1991 Cadillac Allante

COMPLETE LOSS OF BRAKING ABILITY UPON FAILURE OF UNIT. DIAGNOSTIC CODE 63 ON VEHICLE COMPUTER-BAYVIEW CADILLAC DIAGNOSED AS A FAULTY ABS HYRDRAULIC UNIT. CADILLAC CONTACTED BY DEALER FOR REPAIR ASSISTANCE-NON OFFERED. SUSPECT SECOND FAILURE OF UNIT DUE TO LABEL ON FAILED UNITS STATING REMANUFACTURED FOR GM, HOWEVER BAYVIEW CADILLAC WOULD NOT DISCLOSE PRIOR SERVICE RECORD ON VEHICLE PRIOR TO PURCHASE. OWNER ORDERED REPLACEMENT, CONDUCTED INSTALLATION, AND SENT FAILED UNIT CORE BACK TO LAMBERT BUICK-PONTIAC-GMC UNDER INVOICE #44508. TOTAL REPAIR COST PARTS: P/N 3636719 1889.75, BRAKE FLUID $15.00, AND 3.5 HOURS LABOR.

THE ABS PUMP FAILED ON MY CAR. FORTUNATELY, I WAS IN A PARKING LOT, BACKING OUT OF A SPACE, AND BARELY MOVING. I DID MANAGE TO STOP BEFORE ROLLING INTO THE CAR BEHIND ME. THE SYMPTOMS: ROCK HARD PEDAL, BUT VIRTUALLY NO STOPPING ABILITY. AFTER SOME EXPERIMENTATION WITH LOW GEAR AND THE EMERGENCY BRAKE IN THE PARKING LOT, I DECIDED TO TRY TO LIMP HOME, ABOUT 4 MILES, WHICH I DID SUCCESSFULLY. THE NEXT MORNING, A SUNDAY, VERY EARLY, WITH AN ESCORT I DROVE THE CAR TO THE CLOSEST CADILLAC DEALER. THE CAR WAS REPAIRED ON MONDAY, UNDER WARRANTY, AND I HAVE HAD ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEMS SINCE. MY CONCERN IS THAT UNDER DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES THIS PROBLEM COULD HAVE HAD VERY SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES. I STILL HAVE THIS CAR, WANT TO KEEP IN FOR SEVERAL MORE YEARS, BUT AM UNEASY ABOUT THE PROBLEM RECURRING. YEARS AGO I HAD ENCOUNTERED CARS WITH A DUAL MASTER CYLINDER SYSTEM THAT POPPED A BRAKE LINE. THE PEDAL WOULD BE A LOT LOWER AFTER A BRAKE LINE POPPED, BUT YOU COULD STILL STOP THE CAR IN REASONABLE DISTANCE. THE CONDITION THAT YOU GET WHEN YOU LOSE THE ABS PUMP ON AN ALLANTI IS MUCH WORSE THAN THAT, AND SCARY EVEN AT SLOW SPEED. ONCE YOU ARE PREPARED AND KNOW ABOUT THE CONDITION, YOU CAN COPE FOR SHORT DISTANCES AT LOW SPEED WITHOUT HEAVY TRAFFIC BY ANTICIPATING STOPS AND DOWNSHIFTING THE TRANSMISSION. BUT WHEN IT HITS YOU OUT OF THE BLUE UNEXPECTEDLY, IT'S ANOTHER MATTER.