1997 Cadillac Catera Steering Problems
- Complaints
- 14about this part
- Share
- 9%of 163 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 82,300miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 14 complaints about the steering of the 1997 Cadillac Catera, 9% of the 163 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 82,300 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“On january 30, 2001 napoli motors had to replaced left & right outer tie rod ends, inner tie rod end,center link and both outer stabilzer end, on august 20, 2001 as I was driving on interstate i95 south the steering wheel locked on me while on the middle lane almost hit several vehicles been that I could not turned either way, vehicle had to be towed in by roger's in milford technicians there at napoli motors could not figure what was wrong with vehicle when I called the technicians told me that the timing chain caused the engine to blow. …”
NHTSA complaint #761710, filed 2002-05“When braking, consumer states' theres a lot of vibration in vehicles and steering wheel and in the body of vehicle. Took to dealer, dealer states' control arm bushings were bad and needed replacing. Please provide any further information. Ts”
NHTSA complaint #8022200, filed 2002-11“The dashboard and lower console lights are experiencing problems (intermittently activated), the lower console lights will become dim and takes ten minutes to become normal, dealership is not able to correct.”
NHTSA complaint #784377, filed 1999-12“Outer tie rods failed, causing the vehicle to shimmy and pull to the left and right. This also caused premature wear of the tires. Dealer repaired problem.”
NHTSA complaint #862173, filed 2000-05Steering: other model years
Other parts of the 1997 Cadillac Catera
75 complaintsElectrical system
24 complaintsSuspension
21 complaintsBrakes
18 complaintsExterior lighting
16 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
12 complaintsAir bags
11 complaintsTires
10 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
10 complaintsBody and structure
8 complaintsVehicle speed control
8 complaintsOther or unknown
7 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1997 Cadillac Catera
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology