What breaks most · 1990 to 2003 model years
Cadillac Cadillac problems by year
Owners have filed 71 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Cadillac Cadillac across model years 1990 to 2003. Three years stand out: 2000 for engine and cooling complaints, 1997 for engine and cooling complaints and 1996 for steering complaints. The quietest years are 1992, 1994 and 2001.
- Years to check closely: 2000, 1997, 1996
- Fewest complaints: 1992, 1994, 2001
- Complaints on file
- 711990 to 2003, all trims
- Worst year
- 200012 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 44 fires · 9 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 64kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 0Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Latches and locks (1) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Engine and cooling (1) | |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (2) | |
| 6 | 1 | 0 | Wheels (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (1) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Air bags (1) | |
| 7 | 1 | 0 | Steering (3) | |
| 11 | 0 | 0 | Engine and cooling (5) | |
| 6 | 0 | 0 | Unknown or other (1) | |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | Speed control and throttle (1) | |
| 12 | 1 | 0 | Engine and cooling (4) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Exterior lighting (1) | |
| 6 | 0 | 0 | Visibility (1) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Seat belts (1) |
What fails on the 2000 Cadillac Cadillac
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 33% |
4 | 1 | Shop all engine and cooling parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Tires | 17% |
2 | 0 | — |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 17% |
2 | 0 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 8% |
1 | 0 | Shop all brakes (hydraulic) parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Seats | 8% |
1 | 0 | — |
| Seat belts | 8% |
1 | 0 | Check recalls for seat belts on NHTSA.gov |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 8% |
1 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Parking Brake | 8% |
1 | 0 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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Engine block crankcase anti freeze leak have to keep adding coolant. Want to know if any reacalls. Mechanics estimate is 3,000.00 to reapir have only had car 6 months. Feel it should be covered under a recall
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The vehicle was parked and not running when it caught fire. The fire department was called and extinguished the fire. No injuries. The vehicle was towed to the body shop by the insurance company. Please fill in additional information. *jb vehicle was parked locked and not running when it caught on fire. *tc
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20 to 30mph, car veered to the telephone pole, splintering and breaking it. Air bag never delpoyed, dealer removed black box. Will not give any information. *ak
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Cadillac Cadillac years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2000, 1997, 1996 carry the most filings on the Cadillac Cadillac. The 2000 alone has 12 complaints, led by engine and cooling.
What is the most common Cadillac Cadillac problem?
On the 2000 model year, the most-reported component is engine and cooling with 4 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Cadillac Cadillac problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Cadillac Cadillac complaints that include mileage is about 64,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.