2006 Cadillac DTS engine stalls in drive

ESTERKIN50

MEMBER
2006 CADILLAC DEVILLE DTS
V8
FWD
AUTOMATIC
52,000 MILES

I have a 2006 DTS, base model.

Two problems:
1. Car won't start 2 times per 3 years. Battery seems to be drained. When I try to open doors from the fob, only partial lights are blinking on side mirrors. When I try to start the car it seems to not have battery power and random messages appear on the panel. Tow truck drivers was able to start it from jump start but from the six or so attempt. He said it looks like security system. It happened when car was a month old and than three years old. Dealership did not find any problem.
2. Engine started stalling at about 45K. Car is in drive and engine stalls randomly time to time. On the freeway it picks up after jerk, at very low speed I need to go back to Park and start engine.
3. Car is on the dealership for a week and they can't find anything.

I am out of warranty now, but it started while it was under warranty. Dealer admits the problem, but cannot fix it.

Any suggestions please?

Thanks,
Nick

1 Reply

ERNEST CLARK

MECHANIC
1,730 POSTS

The dealer is still liable for the fix even if your car is no longer under warranty. (Because the dealer's service dept. Was aware of the problem before the time period and weren't able to fix it.)

You need to retain all of your documentation, including the service orders, warranty and any receipts.

If the dealer tries to stall or back out of their obligations, you'll have to go to court. But in the long run, that'll hurt the dealers pockets way more than yours. And from my experience, the dealer will settle out of court long before any judgment.

As for your stall, I'd say look for a vacuum leak and/or fuel supply problem. Because your stall happens only when you're in "Drive", there's something that can't handle that load.

If yours isn't a vacuum leak, then it's possible you have a failing fuel pump, fuel pressure regulator, one/more injectors, or a computer problem.

With the tools available at a Cadillac dealership, I would think this would be a simple diagnosis. With their GM scanners, they should interrogate the computer and scan the system monitors and be able to watch your engine operate in real-time.

Any qualified technician would easily interpret this data and see what's the problem.

If this dealer in particular doesn't have the trained mechanics to accurately fix your stall, then I suggest going to another dealership and adding this tab onto the civil suit I recommend you file against the dealer who sold you your car.