IllustrationTHE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES MALFUNCTIONED. YH
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
What owners actually said
34 reportsTHE 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 HA…
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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 BRAKE…
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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.
MULTIPLE REPAIRS TO BRAKING SYSTEM. NOT QUALITY COMPONENTS
NO SUMMARY
I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE ALLANTE. THE ABS DISABLES AND THEN FULL BRAKE FAILURE HAPPENS. *AK
NO SUMMARY
ANTI-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
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