AI Damage1993 Oldsmobile Cutlass: common problems
Owners of the 1993 Oldsmobile Cutlass filed 139 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 139
- involving a crash
- 11
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 34% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 15% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 10% of all complaints
- 4 Equipment 7% of all complaints
- 5 Engine and cooling 6% of all complaints
- 6 Structure 6% of all complaints
- 7 Fuel system 6% of all complaints
- 8 Seats 6% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 47 complaints (34% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 21 complaints (15% of all).
- Powertrain: 14 complaints (10% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Equipment: 10 complaints (7% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 9 complaints (6% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 139 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 | 47 | 2 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| Equipment | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 6 | 4 | 0 |
| Air bags | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 3 | 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.
While my year (93) has not been recalled, 88 -91 were all recalled for separation of the steering intermediate shaft from the steering gear as a result of corrosion of 2 bolts where road salt use is high, including in massachusetts. I have been commuting from boston to hanover nh to teach for the past 10 weeks.
Consumer was turning into driveway while traveling 5mph and vehicle started to roar up and speed up. It hit neighbor's vehicle. Dealership was aware of problem.
The driver's air bag did not deploy upon impact. Gm was contacted and took information.
Engine raced out of control, no engagement of anti-lock braking system, and when applied emergency brake vehicle crashed, could have occurred without prior warning.
Driver air bag did not deploy during a head on collision at 30 to 40mph. Tt
Consumer was in an accident and driver side air bag didn't deployed . Tt
Difficulty steering vehicle, when making a right turn, steering wheel locks up/doesn't straighten to forward position due to caster being out of adjustment.
Consumer writes in regards to air conditioner conversion kit upgrade and power steering issues. The consumer stated the manufacturer was notified, but declined assistance due to the vehicle's age and mileage. Also, the a/c conversion kit was not installed at a gmc dealer.
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 2,807 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 8% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Cutlass has 67 complaints (24 years in the data). This year has 139, 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.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
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 1989113 sources
- Cutlass 1990103 sources
- Cutlass 1991193 sources
- Cutlass 1992136 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 1993 Oldsmobile Cutlass?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, electrical system, powertrain. Total complaints: 139. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (8%), brake failure (5%), A/C or heater (5%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1993 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 1993 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 1993 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.