1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Cutlass years
- More complaints than other years 2nd of 5 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 2 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 155 complaints with NHTSA about the 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass. That ranks 2nd out of 5 Cutlass model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is service brakes, hydraulic (37 complaints, 24%), typically at around 37,950 miles. Complaints mention 7 crashes, 4 injuries. There are 2 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 6 defect investigations involving it.
- 155owner complaints
- 2safety recalls
- 6NHTSA investigations
- 7complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 37 | 24% | 37,950 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 32 | 21% | 55,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 21 | 14% | 66,051 | — | — |
| Suspension | 18 | 12% | 49,769 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 16 | 10% | 70,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 11 | 7% | 93,500 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 9 | 6% | 73,500 | — | — |
| Visibility | 9 | 6% | 71,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 8 | 5% | 122,083 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 6 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Tires | 6 | 4% | 60,537 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 5 | 3% | 40,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 5 | 3% | 145,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 4 | 3% | 36,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 4 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Seats | 3 | 2% | 69,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 1% | 93,500 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 1 | 1% | 40,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 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
1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass recalls (2)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Steering:rack and pinion
Problem: Certain passenger vehicles have lower pinion bearings in the power rack and pinion assembly in which the retainer tabs were not crimped properly. These retainers could fail and permit the ball bearings to escape.
Risk: If this occurs, the pinion shaft can be forced upward during left turns and back down as the steering wheel is moved back and to the right. If the pinion shaft moves further, the driver will need to exert more effort to turn the steering wheel, similar to a vehicle without power assisted steering. If the pinion shaft moves even further, the driver will require much higher effort to turn left and may not be able to turn the wheel as much as intended. With the maximum pinion shaft movement, which requires internal gear component damage, the driver can encounter high resistance to turning left, followed by unintended power assist to the right. In any of these conditions, a crash could occur.
Fix: Dealers will install a new lower pinion bearing unless inspect of the existing bearing indicates that replacement of the gear assembly is necessary. Owner notification began on february 5, 2004. Owners should contact buick at 1-866-608-8080; chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438; oldsmobile at 1-800-630-6537; or pontiac at 1-800-620-7668.
Visibility:windshield wiper/washer:linkages
Problem: On certain passenger vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the "salt belt" states: alaska, colorado, connecticut, delaware, idaho, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, montana, nebraska, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, north dakota, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, south dakota, utah, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and wyoming. If a buildup of snow or ice restricts the movement of the passenger side windshield wiper arm, the pivot housing can crack and the wipers will not operate.
Risk: Reduced visibility in inclement weather could lead to a vehicle crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the passenger side windshield wiper pivot housing. Owner notification began august 14, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020 or oldsmobile at 1-800-442-6537.
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
- Windshield wiper failure (RQ04006) — opened Jul 7, 2004, closed Jan 13, 2005.
- Power rack and pinion steering failure (RQ03001) — opened Jan 2, 2003, closed Sep 15, 2003.
- Windshield wiper (EA00019) — opened Jul 12, 2000, closed Mar 6, 2001, led to recall 01V068000.
- Windshield wiper (PE00009) — opened Feb 22, 2000, closed Jul 12, 2000.
- Oversensitive air bag deployment (EA99030) — opened Oct 29, 1999, closed Mar 25, 2002.
- Inadvertent air bag deployments (PE99037) — opened May 19, 1999, closed Oct 29, 1999.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 oldsmobile cutlass. The contact stated that fuel was leaking from the vehicle. The contact referenced nhtsa campaign number: 07e021000 (fuel system, other). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was…
General motors recently recalled the 1997-2005 chevrolet malibu for the ignition switch problem. I own the sister vehicle which is a 1998 oldsmobile cutlass. This vehicle is the identical layout of the chevrolet malibu which has been recalled. I sent a couple of e-mail messages to the gm customer…
Have had ignition switch just shut off driving down the road. Exactly as described in gm's recent recall on ignition switches on newer cars. Loses all electrical power and engine shuts off. Has happened numerous times while i have owned it for the last 10 or so years. When it happens i just quickly…
Frame, where steering rack bolts to, rusted out. Steering rack became separated from the frame causing a dangerous steering condition. Frame needs to be replaced at a very high cost. *tt
98 olds cutlass. Rear brake lines rusted through in vicinity of lr wheel . Resulted in sudden total loss of braking due to loss of all brake fluid. No separate reservoir for front brake fluid. Heard of similar event with same model style chevy malibu. No year known. *tr
Other Oldsmobile Cutlass years
← 1997 Cutlass · 1999 Cutlass →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 Cutlass | 80 | 0 |
| 1998 | 155 | 2 |
| 1997 Cutlass | 96 | 2 |
| 1996 Cutlass | 123 | 0 |
| 1995 Cutlass | 156 | 3 |
See all Oldsmobile Cutlass problems by year, every Oldsmobile model, or the VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass?
Owners most often report service brakes, hydraulic, engine and engine cooling, steering problems. The top one, service brakes, hydraulic, accounts for 37 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass?
Yes, 2 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Cutlass model years, the 1998 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.