1997 CADILLAC DEVILLE Complaints

BRAKES CHATTER WHEN VEHICLE GOES OVER 50MPH OR MAKES A SUDDEN STOP. FRONT DISC ROTORS WORE OUT OF ROUND, AND DEALER HAD TO ADJUST FRONT DISC BRAKES BY RESURFACING THEM. 2 WEEKS LATER, AFTER THE REPAIRS SHATTERING CAME BACK. WHEN PROBLEM RETURNED CONSUMER CONTACTED DEALER, AND WAS TOLD "THAT WAS THE WAY ANTI LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM WAS SUPPOSED TO WORK.*AK CONSUMER STATES THIS STILL OCCURS. *SLC

SEAT BELT ON DRIVER'S SIDE DID NOT MAKE CLICKING SOUND TO ASSURE CONSUMER THAT SEATBELT WAS LOCKED. CLICKING OF OTHER SEATBELTS IN VEHICLE COULD BE HEARD TO ASSURE THAT THEY WERE LOCKED. DEALER STATED THAT LOCKS DIDN'T HAVE A PROBLEM. BUT, CONSUMER WANTED A STATEMENT IN WRITING THAT THERE WAS NO PROBLEM. CONSUMER WROTE MANUFACTURER, AND WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A RESPONSE IN WRITING STATING THAT SEATBELT WAS STILL SAFE TO USE ALTHOUGH IT DIDN'T MAKE THE CLICKING SOUND. *AK CONSUMER STATES THAT DEALER STATED IT WAS OKAY IF THE CLICK WAS NOT HEARD, DEALER WOULD NOT GIVE ANY DOCUMENTATION BACKING UP THERE RESPONSE. *SLC

WHEN DRIVING AND APPLYING THE BRAKES VEHICLE WILL START TO SHAKE. HAS NOT CONTACTED DEALER. *AK

HEAD LIGHT LENS HAVE FALLED OFF HEADLIGHTS. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT PARTS WERE ONLY SOLD AS A WHOLE UNIT, NOT JUST LENS COVER. ASKING NHTSA TO ASSIST IN THIS MATTER.*AK CONSUMER STATES THAT THE PLASTIC CIVER HAS FALLEN OFF WHILE DRIVING, REPLACEMENT IS COSTLY BECAUSE CONSUMER HAS TO PURCHASE THE WHOLE HEAD LIGHT ASSEMBLY INSTEAD OF JUST THE FAILED PART. *SLC

BOTH HEADLIGHT COVERS FELL OFF WHILE DRIVING IN COLD,RAINY CONDITIONS. THANKFULLY, MY USED CAR DEALER HANDLED THE PROBLEM UNDER WARRANTY, BUT IT APPEARS THERE IS A DEFECT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE HEADLIGHT UNITS.*AK

CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH IN HIGH WIND WHEN COVER FOR RIGHT FRONT HEADLAMP FELL OFF. THEN, IT STARTED RAINING WHICH CAUSED HEADLAMP BULB TO GO OUT. CONSUMER WAS STOPPED BY STATE POLICE WHO INFORMED HIM THAT HEADLIGHT WAS OUT. *AK HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED AND THE SAME DAY WHILE DRIVING THE LEFT PLASTIC COVER BLEW OFF. *SLC

COVER FOR LEFT HEADLAMP FELL OFF VEHICLE ON APRIL 10TH, 2001, AND COVER FOR RIGHT HEADLAMP FELL OFF ON APRIL 12TH, 2001 WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH. CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THAT CONDENSATION IN HEAD LAMP ASSEMBLY CAUSED COVERS TO DISCONNECT. *AK *SLC

MY 1997 CADILLAC DEVILLE WAS ONE MONTH OUT OF WARRANTY WHEN THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT COVER FELL OFF WHIL MY WIFE WAS ON THE HIGHWAY. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION, I FOUND THAT THE LEFT HEADLIGHT COVER WAS ABOUT TO FALL OFF AS THE ADHESIVE HAD FAILED THAT HOLDS THE LENS TO THE HEADLIGHT BODY. NO REPLACEMENT COVERS ARE AVAILABLE. THE ONLY "FIX" IS TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY AT A COST OF $689.75 FOR THE TWO HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES. CADILLAC HAS REUECTED THIS AS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT OR AS A SAFETY ISSUE. I FEEL IT IS BOTH AND THAT THIS VINTAGE OF CADILLAC DEVILLE'S SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED FOR WHAT I AM FINDING OUT IS A SOMEWHAT COMMON PROBLEM. WHILE MY WIFE WAS IN THE SERVICE WAITING AREA TO HAVE THESE HEADLIGHTS REPLACED ONE OF THE CUSTOMERS ALSO STATED THAT SHE WAS IN FOR THE SAME PROBLEM AND ANOTHER SAID THAT HE HAD RECENTLY HAD ONE OF HIS REPLACED IN BOTH INSTANCES THIS WAS DONE UNDER WARRANTY. ALSO, IF THIS WERE NOT A COMMON PROBLEM WHY WOULD A SMALL TOWN DEALERSHIP STOCK SUCH AN EXPENSIVE PART AND NOT HAVE TO ORDER IT FROM THE FACTORY? FURTHER, UNPON INQUIRY BY A FRIEND OF MINE OF A WEST PALM BEACH CADILLAC DEALER'S SERVICE REP, THE SERVICE REP MADE THE STATEMENT THAT "THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME AND WE USUALLY COVER IT UNDER THE NORMAL WARRANTY OR A SPECIAL WARRANTY THAT WE CAN UTILIZE." I FEEL THAT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND NOT JUST A PROBLEM OF GETTING SATISFACTION FROM CADILLAC. THE SAFETY ISSUE IS THAT WHEN THE HEADLIGHT COVER IS GONE OR FAILS TO BE WATERTIGHT, MOISTURE CAN REACH THE HALOGEN BULB WITHIN THE SEALED UNIT AND THE LEAST AMOUNT OF MOISTURE CAUSES THE BULB TO FAIL. NEEDLESS TO SAY, YOU ARE THEN UNEXPECTEDLY WITHOUT LIGHTS IF BOTH UNITS FAIL AND IF ONLY ONE FAILS YOU ARE STILL WITHOUT PROPER LIGHTING FOR NIGHTTIME DRIVING. CAN YOU INQUIRE OF CADILLAC AS TO THE FREQUENCY OF THIS HEADLIGHT LENS FAILURE AND ASK THEM WHY THEY HAVE NOT ESTABLISED A RECALL PROGRAM IF THIS FAILURE IS AS FREQUENT AS I AM HEARING?*AK

A FUME ODOR IN PASSENGER'S COMPARMENT CAUSING A HAZARD TO OCCUPANTS OF VEHICLE. FUME ODOR IS COMING FROM EXHAUST. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER, DEALER HAS REPLACED PARTS, BUT PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. *AK

THE LEFT HEADLIGHT CLEAR LENS-COVER CAME LOOSE, THE CONSUMER BELIEVED THAT THIS COMPONENT COULD BE RESEALED, THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT IT COULD NOT BE RESEALED BUT A NEW LAMP ASSEMBLY HAD TO BE INSTALLED, INSURANCE AGENT LEONARD DUNLOP WROTE IN FOR CONSUMER. NLM