AI Damage1997 Cadillac Eldorado: common problems
Owners of the 1997 Cadillac Eldorado filed 59 complaints with NHTSA, most often about fuel system and service brakes. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 59
- involving a crash
- 6
What fails most often
- 1 Fuel system 29% of all complaints
- 2 Service brakes 29% of all complaints
- 3 Engine and cooling 15% of all complaints
- 4 Steering 10% of all complaints
- 5 Electrical system 5% of all complaints
- 6 Air bags 3% of all complaints
- 7 Equipment 3% of all complaints
- 8 Powertrain 3% of all complaints
- Fuel system: 17 complaints (29% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 17 complaints (29% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 9 complaints (15% of all).
- Steering: 6 complaints (10% of all).
- Electrical system: 3 complaints (5% 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 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 59 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 | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 17 | 3 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Equipment | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Parking brake | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 1 | 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.
Recall request for engineering analysis customer is asking for info about recall ea04-003* the consumer stated he was injured due to his friends 1997 cadillac eldorado stalling. The consumer referenced recall number 04v110000.
During a 70 mph roll over, the vehicle hit a guard rail and the front air bags did not deploy. Vehicle was towed. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. The consumer was involved in a frontal collision.
Upon impact, both frontal air bags failed to deploy. This caused the driver and passenger to sustain major injuries, and were transported to the hospital. The vehicle was towed to a body shop. The vehicle hit a guard rail and rolled over.
While drivng at 35 mph and attempting to apply the brakes, there were no brakes which caused consumer to rear end another vehicle.
Consumer complaint is concerning abs brake failure which was due to a defective module installed by dealer. Consumer's wife was driving on the street, was appraoching oncoming traffic and stopped vehicle.
While parking the vehicle, the power steering warning light illuminated. The driver exited the vehicle and was informed that it was on fire. A fire report was not filed. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. The contact was not injured. The vehicle was destroyed.
While driving approximately 30 mph, the engine began smoking. The contact had to pull over to the side of the road. The contact exited the vehicle and called the fire department. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure.
My vehicle started stalling about three weeks ago, it would suddenly just cut off as if the gas was no longer fueling the vehicle. It would stop and would not start again for about and hour. After starting it would run for about twenty min. It would then stop again.
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 4,893 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 13% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Eldorado has 21 complaints (24 years in the data). This year has 59, above average.
What to check before buying
- Fuel system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
Other years of this model
- Eldorado 19823 sources
- Eldorado 19834 sources
- Eldorado 19847 sources
- Eldorado 198510 sources
- Eldorado 198612 sources
- Eldorado 19877 sources
- Eldorado 19889 sources
- Eldorado 19898 sources
- Eldorado 199025 sources
- Eldorado 19919 sources
- Eldorado 199225 sources
- Eldorado 199335 sources
- Eldorado 199435 sources
- Eldorado 199554 sources
- Eldorado 199660 sources
- Eldorado 199838 sources
- Eldorado 199923 sources
- Eldorado 200030 sources
- Eldorado 200124 sources
- Eldorado 200210 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1997 Cadillac Eldorado?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: fuel system, service brakes, engine and cooling. Total complaints: 59. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (10%), stalls while driving (8%), fuel system, fuel smell (7%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1997 Cadillac Eldorado?
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 1997 Cadillac Eldorado 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 1997 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.