2005 Cadillac Deville Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2005 Cadillac DeVille most often describe a temporary loss of power steering after driving through rain or standing water, and a separate group of starting and stalling complaints tied to the ignition switch that is covered by a 2014 recall. Complaints also describe an airbag warning light that stays lit and occasional engine oil leaks. Reports span a wide mileage range, from a few tens of thousands of miles to well over 150,000.

1. 1
   Steering

   Power steering cuts out in rain or after puddles

   • 23 complaints (24%)
   • median 75,000 mi at 7.9 yrs old (23 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2007–2019

   Complaints describe the steering wheel becoming very hard to turn, or briefly locking up, after driving through rain, standing water, or even a wet roadway. Several owners say it lasts about ten seconds to a minute and then returns on its own, and that it has happened many times; in some accounts the car made a screeching or squealing noise as it happened. Dealers reportedly replaced the power steering pump in some cases, applied belt dressing in others, or said they could not duplicate the problem, with the failure recurring afterward. Reported from roughly 17,000 to 173,000 miles, most often in wet weather or shortly after driving through water.

   What to check: Ask the seller whether the car has ever lost power steering in wet conditions, and try a low-speed turn on a wet road if you can. Worth having a mechanic look at the belt, tensioner and pump area given how often belt slip is mentioned in complaints.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “2005 Cadillac Deville. The power steering has gone out three times in the last two days. The weather was rain or the day after rain. I went to the Cadillac dealer ship on july 8 and told them what happened. After the car was checked by the dealer I was told the belt may have been wet from the rain. I have driven this car for three years and never had this problem.”

   NHTSA complaint #10233813, filed 2008-07, 35,000 miles

   “I was driving home after a driving rain. The car made a screeching sound for several seconds and then the steering wheel froze while I attempted to turn right. This has happened multiple times. Therefore I do not drive in the rain. Also the problem persists even after the power steering pump has been replaced secondary to a leak.”

   NHTSA complaint #10523218, filed 2013-07, 60,000 miles
2. 2
   Electrical system

   Stalling, no-start and key/ignition switch problems

   • 20 complaints (21%)
   • median 99,000 mi at 9.7 yrs old (15 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2014–2017

   Owners describe the car stalling at speed or on bumps, failing to restart until it sits or until the key is re-inserted, and keys that could be removed while driving or that would not turn at all. Several complaints mention ignition switch or ignition cylinder replacement, and several say the car was covered by recall 14V355000 but the parts were not available for a period. Some owners report the problem continued after the recall work. Reported across roughly 25,000 to 204,000 miles, often triggered by bumps or rough pavement.

   Recall 14V355000

   What to check: Confirm whether recall 14V355000 was actually performed on this specific car and ask for documentation. During a test drive, note whether the key feels loose in the switch or whether the engine cuts out over bumps.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Driving on a local freeway, my ignition switch to off. I was only going 55 MPH in heavy traffice. I was able to place the car in neutral & restart the engine, but for a short period I was with limited braking and steering. Had my wife been driving I am certain the outcome would not have been as good. After this I took the car into the local Cadillac dealer to have the ignition switch corrective recall complied with. They adjusted the size of the hole on my keys - this was the fix. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10786033, filed 2015-10, 150,000 miles

   “Vehicle cuts off at random times while in motion. The car ignition cuts off all power to the engine and power steering when the car hits a bump, railroad track, or pothole. Bumping the column cover will also cut off the engine, and the power steering. The vehicle has had the key modification which would appear to have no affect on the problem of the ignition randomly rotating out of the on position.”

   NHTSA complaint #10641861, filed 2014-10, 204,000 miles
3. 3
   Air bags

   Airbag warning light on / airbags not deploying

   • 14 complaints (15%)
   • median 65,000 mi at 9.3 yrs old (12 state mileage)
   • 6 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2009–2015

   Many owners report the airbag or check airbag light coming on at startup and staying lit, sometimes intermittently. In some accounts owners were told the passenger seat module and harness needed replacement, and one describes the light being on while the car was still new. A separate group of complaints describe airbags not deploying in collisions, sometimes in the same report as an ignition switch problem. Reported from about 40,000 to 150,000 miles, with the light usually noticed at startup.

   What to check: Check that the airbag light goes out a few seconds after startup. If it stays on, ask what diagnostics have been done and whether the recall for the ignition switch has been completed, since the recall text links the ignition to airbag function.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Airbag light kept coming on when the car was turned on. Sometimes this would stay on for 1 or 2 minutes. Called the dealer and they said it was not on the recall. When told them what it was doing, they said not to drive it & get a loaner. I have to pay $1300 to have this fixed. This should have been fixed by the company not by me.”

   NHTSA complaint #10652644, filed 2014-11, 62,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2005 Cadillac Deville. The contact stated that the check air bag warning light illuminated, as soon as the vehicle was started. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for a diagnostic. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but declined to assist. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 48,500. Updated 01/07/14”

   NHTSA complaint #10554797, filed 2013-12, 48,500 miles
4. 4
   Brakes

   Brake line rust-through and brake pulsation

   • 6 complaints (6%)
   • median 67,761 mi at 8.0 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2005–2017

   Complaints describe the brake pedal going to the floor with no response, which shops traced to a brake line rusted through, and one owner reports the same on the line running to the rear brakes. Other owners describe pulsation and poor stopping traced to warped rotors that were machined or replaced, with the ABS light sometimes on. Reported from roughly 24,000 to 117,000 miles, with the rust failures appearing on older, higher-mileage cars.

   What to check: Have the brake lines inspected underneath along their full length for rust, especially the run toward the rear, and check the pedal feel on a test drive. Ask whether rotors have been replaced or machined and whether the ABS light comes on.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On september 30, 2014, I was driving down the highway in my 2005 Cadillac Deville at the speed of 65 MPH. I exit on to an exit ramp and stopped at a stop light. While at the light my brake pedal went to the floor. I tried pumping the brakes but the peddle kept going to the floor. I then realized I lost my breaks. The repair shop that repaired my brakes stated that the brake line going to the rear brakes rusted out in the middle of the car, which caused my brake failure. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10658752, filed 2014-11, 114,979 miles

   “Vehicle repaired 2 twice within 3,000 miles for brake pulsation, poor stopping ability, ABS lite 'on'. Dealer replaced / machined rotors for warpage both times. Could not duplicate ABS warning.”

   NHTSA complaint #10185289, filed 2007-03, 24,000 miles

Buying note. Two things to verify before buying: that recall 14V355000 (ignition switch) was completed with paperwork, and that the power steering behaves normally on a wet road, since that is the most frequently described complaint. A pre-purchase inspection that includes the brake lines and ignition switch is worthwhile on a car of this age.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.