1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue Steering Problems
Owners have filed 160 complaints with NHTSA about steering problems on the 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue, 31% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 76,500 miles. The words owners use most often: “rack pinion” (36% of reports).
- 160steering complaints
- 76,500median miles at failure
- 6mention a crash
- 3mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- $1,850typical repair cost reported by owners
- 9%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Rack pinion: mentioned in 58 of 160 complaints (36%)
- Steering shaft: mentioned in 16 of 160 complaints (10%)
- Clunking noise: mentioned in 9 of 160 complaints (6%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical steering repair on the 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue at $1,850, and half of them between $720 and $2,400.
Based on 7 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2001–2006), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do steering problems happen?
Based on 68 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 160 complaints, 6 mention a crash, 3 an injury.
Oldsmobile Intrigue steering complaints by model year
| Model year | Steering complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 Intrigue | 10 | 16% | 40,000 |
| 2001 Intrigue | 12 | 11% | 78,000 |
| 2000 Intrigue | 28 | 14% | 54,800 |
| 1999 Intrigue | 58 | 23% | 81,750 |
| 1998 Intrigue | 160 | 31% | 76,500 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
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.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Vehicle can no longer turn to the left or right. I don't think recall 03052 was ever done on it. Can no longer drive this car because it's unsafe for me as well as the public.
My car would make noise and rattle also steering became difficult , had to replace rack and pinion. The 2 nd thing is that my car would shut off any where any time and i had to replace the ignition switch. Now i find out there were recalls on both these things which i never knew that there was a…
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 oldsmobile intrigue. The contact stated that the rack and pinion failed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigues have steering problems?
No. NHTSA has 160 owner complaints about steering for the 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue (31% of the 510 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue steering?
Yes: 1 safety recall list steering. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do steering problems start?
The median reported mileage is 76,500 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix steering problems on the 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,850 (half paid between $720 and $2,400), from 7 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about steering problems on the 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue?
The most frequent phrase is “rack pinion”, in 58 of 160 complaints, followed by “steering shaft” (16).
Other 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue problems
See all 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue problems or steering problems across all Intrigue years.