IllustrationVEHICLE HARD TO TURN RIGHT IN COLD WEATHER. *DSH
1988 Cadillac Deville
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1988 Cadillac Deville do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 44.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Deville 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: 0 of 28 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.
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Steering. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Tires. Review the 5 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 reports1 fire reports1 injury reports
What owners actually said
28 reports'SERVICE SOON' WARNING LIGHT COMES ON AT 70 M.P.H., AND OCCASIONALLY WHEN VEHICLE STARTED. *DH
VEHICLE SPEED CONTINUOUSLY INCREASED. DRIVER PUMPED BRAKE HOWEVER,HIGH IDLING PERSISTENT. TT
UPON STARTING, PLACED INTO REVERSE GEAR, SUDDENLY ENGINE SURGED, THEN ACCELERATED OUT OF CONTROL, OVER POWERING BRAKE. TT
COLD POWER STEERING. *SD
THERE IS AN OIL LEAK WHICH INVOLVES THE OIL PAN. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
CONSUMER CAN'T START CAR DUE TO ANTI FREEZE LEAKING TO THE CYLINDER. TT
COLD POWER STEERING. *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
2PE89098 · Anti Lock Brakes
Opened Mar 10, 1989 · Closed May 17, 1989
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic
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EA88031 · Sudden Acceleration
Opened Apr 22, 1988 · Closed Oct 23, 1989
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Vehicle Speed Control:linkages
STATUS:ANALYSIS OF INFORMATION FROM THE MANUFACTURER IS IN PROGRESS.HOWEVER, NEITHER NHTSA OF GM HAS IDENTIFIED A FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION THATCOULD RESULT IN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION.SOME VEHICLES IN THIS GROUP WEREFOUND POTENTIALLY SUBJECT TO THROTTLE CABLE RESTRICTIONS, AND WERERECALLED ALONG WITH H CARS WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS.INVESTIGATION ISCONTINUING.===