Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1981 Eldorado.
The 1981 Cadillac Eldorado carries a single owner-reported complaint and one recall, with the sole complaint category centered on Engine & Engine Cooling. Because the model's aggregated complaint history spans only 1990 through 2002 — peaking at 81 reports for 1996 and bottoming at 13 for 1991 — the 1981 model year sits outside that tracked window, making its lone complaint and recall the only documented reliability markers for this vintage. That sparse record suggests either exceptional durability or limited reporting for the early Bustle-back generation, leaving researchers with a thin but clean baseline for this model year.
0–60 mph, quarter-mile, horsepower and torque from independent road tests.
Independent road tests for the Eldorado 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Touring Coupe 4.1L V8 | 15.20 sec | 20.20 sec | 125 hp | FWD |
| 1984 | Touring Coupe 4.1L V8 | 13.10 sec | 19.30 sec | 135 hp | FWD |
Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.
The 1981 Cadillac Eldorado recorded one complaint in the Engine & Engine Cooling area, one fire complaint, and zero crash complaints. The provided federal record covers a later period from 1990 to 2002, meaning there is no data available to compare 1981 to the years immediately before or after it. Across that later generation, complaints peaked at 81 in 1996, while technical service bulletins rose significantly from 0 in 1990 to 351 by 2002. The 1981 model falls entirely outside this specific arc of increasing technical service bulletins and higher complaint volumes. Given the negligible number of reported federal issues for 1981 compared to the later models, this is a good year to buy.
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 FRONT LEFT UPPER CONTROL ARM NUTS MAY NOT HAVE BEEN SECURELY TIGHTENED. THE NUTS MAY LOOSEN AND COME OFF AND WITH CONTINUED DRIVING THE CONTROL ARM FRONT BOLT MAY WORK ITS WAY OUT OF POSITION OR BECOME DISPLACED. Remedy:
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.