CADILLAC DEVILLE · model year

1983 CADILLAC DEVILLE

6 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1983CADILLACDEVILLE carries 6 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 1 injury, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1983 DEVILLE is vehicle speed control with 3 filings, followed by engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline (1) and engine and engine cooling:engine (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 10 investigation files overlapping the 1983 DEVILLE, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

6
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

6 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL3
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION1

Recent Complaints

20000605VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION CAUSING LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. *MJS

20000327VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

THE VEHICLE JUMPS A HEAD/ACCELERATES ON ITS OWN WHILE DRIVING. YH

19990412ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

ENGINE MALFUNCTIONED. ALSO TRANSMISSION DOES NOT SHIFT WHEN ACCELERATING. ALSO ENGINE LEAKING OIL, REPLACED VALVE COVER GASKET. *AK

19990412POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

ENGINE MALFUNCTIONED. ALSO TRANSMISSION DOES NOT SHIFT WHEN ACCELERATING. ALSO ENGINE LEAKING OIL, REPLACED VALVE COVER GASKET. *AK

19980624VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

ACCIDENTN DUE TO SUDDEN ACCELERATION.

19970128ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

NOISY ENGINE.

Compare 1983CADILLACDEVILLE to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 1 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1983 CADILLAC DEVILLE have?
The 1983 CADILLAC DEVILLE has 6 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 1 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1983 CADILLAC DEVILLE?
The most-complained component for the 1983 CADILLAC DEVILLE is VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL with 3 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE.
Is the 1983 CADILLAC DEVILLE safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.