Research · complaint index

Cadillac Eldorado years to avoidWhat NHTSA complaint data does and doesn’t say

We compared 7 model years of the Cadillac Eldorado by owner complaints to NHTSA, adjusted for how long each year has been on the road. No single year stands far above the rest.

01 —Complaint index

Complaints per year on the road

1.0 = typical year for this model
View as table
Model yearComplaints per year since release
19962
19972
19981
19991
20001
20011
20021
YearComplaintsPer year on roadIndexRecallsCrashesSignal
20021610.602Typical
20012410.800Typical
20003011.012Typical
19992310.701Typical
19983811.212Typical
19975921.826Typical
19966021.722Typical
  • 200216 complaints · 0 recallsTypical
  • 200124 complaints · 0 recallsTypical
  • 200030 complaints · 1 recallTypical
  • 199923 complaints · 0 recallsTypical
  • 199838 complaints · 1 recallTypical
  • 199759 complaints · 2 recallsTypical
  • 199660 complaints · 2 recallsTypical
Data from NHTSA Complaints & Recalls APIs · synced Nov 10, 2026
02 —FAQ

About this comparison

What Cadillac Eldorado years have the most complaints?

No Cadillac Eldorado model year drew more than twice the typical complaint rate among the 7 model years compared. The highest was 1997.

Is this a reliability rating?

No. These are counts of unverified owner complaints to NHTSA. They are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so a popular year can collect more complaints. Use them to find patterns, then read the reports.

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.