CTS stopped working while driving! Now engine locked? Why? How?

40

Asked by Confused06 Jun 21, 2016 at 04:21 PM about the 2006 Cadillac CTS

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

After driving 1.5 hours, CTS turned off radio and AC with message related
to battery.  Then "service brake assist" disabled(?) message.  Then
dashboard went blank (speedometer died, everything "off).  Car cut off.  
Lucky to reach side of road, previously travelling at 65mph.  Nothing
electric worked.  Key stuck in ignition.  Could not jump off.  With other car
connected, I could remove key and let down windows, etc (electrical
worked).  Without connection, everything dead.  Dealership saying motor
locked down.  But what does that have to do with electrical?  How
connected?

7 Answers

159,075

Engine could of had internal parts failure locking it up. When the engine stopped running it resulted in the error messages on the dash. Pull the oil dipstick out and look at the oil, that may tell you something. How many miles on this Cadillac?

5 people found this helpful.
40

oil change less than month ago. battery less than 3 months old. 100G miles. Dealership now saying the belt on the alternator was locked. And locked the entire engine down. Not sure if this is the answer either.

4 people found this helpful.
420

This happened to me. The car completely shut down while driving. Luckily, I was near the entrance to a parking lot. We charged the battery and it started, but I took it straight to the dealership regardless. I was asked, "when's the last time you had your oil changed?". I pulled out a receipt showing that it had been relatively recent (about a month - 900 miles). I had no warning lights. I was told it was BONE DRY. They put oil in, warned that if I hadn't taken a trip planned for that afternoon, my car would have been history. It hasn't happened since.

5 people found this helpful.
40

You were lied to. The alternator failed your battery failed and you’re lucky to be alive. This should never happen and we should’ve all been warned it was a possibility.

4 people found this helpful.
60

I have a 05 cts my car turn off on me at a red light n wouldn’t come back on until I jump it do you think it’s my Alternator

6 people found this helpful.
20

It's your Altenator just had this problem with your symptoms n it was my alternator

2 people found this helpful.
40

2008 CTS cut off at stop sign. Wont re-start. Could a failed CAm or Crank sensor shut down the ECU?

4 people found this helpful.

Your Answer:

CTS

Looking for a Used CTS in your area?

CarGurus has 44 nationwide CTS listings starting at $6,999.

Postal Code:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Brandon Foster
    Reputation
    3,270
  • #2
    TransAm77
    Reputation
    2,330
  • #3
    Robert Yelenik
    Reputation
    1,770
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Cadillac CTS-V
1 listings starting at $38,388
Used Dodge Charger
39 Great Deals out of 645 listings starting at $4,888
Used Chrysler 300
42 Great Deals out of 516 listings starting at $4,999
Used Chevrolet Corvette
28 Great Deals out of 1,058 listings starting at $15,871
Used Cadillac Escalade
21 Great Deals out of 379 listings starting at $6,900
Used Cadillac DTS
12 listings starting at $7,999

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.