1990 Cadillac Allante problems & reliability
40 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1990 Cadillac Allante. Last verified Aug 8, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several components.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic → | 34 | 85% |
| Service Brakes, Air | 3 | 8% |
| Structure | 2 | 5% |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 3% |
| Power Train | 1 | 3% |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 3% |
| Steering | 1 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Over the last month, while braking the driver info display would show antilock-traction disabled, then would flash antilock ok, traction ok. Vehicle seemed to brake just fine and since the display said it was ok I didn't think it was a problem, then on 9/20/2014 while driving home down my street the car would not stop…”
Service Brakes · filed Sep 20, 2014
“Power 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”
Service Brakes, Hydraulic · filed Apr 19, 2010
“Without warning, brakes on my 1990 cadillac allante failed and I ran into a truck at a traffic light. *tr”
Service Brakes, Hydraulic · filed Apr 10, 2008
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- BRAKING SYSTEM FAILURE
Engineering Analysis EA99017 · opened Jun 30, 1999 · closed Dec 28, 2001
- BRAKING SYSTEM
Preliminary Evaluation PE99012 · opened Feb 5, 1999 · closed Jun 30, 1999
- BRAKING SYSTEM
Defect Petition DP99001 · opened Jan 6, 1999 · closed Feb 8, 1999
Technical service bulletins
3 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1990 Cadillac Allante.
Expanded Availability for Remanufacture and Return (R&R) Electronic Control Modules
130089009 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 1, 2013
Comments about a condition in which the convertible folding top does not latch properly at the windshield header. *yc
98045 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 1998
Some owners of certain vehicle may comment about a condition in which the convertible folding top does not latch properly at the windshield header. *tt
98045 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 28, 1998
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1990 Cadillac Allante in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1990 Cadillac Allante?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.