What are the common problems with the 1987 Cadillac Seville?
Owners of the 1987 Cadillac Seville have filed 11 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the seat belts (3). In NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026, none of its 11 complaints lists a mileage, too few to say when problems were reported; a complaint is an owner's report, not a proven defect.
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See what the paid report includes →NHTSA's file holds 11 owner complaints on the 1987 Cadillac Seville. Owners named the seat belts most often: 3 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component. None of the 11 complaints reports a crash, a fire or an injury.
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Common problems with the 1987 Seville
NHTSA's file holds 11 owner complaints on the 1987 Cadillac Seville. Owners named the seat belts most often: 3 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component.
| Component (NHTSA category) | Complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seat Belts | 3 | 0 | Under 5 mileages |
| Equipment | 2 | 0 | Under 5 mileages |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 1 | 0 | Under 5 mileages |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 0 | Under 5 mileages |
| Seats | 1 | 0 | Under 5 mileages |
None of the 11 complaints reports a crash, a fire or an injury.
Mileage when owners reported a problem with the 1987 Seville
Too few complaints on the 1987 Seville list a mileage to say when owners reported problems: none of its 11 complaints lists a mileage, and a median is given here only with 10 or more.
These mileages say when owners reported a problem, not when a 1987 Seville wears out. NHTSA's file holds only vehicles whose owners complained; one that ran without a problem never appears in it, so it gives no lifespan and no cutoff, and how a vehicle was maintained matters more than any one odometer reading.
Is the 1987 Seville a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 1987 is a good or a bad Seville: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 1987 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file.
With 11 complaints, the 1987 ranks 15th of the 17 Cadillac Seville model years from 1986 to 2003 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most, tied with 1986 and 1988. The most: the 1996 (122).
Recent model years have had less time to collect complaints, so their counts are still growing. No year is ranked by mileage here, because a year's median mileage mostly follows its age.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 Seville | 11 | 0 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1987 (this page) | 11 | 0 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1988 Seville | 11 | 0 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1990 Seville | 19 | 1 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1991 Seville | 21 | 0 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1992 Seville | 27 | 1 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1993 Seville | 42 | 11 | 118,000 |
| 1994 Seville | 50 | 8 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1995 Seville | 74 | 27 | 103,000 |
| 1996 Seville | 122 | 31 | 94,000 |
| 1997 Seville | 95 | 38 | 89,007 |
| 1998 Seville | 65 | 24 | 79,000 |
| 1999 Seville | 73 | 24 | 51,603 |
| 2000 Seville | 38 | 13 | 50,000 |
| 2001 Seville | 53 | 30 | 46,020 |
| 2002 Seville | 45 | 28 | 88,000 |
| 2003 Seville | 16 | 12 | 47,322 |
1987 Cadillac Seville recalls
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 2 recall campaigns that name the 1987 Cadillac Seville (1 vehicle campaign and 1 equipment or tire campaign that names this model year, often for aftermarket parts). A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
What these figures can and cannot tell you
- Complaints are owners’ reports to NHTSA. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them: a complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
- The mileage is what the owner wrote on the complaint; NHTSA does not check it against the odometer.
- The make, model and model year are the ones on the complaint. NHTSA records them as filed, so a few complaints sit under a model year the name was not sold in.
- They are not a lifespan study. The file holds only vehicles whose owners reported a problem, so these figures do not say how long a typical 1987 Seville lasts.
- A complaint count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road, so it is not a rating of the 1987 Seville.
- Nothing here describes one vehicle: its title brands, odometer readings, accidents and open recalls are in the records for its own VIN.
- None of the 11 complaints on the 1987 Cadillac Seville gives a usable mileage (blank, zero, a filler such as 999999, or over 500,000).
- NHTSA name counted: SEVILLE. NHTSA files some vehicles under several names (a series name and a trim name, for example); this page counts only this one.
- Recall-file name matched: SEVILLE.
Primary sources behind this page
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Complaints file field layout (CMPL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls file field layout (RCL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recall and complaint datasets: scope and documentationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls Lookup by VINNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA’s complaints file was downloaded on November 11, 2026 (FLAT_CMPL.txt, dated 2026-11-11 10:15, 2,265,416 rows), with its recall files (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.txt and FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.txt, dated 2026-11-11 08:02). Each complaint is counted once, by its NHTSA number, with the model year and mileage of its first row; a model year has a page only with 10 or more complaints. The collection script and its rules are in scripts/collect-nhtsa-model-year-longtail.mjs.
1987 Cadillac Seville questions
What are the most common 1987 Cadillac Seville problems?
NHTSA's file holds 11 owner complaints on the 1987 Cadillac Seville. Owners named the seat belts most often: 3 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component. None of the 11 complaints reports a crash, a fire or an injury.
At what mileage do owners report problems with the 1987 Cadillac Seville?
NHTSA's file gives no mileage figure for the 1987 Cadillac Seville: none of its 11 complaints lists a mileage, and this page gives a median only with 10 or more. These are mileages at a reported problem; they do not say how many miles a 1987 Seville can cover.
Is the 1987 Cadillac Seville a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 1987 is a good or a bad Seville: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 1987 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file. With 11 complaints, the 1987 ranks 15th of the 17 Cadillac Seville model years from 1986 to 2003 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most, tied with 1986 and 1988. The most: the 1996 (122).
How many recalls does the 1987 Cadillac Seville have?
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 2 recall campaigns that name the 1987 Cadillac Seville (1 vehicle campaign and 1 equipment or tire campaign that names this model year, often for aftermarket parts). A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
How do I check a used 1987 Cadillac Seville before buying?
Take the 17-character VIN from the vehicle and compare the odometer with the readings on file for it: title transfers, inspections and auction sales record the mileage on the day. VIN Lookup (free-vin-lookup.com) sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99 (3 reports for $29.99, 5 for $44.99): odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for the VIN. Check the VIN before buying a used 1987 Cadillac Seville.