covers towing to the nearest Cadillac dealership, and there is no deductible for warranty repairs during the warranty period. The warranty transfers automatically with vehicle ownership during the warranty period.



TRANSFERABLE POWERTRAIN LIMITED WARRANTY

Cadillac will warrant each 2013 and newer vehicle for 6-years or 70,000-miles1 (5-years/100,000-miles for 2012 and older models1) with no deductible from the original in-service date of the vehicle, for warrantable repairs which are required as a result of defects due to material and/or workmanship to the engine, transmission, or drive systems.



ENGINE

Cylinder head, block, timing gears, timing chain, timing cover, oil pump/oil pump housing, OHC carriers, valve covers, oil pan, seals, gaskets, turbocharger, supercharger and all internal lubricated parts as well as manifolds, flywheel, water pump, harmonic balancer and engine mount. Timing belts are covered until the first scheduled maintenance interval.



TRANSMISSION/TRANSAXLE/TRANSFER CASE

Case, all internal lubricated parts, torque converter, transfer case, transmission/transaxle mounts, seals, and gaskets.


DRIVE SYSTEMS

Final drive housing, all internal lubricated parts, axle shafts and bearings, constant velocity joints, axle housing, propeller shafts, universal joints, front differential actuator, supports, seals and gaskets.



WHAT IS NOT COVERED

All the above items are not covered for damage due to accident, misuse, alteration, insufficient or improper maintenance, contaminated or poor quality fuel. For complete details refer to your Warranty and Owner Assistance Information booklet.

This is a supplement to the express conditions and warranties described in the Warranty and Owner Assistance Information booklet. Other coverages are not extended or altered due to this supplement.


COURTESY TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM

During the warranty coverage period, this Cadillac program provides alternate transportation and/or reimbursement of certain transportation expenses under the Courtesy Transportation Program if your vehicle requires warranty repairs. Several transportation options are available. Refer to your Owner Manual for details, including reservation of rights, or consult your dealer/retailer.

I hit a pavement groove yesterday where the new pavement was meeting the old and I didnt see it. Pretty hard hit but it didnt seem like the suspension bottomed out.....about a mile later coming to a light I noticed my stabilitrak light was on along with the traction control off light similar to the OP. I have a '13 ATS premium 3.6 AWD. In reading through this thread it seems most of the rough idle and piston issues are related to the 2.0T and my car seems to run ok. I checked the manual and it says if that light combo comes on to have it serviced but doesnt warn against driving the car. Normally I would just call the dealer service dept but they are closed today but just curious if I should be driving the car? Has anyone else had this condition with the 3.6 and still drove it without any issues? Seems like it was directly related to hitting the bump in the road but not sure why that would trigger the Stabilitrak unless a sensor or something popped loose. Any way just looking for some feedback cause I want to drive it but dont want to damage anything further.

Yama1yzf said:

Thanks for the feedback.....i shut it off and on at several different intervals and it didnt go away but then decided to drive it and after a few miles the lights went out and everything seems cool now. Still trying to figure out how a stabilitrak / TC warning has anything to do with rough idle conditions...weird

Click to expand...

Stabilitrak and TC rely upon controlling engine power as a major part of their ability to reign in the vehicle, first by retarding timing for slight power reduction and closing the throttle when more power reduction is needed. If the engine isn't running/responding properly then the calibrated control algorithms won't work as intended and the intervention could make the situation worse and not better. So if there is an engine operation issue these systems will turn off and the system malfunction warning is displayed. Other failures within the system, such as various sensor issues, will also cause the system to turn off but if it cannot rely upon the powertrain to respond as intended then it has to shut these systems down.

When the current generation Corvette was fairly new in production there were several incidences of Stabilitrak/TC turning off and it was due to spark plug coil wires that weren't properly seated during production. Although in several cases the owner didn't feel the change in engine operation/performance it was sufficient to cause these "nanny" systems to shutdown.