AI DamageOldsmobile Oldsmobile Truck: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Oldsmobile Oldsmobile Truck across 4 model years: 8 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
| Year | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) | YouTube repair videos |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What fails most often
- 1 Electrical system 25% of all complaints
- 2 Engine and cooling 13% of all complaints
- 3 Exterior lighting 13% of all complaints
- 4 Powertrain 13% of all complaints
- 5 Seat belts 13% of all complaints
- 6 Service brakes 13% of all complaints
- 7 Suspension 13% of all complaints
- Electrical system: 2 complaints (25% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 1 complaints (13% of all).
- Exterior lighting: 1 complaints (13% of all).
- Powertrain: 1 complaints (13% of all).
- Seat belts: 1 complaints (13% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 8 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 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.
Security light on instrument panel is illuminated. Car starts and runs with owners ignition key. Dealer determined that pass-key ii decoder module pn 88964942 is defective.
Upper control arm bushings, driver side broke pulling the whole upper control arm assembly off the vehicle and thus resulting in the wheel falling off the vehicle. Fortunately this happened in my driveway at a low speed.
On a clear dry day in midafternoon the awd system engaged and won't disengage. The car will not drive safely in this condition. General motors has issued a tech service bulletin on it but no recall as yet. The vehicle is at a dealership for repair. I understand the cost could exceed $2000.
8:30 pm and backed up, it then shut down smoke was coming from under the hood. I opened the hood and there were flames. I put out the fire myself and reported it to gm motors inc. They investigated and could come to no conclusion on where the fire started. They also denied it to be failure of gm vehicle parts.
Defect in intake manifold, in my 1998 oldsmobile silhouette van, which caused my car to overheat and fail. This was my only transportation to work and I was left getting rides from neighbors. I took the van to the dealer and was told that it is going to take $1000.00 to $2000.00 dollars to fix.
There have been several occasions in which I am slowing to a stop and the brake pedal goes to the floor and a "moaning"sound occurs as well as the truck not stopping. Today this nearly caused me to rear end another vehicle.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- 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.
- Exterior lighting. Headlamps, leveling, sensors and mounts after a frontal hit.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
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.