1990 Cadillac Seville Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1990 Cadillac Seville, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Driver assistance834.8%
- Brakes417.4%
- Visibility28.7%
- Electrical28.7%
- Seat belts28.7%
- Other / unspecified14.3%
- Heating & air conditioning14.3%
- Tires & wheels14.3%
- Transmission14.3%
- Engine14.3%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
ON THREE DIFFEERENT OCCASIONS VEHICLE HAD SUDDENLY ACCELERATED WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEED OF 45-50 MPH. CRUISE CONTROL WAS ONLY USED ON ONE OCCASION. DEALER / MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT BECAUSE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY NOTHING ELSE COULD BE DONE. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE WILL ACCELERATE. WHEN THE FOOT IS OFF THE GAS PEDAL IT KEEPS ACCELERATING, AND RPMS GO UP. BRAKING SYSTEM DOES NOT WORK. ONCE ALMOST RESULTED IN A CRASH. HAD TO TURN OFF THE VEHICLE IN ORDER TO STOP. DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, BUT THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE A FAULTY GROUND STUD AT THE STARTER. OWNER HAD THEN REPAIR IT AND THERE HAVE BEEN NO PROBLEMS SINCE. *AK.ET.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
I BOUGHT A NEW 1990 CADILLAC FROM CADILLAC DEALER IN 1990 THAT I HAVE DRIVEN ONLY 53,678 MILES, WELL CARED FOR AND GARAGED. .THE ABS MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER HAS BEEN LEAKING FOR SOME TIME AND I HAVE CONTACTED NUMEROUS CADILLAC DEALERS AND BRAKE MECHANICS AND CANNOT FIND ANYONE TO REPAIR LEAK. I HAVE LEARNED THAT MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER (COMBINED PUMP BOOSTER AND ABS MASTER CYLINDER WAS ONE UNIT MFG BY ATE FOR CADILLAC AS PER CADILLAC'S SPECIFICATIONS AND PLANS AND WAS USED IN 1989 AND 1990 CADILLACS AND DISCONTINUED THEREAFTER) ADDITIONALLY I HAVE LEARNED THAT CADILLAC MADE CHANGES/REPAIRS OF SOME KIND TO ABS BRAKE SYSTEM, UNANOUNCED PUBLICALLY, WHEN SEVILLES WERE BROUGHT TO CADILLAC FOR OTHER SERVICING. MY PRESENT AUTO MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT PART OF THE MASTER CYLINDER IS NEWER THAN THE REST OF THE UNIT. CADILLAC NEVER OBTAINED MY CONSENT TO MAKE CHAGES TO MY CAR NOR WAS I EVER INFORMED BY CADILLAC OR CADILLAC DEALER OF SUCH WORK. THE DEFECT IN THE ABS MASTER BRAKE SYSTEM IS A LATENT DEFECT AND THE OBLIGATION AND WARRANTY BY GM OF THE SERVICABILITY OF THEIR PRODUCTS NEVER EXPIRES. I RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THAT CADILLAC, NOTWITHSTANDING THE CAR'S AGE OF 21 YEARS BE INSTRUCTED TO FIX THE DEFECTIVE LEAKY ABS MASTER BRAKE SYSTEM. THIS LEAK HAS NOT RESULTED FROM USE AND WEAR IT IS THE RESULT OF A INHERENT LATENT DEFECT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF THE CAR. *TR
VEHICLE PULLS SEVERELY TO THE LEFT WHEN ANTI LOCK BRAKES ARE APPLIED.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE DRIVERS INFORMATION SCREEN IS INOPERATIVE. NLM
CRUISE CONTROL WAS STUCK IN OPEN, CAUSING ENGINE TO SURGE. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
ENGINE STALLED AND WHEEL LOCKED UPON TURNING. DIAGNOSIS: COMPUTER CHIP CAUSING ENGINE IDLE SPEED TO BECOME LOW. *AK
VEHICLE STALLS. ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS CAUSES CAR TO SHUT DOWN. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
FRONT PASSENGER'S AND THE REAR PASSENGER'S SEAT BELTS DO NOT OPERATE CORRECTLY. WHEN PUTTING THE SEAT BELT INTO THE BUCKLE, THE BELT WILL COME BACK APART, CAUSING THE PASSENGER TO BE FREE OF SEAT BELTS. *AK
DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT HEAD REST BROKE WHILE INVOLVED IN REAR END COLLISION. TT
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Other / unspecified
Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.
From owner reports, verbatim
ENGINE STALLED AND WHEEL LOCKED UPON TURNING. DIAGNOSIS: COMPUTER CHIP CAUSING ENGINE IDLE SPEED TO BECOME LOW. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Heating & air conditioning
Reports naming the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE DRIVERS INFORMATION SCREEN IS INOPERATIVE. NLM
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHILE DRIVING, RIGHT REAR FIRESTONE TIRE P205/70R15 DOT VD080A1124 EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION, CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. *SLC
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Transmission
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE DRIVERS INFORMATION SCREEN IS INOPERATIVE. NLM
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON DUE TO CONTAMINATION OF THE AIR PUMP WITHIN THE EXHAUST SYSTEM.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .