AI Damage1997 Oldsmobile Silhouette: common problems
Owners of the 1997 Oldsmobile Silhouette filed 104 complaints with NHTSA, most often about steering and exterior lighting. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 104
- involving a crash
- 4
What fails most often
- 1 Steering 19% of all complaints
- 2 Exterior lighting 17% of all complaints
- 3 Structure 13% of all complaints
- 4 Latches, locks, linkages 13% of all complaints
- 5 Engine and cooling 11% of all complaints
- 6 Visibility 10% of all complaints
- 7 Fuel system 9% of all complaints
- 8 Service brakes 9% of all complaints
- Steering: 20 complaints (19% of all).
- Exterior lighting: 18 complaints (17% of all).
- Structure: 14 complaints (13% of all).
- Latches, locks, linkages: 13 complaints (13% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 11 complaints (11% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 3.4 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 104 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 | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Equipment | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 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.
Right door window inoperative-would not go back up. Left door window inoperative-would not go back up. (december 2002) window wiper arm rubbed hole in brake line, caused brakes to fail resulting in accident.
The tread on my firestone tire separated and cause damage to the left front of my van. Thankfully I was able to control the vehicle without striking another vehicle or a median (I was on a major expressway at the time) I have tried to file a claim through firestone and they are making an excuse that a nail hole will…
Vehicle parked. Child entered vehicle & turned key bell chimed. Door automatic locks locked automatically when shifted or pulled. Transaxle shift interlock system failed to work, causing vehicle to be put into gear without applying brakes. Brakes need to be pressed to shift into gear. Vehicle hit tree.
When backing to complete a u-turn, vehicle bumped into a mailbox after already stopping. Vehicle's rear window shattered on impact.
With windshield out, you can see severe rusting at the corner, no where else. The rust is all the way through the roof panel and is not visible once the windshield is replaced.
Roof leaks, despite attempts to block leakage, water has infiltrated the fuse panel repeatedly, shorting the horn, causing it to honk at random for long periods of time.
The automatic sliding doors rattled and reopened once the were shut. When closing the door it locks on its own. Once the vehicle locks on its own consumer is not able to get out. Consumer tries to open the doors with the remote control, but with no luck. Consumer has to wait until it unlocks to exit.
I've never owned or heard of a vehicle which had a intake manifold coolant leak, water pump and lifters fail at 41k miles. My wife and I are not hard on our cars. This cost was high (over 5% of the original purchase price) and something we did not expect to incur.
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 3,479 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 9% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Silhouette has 60 complaints (16 years in the data). This year has 104, above average.
What to check before buying
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
- Exterior lighting. Headlamps, leveling, sensors and mounts after a frontal hit.
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
- Latches, locks, linkages. Door, hood and tailgate latches, especially near the impact.
Other years of this model
- Silhouette 199043 sources
- Silhouette 199137 sources
- Silhouette 199227 sources
- Silhouette 199322 sources
- Silhouette 199436 sources
- Silhouette 199546 sources
- Silhouette 199620 sources
- Silhouette 1998170 sources
- Silhouette 1999149 sources
- Silhouette 2000114 sources
- Silhouette 200178 sources
- Silhouette 200257 sources
- Silhouette 200336 sources
- Silhouette 200411 sources
- Silhouette 99998 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1997 Oldsmobile Silhouette?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: steering, exterior lighting, structure. Total complaints: 104. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: headlights and tail lights (13%), steering or power steering problems (10%), knocking, grinding or other noise (5%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1997 Oldsmobile Silhouette?
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 1997 Oldsmobile Silhouette 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 1997 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.