Torque converter failure on the 2003 Cadillac Deville
Only 5 reports for this mode came with an odometer reading, which is too few for percentiles to mean anything. The page is here because someone linked to it; treat the figures as anecdotes, and see the full report for this year instead.
When torque converter failure gets reported
There are 5 reports of torque converter failure on the 2003 Cadillac Deville, 5 with a mileage attached. That is too few to place the failure on the odometer with any confidence.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 96,000 miles. It is the 15th most-reported problem on this model year.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | 81,000 miles | — | — |
Read the 10th percentile as “one report in ten arrived this early”. Exact figures are shown in this table because it is the table of record; everywhere else on the site they are rounded to the precision the sample can carry.
What a percentile can and cannot tell you here
These five numbers describe the readings owners gave, in order. The median is the middle one: half the reports arrived below it. The 10th and 90th are the edges of the bulk of the distribution, and the distance between them is the part worth reading. A tight spread — say 70,000 to 95,000 miles — points at something that wears out on a schedule, and the schedule is knowable. A wide one, 20,000 to 190,000, points at a fault that hits some cars and never troubles others, which means the mileage on the listing in front of you tells you very little about your odds.
What these figures are not is a survival curve. Every reading here comes from a car whose owner filed a complaint, so the sample contains only failures: it cannot say what share of the fleet made it past 150,000 miles untouched, because those owners had nothing to report. Nor is the mileage the moment of failure — it is the odometer reading as recalled at the time of filing, which may be weeks later and is sometimes rounded to the nearest ten thousand by the person typing it.
Percentiles are shown at all only once 8 readings exist for the vehicle and mode. Below that the middle of a handful of numbers is noise wearing a decimal point, so the figures are withheld rather than dressed up.
What happens, and what it costs
Putting it right typically runs $1,100–$3,200 at an independent US shop. That range is an editorial estimate held in this site's failure-mode catalogue, not a figure from NHTSA, and it is a repair cost rather than a diagnosis cost.
The same failure, every year of the Cadillac Deville
If one year stands out to the left, that is the year to avoid; if the whole line sits at a similar mileage, this is wear rather than a defect in one production run.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The mileage is the one the owner gave.
I own a 2003 cadillac deville with 70,700 miles. The "service engine soon" warning light appeared on vehicle control panel february 1, 2007. Local car repair technician identified and cleared warning code. Suggested I take to cadillac dealer if the warning light reappeared. Warning light came on again wed, february 7, 2007. I made an appointment with repair shop on february 9, 2007. The torque converter, seals, gaskets and valve were replaced and the car was repaired. Old part was not given to me. My concern is this same repair has been necessary for two other cadillac deville car owners that I personally know within the past two years. One vehicle had approximately 60,000 miles on it while the other had 150,000. When speaking with the cadillac customer service associate, I was told there was no recall for my vehicle. They were not interested in details of my repair or concern for a possible defect. *jb
The service engine light came on in my 2003 v-8 cadillac deville, at 82,000 miles. Dealer diagnosed transmission problem; replaced torque converter and reworked lower valve body. Dealer charged $2241 for repairs. *tr
Service engine soon light comes on frequently.....I had vehicle checked a several auto shops and received the diagnosis that my torque converter was possibly slipping. I was quoted between $900 to $ 2100 to repair. I stated for this price I could really just buy a remanufactered transmission. This is ridiculous, there has to be a recall message out there to help fellow owners. I have seen this happening to many other owners who in turn refuse to get this service as it can be very costly. *tr
Also reported on the 2003 Cadillac Deville
Other electrical problem
Other engine problem
Ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure
Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault
Other visibility problem
Loss of braking
How far this goes
This page is kept out of search results because 5 reports is not enough to publish percentiles from. It stays reachable because somebody looking at this exact car would rather see the reports than be told there are none.
Complaints are voluntary, so 5 is a floor and not a count of affected cars. Mileages are typed in by owners and cluster on round numbers. And the mode itself is assigned by software reading the complaint text, which is reliable in bulk and fallible one report at a time.
Questions this page answers
At what mileage does torque converter failure happen on the 2003 Cadillac Deville?
Across 5 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 80,000 miles. A quarter were filed before — and a quarter after —. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is torque converter failure on the 2003 Cadillac Deville?
5 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 0.1 per 1,000 vehicles. Complaints are voluntary, so this is a floor rather than a count of affected cars.
What this is and is not. These are the mileages at which owners chose to complain to a federal agency, which is not the same as the mileage at which the part fails on every car. It skews toward failures that happened outside warranty, cost real money, or frightened someone. It is still the only public dataset that carries failure mileage at all, and the shape of a few hundred readings is informative even when a single one is not. Methodology · JSON · this failure on other cars
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed