The contact owned a 1996 Cadillac Seville. The contact stated while parked, the contact noticed smoke coming from the vents. The contact was able to exit the vehicle, and once the contact exited the vehicle, the vehicle burst into flames. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. The contact was unsure if a police report was filed. No one was injured. The vehicle was towed and deemed a total loss. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000. The VIN was not available.
The worst 1996 Cadillac Seville problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Engine27
- Electrical24
- Fuel system21
- Steering17
- Airbags10
- Visibility7
- Acceleration6
- Lights5
- Transmission5
- Body4
- Seats3
- Brakes2
- Suspension2
- Seat belts1
- Tires1
- Wheels1
Specific symptoms reported on the 1996 Cadillac Seville
Stalling 9Fuel smell 8Fire or smoke 7Won't start 7Engine failure 5Fuel leak 5Power steering loss 5
Recalls 2
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- Some passenger vehicles equipped with 4.0l v8 engines have a condition in which the nylon tubing used in the fuel rail construction may degrade and crack. Additionally, the 1995 model year uses a unique underhood fuel return line that may crack. Cracking of the fuel rail or return line tubing can result in a fuel leak into the engine compartment.
- Risk
- Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the engine fuel rail with a new stainless steel fuel rail. Dealers will also install a revised chassis fuel return line. The recall began on june 2, 2004, for 1996-1997 oldsmobile aurora vehicles. Owners of 1995 cadillacs and 1996-1997 oldsmobile aurora were sent letters on august 6, 2004. Additional letters to owners will be forthcoming. Owners should contact oldsmobile at 1‑800‑630‑6537.
Recall number 04V110000 · Recall details
Equipment: electrical
- What is wrong
- The analog instrument panel cluster on these vehicles could have an internal short circuit disrupting the pass key system, causing failure of the instrument panel gauges and tell-tales, and a possible no-start condition. This does not conform to the requirements of fmvss no. 101, "controls and displays;" no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment;" and no. 208, "occupant crash protection."
- Risk
- Consequence of non-compliance: if the short circuit occurs while driving, the instrument panel cluster will go blank, causing loss of gauge function and all teel-tale indicators except for ABS, sir, park brake and service engine soon. The loss of all tell-tales for seat belts, turn signals, high beam, hazard, oil pressure, coolant temperature, and others result in noncompliance with these safety standards.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the instrument panel cluster.
Recall number 95V224000 · Recall details
See all 2 recalls for the 1996 Cadillac Seville
Defect investigations
Fuel rail leaks
On march 3, 2004, general motors notified odi that it was recalling approximately 94,000 my 1995-97 oldsmobile aurora vehicles equipped with 4.0l v8 engines (rpo l47 - vin8 c) to address concerns with underhood fuel leakage from cracked fuel rails and, in some of the vehicles, cracked fuel return lines. According to gm, the nylon tubing (pa12) used in the fuel rail construction in these vehicles may degrade and crack.gm's supplier attributed the cracking to the combined effects of heat, time, alcohol fuel, fuel pressure cycling, and design stresses.in addition, gm stated that the my 1995 aurora uses a unique underhood fuel return line that may also crack at unusually high rates.gm dealers will install a new fuel rail constructed out of stainless steel in all of the recalled vehicles and will also install a revised chassis fuel return line in the my 1995 auroras. On april 16, 2004, general motors notified odi that it was adding approximately 389,000 my 1995-97 cadillac seville, deville and eldorado vehicles equipped with 4.6l v8 engines (rpo's ld8 and l37 - vin8 y and 9) to recall 04v‑110.the recalled cadillacs will receive the new stainless steel fuel rails.this engineering analysis is closed.
EA04003
Fuel rail leakage
The fuel rail assemblies used in the subject vehicles were manufactured by dana.the fuel rail jumper tubes were made of monolayer nylon 12 (pa12).in model year (my) 1998, the jumper tube material was changed from pa12 to m-bond (a multi-layer ptfe/pa12).in addition, all service parts produced since the end of production 1997 use the m-bond jumper tubes. Material analysis performed by dana on failed fuel rails showed that the mono-layer nylon 12 jumper tubes are susceptible to environmental stress cracking (ESC).gm believes the ESC is a result of heat, time, alcohol blended fuel, fuel pressure cycling, and designed in stress. Eight of the gm complaints are duplicative of odi complaints.odi has received 77 of it's 123 complaints in the past 12 months.fuel rail part sales over the last three years range from 3.0 percent of production for the my 1997 cadillac vehicles to 13.1 percent for the my 1995 auroras.at least one of the fire incidents occured while the vehicle was parked within a garage attached to the consumers home.the fire resulted in damage to the dwelling as well as the total loss of the vehicle.this investigation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis.
PE03050
Power rack and pinion steering failure
Gm conducted a safety recall (the federal safety agency # 02v286) to address a steering defect pertaining to a lower pinion bearing (lpb) within the rack and pinion steering gear (r&p). The recall covered 1,159,156 model year 1997-1998 pontiac grand prix vehicles built between march 1, 1996 and october 31, 1997, 1996-1998 pontiac trans sport, chevrolet lumina apv, chevrolet venture, oldsmobile silhouette minivans, and chevrolet cavalier and pontiac sunfire sedans built between january 1, 1996 and october 31, 1997.odi opened this rq after receiving reports that other vehicles were exhibiting the same symptoms as the recalled vehicles.based on odi's review of technical and complaint data collected during the rq, the w-cars are associated with either a higher steering complaint rate or a higher lpb failure rate than the other vehicles investigated under the rq and are above or near the rates for the recalled vehicles.thus, odi will further examine the w-cars (1996-1997 oldsmobile cutlass supreme, 1996-1998 buick regal, chevrolet lumina, chevrolet monte carlo, 1997-1998 buick century, and 1998 oldsmobile intrigue) under a new investigation, engineering analysis (ea)03-019.
