1991 Cadillac Allante

I'VE HAD 3 MASTER CYLINDERS PUT IN MY ALLANTE- ONE WHEN I BOUGHT IT- I HAD TO WAIT 2 WEEKS TO GET IT- I THOUGHT HOW GREAT THEY ARE PUTTING NEW BREAKS ON MY CAR- I STARTED HAVING BREAK PROBLEMS WITHIN A FEW MONTHS- I KEPT TAKING IT BACK TO THE DEALER AND THEY KEPT TELLING ME IT WAS FIXED ILEFT THE DEALER ONE RAINY NIGHT AND HAD NO BREAKS- I DROVE VERY SLOW BACK TO THE DEALERS IN TEARS I WAS SO SCARED- I'M FEMALE SO I CAN DO THAT- THEY PUT A NEW MASTER CYLINDER IN THEN- WORKED FINE UNTIL LAST CHRISTMAS- THE BRAKES WENT OUT AGAIN WITH MY GRAND DAUGHTER IN THE CAR- ALSO THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY FROM NOV. 97- SO I HAD TO PAY FOR THIS ONE BUT SEWELL IS A GOOD DEALER AND PICKED UP PART OF THE TAB- A CAR SHOULD NOT NEED BREAKS 3 TIMES IN 3 YRS. LOTS OF ALLANTE OWNERS IN OUR CLUB HAVE HAD BREAK PROBLEMS- THATS WHY WERE CONTACTING YOU- THANKS CK MEROLA

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.