IllustrationANTILOCK BRAKES REQUIRE REPAIR...CAR STILL HAS STOPPING POWER BUT NO ANTILOCK AT TIMES
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
What owners actually said
40 reportsEVER SINCE I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE EVERY TIME I STEP ON THE BRAKES I RECEIVE A MOMENTARY DROP IN THE BRAKE PEDAL, WHAT APPEARS TO BE A LOUD CLICKING COMING FROM UNDER THE DASH AREA AND THEN A REFIRMING OF THE BRAKE PEDAL JUST BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. ALL THE TIME THIS IS HAPPENING I AM RECEIVING A MESSAGE ON THE DRIVER INFORMA…
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EVER SINCE I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE EVERY TIME I STEP ON THE BRAKES I RECEIVE A MOMENTARY DROP IN THE BRAKE PEDAL, WHAT APPEARS TO BE A LOUD CLICKING COMING FROM UNDER THE DASH AREA AND THEN A REFIRMING OF THE BRAKE PEDAL JUST BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. ALL THE TIME THIS IS HAPPENING I AM RECEIVING A MESSAGE ON THE DRIVER INFORMATION CENTER, ANTI-LOCK DISABLED, TRACTION CONTROL DISABLED FOLLOWED BY ANTI-LOCK O.K., TRACTION CONTROL O.K. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE IN THIS VEHICLE AND SINCE I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE I HAVE TALKED TO OTHERS WITH THE SAME OR SIMILAR PROBLEMS AND I DO NOT FEEL THIS IS AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. I FEEL THERE IS A DEFECT IN THE MANUFACTURING OF THE BRAKE SYSTEM COMPONENTS AND SHOULD BE REPAIRED BY THE MANUFACTURER REGARDLESS OF MILEAGE OR WARRANTY TIME.
THERE HAS BEEN MANY ALLANTES WITH SAME PROBLEMS. PLEASE DON'T WAIT FOR A FATALITY!SEE OTHER PEOPLES COMMENTS AND PROBLEMS ON ALLANTE NET: HTTP://WWW.ALLANTE.ORG/ NO AFETY DEFECTS MENTIONED IN THE SUMMARY. *AK
HYDRAULIC UNIT FOR BRAKES FAILED. MJS
3 APPLICATIONS OF BRAKES AFTER FAILURE LIGHT CAME ON. "DROVE" CAREFULLY TO DEALER, USING GEARS TO "BRAKE." REPLACED PUMP ASSEMBLY AND RELAY ASSEMBLY.
THREE TOTAL BRAKE FAILURES TO DATE. TWO RESULTED IN ACCIDENTS WHEN THE ALLANTE HAD TO BE CRASHED INTO TRUCKS ON EACH OCCASSION TO STOP WITHOUT INJURY TO PEDESTRIANS. PROPERTY DAMAGE IN EACH CASE WAS ABOUT $1,000 TO THE ALLANTE AND $2,000 TO THE TRUCKS IN EACH CASE. THE CAR WAS THEN TOWED TO CADILLAC WHO EXAMINED THE BRAKE SYS…
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THREE TOTAL BRAKE FAILURES TO DATE. TWO RESULTED IN ACCIDENTS WHEN THE ALLANTE HAD TO BE CRASHED INTO TRUCKS ON EACH OCCASSION TO STOP WITHOUT INJURY TO PEDESTRIANS. PROPERTY DAMAGE IN EACH CASE WAS ABOUT $1,000 TO THE ALLANTE AND $2,000 TO THE TRUCKS IN EACH CASE. THE CAR WAS THEN TOWED TO CADILLAC WHO EXAMINED THE BRAKE SYSTEM AND COULD NOT "FIND A PROBLEM." HOWEVER, ON EACH OCCASION, CADILLAC REPLACED THE ENTIRE BRAKE SYSTEM AND MASTER CYLINDER AT NO CHARGE. WE WERE ADVISED (AND STILL ARE TOLD) BY CADILLAC THAT THEY HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED A BRAKE FAILURE OR SIMILAR INCIDENT IN ANY ALLANTE! WE JUST LEARNED THIS IS NOT THE CASE WHEN WE DISCOVERED YOUR WEBSITE. THE DENIAL OF ANY BRAKE INCIDENTS HAS COME FROM UNIVERSITY CADILLAC, BAYVIEW CADILLAC, THE CADILLAC SOUTH FLORIDA AREA REPRESENTATIVE AND CADILLAC THROUGH THEIR "800" NUMBER 1-800-ALLANTE. OBVIOUSLY, THIS NOT BEING THE TRUTH, THIS IS A COMPANY-WIDE EFFORT TO WITHHOLD THE TRUTH FROM ALLANTE OWNERS!
NO SUMMARY
FIRST BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE WAS COVERED UNDER CADILLAC WARRANTY; DON'T REMEMBER DATE, BUT ALL CADILLAC DEALERS ARE HOOKED TO A CENTRAL COMPUTER SYSTEM THAT CAN LOOK UP DATES OF ALL REPAIRS BY VIN. *AK
ABS FAILURE. NO BRAKES.
SIX INCIDENTS OF TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE (ABS) RESULTING IN VEHICLE BEING TOWED TO DEALER. REPLACE PUMP MOTOR FOUR TIMES. REPLACE MASTER CYLINDER, ACCUMULATOR ($3420.00). REPLACE PUMP RELAY. BRAKES DO NOT HAVE A CONSISTANT FEEL. AT TIMES CAR SPEEDS UP WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED. MY OPINION IS THAT THE ABS IS UNSAFE AND POORLY ENG…
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SIX INCIDENTS OF TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE (ABS) RESULTING IN VEHICLE BEING TOWED TO DEALER. REPLACE PUMP MOTOR FOUR TIMES. REPLACE MASTER CYLINDER, ACCUMULATOR ($3420.00). REPLACE PUMP RELAY. BRAKES DO NOT HAVE A CONSISTANT FEEL. AT TIMES CAR SPEEDS UP WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED. MY OPINION IS THAT THE ABS IS UNSAFE AND POORLY ENGINEERED.
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