AI Damage2001 Oldsmobile Aurora: common problems
Owners of the 2001 Oldsmobile Aurora filed 119 complaints with NHTSA, most often about steering and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 119
- involving a crash
- 8
What fails most often
- 1 Steering 24% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 16% of all complaints
- 3 Service brakes 14% of all complaints
- 4 Engine and cooling 13% of all complaints
- 5 Exterior lighting 10% of all complaints
- 6 Powertrain 10% of all complaints
- 7 Vehicle speed control 9% of all complaints
- 8 Visibility 9% of all complaints
- Steering: 29 complaints (24% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 19 complaints (16% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 17 complaints (14% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 16 complaints (13% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Exterior lighting: 12 complaints (10% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 3.5 L · petrol · 6 cylnamed in 2 complaints
- 4 L · petrol · 8 cylnamed in 1 complaints
- automatic, 4-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 119 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 | 29 | 3 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 19 | 1 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 16 | 1 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| Visibility | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 3 | 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.
2001 oldsmobile aurora, the driver stated the power steering temporarily stopped working. Driver lost control, went off the road and struck the concrete divider wall. (ohio traffic crash report # 10-0342-91) updated 08/06/10
I bought a 2001 oldsmobile aurora in 2003 being a single mother of 2 children I wanted a safe car with low repair I was told the 5 star engine is the best and low maintance I paid 15.900 cash for the car on the way home it was acting fun lights flickering gas pedal sticks and you can't push it down, then the gas gauge…
Upon impact, the front air bags did not deploy. The vehicle has not been inspected to determine why the air bags failed to deploy. Did not know if the vehicle was involved in a previous accident.
When is reversing could not see what was behind vehicle. Wife had a crash due to height of head rest on rear seat that took too much space, and there was not much clear view. Please provide more information.
Also, there was loss of steering, resulting in a collision that totalled vehicle.
The engine randomly dies or stalls while in traffic at random times and will not turn back on for several minutes, the vehicle is in motion when the stalling occurs and thankfully only on city streets. Codes have not been present but the stalling and idle leads me to believe it is faulty crankshaft position sensors.
I recently purchased four (4) goodyear eagle ultra grip gw-3 tires (235/55r17) from sams club in dover, delaware and they were shipped from the goodyear warehouse all with a dot date of 3614 almost 4-years old! I dont believe goodyear should be selling tires with a dot date of 3614.
The check engine was on and when I questioned previous owner he stated it was a sensor that needed to be replaced. I took it to an independent auto repair shop and it was put on a diagnostic machine and there weren't any failures, alerts or faulty sensors detected. June of 2016 my dash board system stopped working.
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 3,153 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 9% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Aurora has 72 complaints (11 years in the data). This year has 119, above average.
What to check before buying
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2001 Oldsmobile Aurora?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: steering, electrical system, service brakes. Total complaints: 119. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (12%), stalls while driving (10%), steering or power steering problems (8%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2001 Oldsmobile Aurora?
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 2001 Oldsmobile Aurora 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 2001 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.