newbold1 Posted October 11, 2004 Report Share Posted October 11, 2004 I have an '04 CTS with 3,000 miles on it. Lately I have noticed that when I am in traffic and forced to drive at a constant 30mph the rear end seems to whine or hum. Its not super loud but it is noticable enough for me to wonder if that is normal or is something not quite right. There are no noticable drivability problems... just the whine. At other speeds or when accelerating right on past 30mph then there is no noticable whine. Anyone else have this problem? Is it normal for the CTS? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbold1 Posted October 20, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2004 Hey everyone, I've heard stories that the CTS has had some cronic problems with the rear differential. Is this true? If so, does it sound like my car may have that problem based on what I described in my previous e-mail? Other than this noise my car seems to be fine. No problems driving. Maybe I am just too sensitive to every little sound. I tend to notice the slightest noise. My wife never seems to hear what I hear. Thanks, David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted October 20, 2004 Report Share Posted October 20, 2004 I would first look at the tires to see if they are roughed up in any way, especially look for sawtoothing and uneven tread. Hows the pressure in them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarlque Posted October 21, 2004 Report Share Posted October 21, 2004 I am presently driving an '05 CTS Enterprise loaner (9K miles), while my STS in in for service, that also has the whine. I immediately noticed it as a classic ring/pinion gear whine, except my whine also occurs at speeds higher than 30MPH. Typically, this noise rarely improves, and usually either stays the same, or slowly worsens. I would definitely complain about it, even though they are likely to tell you that for all practical purposes there isn't much that can be done (aside from replacing the gears, and properly setting them up). This way, if the noise becomes really oppressive (as this one is becoming, BTW), you have a paper trail. Really nice ride, and good luck with it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbold1 Posted April 24, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2005 Well... this problem has gradually worsened over time. I recently took the car to the dealership to have it checked out. The Asst. Service Manager took a ride with me and he quickly acknowledged that the noise was not normal and that it was intrusive enough to be an obvious annoyance to anyone driving the car. There were four tech guys in the office and as we talked they said that they had a few other CTS cars that had the same problem. The fix for those cars was to replace the rear end differential... which is what I expected. Well... after having the car for a few days I get a call from the Asst. Service Manager telling me that the District Service Manager will not authorize them to swap out the differential because they have found that this typically provides only a short term solution and the problem usually redevelops. The dealership performed a tire rotation, balance, and 4-wheel alignment since there was nothing else they were authorized to do. They wanted to at least provide me with new tires but again I was told that the District Service Manager said no. I appreciate the work the dealership performed and how they stayed in contact with me and appeared to have several "arguments" with the District Service Manager on my behalf. However, my car is still not right. I cannot drive anyone in my car without being asked what is wrong with it because the humming noise is so pronounced. I have written a letter to Cadillac Customer Service in Detroit and am awaiting their response. I have always been loyal to the Cadillac brand and my wife and I have always assumed that we would always own Cadillacs. Now, I am not so sure. Searching the Internet I have found quite a number of other people that are in the same situation as myself. Anyway, I am not sure how this is going to end up. I love the look of my car and the way it performs. BUT... c'mon, a luxury car with a $42K window sticker shouldn't be like this. I've never before had a dealership to acknowledge that my car had a problem that needed to be fixed but that they could not fix it because they have found no way to do so. And... go figure... I bought a NEW CTS as opposed to another used Seville so that I could have the bumper to bumper warranty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimD Posted April 24, 2005 Report Share Posted April 24, 2005 I have no idea if the CTS-V shares your axle components, but this thread has been on-going since July, 2004. A lot to read but maybe you could find some ammunition in there. Good luck.... http://cadillacforums.com/forums/showthrea...14&page=9&pp=20 Jim Drive your car. Use your cell phone. CHOOSE ONE ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbold1 Posted April 24, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2005 Thank you! I read through that thread and all I can say is WOW what a mess. I just want my car fixed and hopefully an extended warranty on the rear end differential because apparently this problem is likely to persist or return no matter what I do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaddyChris Posted April 24, 2005 Report Share Posted April 24, 2005 There were four tech guys in the office and as we talked they said that they had a few other CTS cars that had the same problem. The fix for those cars was to replace the rear end differential... which is what I expected. Well... after having the car for a few days I get a call from the Asst. Service Manager telling me that the District Service Manager will not authorize them to swap out the differential because they have found that this typically provides only a short term solution and the problem usually redevelops. I hear what u are saying in the rest of your post...here is my question... What is the reasoning behind them saying that if they replace the rear differiental that the problem will redevelop? I mean this seems like some pretty bad news because basically they are saying that no matter what they do you will have a problem with it... How can this be? Any comments? Chris Christopher Petro 94 sts 67 coupe de Ville Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbold1 Posted April 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2005 I was told that they have already done this work on a few other CTS cars and at least one of them had to have the rear differential replaced a 3rd time because the noise problem had returned. And... looking around on the Internet I have found other discussion boards where people have reported the noise problem returning after the rear differential was replaced. From what I am hearing it sounds like there is an inherent design flaw in these rear differentials that has yet to be resolved. When I was in the dealership and the four tech guys and I were just sort of chatting... three of them seemed to know all about this recurring problem. One guy was just listening to the rest of us not really saying a whole lot. But in any case I definately got the impression that this problem is quite common. