1998 Oldsmobile 88 Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other 88 years
- More complaints than other years 1st of 6 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 1 recall: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 164 complaints with NHTSA about the 1998 Oldsmobile 88. That is the most of any 88 model year in the database (6 years). The most reported problem area is engine and engine cooling (76 complaints, 46%), typically at around 72,500 miles. Complaints mention 9 crashes, 13 fires, 10 injuries. There is 1 safety recall covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 164owner complaints
- 1safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 9complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1998 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 problems | 76 | 46% | 72,500 | “intake manifold” (36%) | $2,000 |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 18 | 11% | 60,350 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 16 | 10% | 73,200 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 15 | 9% | 74,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 10 | 6% | 40,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 9 | 5% | 66,160 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 7 | 4% | 61,618 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 6 | 4% | 124,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 6 | 4% | 84,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 5 | 3% | 124,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 3 | 2% | 40,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 2% | 60,735 | — | — |
| Suspension | 3 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Wheels | 3 | 2% | 110,505 | — | — |
| Seats | 2 | 1% | 63,300 | — | — |
| Steering | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Tires | 2 | 1% | 190,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Equipment | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 1% | 190 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 1% | 85,400 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1998 Oldsmobile 88 recalls (1)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Fuel system, gasoline:delivery
Problem: On certain passenger vehicles equipped with 3800 v6 (l36) engines and certain delphi fuel pressure regulators, the regulators have a much higher than usual rate of fuel leaks. A leak can allow fuel to enter the intake manifold through a vacuum line. If the engine does not start when cranked, the fuel from the leaking regulator and a mistimed spark can cause a backfire.
Risk: The backfire can rupture the intake manifold. The rupture of the intake manifold can displace a fuel line, pulling an injector out of place, and causing a fuel leak and possible fire.
Fix: Dealers will install new fuel pressure regulators with improved diaphragms. The recall will be conducted in phased mailings. Phase 1 began on june 30, 2004, and phase 2 began on september 30, 2004. Owners should contact buick at 1-866-608-8080, oldsmobile at 1-800-630-6537, or pontiac at 1-800-620-7668.
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.
Ignition is messed up the previous owner said there is a recall but never show me papers and i was want to make sure there is one
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 oldsmobile 88. When the vehicle was started, smoke appeared without warning. The contact observed oil on the manifold. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vin was unknown. The failure mileage was…
Engine using coolant but no evident leak. After a week of adding a little coolant to reservoir engine ran hot and hydro-locked due to cylinders flooded with coolant. Discovered plastic intake manifold had hole in it where the egr tube entered plastic manifold allowing coolant to flood intake. This…
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 oldsmobile 88. The contact stated that when turning on the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact proceeded to check the coolant in the vehicle finding that there was no coolant in the reservoir. When attempting to turn on the vehicle, the…
Engine compartment fire shortly after shutdown. Incident 2015-00005013
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 1998 Oldsmobile 88?
Owners most often report engine and engine cooling, service brakes, hydraulic, fuel system, gasoline problems. The top one, engine and engine cooling, accounts for 76 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1998 Oldsmobile 88?
Yes, 1 safety recall. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1998 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 1998 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.