AI Damage1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass: common problems
Owners of the 1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass filed 113 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 113
- involving a crash
- 6
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 38% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 18% of all complaints
- 3 Engine and cooling 15% of all complaints
- 4 Seat belts 10% of all complaints
- 5 Steering 8% of all complaints
- 6 Structure 8% of all complaints
- 7 Suspension 6% of all complaints
- 8 Parking brake 4% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 43 complaints (38% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 20 complaints (18% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 17 complaints (15% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Seat belts: 11 complaints (10% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Steering: 9 complaints (8% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 113 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 | 43 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 20 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Parking brake | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 2 | 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.
Consumer writes in regards to while traveling the steering wheel locked up and vehicle had no brakes. The consumer stated her husband was not able to control the vehicle, and hit a median. The consumer wasn't driving very fast. The consumer no longer owns the vehicle.
While driving 20 mph the vehicle stalled. The consumer tried to restart the vehicle but was unable to do so. The vehicle was towed to the consumer's residence. The light device flashed red/green before going dead on a steep hill and or dangerous curve.
While traveling at about 30mph heard a snap and lost control of vehicle due to steering failure. It was hard to veer across three lanes of oncoming traffic before hitting a curb. At that time car stopped. Consumer said washer deteriorated.
While driving at ten miles per hour vehicle was struck on the passenger's side by another vehicle that flipped the cutlass on its side, causing the passenger's seat belt to release on impact, the seat belt did not work properly. Dealer has been contacted.
The vehicle was leaking power steering fluid and the steering was difficult to turn. The contact took the vehicle to a mechanic and paid to have it repaired. Once he left the mechanic, the failure recurred. He is planning to return to the state certified mechanic. The vin was unknown.
When driving 70mph a fire started in the rear right side of the vehicle, causing the consumer to pull over. Dealer has been notified.
While in motion, consumer heard a thumping noise, assuming a tire had gone flat, pulled over to check but nothing was found. A few minutes later, there was a loud explosion, fighting to keep vehicle in control, consumer managed to get over, finding the wheel, tire and lug nuts had come completely off of vehicle.
Nhtsa recall 00 v 189 000/ manufacturer's recall 00065-s/crable bolts: dealer: king orourke cadillac oldsmobile; lynbrook,ny; phone# 516/593-6420 refused to honor recall because structure around cradle bolts have severely rusted out.
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 3,278 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 9% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Cutlass has 67 complaints (24 years in the data). This year has 113, above average.
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.
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
Other years of this model
- Cutlass 19763 sources
- Cutlass 19773 sources
- Cutlass 19803 sources
- Cutlass 19813 sources
- Cutlass 19835 sources
- Cutlass 198416 sources
- Cutlass 198518 sources
- Cutlass 198623 sources
- Cutlass 198716 sources
- Cutlass 198874 sources
- Cutlass 1990103 sources
- Cutlass 1991193 sources
- Cutlass 1992136 sources
- Cutlass 1993139 sources
- Cutlass 1994148 sources
- Cutlass 1995156 sources
- Cutlass 1996123 sources
- Cutlass 199796 sources
- Cutlass 1998155 sources
- Cutlass 199980 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, electrical system, engine and cooling. Total complaints: 113. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: rust, corrosion (21%), seat belts (9%), stalls while driving (5%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass?
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 1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass 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 1989 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.