IllustrationPOWER ASSIST BRAKE FAILURE. BRAKES ARE OPERATING AT 10 PER CENT BY PUMPING TO A GRADUAL STOP. DOWN-SHIFTING AND PANIC PUMPING AVOIDED A CRASH. *TR
1990 Cadillac Allante
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1990 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: 4 of 40 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 34 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Air. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Structure. 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.
2 crash reports0 fire reports1 injury reports
Service Brakes, Hydraulic complaints
34 reportsWITHOUT WARNING, BRAKES ON MY 1990 CADILLAC ALLANTE FAILED AND I RAN INTO A TRUCK AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT. *TR
WHILE ATTEMPTING TO APPLY THE BRAKES THEY FAILED COMPLETELY, TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND MECHANIC STATED MASTER CYLINDER WAS LEAKING INTERNALLY WHICH CAUSED TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE. *AK *PH
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR THIS VEHICLE. *AK
WHILE DRVING, ANTI LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM FAILED. POWER WENT OUT, AND HAD TO APPLY BRAKES MANUALLY TO STOP VEHICLE. *AK CONSUMER STATES UNABLE TO GET PARTS TO REPAIR. *TT
BRAKES FAILED ELECTRONICALLY WITHOUT WARNING. *AK
AFTER FAILURE AND NEAR ACCIDENT, CADILLAC CORPORATION SAID THEY HAD AN INEXPENSIVE WAY TO REMEDY PROBLEM. THEY INSTALLED A BOOSTER TO ADD PRESSURE TO THE PEDAL. COST WAS $700. THIS DID NOT WORK. ANOTHER FAILURE DRIVING HOME WHICH ALMOST CAUSED ANOTHER ACCIDENT. NOW TOLD MUST REPLACE THE PUMP WHICH I DID. COST $3,382. I AS…
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AFTER FAILURE AND NEAR ACCIDENT, CADILLAC CORPORATION SAID THEY HAD AN INEXPENSIVE WAY TO REMEDY PROBLEM. THEY INSTALLED A BOOSTER TO ADD PRESSURE TO THE PEDAL. COST WAS $700. THIS DID NOT WORK. ANOTHER FAILURE DRIVING HOME WHICH ALMOST CAUSED ANOTHER ACCIDENT. NOW TOLD MUST REPLACE THE PUMP WHICH I DID. COST $3,382. I ASKED FOR THE OLD PART. SAID THEY WOULD HAVE TO CHARE ME ANOTHER $500 CORE CHARGE. I UNDERSTAND THIS BOSH BRAKE SYSTEM WAS THE SAME BRAKE SYSTEM RECALLED ON CHRYSLER VEHICLES. ALTHOUGH MANY MORE CHRYSLERS WERE SOLD THEN CADILLAC ALLANTE'S THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM THAT CAN CAUSE A MAJOR ACCIDENT AND LOSS OF LIFE. I AM TOLD THIS IS A MAJOR FAILURE IN ALLANTES'*AK
I RECIEVED AN ANTILOCK DISABLED MESSAGE AND WITHIN 1 MILE THE BRAKES TOTALLY FAILED. THE CAR STILL HAD GOOD BRAKE PEDAL, BUT NO BRAKES AT ALL. THE EMERGENCY BRAKES FAILED AS WELL. FORTUNATELY, IT WAS 3:30 AM AND NO TRAFFIC. I WAS ABLE TO SWING INTO AN EMPTY PARKING LOT AND CIRCLE UNTIL THE CAR CAME TO A STOP. UPON TALKING TO SEV…
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I RECIEVED AN ANTILOCK DISABLED MESSAGE AND WITHIN 1 MILE THE BRAKES TOTALLY FAILED. THE CAR STILL HAD GOOD BRAKE PEDAL, BUT NO BRAKES AT ALL. THE EMERGENCY BRAKES FAILED AS WELL. FORTUNATELY, IT WAS 3:30 AM AND NO TRAFFIC. I WAS ABLE TO SWING INTO AN EMPTY PARKING LOT AND CIRCLE UNTIL THE CAR CAME TO A STOP. UPON TALKING TO SEVERAL OTHER ALLANTE OWNERS, I FOUND OUT THAT THIS IS A FREQUENT OCCURANCE WITH THESE CARS. DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO BE KILLED BEFORE CADILLAC DOES SOMETHING ABOUT THIS POTIENTIALLY FATAL FLAW?*AK
ABS/MASTER CYL INDER FAILURE. CAR HAS A HARD BRAKE PEDAL AND WILL NOT STOP AS IT SHOULD. REPLACEMENT PART FROM CADILLAC HAS A LIST PRICE OF $3,066.00 PLUS ABOUT $500.00 IN LABOR. GM KNOWS THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH 87-93 ALLANTES AND SHOULD BE MADE TO RECALL THEM AND REPAIR THEM AT NO CHARGE. THEY SHOULD ALSO REINBURST ALL COMSU…
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ABS/MASTER CYL INDER FAILURE. CAR HAS A HARD BRAKE PEDAL AND WILL NOT STOP AS IT SHOULD. REPLACEMENT PART FROM CADILLAC HAS A LIST PRICE OF $3,066.00 PLUS ABOUT $500.00 IN LABOR. GM KNOWS THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH 87-93 ALLANTES AND SHOULD BE MADE TO RECALL THEM AND REPAIR THEM AT NO CHARGE. THEY SHOULD ALSO REINBURST ALL COMSUMERS WHO HAVE ALREADY PAID FOR THIS REPAIR. THIS IS TYPICAL GM NOT ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM. *AK
LOST ALL BRAKING WHILE TRAVELING AT 55 MPH. WHAT ARE MANUFACTURERS RESPONSIBILITY?*AKK
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