1990 CADILLAC ALLANTE Complaints

ABS BRAKES DID NOT OPERATE PROPERLY. COULD NOT STOP VEHICLE. PUT TRANSMISSION IN NEUTRAL AND PUMPED THE PARKING BRAKE.THIS WAS A LIFE THREATENING EPISODE. *AK .

OVER THE LAST YEAR 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 DID'NT THINK IT WAS A PROBLEM, THEN ON 5-30-00 WHILE DRIVING HOME DOWN MY STREET THE CAR WOULD NOT STOP AND THE RED BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON THE DASH. THIS HAPPENED ALL WITHOUT WARNING. THE LAST TIME THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED IT SHOWED NO SIGNS OF TROUBLE. FROM WHAT I HEAR THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM FOR CADILLAC ALLANTE FROM 87-92. IKNOW THAT THERE WERE NOT MANY OF THESE CARS MADE (ABOUT 3000 PER YEAR) BUT IF THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THEN I FEEL THIS MUST BE ADDRESSED, SINCE IT IS SAFTEY RELATED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. *AK

ODI ACTION NUMBER: EA99-017 I GOT A MESSAGE ON MY MESSAGE CENTER THAT MY ALLANTE'S ABS SYSTEM WAS DISABLED SO I TOOK IT INTO MY DEALER. ON THE WAY THE BRAKES WENT TOTALLY OUT, ALMOST CAUSING AT LEAST ONE ACCIDENT. NOW I AM FINDING OUT FROM OTHER OWNERS OF CADILLAC ALLANTES THAT THIS IS HOW THE FOUND OUT ABOUT A MODEL WIDE PROBLEM. YOUR BRAKES GO OUT IS HOW YOU FIND YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH YOUR BRAKES. I HAD DRIVEN FEWER THAN TEN MILES AFTER RECEIVING THE WARNING. AND THE WARNING WAS NOT BRAKE FAILURE, BUT JUST ABS WHICH I HAVE NEVER REALLY USED. CADILLAC MADE VERY FEW OF THESE MODELS, BUT THE PROBLEM IS RAMPANT IN ALL OF THEM UP TO 1993. ARE YOU DOING ANYTHING ABOUT THIS? *AK

I CANNOT APPLY BRAKES WITHOUT LOSING THE ANTILOCK SYSTEM. I RETAIN SOME BRAKING, BUT IT IS THE MANUAL BRAKING AND NOT THE ABS. THIS FAILURE STARTED AROUND 60000 MILES IN 1998 AND I'VE BEEN EXTREMELY CAUTIOUS IN DRIVING THIS VEHICLE KNOWING THAT I WON'T HAVE ABS. I'M A MEBER OF THE ALLANTE APPRECIATION GROUP AND HAVE READ APPROX (40) FAILURES OF SAME FROM OTHER ALLANTE OWNERS. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT OUR WEBSITE AND YOU'LL ALWAYS FIND SOME MEMBER COMPLAINING OF A FAILURE OF THE ABS. *AK

DRIVING AT 45 MPH, A WARNING LIGHT APPEARED ON THE DASH AND I EXPERIENCED, SUDDEN AND COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE, USED EMERGENCY BRAKE AND TRANSMISSION TO STOP.

FAILURE STARTED WITH: ABS/TRACTION CONTROL FAIL LIGHTS AND READ-OUT ON THE DIC & HVAC PANEL ALONG WITH BRAKE PEDDLE 'THUMP' (NORMAL). THIN FINAL LOSS OF ALL BRAKEING DUE TO ACCUMULATOR AND HI-PRESS PUMP LOSS.CODE 63 WAS NOTICED BUT WAS UNABLE TO ISOLATE.

ANTILOCK BRAKES REQUIRE REPAIR...CAR STILL HAS STOPPING POWER BUT NO ANTILOCK AT TIMES

EVER SINCE I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE EVERY TIME I STEP ON THE BRAKES I RECEIVE A MOMENTARY DROP IN THE BRAKE PEDAL, WHAT APPEARS TO BE A LOUD CLICKING COMING FROM UNDER THE DASH AREA AND THEN A REFIRMING OF THE BRAKE PEDAL JUST BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. ALL THE TIME THIS IS HAPPENING I AM RECEIVING A MESSAGE ON THE DRIVER INFORMATION CENTER, ANTI-LOCK DISABLED, TRACTION CONTROL DISABLED FOLLOWED BY ANTI-LOCK O.K., TRACTION CONTROL O.K. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE IN THIS VEHICLE AND SINCE I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE I HAVE TALKED TO OTHERS WITH THE SAME OR SIMILAR PROBLEMS AND I DO NOT FEEL THIS IS AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. I FEEL THERE IS A DEFECT IN THE MANUFACTURING OF THE BRAKE SYSTEM COMPONENTS AND SHOULD BE REPAIRED BY THE MANUFACTURER REGARDLESS OF MILEAGE OR WARRANTY TIME.

THERE HAS BEEN MANY ALLANTES WITH SAME PROBLEMS. PLEASE DON'T WAIT FOR A FATALITY!SEE OTHER PEOPLES COMMENTS AND PROBLEMS ON ALLANTE NET: HTTP://WWW.ALLANTE.ORG/ NO AFETY DEFECTS MENTIONED IN THE SUMMARY. *AK

3 APPLICATIONS OF BRAKES AFTER FAILURE LIGHT CAME ON. "DROVE" CAREFULLY TO DEALER, USING GEARS TO "BRAKE." REPLACED PUMP ASSEMBLY AND RELAY ASSEMBLY.