1996 Oldsmobile 88 Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other 88 years
- About as many complaints as other years 4th of 6 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 2 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 92 complaints with NHTSA about the 1996 Oldsmobile 88. That ranks 4th out of 6 88 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is engine and engine cooling (23 complaints, 25%), typically at around 103,838 miles. Complaints mention 5 crashes, 9 fires, 7 injuries. There are 2 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 92owner complaints
- 2safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 5complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1996 Oldsmobile 88 problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 23 | 25% | 103,838 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 11 | 12% | 105,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 10 | 11% | 155,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 9 | 10% | 125,500 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 6 | 7% | 261,290 | — | — |
| Structure | 6 | 7% | 170,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 6 | 7% | 49,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 5 | 5% | — | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 4 | 4% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 4 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 3 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Seats | 3 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Steering | 3 | 3% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 2 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 2 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 2 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Back Over Prevention | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Child Seat | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Engine | 1 | 1% | 200,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 1% | 189,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Suspension | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1996 Oldsmobile 88 recalls (2)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Fuel system, gasoline:fuel injection system
Problem: A backfire during engine starting can cause breakage of the upper intake manifold.
Risk: This condition can cause a no-start condition and possibly an engine compartment fire.
Fix: Dealers will update the powertrain control module programming. Until the campaign repair is made, the vehicle hood should be shut whenever starting the vehicle to reduce the chance of personal injury.
Electrical system:ignition:anti-theft:control module
Problem: These vehicles were assembled with a malfunction alarm, lighting and locking (mall) module that can contain a damaged capacitor. If the capacitor is damaged, the "key in the ignition" warning chime and the driver seat belt unbuckled warning chime and indicator lamp may not work. This does not meet the requirements of fmvss no. 114, "theft protection" and fmvss no. 208, "occupant crash protection." in addition, other chime reminder functions, interior lighting controls, and power door locking features are also affected.
Risk: Consequence of non-compliance; the driver may not be aware that the key was left in the ignition or that the safety belt was not buckled.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and, if required, replace the mall module.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Engine compartment fires (EA02030) — opened Oct 22, 2002, closed Mar 9, 2004, led to recall 04V090000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Fuel pressure regulator leaked fuel causing fire,when it started up,i was parked in a parking lot that had a fire extinguisher
While washing the car a chip came off the trunk. There after the paint continued to flake off the rest of the car. The car has less than 100,000 miles
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 oldsmobile 88. While the vehicle was parked, the contact was informed that the vehicle was on fire. The contact stated that the front of the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The contact stated that the fire department was able to extinguish the fire. A police report was…
1996 oldsmobile 88. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle airbag explosion. *smd the consumer stated when he started the vehicle, the passenger air bag deployed for no reason. The air bag damaged the windshield and sent shards of glass flying. *jb
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 oldsmobile 88 ls. The contact stated that the engine made a loud noise when the vehicle was started and the engine caught on fire. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who inspected the vehicle and located the failure at the intake manifold plastic, which failed and…
Other Oldsmobile 88 years
See all Oldsmobile 88 problems by year, every Oldsmobile model, or the VIN decoder.
Similar Oldsmobile models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1996 Oldsmobile 88?
Owners most often report engine and engine cooling, electrical system, air bags problems. The top one, engine and engine cooling, accounts for 23 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1996 Oldsmobile 88?
Yes, 2 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1996 Oldsmobile 88 a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other 88 model years, the 1996 has about as many complaints as a typical year. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.