Engine power reduced

2012 CADILLAC CTS
1,000,000 MILES • V6 • 4WD • MANUAL
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JAZMINALVA302
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
Hi, I've been looking around the internet for an answer to my problem, but have yet to encounter anyone with a similar experience to mine. I'm hoping I can find some help here.

Everything started when my car got a flat. I always carry a small motor pump with me in case this happens, so my husband connected it to the lighter port and filled the tire so we could drive home. As he was finishing up, though, the motor pump went off and we realized it was because of the lighter port. So, we later did some research and bought a new 20A fuse to replace the one we believed to have been burnt out. But in the process of doing this, the car engine suddenly shut off. I went over to start it, and it did turn on once, but it rattled for some reason. I turned it off, and tried turning it on again, but now the engine would immediately turn off after cranking. Showing a message the first time that said "Engine power reduced" (didn't pop up after my next few attempts).

The car in question is listed above (Luxury edition). We'd really like to avoid calling a mechanic if the issue is fixable, and can handle doing it ourselves. We just don't know what the exact cause could be and don't want to jump to any conclusions that would result in us spending hundreds of dollars on a part we might not even need to replace (has already happened once to us).

Thank you in advance!
Jul 26, 2019 at 8:39 PM
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STRAILER
  • ASE Certified Mechanic
  • 54,832 POSTS
  • ASE Certified Mechanic
Hello,

It sounds like the car is in limp mode due to a dirty throttle actuator. Can you please shoot a quick video with your phone so we can see what's going on? that would be great. You can upload it here with your response. That way I can tell for sure what is going on. Here is a guide I believe will fix your problem:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/throttle-actuator-service

Please run down this guide and report back.
Jul 28, 2019 at 12:48 PM
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