Owners have filed 17 complaints
about the 1985 Cadillac Fleetwood with NHTSA between 1995 and 1998.
The largest single group is the transmission & drivetrain.
Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade:
A
B
C
D
F
ungraded
What breaks on a 1985 Cadillac Fleetwood
Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.
Electrical System
317.6%
Transmission & Drivetrain
317.6%
Equipment & Accessories
211.8%
Wheels
211.8%
Engine & Cooling
211.8%
Windows, Mirrors & Wipers
15.9%
Acceleration & Cruise Control
15.9%
Suspension
15.9%
Brakes
15.9%
Steering
15.9%
When owners complained
A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing
out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single
owner can see from inside their own car.
Nov 1995peak 9Oct 1998
NHTSA investigations into the 1985 Cadillac Fleetwood
An investigation is the step before a recall: the agency has seen enough
complaints to look into a pattern itself. An open one means it thinks
something may be wrong and nothing has been fixed yet.
EA88031Opened 22 Apr 1988Closed 23 Oct 1989VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGES
SUDDEN ACCELERATION
STATUS:ANALYSIS OF INFORMATION FROM THE MANUFACTURER IS IN PROGRESS.HOWEVER, NEITHER NHTSA OF GM HAS IDENTIFIED A FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION THATCOULD RESULT IN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION.SOME VEHICLES IN THIS GROUP WEREFOUND POTENTIALLY SUBJECT TO THROTTLE CABLE RESTRICTIONS, AND WERERECALLED ALONG WITH H CARS WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS.INVESTIGATION ISCONTINUING.===
EA88019Opened 28 Jan 1988Closed 31 Oct 1990STEERING
HYDRO BOOST
PE87038Opened 9 Jul 1987Closed 28 Jan 1988STEERING
HYDROBOOST FAILURE
SUBJECT VEHICLES:CAPRICE, CAPRICE CLASSIC, CUSTOM CRUISER, DEVILLE,ELECTRA, ESTATE WAGON, FLEETWOOD, LESABRE, NINETY-EIGHT, PARISIENNE,PARK AVENUE.(ALL 1984-86 GM VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH HYDROBOOST II SYSTEMS)ANALYSIS:CONSUMER COMPLAINTS ALLEGE SEVERAL PROBLEMS INVOLVING THE POWERSTEERING AND POWER BRAKE SYSTEMS OF THESE VEHICLES.THESE PROBLEMSINCLUDE: POWER STEERING FLUID LOSS, POWER BRAKE FLUID LOSS, LEAKAGE FROMTHE HYDRO-BOOST II POWER BRAKE BOOSTER, BROKEN BOOSTER SEALS, AND MASTERCYLINDER FAILURE.ALL PROBLEMS SEEM TO BE RELATED TO THE HYDRO-BOOST IIPOWER ASSIST SYSTEM, IN WHICH THE WORKING...
EA86025Opened 25 Aug 1986Closed 2 Mar 1988VISIBILITY
WINDSHIELD WIPERS
SUMMARY:GM BELIEVES THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN CORRECTED THROUGH ITS PUBLI-CATION OF 7 SERVICE BULLETINS CONCERNING THIS MATTER. IN ADDITION, GMDOES NOT BELIEVE WINDSHIELD WIPER FAILURE REPRESENTS A SAFETY HAZARD.ANALYSIS: THREE FAILURE MODES HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED; INSULATING FILM MAYBUILD UP BETWEEN THE BRUSH FACE AND THE COMMUTATOR OF THE WIPER MOTOR,CORROSION MAY FORM IN THE WIPER MOTOR BRUSH AND DISENGAGEMENT OF THEWIPER ARMS MAY OCCUR. IN VIEW OF THE EXISTING LEGAL PRECEDENT, THE LARGENUMBER OF WARRANTY CLAIMS CONCERNING WIPER MOTOR FAILURES (114,000) ANDTHE HIGH WIPER MOTOR AND MOTOR KIT PART S...
Recalls on the 1985 Cadillac Fleetwood
A complaint is one owner's allegation. A recall is the point at which
the manufacturer or a regulator agreed the defect is real and dangerous
enough to fix for free — however old the car is.
Canada — Transport Canada
Canada runs its own recall programme, and its campaigns do not
always mirror the American ones.
Recall 198909278,600 units in Canada
Engine
A SMALL NYLON BUSHING IN THE CRUISE CONTROL SERVO BAIL (BRACKET) MAY SLIP OUT OF PLACE RESULTING IN POSSIBLE INTERMITTENT INCREASES IN ENGINE SPEED OR DIESELING. THIS CONDITION COULD ALSO CAUSE THE SERVO ROD ASSEMBLY TO WEAR THROUGH THE BALL AND CATCH ON OTHER COMPONENTS POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A STUCK THROTTLE. THIS COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL AND A POSSIBLE CRASH. CORRECTION: A BUSHING KIT WILL BE INSTALLED ON THE CRUISE CONTROL SERVO BAIL.
Recall 1986007624 units in Canada
THESE VEHICLES DO NOT COMPLY WITH C.M.V.S.S.1101-EMISSION DEVICE.