AI Damage1985 Oldsmobile 98: common problems
Owners of the 1985 Oldsmobile 98 filed 9 complaints with NHTSA, most often about steering and vehicle speed control. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 9
- involving a crash
- 1
What fails most often
- 1 Steering 56% of all complaints
- 2 Vehicle speed control 22% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 11% of all complaints
- 4 Seat belts 11% of all complaints
- Steering: 5 complaints (56% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 2 complaints (22% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 1 complaints (11% of all).
- Seat belts: 1 complaints (11% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 9 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steering | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Engage in reverse, vehicle suddenly accelerated out of control, resulting in totalled vehicle. Tt
Consumer states while driving, there was a loud noise coming from the vehicle, consumer then pulled over and looked under the vehicle and discovered a small fire and the drivetrain axle was on the ground, the transmission was replaced, consumer states he was injured.
When steering is cold it is hard to turn, in the summer time it works well. Describe .
Seat belt retractor; failure on the driver side seat belt retractor, seat belt will not retract.
The steering wheel and column locks up caused consumer to have a near accident. Tt
The steering is hard to turn there is a service bulletin for this car . Tt consumer until the vehicle heats up the steering is extremly difficult, consumer assumed that this was normal due to the vehicle being new.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 11,366 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 31% most complained about).
On average one model year of the 98 has 14 complaints (21 years in the data). This year has 9, below average.
What to check before buying
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1985 Oldsmobile 98?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: steering, vehicle speed control, powertrain. Total complaints: 9. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: seat belts (11%), smoke, burning smell, fire (11%), steering or power steering problems (11%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1985 Oldsmobile 98?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1985 Oldsmobile 98 from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1985 models
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.