What breaks most · 1990 to 2005 model years
Cadillac DeVille problems by year
Owners have filed 2,540 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Cadillac DeVille across model years 1990 to 2005. Three years stand out: 1997 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints, 1998 for exterior lighting complaints and 2000 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 1990, 1991 and 1993.
- Years to check closely: 1997, 1998, 2000
- Fewest complaints: 1990, 1991, 1993
- Complaints on file
- 25401990 to 2005, all trims
- Worst year
- 1997269 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 21087 fires · 228 injuries · 25 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 74kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 35Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 76 | 10 | 2 | Brakes (hydraulic) (21) | |
| 87 | 8 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (28) | |
| 135 | 15 | 1 | Fuel system (30) | |
| 92 | 9 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (22) | |
| 127 | 10 | 0 | Engine and cooling (34) | |
| 129 | 6 | 2 | Fuel system (32) | |
| 218 | 11 | 2 | Steering (43) | |
| 269 | 4 | 2 | Brakes (hydraulic) (55) | |
| 237 | 14 | 3 | Exterior lighting (43) | |
| 187 | 17 | 1 | Air bags (49) | |
| 225 | 25 | 5 | Electrical system (60) | |
| 175 | 23 | 4 | Electrical system (45) | |
| 176 | 20 | 5 | Electrical system (45) | |
| 145 | 15 | 4 | Electrical system (52) | |
| 167 | 13 | 1 | Electrical system (47) | |
| 95 | 10 | 1 | Electrical system (34) |
What fails on the 1997 Cadillac DeVille
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 20% |
55 | 3 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1997 Cadillac DeVille |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 17% |
47 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1997 Cadillac DeVille |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 13% |
34 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 1997 Cadillac DeVille |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 11% |
29 | 0 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 1997 Cadillac DeVille |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 10% |
28 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 1997 Cadillac DeVille |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 8% |
22 | 0 | Shop steering parts for the 1997 Cadillac DeVille |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 4% |
11 | 1 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Air bags | 4% |
10 | 1 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
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.
-
Left rear brake line is leaking, appears that the independent suspension rubbed against the line over a period of time resulting in hole in brake line. *nm
-
I as driving on a farmed market road (f.m.) approx. 55 mph. And the right headlight lens flew off the car. Luckily there wasn't any other cars behind me, and there wasn't any damage to my car and/or anyone elses vehicle. After i returned home, i checked the driver's side lens to discover it was loose as well.
-
I brought my vehicle to a cadillac dealership for repair from recall 14v355. The dealership refused to repair my vehicle because i did not have both keys to my car. I informed the dealership that i lost my 2nd key 7-8 years ago. The dealership returned my car without repair.
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 DeVille years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1997, 1998, 2000 carry the most filings on the Cadillac DeVille. The 1997 alone has 269 complaints, led by brakes (hydraulic).
What is the most common Cadillac DeVille problem?
On the 1997 model year, the most-reported component is brakes (hydraulic) with 55 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Cadillac DeVille problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Cadillac DeVille complaints that include mileage is about 74,000 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.