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbold1 Posted May 8, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2005 I spoke with a rep at GM Customer Service and they are investigating my claim. I was told that they will follow-up with the dealership and the District Service Manager (or Area Service Manager... I never remember the right title) and then they will follow-up with me on a plan to fix my car. I am supposed to hear back from GM on Tuesday, May 10th. We'll see what happens... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbold1 Posted May 12, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2005 GM called me back and conferenced in the Service Manager at the dealership. While on the phone the Service Manager claimed that he diagnosed the noise as my tires. Of course, that is not at all what was said when I was speaking with the dealership before I involved GM customer service. Anyway, it was agreed that I would bring my car back to the dealership again and the Service Manager would ride in the car with me so I could show him exactly what I had been experiencing. So... today, we took a ride together. The Service Manager admitted fairly quickly that the noise was coming from the transaxle. He also claimed that he didn't hear this when he drove the car himself when I had left it with them the last time. I didn't bother to argue that this was completely contrary to what the dealership had told me during the last visit. I figured I was ahead in that finally there was an agreement that the transaxle needed to be replaced. As it stands now, the dealership has my car and they are replacing the transaxle. Now, I just hope that this fixes the car for the long haul and doesn't really end up being only a short term solution as I have heard it has been for some others. But anyway, at least I'm finally getting somewhere now. I should get the car back in a few days and I'll post the results when I do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Nunnally Posted May 12, 2005 Report Share Posted May 12, 2005 Thanks for the updates. I hope this fixes your problem. Bruce 2023 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing Follow me on: Twitter Instagram Youtube Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbold1 Posted May 13, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2005 Thanks Bruce. I hope so too... this has been going on for a long time now. I just want to get back to enjoying my car. How has your CTS been doing? Have you not experienced any noise issues in your's? I am really hopeful that the new transaxle really works out as a long term fix and not just a short term solution. I have to assume that there are plenty of these cars that do not have the problem that I have run into. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Nunnally Posted May 13, 2005 Report Share Posted May 13, 2005 My CTS is doing just fine so far. No noise issues, transaxle or otherwise that I can detect. The drivetrain has so much noise deafening in the Cadillacs I am surprised that some people are having this as an issue. It will be interesting to hear what Cadillac determines was happening with these transaxles if we ever do. Bruce 2023 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing Follow me on: Twitter Instagram Youtube Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbold1 Posted May 14, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2005 Yeah, they're in no big hurry to "officially" admit that this is a common problem. Could you imagine if hoardes of people started wanting new transaxles? But... based on what I heard from the tech guys in the dealership and from just hunting around on the Internet it seems pretty clear to me that mine is not an isolated case. The parts arrived today and they'll start work on my car on Monday. I figure that they might have the car ready for me by end of day Tuesday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbold1 Posted May 16, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2005 Just picked up my car and thought I would post an update / conclusion to this story. The whining noise appears to be completely gone. I tried out maintaining speeds at just over the shift points for all gears and doing my usual slight decrease / increase in speed after the shift to see if I could create the noise again. This always worked before the repair. Now... I am unable to duplicate the noise. The following items / part numbers were shown on the invoice: 25766298 --- Carrier 25730853 --- Vent 89021677 --- Lubricant (2 units) I wish this hadn't taken so long to resolve but at least maybe now I can put this problem behind me. Mileage on the car at the point of resolution --- 14,951. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonny Posted May 16, 2005 Report Share Posted May 16, 2005 It could just be one of your wheel barings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbold1 Posted May 16, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2005 The notes on the invoice state, "replaced rear differential assembly". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimD Posted May 17, 2005 Report Share Posted May 17, 2005 Hope the 'fix' works long term for you. No doubt you will be hearing every noise the car can produce!! Jim Drive your car. Use your cell phone. CHOOSE ONE ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbold1 Posted May 17, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2005 No doubt that it will take me a while before I finally stop listening for problems. Everytime I drove the car today I kept trying to make the noise happen. People probably wondered what was wrong with me the way I was driving... speed up, slow down, coast a little, speed up some, slow down some, keep the radio off so I can listen closely... I'm sure I probably looked like a bit of a nut case. Right now I can't help myself because I keep expecting to hear that hum again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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