RQ03001
Inadvertent air bag deployment
There is no summary currently available
EA98004
Technical service bulletins for the 1996 Cadillac Seville 45
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Fuel system, gasoline
- Equipment: electrical: anti-theft devices
- This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy...
- Equipment
- This warranty administration bulletin provides policy information with the field action courtesy...
- Equipment: electrical: anti-theft devices
- Expanded Availability for Remanufacture and Return (R&R) Electronic Control Modules
- Knockig noises or excessive oil consumption
- Missing camshaft intermediate drive shaft plug - service vme
- Engine oil leaks along the upper to lower crankcase joint
1996 Cadillac Seville fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.6L 8‑cyl | FWD | 15 | 24 | 18 |
What 1996 Cadillac Seville owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 cadillac seville. While driving 30 MPH, the front driver and passenger side air bags suddenly deployed without impact or warning. There were no injuries. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the technician noticed water leaking from the air conditioning unit into the air bag computer system, which caused the air bags to fail. As a result, the contact was informed that the air bags and other unknown parts related to the computer system and air conditioning unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 183,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 cadillac seville. The contact stated that there was a fuel leak. Also, when the vehicle was started, the pass key lock warning indicator flashed. The key would not turn over to start the vehicle on several occasions. The vehicle was unable to be driven each time the failure occurred. The VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign numbers: 95v224000 (equipment) and 04v110000 (fuel system, gasoline). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and recommended that the vehicle be taken to a dealer for further diagnostic testing. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 117,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 cadillac seville. While approaching a stop, the front driver and passenger air bags deployed independently and without impact. The contact sustained abrasions to the right arm, which required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a body shop. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 156,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 cadillac seville. The contact stated the vehicle would intermittently stall. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis. The dealer stated the crank shaft sensors, sparks plugs and idle air control valve needed to be replaced the vehicle was not repaired. . The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic. The mechanic replaced the crank shaft position sensors,wiring, sparks plugs and idle air control valve. However the failure persisted. The contact stated the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v047000 (air bags , electrical system) is the same failure he experienced. However, the recall did not include the contact's year make or model. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 80,000. Updated 07-23-14 *bf updated 7/31/14
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 cadillac seville. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the entire instrument panel went black with the exception of the radio component. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign id number: 95v224000 (equipment:electrical). The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was unknown.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 cadillac seville sls. The contact was traveling 30 MPH when an error message appeared indicating that the vehicle would not start. The vehicle then stalled. The vehicle was towed to a private mechanic. The mechanic stated that a grounded fuse caused a failure to the wiring harness in the instrument panel. The manufacturer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were unknown.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 cadillac seville. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under the federal safety agency campaign id number: 04v110000 (fuel system, gasoline:delivery:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings) for a fuel leak but the failure recurred. The vehicle was leaking gasoline onto the ground from the engine compartment, which the contact was concerned could possibly cause a fire. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure, but denied any assistance with repairs to the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 150,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 cadillac seville sts. The contact was driving approximately 25 MPH and smelled a strong burning odor of fumes inside of the vehicle. The engine began to overheat, causing the temperature gauge to increase rapidly to hot. The contact maneuvered to the side of the road to inspect the vehicle and noticed a substantial amount of coolant leakage underneath the dashboard and the front passenger floor area. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 138,000.
Gm has a known problem with the cadallic northstar 4.6l head gaskets. They broke down between 70,000 and 140,000 miles gm will not assist in the repair of the head gaskets. Our cadillac is a 1996 with 72,000 miles and has had the leaking since 40,000 miles. The dealer was and is willing to repair for approx. $3500.00. We have never been told about the lawsuit that was files and the dealer has known about the dex coolant problem. The dealer will not guarantee the head gasket they said was needed . I did not know that there were service bullittins on putting inserts in the block for the head bolts. I think over 50% of these engines have had the gasket replaced. This was a problem, but I know that they like the money that it brings in to them.
Compare the 1996 Cadillac Seville
Other model years
199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004
Questions about the 1996 Cadillac Seville
Is the 1996 Cadillac Seville reliable?
Owners have filed 122 complaints about the 1996 Cadillac Seville, 2.7 times a typical Seville model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1996 Cadillac Seville?
Engine and cooling, with 27 complaints, typically around 80,000 miles. Next is electrical (24).
How many recalls does the 1996 Cadillac Seville have?
2 recalls, covering fuel system, gasoline and equipment.
What year does the Cadillac Seville have bad engine?
The Cadillac Seville model years with the most engine complaints are 1996 (27 complaints), 1999 (26 complaints) and 1994 (21 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 1996 Cadillac Seville get?
Official estimates for the 1996 Cadillac Seville range from 18 mpg combined. The most efficient version (4.6L 8-cyl, FWD) gets 15 city and 24 highway.
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