Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1981 DeVille.
The 1981 Cadillac DeVille presents a remarkably clean reliability profile, with just two owner complaints on file—both concentrated in the steering system—and zero recalls. This stands in sharp contrast to the model’s documented complaint history from 1990 to 2005, where annual totals ranged from a low of 94 in 1990 to a high of 306 in 1997. For a researcher, the 1981 model year’s minimal reported issues suggest a period of relative dependability that predates the higher complaint volumes seen in later decades.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | d'Elegance Sedan 6.0L V8 | 11.60 sec | 18.40 sec | 145 hp | RWD |
| 1978 | Coupe 7.0L V8 | 10.60 sec | 18.20 sec | 195 hp | RWD |
Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.
The 1981 Cadillac DeVille shows only two steering complaints in the federal record, with zero crash or fire complaints reported for the target year. However, the year-by-year federal data provided begins in 1990 — nine model years later — so no direct comparison to adjacent model years or the generation's early arc is possible from this dataset. The 1990–2005 trend reveals a steady climb in complaints from 94 to a peak of 306 in 1997 before declining, while TSBs surge dramatically from 5 to 548, indicating expanding service complexity over that later period. Because the 1981 data point sits entirely outside the supplied timeline, the data doesn't specify whether its low complaint count reflects genuine reliability or simply sparse early reporting. Based solely on the two steering complaints and absence of safety-critical incidents recorded for 1981, this model year presents a clean federal profile, but the lack of contextual trend data means buyers should verify mechanical condition through independent inspection rather than rely on federal history alone.
All 2 complaints on record, top 1 components.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.
No recall campaigns on record with NHTSA for this vehicle as of the last data refresh.
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 0 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.