Total Complaints
24 filings
CADILLAC SEVILLE · model year
1990 CADILLAC SEVILLE
24 NHTSA complaints, 3 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1990CADILLACSEVILLE carries 24 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 3 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 1990 SEVILLE is vehicle speed control with 6 filings, followed by service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (2) and visibility:defroster/defogger/hvac system:rear window (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 1990 SEVILLE, 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.
24
Complaints
3
Crashes
0
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
3 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 6 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | 2 |
| VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:REAR WINDOW | 1 |
| PARKING BRAKE:CONVENTIONAL | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL | 1 |
| SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:HEAD RESTRAINT | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE | 1 |
| WHEELS | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGES | 1 |
| TIRES:TREAD/BELT | 1 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL) | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20120113SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
I BOUGHT A NEW 1990 CADILLAC FROM CADILLAC DEALER IN 1990 THAT I HAVE DRIVEN ONLY 53,678 MILES, WELL CARED FOR AND GARAGED. .THE ABS MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER HAS BEEN LEAKING FOR SOME TIME AND I HAVE CONTACTED NUMEROUS CADILLAC DEALERS AND BRAKE MECHANICS AND CANNOT FIND ANYONE TO REPAIR LEAK. I HAVE LEARNED THAT MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER (COMBINED PUMP BOOSTER AND ABS MASTER CYLINDER WAS ONE UNIT MFG BY ATE FOR CADILLAC AS PER CADILLAC'S SPECIFICATIONS AND PLANS AND WAS USED IN 1989 AND 1990 CADILLACS AND DISCONTINUED THEREAFTER) ADDITIONALLY I HAVE LEARNED THAT CADILLAC MADE CHANGES/REPAIRS OF SOME KIND TO ABS BRAKE SYSTEM, UNANOUNCED PUBLICALLY, WHEN SEVILLES WERE BROUGHT TO CADILLAC FOR OTHER SERVICING. MY PRESENT AUTO MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT PART OF THE MASTER CYLINDER IS NEWER THAN THE REST OF THE UNIT. CADILLAC NEVER OBTAINED MY CONSENT TO MAKE CHAGES TO MY CAR NOR WAS I EVER INFORMED BY CADILLAC OR CADILLAC DEALER OF SUCH WORK. THE DEFECT IN THE ABS MASTER BRAKE SYSTEM IS A LATENT DE
Mileage: 45,000
20010420UNKNOWN OR OTHER
THE DRIVERS INFORMATION SCREEN IS INOPERATIVE. NLM
20010420POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)
GEAR SHIFT FAILED. NLM
20010420EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER
A/C INOPERATIVE. NLM
20010420VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
DRIVER SIDE POWER WINDOW INOPERATIVE. NLM
20000929TIRES:TREAD/BELT
WHILE DRIVING, RIGHT REAR FIRESTONE TIRE P205/70R15 DOT VD080A1124 EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION, CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. *SLC
20000703VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGES
ON THREE DIFFEERENT OCCASIONS VEHICLE HAD SUDDENLY ACCELERATED WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEED OF 45-50 MPH. CRUISE CONTROL WAS ONLY USED ON ONE OCCASION. DEALER / MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT BECAUSE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY NOTHING ELSE COULD BE DONE. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
19990427VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE WILL ACCELERATE. WHEN THE FOOT IS OFF THE GAS PEDAL IT KEEPS ACCELERATING, AND RPMS GO UP. BRAKING SYSTEM DOES NOT WORK. ONCE ALMOST RESULTED IN A CRASH. HAD TO TURN OFF THE VEHICLE IN ORDER TO STOP. DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, BUT THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE A FAULTY GROUND STUD AT THE STARTER. OWNER HAD THEN REPAIR IT AND THERE HAVE BEEN NO PROBLEMS SINCE. *AK.ET.
19981214VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
ACCELERATOR ARM GOT STUCK CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SUDDENLY ACCELERATE.
19980805ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM
ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON DUE TO CONTAMINATION OF THE AIR PUMP WITHIN THE EXHAUST SYSTEM.
19980115SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
FRONT PASSENGER'S AND THE REAR PASSENGER'S SEAT BELTS DO NOT OPERATE CORRECTLY. WHEN PUTTING THE SEAT BELT INTO THE BUCKLE, THE BELT WILL COME BACK APART, CAUSING THE PASSENGER TO BE FREE OF SEAT BELTS. *AK
19971214CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
THROTTLE STUCK OPEN, CAUSING AN ACCIDENT.
19970717SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
VEHICLE PULLS SEVERELY TO THE LEFT WHEN ANTI LOCK BRAKES ARE APPLIED.
19970603CrashSERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
SLAMMED ON BRAKES, VEHICLE STARTED SLIDING, CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE, HAPPENED AGAIN, MAY 29, 1997, NOT CHECKED BY DEALERSHIP. *AK
19961125VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED WHILE DRIVING. PLEASE DSECRIBE. *AK
19961010ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE
ENGINE STALLED AND WHEEL LOCKED UPON TURNING. DIAGNOSIS: COMPUTER CHIP CAUSING ENGINE IDLE SPEED TO BECOME LOW. *AK
19961010WHEELS
ENGINE STALLED AND WHEEL LOCKED UPON TURNING. DIAGNOSIS: COMPUTER CHIP CAUSING ENGINE IDLE SPEED TO BECOME LOW. *AK
19960606ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
VEHICLE STALLS. ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS CAUSES CAR TO SHUT DOWN. *AK
19950929CrashSEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:HEAD RESTRAINT
DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT HEAD REST BROKE WHILE INVOLVED IN REAR END COLLISION. TT
19950821VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
CARBON WAS STUCK IN THROTTLE AND VEHICLE ACCELERATED AT HIGH SPEED AND COULD ONLY BE STOPPED BY PUTTING IT IN PARK. TT
Compare 1990CADILLACSEVILLE to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations 1 Open
PE24011Preliminary EvaluationOpen
Electronic Brake Module Component Failure
PE22006Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Rear-View Camera Failure
PE19001Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Roof Skin Separation While Driving
EQ11001EQClosed
IEE Passenger Sensing System Mats
EA07017Engineering AnalysisClosed
REAR DRIVETRAIN COMPONENT FAILURE
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1990 CADILLAC SEVILLE have?▼
The 1990 CADILLAC SEVILLE has 24 NHTSA complaints, 3 crashes, 0 fires, 1 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1990 CADILLAC SEVILLE?▼
The most-complained component for the 1990 CADILLAC SEVILLE is VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL with 6 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP and VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:REAR WINDOW.
Is the 1990 CADILLAC SEVILLE 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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.