1988 Cadillac Deville problems & reliability
28 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1988 Cadillac Deville. Last verified Aug 7, 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 vehicles.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1988 Cadillac Deville vehicles were involved in 1 fatal crash with 1 occupant death. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle Speed Control | 8 | 29% |
| Steering | 7 | 25% |
| Tires | 5 | 18% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 14% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 4 | 14% |
| Electrical System | 2 | 7% |
| Visibility | 2 | 7% |
| Equipment | 1 | 4% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 4% |
| Structure | 1 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Throttle sensor switch has been replaced because vehicle will idle/ rev up, and try to move without consumer stepping on gas pedal. Contacted dealer. *ak”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed Jan 28, 2002
“Inside of lugs: nuts have a lip ring that tightens bolts, causing bolts to be stripped. Lugs: nuts came like that, and consumer will not consider paying for problem. Wheels could come off under heavy stress.*ak”
Wheels · filed Jun 15, 2001
“While driving tire suddenly loss air pressure, tire was replaced with spare, tire was taken in for inspection but no breaks or holes were found, it would not hold air when mechanic tried to inflate it, on the right rear tire, there was a bulge about the size of a baseball on the outside of tire, near the wheel rim…”
Tires · filed May 7, 2001
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- ANTI LOCK BRAKES
Preliminary Evaluation PE89098 · opened Mar 10, 1989 · closed May 17, 1989
- SUDDEN ACCELERATION
Engineering Analysis EA88031 · opened Apr 22, 1988 · closed Oct 23, 1989
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1988 Cadillac Deville 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 1988 Cadillac Deville?
- · 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.