AI Damage1999 Cadillac Deville: common problems
Owners of the 1999 Cadillac Deville filed 187 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and engine and cooling. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 187
- involving a crash
- 17
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 26% of all complaints
- 2 Engine and cooling 25% of all complaints
- 3 Electrical system 11% of all complaints
- 4 Service brakes 11% of all complaints
- 5 Steering 7% of all complaints
- 6 Vehicle speed control 6% of all complaints
- 7 Suspension 5% of all complaints
- 8 Fuel system 4% of all complaints
- Air bags: 49 complaints (26% of all), 15 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 47 complaints (25% of all).
- Electrical system: 20 complaints (11% of all).
- Service brakes: 20 complaints (11% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Steering: 13 complaints (7% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 4.6 L · petrol · 8 cylnamed in 1 complaints
- automatic, 4-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 187 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 49 | 15 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 47 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 20 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Tires | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 3 | 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.
Pulling into a parking stall three-fourths in, just coasting foot not on brake or accelerator, my car suddenly accelerated and hit the concrete wall at the end of the parking space. This was unintended sudden acceleration. Car towed to anderson cadillac, unsafe to drive. They checked codes and found nothing.
Upon impact, side air bags failed to deploy. Upon inspection of the vehicle by the insurance company they noticed that the side air was disconnected and duck taped. Prior to this incident vehicle was taken into a dealership to have the side impact sensor module recall 00v228000 repairs performed.
On two separate occasions anti lock brakes failed, allowing vehicle to continue forward, and rear ending another vehicle. A policeman came, and drove vehicle when brake pedal descended to the floor. After repairs, brakes failed again several days later. Please describe details.
While driving 30 to 45 mph consumer hit concrete divider on right side of vehicle and front end air bags did not deploy. Contact dealer. Dealer stated that vehicle did not hit hard enough, and didn't hit in right place. Consumer was injured in accident.
There was a gun fire noise, and a bad smell and white smoke was inside of vehicle. Passennger's airbag went off without prior warning, and there wasn't any accident. No injuries reported.
The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle started overheating. The contact was able to pull over and had the vehicle was towed to the dealer. The contact was informed of an oil leak.
The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the heater core burst due to an improper location and inadequate material. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist. The contact stated that the failure caused her to get skin grafts on her foot.
My clear coat paint is pealling on the hood and roof really bad.
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 2,177 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 6% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Deville has 83 complaints (33 years in the data). This year has 187, above average.
What to check before buying
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
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 1992135 sources
- Deville 199392 sources
- Deville 1994127 sources
- Deville 1995129 sources
- Deville 1996218 sources
- Deville 1997269 sources
- Deville 1998237 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 1999 Cadillac Deville?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, engine and cooling, electrical system. Total complaints: 187. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: stalls while driving (12%), overheating, coolant loss (7%), warning lights, check engine (5%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1999 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 1999 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 1999 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.