Research · complaint index

Cadillac Catera years to avoidWhat NHTSA complaint data does and doesn’t say

We compared 5 model years of the Cadillac Catera by owner complaints to NHTSA, adjusted for how long each year has been on the road. No single year stands far above the rest.

01 —Complaint index

Complaints per year on the road

1.0 = typical year for this model
View as table
Model yearComplaints per year since release
19975
19984
19993
20002
20011
YearComplaintsPer year on roadIndexRecallsCrashesSignal
20013010.404Fewest complaints
20006720.905Typical
19998031.004Typical
199812341.506Typical
199716351.908Typical
  • 200130 complaints · 0 recallsFewest complaints
  • 200067 complaints · 0 recallsTypical
  • 199980 complaints · 0 recallsTypical
  • 1998123 complaints · 0 recallsTypical
  • 1997163 complaints · 0 recallsTypical
Data from NHTSA Complaints & Recalls APIs · synced Nov 10, 2026

Fewest complaints for their age: 2001.

02 —FAQ

About this comparison

What Cadillac Catera years have the most complaints?

No Cadillac Catera model year drew more than twice the typical complaint rate among the 5 model years compared. The highest was 1997.

Is this a reliability rating?

No. These are counts of unverified owner complaints to NHTSA. They are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so a popular year can collect more complaints. Use them to find patterns, then read the reports.

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.