2003 Cadillac Deville: engine failure

5 of the 145 complaints about the 2003 Cadillac Deville describe engine failure.

owner complaints: 5
of this car's complaints: 3%
recalls: 0

Is there a fix? 89 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Engine failure by model year

2005
4
2004
5
2003
5
2002
6
2001
8
2000
4
1999
10
1998
2
1997
2
1996
1
1995
2
1994
3
1993
1
1992
2
1991
1
1990
2

What owners say

Filed Aug 25, 2026 · Electrical · 105,000 miles · GA

The contact owns a 2003 Cadillac Deville. The contact stated that the ignition switch seized. Occasionally, the contact was able to wiggle the switch for the ignition to operate. The contact stated that the ignition switch failed to turn or operate as needed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was able to replace the ignition switch on three or four occasions. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 105,000.

Filed Dec 30, 2014 · Steering · FL · crash

Tl* the contact owned a 2003 cadillac deville. While driving 40 MPH, the steering seized and the contact lost control of the vehicle. As a result, the vehicle crashed into a tree. A police report was filed and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to an impound lot. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Dec 9, 2014 · Airbags, Brakes · 109,000 miles · IL · crash · 1 injury

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 cadillac deville. While driving 35 MPH, the vehicle shook violently and the brake pedal stiffened. In addition, the steering wheel seized and the vehicle crashed into a steel dumpster. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was not filed. The driver was injured and required medical attention. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v355000 (electrical system), but the part was not available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 109,000.

Filed Oct 20, 2014 · Electrical, Engine · 174,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 cadillac deville. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start and required a jump to be restarted. Also, the contact stated that the key failed to enter the ignition and the steering wheel seized. The failure recurred multiple times. The contact received a notification for recall the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v355000 (electrical system). The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 174,000.

Filed Sep 25, 2014 · Electrical, Transmission · 55,000 miles · CT

For the second time in about one month, the engine died and electric power went out (dashboard lights). The car restarted without difficulty when I pulled off the road and put it into park. We received a recall notice on this vehicle in august. After the first incident I carefully checked the battery cables and found nothing wrong. The battery is almost new. After getting the recall notice I checked the operation of the ignition switch and I found that the detent works perfectly. I had turn the key ccw by a large amount to turn off the engine and no amount of jiggling would cause the fault. Two different keys were involved in the two episodes. There is no possibility that my failures are related to weight hanging on the key.even so I asked the local dealer as well as the gm hotline when they can install the "fixes" and I was told that no parts may be available for months. About two weeks ago a person on the gm hotline promised to find a dealer with parts and call me back but did not do so. I have no confidence that gm will solve my problem with their recall fix, if and when it is executed, and fear that there is another common cause for the many failures that have been reported.