1987 Cadillac Allante

THIS PAST WEEKEND THE BRAKES ON MY 1987 ALLANTE COMPLETELY FAILED LEAVING ME WITH ONLY THE PARKING BRAKE AND DOWN SHIFTING. FURTHER INVESTIGATION REVELED THAT THE HIGH PRESSURE HOSE FROM THE PUMP TO THE BRAKE UNIT ON THE FIREWALL DEVELOPED A PIN-HOLE; THIS ALLOWED THE SYSTEM TO PUMP ALL OF THE BRAKE FLUID OVERBOARD IN A MATTER OF SECONDS. FROM THE TIME THE BRAKE LIGHT ILLUMINATED UNTIL I LOST ALL BRAKES WAS A MATTER OF A FEW SECONDS. HAD I BEEN ON A DIFFERENT ROAD OR HAD MY DAUGHTER BEEN DRIVING THE CAR THERE IS A VERY GOOD CHANCE THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT. *NM

I HAVE COMMUNICATED WITH OTHER ALLANTE OWNERS WHO HAVE REPORTED BRAKE FAILURES WITH THE BOSCH III ABS SYSTEM INSTALLED ON THESE CARS. THIS FAILURE IS CATASTROPHIC BECAUSE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE SYSTEM REQUIRES AT LEAST 3 1/2 PUMPS OF THE ACTUATOR, BUT CANNOT BE ENGAGED WITH THE CAR IN GEAR. ALTHOUGH THE DRIVER INFORMATION CENTER WILL WARN OF COMPONENT PROBLEMS WITH THE SYSTEM USING A SERIES OF COMPLICATED CODES, IT IMPLIES THAT THAT ABS SYSTEM CAN BE DEACTIVATED AND THE BRAKES WILL STILL FUNCTION. THAT MAY BE CORRECT OR MAY NOT. IN SOME CASES, PEOPLE HAVE DRIVEN FOR A YEAR WITH THESE WARNINGS APPEARING INTERMITTENTLY, ONLY TO HAVE COMPLETE FAILURE OCCUR WITHOUT WARNING. IN OTHERS, THE BRAKES FAILED ALMOST AS SOON AS THE WARNINGS APPEARED. WORSE YET, THE WARNINGS SEEM TO IMPLY THAT THE BRAKES WILL FUNCTION WITH THE "ABS SYSTEM DISABLED". IN SOME CASES THEY DO, BUT COMPLETE AND CATASTROPHIC FAILURE WILL OCCUR AT SOME COMPLETELY UNPREDICTABLE TIME IN THE FUTURE. THIS CIRCUMSTANCE IS ABSOLUTELY INTOLERABLE AND CONSTITUTES A MAJOR SAFETY THREAT TO THE OWNER AND THE PUBLIC. THE COST OF REPAIRING THIS SYSTEM WILL RUN FROM $1500-4000, AND NEITHER CADILLAC NOR BOSCH HAS MADE ANY EFFORT TO "PATCH" OR UPDATE THE DESIGN, PROVIDE A MORE FAILSAFE SYSTEM, OR SUBSIDIZE IN ANY WAY THE COST OF THESE REPAIRS. I AM AWARE OF NO OTHER CAR WHOSE ESSENTIAL BRAKING SYSTEM WILL REQUIRE THOUSANDS TO MAINTAIN OR ABSOLUTELY WILL EITHER COST THOUSANDS THAVE COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE WILL SUFFER CATASTROPHIC FAILURE WITHIN 140,000 MILES. *AK

THE BRAKE SYSTEM ON THE ALLANTE IS OBVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE. IT IS A DANGER TO THOSE OF US WHO DRIVE THE CAR AS WELL AS OTHERS ON THE ROAD. I NARROWLY AVOIDED REAR ENDING ANOTHER CAR AT A TRAFFIC SIGNAL WHEN COMLETE BRAKE FAILURE OCCURRED BY PULLING ON THE SHOULDER AND SLOWLY ROLLING TO A STOP. I HAVE RESEARCHED THE PROBLEM AND HAVE FOUND THAT NEARLY ALL ALLANTE OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED NUMEROUS BREM FAILURES. THIS CAR NEEDS TO BE RECALLED BEFORE SERIOUS ACCIDENT AND INJURY OCCURS. *AK

WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES IN A NORMAL FASHION, THE ANTI-LOCK MESSAGE IS LIT AND THE BRAKE PEDAL HAS A 'CLICK' FEEL TO IT AS PRESSURE IS APPLIED. THE BRAKES DO LOCK UP IN A PANIC STOP. SOMETIMES WHEN THE CAR IS STARTED, THE ANTI-LOCK MESSAGE WILL FLASH ON THE INFORMATION CENTER EVEN THOUGH THE CAR HAS NOT BEEN MOVED OR THE BRAKES APPLIED. WHEN THE CAR IS DRIVEN, IF THE PEDAL IS GENTLY PUSHED THE LIGHT DOES NOT COME ON AND WARN OF ANTI-LOCK DISABLING. THEY WORK FINE THEN.