CadillacDeVille1976Overview/cadillac/deville/1976/base/

1976 Cadillac DeVille

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1976 DeVille.

The 1976 Cadillac DeVille stands as a notably quiet entry in the model’s reliability record, with just four owner complaints logged—all concentrated in the structure category—and zero recalls. This places the 1976 model year at the extreme low end of the DeVille’s documented complaint spectrum, especially when viewed against later years like 1997, which saw 306 complaints, or even the relatively calmer 1990 with 94. For researchers, this suggests a model year that largely avoided the mechanical and electrical issues that would later define the nameplate’s ownership experience.

Model year200520042003200220012000199919981976

Performance & power Independent road tests

0–60 mph, quarter-mile, horsepower and torque from independent road tests.

Independent road tests for the DeVille of this era, listed by trim and engine — this page spans more than one engine, so no single horsepower figure is shown.

10.9 sec0–60 mph (tested)quickest 10.90 sec — 1975 Coupe
YearTrim / engine0–60¼ mileHPDrivetrain
1975Coupe 8.2L V810.90 sec17.66 sec190 hpRWD

Reliability & federal safety record

Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.

The federal record provided spans 1990–2005 and does not include the 1976 model year or its contemporaries, so no year-over-year trend for the 1976 DeVille's generation can be derived from this dataset. For 1976 specifically, the data shows four total complaints across three categories: Structure (2), Tires (1), and Engine & Engine Cooling (1), with zero crash complaints and one fire complaint; the data does not specify root causes for any of these. Complaint volume for 1976 is extremely low in absolute terms, though the absence of surrounding-year data prevents assessing whether this reflects a genuinely clean year or merely sparse reporting for a vehicle of this vintage. The single fire complaint warrants attention during inspection, particularly regarding fuel and electrical systems, but no pattern is evident. With only four documented complaints and no crash reports, the 1976 DeVille presents a relatively clean federal record, though the limited data depth means a thorough pre-purchase inspection remains essential.

0
Open recalls
NHTSA campaigns
0
Service bulletins
Manufacturer communications
0
ODI investigations
Office of Defects Investigation
4
Owner complaints
0 involved a crash · 1 a fire
Owner complaints by model year NHTSA · this generation & adjacent

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component

All 4 complaints on record, top 3 components.

Structure2
Tires1
Engine & Engine Cooling1

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

No recall campaigns on record with NHTSA for this vehicle as of the last data refresh.

Common OBD-II trouble codes

The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.

P0420
Catalyst system efficiency below threshold — Bank 1
P0300
Random / multiple cylinder misfire detected
P0171
System too lean — Bank 1
P0455
Evaporative emission system leak detected — large leak
P0128
Coolant thermostat below regulating temperature
P0442
Evaporative emission system leak detected — small leak

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN
Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific DeVille. OEM
Build data
Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.
Recalls
Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.

Frequently asked

Does the 1976 DeVille have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 0 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.