IllustrationI HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE ALLANTE. THE ABS DISABLES AND THEN FULL BRAKE FAILURE HAPPENS. *AK
1987 Cadillac Allante
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1987 Cadillac Allante do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 27.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Allante years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 3 of 34 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 25 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Air. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 2 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
1 crash reports1 fire reports1 injury reports
Service Brakes, Hydraulic complaints
25 reportsANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM DISABLES WHENEVER BRAKES ARE APPLIED FIRMLY. *AK
THIS IS THE SECOND FAILURE OF THE THE MASTER CYLINDER UNIT PART #3636719. I ALSO REPORTED THE PREVIOUS FAILURE TO NHTSA. *AK
THIS HAS BEEN MY THIRD TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE....I HAVE REPORTED ONE OTHER TO YOUR ORGANIZATION.......I'M 52 YEARS OLD.I DON'T DRIVE HARD OR FAST.THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED.PLEASE BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED. PLEASE DO YOUR JOB. *AK
TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE HAPPENED WITHOUT WARNING. PART NUMBERS REPLACED INCLUDE: ACCUMULATOR 3520224, MASTER CYLINDER 3636719 AND THE F-MODULE AS (ECM) 1638548. FORTUNATELY, AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE I WAS SLOWING TO MAKE A TURN. PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR, I DOWN SHIFTED THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION TO LOW, KEPT GOING STRAIGHT AND ST…
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TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE HAPPENED WITHOUT WARNING. PART NUMBERS REPLACED INCLUDE: ACCUMULATOR 3520224, MASTER CYLINDER 3636719 AND THE F-MODULE AS (ECM) 1638548. FORTUNATELY, AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE I WAS SLOWING TO MAKE A TURN. PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR, I DOWN SHIFTED THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION TO LOW, KEPT GOING STRAIGHT AND STOPPED BY APPLYING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. DEALERSHIP INVOICE REPAIR ORDER # 173761 AND 172562. *AK
ABS BRAKES WENT OUT ABOUT 10 MONTHS AGO. REGULAR BRAKS WORK FINE, BUT ABS BRAKE LIGHTS MESSAGE, THAT THE ABS IS OUT, KEEPS COMING ON MY MESSAGE CENTER. I HAVE TRIED TO HAVE THE ABS DISCONNECTED TWICE, BUT HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THEY ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE SYSTEM, AND CANNOT BE DISCONNECTED. ESTIMATES HAVE RANGED FROM $1000 …
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ABS BRAKES WENT OUT ABOUT 10 MONTHS AGO. REGULAR BRAKS WORK FINE, BUT ABS BRAKE LIGHTS MESSAGE, THAT THE ABS IS OUT, KEEPS COMING ON MY MESSAGE CENTER. I HAVE TRIED TO HAVE THE ABS DISCONNECTED TWICE, BUT HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THEY ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE SYSTEM, AND CANNOT BE DISCONNECTED. ESTIMATES HAVE RANGED FROM $1000 TO $ 1800 TO REPAIR. I FEEL THAT I HAVE BEEN SHORT CHANGED BECAUSE I DRIVE LESS THAN 5000 MILES [ RETIRED] ANNUALLY, AND FEEL THAT I SHOULD BE ABLE TO DISCONNECT THE ABS, AND I CAN'T. I ALSO KNOW THAT MY BRAKING SYSTEM CAN GO OUT AT ANY TIME, SO I EITHER PAY FOR SOMETHING I DON'T NEED, OR CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. *AK
I HAD TO GUESS ON DATES BECAUSE SINCE LAST YEAR AT AROUND 90,000 MILES THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES ARE DISABLED ALMOST EVERY TIME I HIT THE BRAKES. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR IN AND THE MECHANICS DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. I'VE READ ABOUT IT ON THE WEB (THAT'S HOW I FOUND THIS PAGE TO COMPLAIN) AND APPARENTLY IT'S COMMON TO HAVE THIS …
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I HAD TO GUESS ON DATES BECAUSE SINCE LAST YEAR AT AROUND 90,000 MILES THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES ARE DISABLED ALMOST EVERY TIME I HIT THE BRAKES. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR IN AND THE MECHANICS DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. I'VE READ ABOUT IT ON THE WEB (THAT'S HOW I FOUND THIS PAGE TO COMPLAIN) AND APPARENTLY IT'S COMMON TO HAVE THIS VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM WITH THIS PARTICULAR CAR. I AM EXREMELY SCARED AND HAVE RECENTLY STOPPED DRIVING IT. THERE ARE NOT VERY MANY ALLANTE'S OUT THERE, BUT SINCE SO MANY HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM, I THINK THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD DO SOMETHING TO FIX IT. COULD YOU PLEASE INFORM ME OF ANY PROGRESS IN THE MATTER. THANK YOU
ANTI-LOCK BRAKES FAILED AND COMPLETE SYSTEM WAS REPLACED AT MY EXPENSE. I RECENTLY LEARNED THAT OTHER ALLANTE OWNERS HAD REPORTED IT TO YOU, AND I WANTED TO ADD MY EXPERIENCE TO THEIRS. AS THIS WAS FAR FROM BEING AN ISOLATED INCIDENT AS I WAS INFORMED BY BOTH CADILLAC'S 800, AS WELL AS BY THE DEALER, I BELIEVE THAT CADILLAC MOT…
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ANTI-LOCK BRAKES FAILED AND COMPLETE SYSTEM WAS REPLACED AT MY EXPENSE. I RECENTLY LEARNED THAT OTHER ALLANTE OWNERS HAD REPORTED IT TO YOU, AND I WANTED TO ADD MY EXPERIENCE TO THEIRS. AS THIS WAS FAR FROM BEING AN ISOLATED INCIDENT AS I WAS INFORMED BY BOTH CADILLAC'S 800, AS WELL AS BY THE DEALER, I BELIEVE THAT CADILLAC MOTOR CAR DIVISION SHOULD ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR SUCH A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS COMPONENT FAILURE. *AK
ABS READS DISABLED ON INFO CENTER IN CAR
WE HAVE HAD MULTIPLE FAILURE OF THIS BRAKE SYSTEM SINCE 1990. AT ONE POINT THE BRAKES FAILED COMPLETELY. THIS MAY BE A BOSCHE PROBLEM AND NOT A CADILLAC PROBLEM BUT SOMEONE SHOULD FIX IT. *MJS
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
3EA99017 · Braking System Failure
Opened Jun 30, 1999 · Closed Dec 28, 2001
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip
No summary supplied.
PE99012 · Braking System
Opened Feb 5, 1999 · Closed Jun 30, 1999
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic
CONSUMERS ALLEGE A PARTIAL OR TOTAL LOSS OF BRAKING ABILITY
DP99001 · Braking System
Opened Jan 6, 1999 · Closed Feb 8, 1999
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic
THE PETITIONER ALLEGE TOTAL LOSS OF ALL BRAKING ABILITY WITHOUT WARNING