1998 Cadillac Deville

Typical pattern

13.5% of complaints about the 1998 Cadillac Deville came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 1998 vehicle — around the middle of the 180 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 4.1 yr in service. The most-reported system is exterior lighting (39 complaints), typically at 6.5 yr or about 70,000 miles.

Complaints: 245
Median age at failure: 4.1 yr
Median mileage: 73,000 n=85
Crash / fire / tow: 12.2% of reports
Safety recalls: 3

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

00V217000 2000-08-11

Air bags:side/window

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. SOME OF THE SIDE IMPACT SENSOR MODULES HAVE QUALITY PROBLEMS THAT CAN CAUSE AN INADVERTENT DEPLOYMENT OF THE DRIVER OR PASSENGER SIDE IMPACT AIR BAGS. THESE SIDE AIR BAGS DEPLOY WITH LESS FORCE THAN A FRONTAL AIR BAG AND ARE DESIGNED TO MINIMIZE THE RISK OF SERIOUS INJURY.

HOWEVER, AN OCCUPANT CAN RECEIVE SOME INJURY FROM A DEPLOYMENT.

97V232000 1997-12-18

Structure:body:hood:hinge and attachments

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE VEHICLES WERE BUILT WITH HOOD HINGE PIVOT BOLTS WHICH CAN BREAK DUE TO AN IMPROPER HEAT TREAT CONDITION. THIS DOES NOT COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 219, "WINDSHIELD ZONE INTRUSION." A BROKEN BOLT CAN CAUSE EITHER THE CORNER OF THE HOOD NEAR THE WINDSHIELD TO RAISE, OR ONE SIDE OF THE HOOD TO BE UNSTABLE WHEN OPENED.

IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE HOOD COULD BE PUSHED BACK THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD GLASS POSSIBLY INJURING THE VEHICLE OCCUPANTS.

97V183000 1997-10-27

Speed control

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES, HEARSES AND LIMOUSINES. THE CANISTER PURGE EVAPORATIVE EMISSIONS HARNESS ON THESE VEHICLES WAS MISROUTED.

THE HARNESS COULD INTERFERE WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL AND THROTTLE LINKAGE PREVENTING RETURN TO A CLOSED THROTTLE.

In owners’ own words

Air bags mileage not reported 7 mo in service

CONSUMER'S WIFE WAS TAKING OFF FROM A STOP SIGN, REACHED 5 MPH AND THE AIR BAG RED LIGHT CAME ON, THE AIR BAG THEN DEPLOYED. NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED BECAUSE OF SPEED CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING. *AK

Air bags mileage not reported 1.8 yr in service

DRIVERS SIDE IMPACT AIR BAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT ANY IMPACT OR OTHER KNOWN CAUSE. *AK

Air bags mileage not reported 1.8 yr in service

CONSUMER WAS BACKING OUT FROM HIS GARAGE, AND BOTH AIRBAGS WENT OFF. THE DEALERSHIP CAME OUT TO PICK UP THE CAR AND THEY TOLD HIM NOTHING ABOUT HIS AIRBAGS. *AK

Service brakes, hydraulic mileage not reported 1.3 yr in service crash / fire / tow

WHILE DRIVING INTO A PARKING SPACE THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED FORWARD, RUNNING INTO A BUILDING AND CAUSED INJURY AND A FATALITY. ALSO, TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE OCCURRED. CAUSE UNKNOWN. *AK

Other Deville model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

1998 Cadillac Deville

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other Deville model years

How to read this