AI Damage1992 Cadillac Deville: common problems
Owners of the 1992 Cadillac Deville filed 135 complaints with NHTSA, most often about fuel system and engine and cooling. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 135
- involving a crash
- 15
What fails most often
- 1 Fuel system 22% of all complaints
- 2 Engine and cooling 18% of all complaints
- 3 Service brakes 18% of all complaints
- 4 Electrical system 12% of all complaints
- 5 Vehicle speed control 8% of all complaints
- 6 Air bags 7% of all complaints
- 7 Powertrain 7% of all complaints
- 8 Structure 7% of all complaints
- Fuel system: 30 complaints (22% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 24 complaints (18% of all).
- Service brakes: 24 complaints (18% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 16 complaints (12% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 11 complaints (8% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 135 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel system | 30 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 24 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 24 | 3 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 11 | 4 | 0 |
| Air bags | 10 | 9 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Equipment | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 2 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Upon impact, air bags failed to deploy. Driver sustained chest injuries from impacting the steering wheel.
I collided with another driver who ran a stop sign....at impact my car went full throttle and I lost control went into front yard of a residence hit the brick front porch of residence..bounced off porch then hit 18" diameter tree with right center front of car with no airbag deployment.
Frontal collision at approximately 25-30mph. Throttle went wide open after initial impact,car accelerated uncontrollably hit tree. Also, no airbag deployment.
Consumer was involved in a 30 mph frontal collision in which driver's air bag did not deploy, cause unknown. Please give any further details.
Consumer states when applied the brakes failed, causing her to have an accident.
Consumer was in an accident seat belt did not restrain consumer, causing left broken shoulder, the driver side air bag didn't delpoy . Tt vehicle was hit in the left front tire by vehicle trying to pass on left side.
Upon inspection of the car afterwards, it appears that the rubber bushings on four bolts for the engine mounts had disintegrated / dry rotted and the bolts that were holding the engine into car were severly rusted which resulted in letting the engine drop out of the car. The car had just passed inspection.
The contact noticed a small amount of smoke coming from the engine compartment. The contact parked the vehicle. The dealer located nhtsa campaign id number 94v199000 (power train:axle assembly); however, they informed the contact that there would be a charge to have the recall work performed.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 2,869 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 8% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Deville has 83 complaints (33 years in the data). This year has 135, above average.
What to check before buying
- Fuel system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Other years of this model
- Deville 19763 sources
- Deville 19784 sources
- Deville 19823 sources
- Deville 19835 sources
- Deville 19846 sources
- Deville 198519 sources
- Deville 198622 sources
- Deville 198740 sources
- Deville 198828 sources
- Deville 198948 sources
- Deville 199076 sources
- Deville 199187 sources
- Deville 199392 sources
- Deville 1994127 sources
- Deville 1995129 sources
- Deville 1996218 sources
- Deville 1997269 sources
- Deville 1998237 sources
- Deville 1999187 sources
- Deville 2000225 sources
- Deville 2001175 sources
- Deville 2002176 sources
- Deville 2003145 sources
- Deville 2004167 sources
- Deville 200595 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1992 Cadillac Deville?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: fuel system, engine and cooling, service brakes. Total complaints: 135. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (13%), stalls while driving (10%), fuel system, fuel smell (7%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1992 Cadillac Deville?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1992 Cadillac Deville from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1992 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.