Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1979 DeVille.
The 1979 Cadillac DeVille, as presented in the overview, recorded a single owner complaint, with the Service Brakes, Hydraulic system being the top area of concern, and was subject to one recall. When viewed against the broader complaint history for the model line spanning 1990 to 2005 — where the lowest annual total was 94 complaints in 1990 and the peak reached 306 complaints in 1997 — the 1979 example stands at the very low end of the spectrum. This positions the 1979 DeVille as a notably reliable entry in the model's long‑term complaint record.
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.
| Year | Trim / engine | 0–60 | ¼ mile | HP | Drivetrain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Coupe 7.0L V8 | 10.60 sec | 18.20 sec | 195 hp | RWD |
| 1981 | d'Elegance Sedan 6.0L V8 | 11.60 sec | 18.40 sec | 145 hp | RWD |
Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.
The 1979 Cadillac DeVille is the target year, and the federal complaint data provided begins in 1990, so no complaints are recorded for that specific year in the dataset. However, the single complaint category listed for 1979 is Service Brakes, Hydraulic (1 complaint), with one crash complaint and zero fire complaints. The year‑by‑year record from 1990 to 2005 shows a steady increase in complaints and TSBS numbers, peaking at 548 in 2005, indicating growing issues in later model years. Because 1979 precedes this upward trend, it falls outside the documented complaint arc and is not captured in the complaint counts. Consequently, based on the available federal record, the 1979 DeVille appears to have minimal documented problems and may be a reasonable buy, pending a thorough mechanical inspection.
All 1 complaints on record, top 1 components.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.
Showing 1 of 1 campaigns on record for this vehicle.
THE HEADS MAY BREAK OFF THE FRONT OUTBOARD SEAT BELT ANCHOR BOLTS DURING NORMAL VEHICLE OPERATION EVEN UNDER NO LOAD CONDITIONS. THIS IS DUE TO THE COMBINATION OF BOLTS USED, HIGH INSTALLATION TORQUE AND ARRANGEMENT OF… Remedy: DEALER WILL REPLACE ALL ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT FRONT OUTBOARD SEAT BELT ANCHOR BOLTS ON THE AFFECTED VEHICLES AT NO COST TO OWNER.
The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.
Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.
Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.
NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.