AI DamageOldsmobile 98: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Oldsmobile 98 across 21 model years: 295 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 22% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 14% of all complaints
- 3 Engine and cooling 12% of all complaints
- 4 Air bags 10% of all complaints
- 5 Seat belts 10% of all complaints
- 6 Powertrain 8% of all complaints
- 7 Steering 7% of all complaints
- 8 Fuel system 5% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 65 complaints (22% of all), 8 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 40 complaints (14% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 34 complaints (12% of all).
- Air bags: 29 complaints (10% of all), 10 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Seat belts: 29 complaints (10% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 295 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | 65 | 8 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 40 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 34 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 29 | 10 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 29 | 2 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 24 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 13 | 5 | 0 |
| Equipment | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 8 | 1 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
The consumer stated the vehicle hit a deer, and the passenger's side air bag did not deploy. The driver's side air bag did deploy. This air bag had a big hole in it, almost 6-7 inches long and 2-3 inches wide. Also it had a burned look to it. No one investigated to see why it had a hole. The was totaled.
Vehicle was involved in a front collision, and air bags did not deploy, consumer was injured.
The driver's air bag is much bigger than the steering wheel, during an accident it violently deployed and blew the consumers hand off the wheel with such force that it broke her wrist (right) and resulted in 3rd degree burns to the left arm, the passenger side air bag did not deploy towards the passenger but went up…
Consumer was rear ended at about 25-30 mph, and front passenger seat broke on right side of seat. Contacted manufacturer.
When driving at 50 mph abs system locked up, causing the consumer to rear end another vehicle.
The airbag light came on just before the airbag deployed, not enough time for the occupant to get out of the vehicle. Currently at the dealer. Please provide further information.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
Other models of this make
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.