1989 CADILLAC ALLANTE Service Brakes, Hydraulic Problems

DRIVER APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. THEN, DRIVER PUMPED THE BRAKES THREE TIMES TO STOP. DRIVER WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL, AND DROVE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER. MECHANIC ACKNOWLEDGED THE PROBLEM, BUT A SOLUTION COULD NOT BE DETERMINED AT THIS TIME. *AK

EVERY ALLANTE OWNER SEEMS TO HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. DT

THE BRAKES WILL NOT WORK. WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESED THE VEHICLE WILL NOT STOP, ALSO THE ABS LIGHT HAD ILLUMINATED. *JG

THE BRAKES WILL NOT WORK. WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESED THE VEHICLE WILL NOT STOP, ALSO THE ABS LIGHT HAD ILLUMINATED. *JG

WHEN TRYING TO APPLY BRAKES BRAKE PEDAL WILL GO TO THE FLOOR, CAUSING VEHICLE TO HAVE EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK

PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR, NO BRAKES, THEN THE ABS PUMP STARTED AND BRAKES RETURNED. THE BRAKE SYSTEMS HAS BECOME UNRELIABLE. REAR BRAKES WERE NOT FUNCTIONAL (CALIPERS FROZEN), AND ACCUMULATOR REPLACEMENT RETURNED NORMAL FUNCTION FOR LESS THAN 12 HOURS.*AK

WHILE DRIVING 70 AND APPLYING BRAKES, THE ABS SYSTEM FAILED, CAUSING LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. *AK THE DEALER REPLACED THE ACCUMULATOR, BUT DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. *YH

WHILE COMING TO A STOP AT ABOUT 25 MPH APPLIED BRAKES AND HEARD A CLUNKING SOUND.THEN, BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. HE WAS ABLE TO COAST TO SIDE OF ROAD, GOT OUT, AND NOTICED BRAKE FLIUD ON THE GOUND. MECHANIC DETERMINED BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER HAD FAILED, AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.*AK

UNDERSTAND YOU ARE REVIEWING ANTI-LOCK BRAKES FAILURE ON THIS CAR. I AM ALSO EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM AND UNDERSTAND THERE HAVE BEEN MANY FAILURES ,18 INJURIES AND ONE DEATH FROM THIS PROBLEM. IS THERE A RECALL FOR THIS SYSTEM.*AK

EBCM FAILED, ANTILOCK SYSTEM INACTIVE, POOR BRAKING ABILITY AS ANTILOCK SYSTEM GOES NUTS FOR THE FIRST FEW MINUTES OF DRIVING,WENT TO DEALER TO REPLACE EBCM, PART NOT AVAILABLE ANYMORE FROM GMC. MY CAR IS NOW A SAFETY HAZARD. GM SHOULD CONTINUE TO PROVIDE SUCH A VITAL PART RELATED TO THE SAFTEY OF THE CAR.*AK

OUR 1989 & 1990 HAVE THE SAME DANGEROUS PROBLEM OUTLINED WITHIN 70% OF THE COMPLAINTS ON YOUR DEFECTS INVESTIGATION DATABASE. WHAT IS THE OUTCOME OF YOUR INVESTIGATIONS THERIEN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM? NO SAFETY DEFECT LISTED IN SUMMARY. *AK

CONTINUED PROBLEMS WITH BRAKE SYSTEM LEAD TO COMPLETE ABS BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE. GM NEEDS TO RECALL THESE BOSCH III ABS BRAKE SYTEMS. ODI ACTION NUMBER EA99-017. *AK

WHILE DRIVING DOWNHILL AT 55 MPH ABS WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. UPON APPLYING BRAKES, DRIVER HAD TO PUSH ON THE PEDAL REALLY HARD, AND PULL UP STEERING BEFORE VEHICLE WOULD STOP. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALERHIP, WHERE THE ABS PUMP AND RELAY WERE REPLACED. *AK *ML

ABS ARNING LIGHT AND COMPUTER FEEDBACK CONTINUOUS TO FAIL. VERY POOR ENGINEERING DESIGN AND GMC SHOULD CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. *AK

MASTER CYLINDER FAILED, NO PRESSURE, REQUIRED TOTAL REPLACEMENT. *AK

THIS IS A INTERMITTENT ABS FAILURE. BRAKES STILL STOP CAR, BUT, NO ABS. *AK

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE.

I WAS DRIVING TO CHURCH WITH MY DAUGHTER ON OCTOBER 24, 1999 TRAVELLING ABOUT 35 MPH ON DRY PAVEMENT WITH OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE ABOUT 70 F. AS I APPLIED BRAKES TO STOP AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT DOWN AS USUAL, BUT SUDDENLY PUSHED MY FOOT UP AND BRAKING EFFECT BECAME NOTICEABLE LESS. FORTUNATELY, ON SUNDAY THERE IS NOT MUCH TRAFFIC AT THIS INTERSECTION, BUT WITH MORE A USUAL TRAFFIC PATTERN I WOULD HAVE CERTAINLY BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT. THERE WAS NO WARNING PRIOR TO THIS EVENT. THE BRAKES APPEARED TO BE WORKING NORMALLY. AT THE TIME OF THE BRAKE MALFUNCTIONED, THE RED BRAKE LIGHT LIT ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ALONG WITH THE LIGHT BEHIND THE CHECK INFORMATION CENTER AREA ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE DRIVER'S INFORMATION CENTER PANEL DISPLAYED "ANTI-LOCK DISABLED" FOLLOWED IN A FEW SECONDS BY "ANTI-LOCK OK". A SIMILAR SEQUENCE OF EVENTS RECURRED AS I DROVE THE CAR HOME SLOWLY. I CONTACTED GARY AT 1-800-ALLANTE WHO INFORMED ME THAT GENERAL MOTORS IS AWARE OF ANTI-LOCK FAILURES ON ALLANTES BUT HAS NOT "OPENED A CAMPAIGN". HE TOLD ME HE WAS "NOT ALLOWED" TO SAY ANYTHING FURTHER OTHER THAN TO CONTACT MY DEALER. THE CAR HAS BEEN REPAIRED. THE PROBLEM BEING ISOLATED TO THE ANTI-LOCK PUMP AND ACCUMULATOR. *AK

WHEN THE PEDAL WAS APPLIED WHILE TRAVELING SLOW THERE WAS NO RESPONSE FROM THE BRAKES, THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. VEHICLE EVENTUALY CRUISED ITSELF TO A STOP. NO DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK

I WAS APPROACHING A STOP SIGN AND WHEN I APPLIED MY BRAKES THEY DID NOT FUNCTION. LUCKILY THERE WAS NO VEHICLE IN THE INTERSECTION WHEN I WENT THROUGH IT.

THERE IS A SYSTEM DESIGN PROBLEM ON ALL CADILLAC ALLANTE ABS BRAKE SYSTEMS. *AK

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR THIS VEHICLE. *AK

WHEN BRAKE IS APPLIED, WARNING LIGHT COMES ON, BRAKE "THUMPS" (SKIPS), ABS IS DISABLED AND BRAKES WORK. I AM CAUTIOUSLY DRIVING CAR. LET NO ONE ELSE DRIVE. DEALER (FITZGERALD, ANNAPOLIS, MD) SAYS CAR IS SAFE, BRAKES WILL WORK. *AK

ORIGINAL ABS SYSTEM FAILED IN FALL OF 1998 AND WAS REPLACED WITH A REBUILT MASTER CYLINDER/ABS ASSEMBLY AT A COST OF $2900. 14 MONTHS AND 16000 MILES LATER, THIS ASSEMBLY FAILED AS WELL. THE LATEST FAILURE RESULTED IN NUMEROUS "ATTEMPTS" ON THE PART OF THE DEALERSHIP TO REPAIR THE SYSTEM, PUTTING THE CAR BACK ON THE ROAD, ONLY TO FAIL AGAIN. TWO FAILURES NEARLY RESULTED IN ACCIDENTS, ON AVOIDED BY DRIVING THE CAR OFF THE ROADWAY. REPAIRED SYSTEM IS CURRENTLY FUNCTIONING CONSISTENTLY WELL. I MAY BE CONTACTED DIRECTLY FOR FURTHER INFORMATION IF IT WOULD BE HELPFUL. I UNDERSTAND THIS IS A COMMON, AND EXPENSIVE PROBLEM ON THIS VEHICLE AS I HAVE LEARNED. THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER. DOUGLAS S. HERBERT (919) 682-3411. *AK

WHEN APPYLING ABS BRAKES BRAKE PEDAL BOUNCES BACK AND BECOMES HARD, ALSO, ABS BRAKE LIGHT ILLUMINATES. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR THIS VEHICLE. *AK

