1988 Cadillac Allante problems & reliability
21 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1988 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 vehicles.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic → | 17 | 81% |
| Service Brakes, Air | 3 | 14% |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 5% |
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
“Brakes with no power assist. Brake pedal became very hard. Abs was completely disabled. Vehicle was slow to stop. Had taken vehicle to dealer. Had vehicle worked on, but braking problem still exists.*ak dealer stated that the sensor block and relay needed replaced. *jb”
Service Brakes, Hydraulic · filed Sep 25, 2001
“Due to sun light plastic housing of seatbelts they have cracked . Internal parts within seatbelts assemlby have failed due to poor manufacturing, causing a loss of protection.please provide further information. *ak”
Seat Belts · filed May 31, 2000
“While driving stepped on the brakes pedal and it felt hard. Then, took it for repairs ,and brake master cylinder was replaced. , recently, abs light came on, indicating that brakes were not working, and vehicle was not stopping on time. *ak”
Service Brakes, Hydraulic · filed Feb 24, 2000
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
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1988 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 1988 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.