Total Complaints
5 filings
CADILLAC ELDORADO · model year
5 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1992CADILLACELDORADO carries 5 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires, 0 injuries, 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 1992 ELDORADO is exterior lighting with 2 filings, followed by tires (1) and seats:front assembly:recliner (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 1992 ELDORADO, 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.
Total Complaints
5 filings
Crashes Reported
1 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 2 |
| TIRES | 1 |
| SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 |
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1992 CADILLAC ELDORADO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED CONTINUOUSLY UNTIL THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE HAD OVERHEATED AND HE ALLOWED THE ENGINE TO COOL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO STATED THAT THE RADIATOR WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 98,000. UPDATED 11/15/13*CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE ENTIRE RADIATOR WAS REPLACED. UPDATED 11/20/13
Mileage: 98,000
I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK WHEN MY 1992 CADILLAC ELDORADO HEADLIGHTS WHEN OUT BARELY ABLE TO SEE 5 MINUTES AFTERWARDS LIGHTS CAME BACK ON THINKING THAT I MUST HAVE A WIRE LOOSE CHECK WIRING WHEN I GOT HOME AND FOUND NO LOOSE WIRE ANYWHERE. NEXT DAY HAD VEHICLE SERVICE TO SEE IF MECHANIC COULD FIND WHY MY LIGHTS ARE KEEP TURNING OFF. MECHANIC COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEM. SO WHEN I DECIDED TO GO OUT FOR DINNER MY HEADLIGHTS WOULD NOT COME ON. THE ONLY LIGHT THAT IS WORKING WAS THE PASSENGER SIDE PARKING LIGHT. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS WHILE DRIVING DOWN COUNTRY SIDE ROADS IF IT WAS TOTALLY DARK OUTSIDE I WOULD HAVE HAD A BAD ACCIDENT. *TR
Mileage: 166,255
I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK WHEN MY 1992 CADILLAC ELDORADO HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT, BARELY ABLE TO SEE, THEN 5 MINUTES AFTERWARDS LIGHTS CAME BACK ON, THINKING THAT I MUST HAVE A WIRE LOOSE SO I CHECKED THE WIRING WHEN I GOT HOME AND FOUND NO LOOSE WIRES ANYWHERE. DURING THE NEXT DAY I HAD MY 1992 CADILLAC SERVICED TO SEE IF THE MECHANIC COULD FIND OUT WHY THE LIGHTS ARE TURNING OFF. MECHANIC COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEM. SO WHEN I DECIDED TO GO OUT FOR DINNER MY HEADLIGHTS WOULD NOT COME ON AGAIN. THE ONLY LIGHT THAT IS WORKING WAS THE PASSENGER SIDE PARKING LIGHT. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS WHILE DRIVING DOWN COUNTRY SIDE ROADS IF IT WAS TOTALLY DARK OUTSIDE I WOULD HAVE HAD A BAD ACCIDENT. *TR
Mileage: 166,255
IN JUNE OF 2003, I PURCHASED A 1992 CADILLAC ELDORADO, THAT WAS A TRADE-IN AT RUDDELL AUTO MALL, IN PORT ANGELES, WA. THIS ELDORADO WAS GIVEN A SERVICE CHECK, BUT ONE FRONT SEAT (DRIVERS SIDE) WOULD NOT STAY LOCKED IN THE UPRIGHT POSITION, I ASKED THAT IT BE FIXED BEFORE I TOOK POSSESSION, OF IT. WHEN I PICKED IT UP, THE DRIVERS SIDE WAS WORKING, BUT THE PASSENGER SIDE WAS NOT. DURING THE PAST TEN OR SO MONTHS, THE DRIVERS SIDE STARTED TO RECLINE, AND UPON TRYING TO RAISE DRIVERS SEAT BACK TO A SAFE UPRIGHT POSITION, IT FAILS TO DO SO. NOW BOTH SEATS ARE NOT WORKING, EACH HAVING MANUAL RECLINE LEVERS (BROKEN), AND SIX-WAY ELECTRIC ADJUSTMENT THAT WORK ON BOTH FRONT SEATS. IS THIS A COMMON DEFECT, FOR THE '92 ELDORADO MANUAL RECLINE SEATS? THE DEALER COSTS FOR TOTAL SEAT REPLACEMENT, IS TOO HIGH, DEALER COST FOR EACH SEAT-BACK RECLINE HINGE (TWO IN EACH SEAT) IS $148.00 +TAX AND LABOR. WHICH IS ALSO TOO HIGH, FOR A RETIRED 60 YEAR OLD, DISABLED VETERAN, LIVING ON LIMITED INCOME. *JB
Mileage: 97,850
VEHICLE'S FRONT LEFT TIRE BLEW OUT. *MR THE CONSUMER WAS CHANGING LANES WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED, LOST CONTROL AND STRUCK THE MEDIAN. *SCC *JB
Electronic Brake Module Component Failure
Rear-View Camera Failure
Roof Skin Separation While Driving
IEE Passenger Sensing System Mats
REAR DRIVETRAIN COMPONENT FAILURE
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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.