1998 Cadillac Deville Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Deville years
- More complaints than other years 2nd of 11 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 237 complaints with NHTSA about the 1998 Cadillac Deville. That ranks 2nd out of 11 Deville model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is exterior lighting (43 complaints, 18%), typically at around 69,000 miles. Complaints mention 14 crashes, 1 fire, 17 injuries. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 3 defect investigations involving it.
- 237owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 3NHTSA investigations
- 14complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1998 Cadillac Deville problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exterior Lighting | 43 | 18% | 69,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 34 | 14% | 73,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 33 | 14% | 93,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 32 | 14% | 25,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 21 | 9% | 50,150 | — | — |
| Visibility | 17 | 7% | 30,705 | — | — |
| Steering | 15 | 6% | 85,500 | — | — |
| Suspension | 13 | 5% | 18,282 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 11 | 5% | 138,495 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 9 | 4% | 52,502 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 8 | 3% | 130,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 8 | 3% | 76,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 5 | 2% | 29,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 5 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 4 | 2% | 97,106 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 4 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Seats | 4 | 2% | 10,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 4 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Wheels | 4 | 2% | 71,305 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control | 3 | 1% | 130,942 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 1% | 23,000 | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 2 | 1% | 41,002 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Child Seat | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 0% | 82,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1998 Cadillac Deville recalls (3)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags:side/window
Problem: 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.
Risk: However, an occupant can receive some injury from a deployment.
Fix: Dealers will replace the driver and passenger side impact sensing modules. If the vehicle has had the side air bags temporarily disconected, the temporary disconnect will be removed before replacing the side impact sensing modules.
Structure:body:hood:hinge and attachments
Problem: 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.
Risk: In the event of a vehicle crash, the hood could be pushed back through the windshield glass possibly injuring the vehicle occupants.
Fix: Dealers will replace the hood hinge pivot bolts.
Vehicle speed control
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles, hearses and limousines. The canister purge evaporative emissions harness on these vehicles was misrouted.
Risk: The harness could interfere with the cruise control and throttle linkage preventing return to a closed throttle.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the vehicle for proper routing of the harness, correct as necessary, and install a plastic tie strap to the harness.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Power rack and pinion steering failure (RQ03001) — opened Jan 2, 2003, closed Sep 15, 2003.
- Inadvertent of side impact air bag (EA00004) — opened Feb 15, 2000, closed Sep 28, 2000, led to recall 00V217000.
- Inadvertent deployment of side air bag (PE99061) — opened Sep 27, 1999, closed Feb 15, 2000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
My 1998 cadillac deville needs a vital part to it's abs/traction control function. However, gm has discontinued making the part, (#19244918)with no available substitute. Therefore, leaving my car with no abs or traction control. Also, the transmission no longer engages 1st gear. (a supposed saftey…
Fuel rail line is made of plastic/nylon and has cracked near one of the fuel injectors on top of the engine and leaking fuel on my march 1998 cadillac deville
Takata recall. Air bag light is on a few days ago. Also, vehicle overheated and needed new water pump several years ago. Keep having to replace the battery. Smoke was coming up from front and turn signals did not work. Had to replace fall 2016 horn did not work, had to replace part inside steering…
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 cadillac deville. The contact stated that fuel fumes emitted inside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The technician inspected the vehicle and found two pin size hole on the plastic fuel line. As a result, the fuel…
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 cadillac deville. The contact observed fuel leaking onto the engine. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the fuel rail failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The…
Other Cadillac Deville years
← 1997 Deville · 1999 Deville →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 Deville | 95 | 1 |
| 2004 Deville | 167 | 1 |
| 2003 Deville | 145 | 4 |
| 2002 Deville | 176 | 5 |
| 2001 Deville | 175 | 4 |
| 2000 Deville | 225 | 5 |
| 1999 Deville | 187 | 1 |
| 1998 | 237 | 3 |
| 1997 Deville | 269 | 2 |
| 1996 Deville | 218 | 2 |
| 1995 Deville | 129 | 2 |
See all Cadillac Deville problems by year, every Cadillac model, or the Cadillac VIN decoder.
Similar Cadillac models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1998 Cadillac Deville?
Owners most often report exterior lighting, air bags, engine and engine cooling problems. The top one, exterior lighting, accounts for 43 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1998 Cadillac Deville?
Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1998 Cadillac Deville a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Deville model years, the 1998 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.