SUDDENLY NO BRAKES, HAD TO HAVE TOWED. ABS PUMP FAILURE, REPLACED ABS PUMP RELAY. *AK

ABS SYSTEM NOT WORKING. WORRIED THAT BRAKES WILL FAIL ON ME AS THEY HAVE DONE ON OTHER ALLANTE OWNERS. *AK

WHEN THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED, VEHICLE WOULD TAKE ABOUT 10 OR MORE SECONDS BEFORE BRAKES CATCH TO STOP. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER & WAS INFORMED THE MASTER CYLINDER IS CAUSING THE DELAYED REACTION TIME & NOT WORKING LIKE IT SHOULD. MASTER CYLINDER NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. CONSUMER BELIEVES THAT THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL. *AK *ML

NO SUMMARY

THE ABS BRAKE SYSTEM ON THE ALLANTE NEEDS TO BE REPAIRED. I HAVE READ MANY COMPLAINTS OF DRIVERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM.

AFTER APPROXIMATELY 5 MINUTES OF DRIVING, I WAS BRAKING FOR A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND THE BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSED AS NORMAL AND THEN I HEARD A METTALIC "CLUNK" SOUND AND THE PEDAL WENT FURTHER TO THE FLOOR AND STOPPED. THE "ABS DISABLED" MESSAGE FLASHED ON THE DRIVERS CONSOLE DISPLAY. IT WAS IMMEDIATELY CANCELLED BY THE "ABS OK" MESSAGE. THE CAR STOPPED WITHOUT INCIDENT. I DROVE IT CAUTIOUSLY FOR ANOTHER 10 MILES WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.

BOTH ABS SYSTEM AND BRAKE SYSTEM FAILED AT THE SAME TIME. I HAD ABSOLUTELY NO BRAKES. DEALER REPLACED ABS PUMP AS REPAIR. ONE WEEK LATER, BOTH SYSTEMS FAILED AGAIN AT SPEED. ABSOLUTELY NO BRAKES AGAIN. DEALER REPLACED ABS PUMP AND ACCUMULATOR. THE OWNERS' MANUAL SAYS THAT CONVENTIONAL BRAKES WILL REMAIN IF THERE IS AN ABS FAILURE. THAT WAS NOT MY EXPERIENCE.

THERE IS A METAL PLUNGER THAT RUNS THRU THE TOP OF THE MASTER CYLINDER FILLER TOP. I BELIEVE THAT THIS ALLOWS WATER TO WEEP DOWN THIS ROD INTO THE MASTER CYLINDER. AFTER REPLACING MINE THE MECHANIC REMOVER ONE OF THE CONNECTORS AND BRAKE FLUID, WATER, & RUST RAN OUT.

NO SUMMARY PROVIDED BY CONSUMER.

AFTER LEAVING A PARKING LOT AND TURNING ON TO A BOULEVARD, ACCELLERATED TO ABOUT 15 MPH AND THEN APPLIED BRAKES BECAUSE OF HEAVY TRAFFIC AHEAD. ABS WARNING LIGHT CAME ON, PEDAL WAS VERY FIRM AND I HAD TO PRESS ON THE PEDAL VERY HARD TO STOP THE VEHICLE. IT TOOK ABOUT 6 CAR LENGTHS TO STOP. NO POWER BRAKES AT ALL, AND WITH OUT POWER ASSIST, THE BRAKES ARE NOT AS GOOD AS OTHER CARS WITH OUT POWER DISK BRAKES! THE 1989 ALLANTE ABS BRAKE SYSTEM IS INTEGRAL WITH THE POWER BRAKES; WHEN THE ABS FAILS SO DO THE POWER BRAKES EVEN THOUGH IN THIS CASE THE HYDRAULIC PUMP WOULD WORK IF THE CONTROL RELAY WAS JUMPERED. DEALER CHARGED OVER $3,000. TO REPLACE THE BOSCH ABS SYSTEM WITH A GM REMANUFACTURED BOSCH UNIT, HAVING A ONE YEAR WARRANTY. OTHER MODELS OF CADILLAC CARS INCLUDING THE 1993 ALLANTE HAVE THE ABS UNIT SEPARATE FROM THE POWER BRAKES AND THE COST OF REPLACING EITHER OF THOSE UNITS IS MUCH LESS EXPENSIVE. THIS IS A VERY POOR DESIGN AND MANY MEMBERS OF THE ALLANTE APPRECIATION GROUP HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS SAME PROBLEM. FORTUNATELY, I WAS NOT ABLE TO ACHIEVE THE SPEEDS OF THE TRAFFIC FLOW AND HAD ENOUGH CLEAR SPACE AHEAD TO STOP. THESE BRAKES ARE UNSAFE.