1998 Cadillac Seville

Typical pattern

6% of complaints about the 1998 Cadillac Seville 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 5.7 yr in service. The most-reported system is engine cooling (20 complaints), typically at 5.7 yr or about 78,600 miles.

Complaints: 67
Median age at failure: 5.7 yr
Median mileage: 78,600 n=31
Crash / fire / tow: 13.4% of reports
Safety recalls: 2

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

99V070000 1999-04-12

Electrical system:alternator/generator/regulator

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. AN ELECTRICAL SHORT CAN DEVELOP IN THE GENERATOR, EVEN WHEN THE ENGINE IS OFF.

THE ELECTRICAL SHORT COULD CAUSE AN ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE THAT COULD SPREAD TO THE REST OF THE VEHICLE AND ANYTHING NEAR IT.

98V144000 1998-06-26

Visibility:windshield wiper/washer

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR 'LOW' SPEED FUNCTION CAN BECOME INOPERATIVE WHEN THE MOTOR IS SWITCHED FROM 'HIGH' TO 'LOW' SPEED.

IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, THE DRIVER'S VISIBILITY COULD BE AFFECTED.

In owners’ own words

Engine cooling mileage not reported 4.3 yr in service

WHILE IN MOTION, THE ENGINE STOPPED WHILE IN GEAR AND WITH THE STARTING SWITCH STILL ON. VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. CONSUMER IS STILL EXPERIENCING ENGINE SHUT OFF WHILE IN GEAR. *JG

Engine cooling mileage not reported 4.3 yr in service

WHILE IN MOTION, THE ENGINE STOPPED WHILE IN GEAR AND WITH THE STARTING SWITCH STILL ON. VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. CONSUMER IS STILL EXPERIENCING ENGINE SHUT OFF WHILE IN GEAR. *JG

Engine cooling mileage not reported 4.3 yr in service

WHILE IN MOTION, THE ENGINE STOPPED WHILE IN GEAR AND WITH THE STARTING SWITCH STILL ON. VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. CONSUMER IS STILL EXPERIENCING ENGINE SHUT OFF WHILE IN GEAR. *JG

Other Seville 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 Seville

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other Seville model years

How to read this