1998 Cadillac Deville problems & reliability
237 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1998 Cadillac Deville, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. 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.
14 complaints report injuries (17 injured, 2 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1998 Cadillac Deville vehicles were involved in 6 fatal crashes with 4 occupant deaths. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Exterior Lighting | 43 | 18% |
| Air Bags | 34 | 14% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 33 | 14% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 32 | 14% |
| Electrical System | 21 | 9% |
| Visibility | 17 | 7% |
| Steering | 15 | 6% |
| Suspension | 13 | 5% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 11 | 5% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 8 | 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.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 76,000 miles (middle 50% between 53,467 and 105,000 miles), based on 67 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“My 1998 cadillac deville needs a vital part to it's abs/traction control function. However, gm has discontinued making the part, (#19244918)with no available substitute. Therefore, leaving my car with no abs or traction control. Also, the transmission no longer engages 1st gear. (a supposed saftey measure)which in…”
Electronic Stability Control (esc) · filed Feb 15, 2018
“Fuel rail line is made of plastic/nylon and has cracked near one of the fuel injectors on top of the engine and leaking fuel on my march 1998 cadillac deville”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Dec 6, 2017
“Takata recall. Air bag light is on a few days ago. Also, vehicle overheated and needed new water pump several years ago. Keep having to replace the battery. Smoke was coming up from front and turn signals did not work. Had to replace fall 2016 horn did not work, had to replace part inside steering wheel. Jan 2017”
Unknown OR Other · filed Mar 23, 2017
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- POWER RACK AND PINION STEERING FAILURE
Recall Query RQ03001 · opened Jan 2, 2003 · closed Sep 15, 2003
- INADVERTENT OF SIDE IMPACT AIR BAG
Engineering Analysis EA00004 · opened Feb 15, 2000 · closed Sep 28, 2000 · led to recall 00V217000
- INADVERTENT DEPLOYMENT OF SIDE AIR BAG
Preliminary Evaluation PE99061 · opened Sep 27, 1999 · closed Feb 15, 2000
Technical service bulletins
78 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1998 Cadillac Deville. The 10 most recent:
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 14, 2022
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 31, 2020
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco TheftLock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696E · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 22, 2019
This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy transportation policy.
17NA073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 18, 2019
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco TheftLock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 5, 2019
This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy transportation policy.
17NA073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 15, 2019
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco Theft Lock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 31, 2018
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 20, 2017
This warranty administration bulletin provides policy information with the field action courtesy transportation policy.
17-NA-073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 15, 2017
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 22, 2017
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
The 1998 Cadillac Deville has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
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 1998 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.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 76,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.