no report yet
Structure
Risk. IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, A VEHICLE CRASH COULD RESULT.
1988 Oldsmobile CutlassProblems, recalls & complaints
NHTSA has logged 74 owner complaints about the 1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass, most often about the service brakes, hydraulic. It is covered by 6 safety recalls.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through March 2, 2006. Updated daily.
Complaints by system
Where the 1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass has problems
74 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.
34Service brakes, hydraulic3 crash/fire/injury
9Structure1 crash/fire/injury
8Engine and engine cooling2 crash/fire/injury
8Suspension1 crash/fire/injury
6Electrical system
6Parking brake
5Steering
4Fuel system, gasoline
3Seat belts
117 other systems
| System | Complaints | Crash, fire or injury |
|---|---|---|
| Service brakes, hydraulic | 34 | 3 |
| Structure | 9 | 1 |
| Engine and engine cooling | 8 | 2 |
| Suspension | 8 | 1 |
| Electrical system | 6 | 0 |
| Parking brake | 6 | 0 |
| Steering | 5 | 0 |
| Fuel system, gasoline | 4 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 3 | 1 |
| 7 other systems | 11 | 0 |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.
6 recalls
1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass recalls and how many were fixed
Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
no report yet
Wheels
Risk. IF WHEEL SEPARATION OCCURS WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION, LOSS OF STEERING AND BRAKE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE OCCURS, AND A VEHICLE CRASH COULD RESULT WITHOUT…
no report yet
Wheels
Risk. IF WHEEL SEPARATION OCCURS WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION, LOSS OF STEERING AND BRAKE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE OCCURS, AND A VEHICLE CRASH COULD RESULT WITHOUT…
no report yet
Seat belts
Risk. SEAT BELT MAY NOT SUSTAIN LOADS REQUIRED BY FMVSS 210, AND IN A VEHICLE ACCIDENT, THE SEAT BELT MAY NOT PROPERLY RESTRAIN A PASSENGER, RESULTING IN INCREASED…
Show 2 more recalls
no report yet
Vehicle speed control
Risk. SERVO ROD ASSEMBLY COULD CATCH ON ENGINE COMPONENTS ANDRESULT IN A STUCK THROTTLE WITH POTENTIAL FOR A VEHICLE CRASH.
no report yet
Mechanical: linkage and cable
Risk. PARKING BRAKE CANNOT BE PROPERLY APPLIED AND VEHICLEWILL NOT MEET THE GRADE HOLDING REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS 105.
Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Oldsmobile.
Best & worst years
1988 vs. every other Cutlass year
Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Cutlass median. How we score
'67'73'74'75'76'77'78'79'80'81'82'83'84'85'86'87'88'89'90'91'92'93'94'95'96'97'98'99
- Avoid
- Caution
- Solid
- Best
- Not rated
8 investigations
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal investigations that included the 1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass, and the recalls they led to.
- THROTTLE NON-RETURNNo recall
- BRAKE PERFORMANCENo recall
- REAR WHEEL BEARINGS FAILNo recall
- PARKING BRAKE CABLENo recall
- FAILURE STOP LAMP SWITCHLed to recall 90V-185
- CORRODED REAR DISK BRAKESNo recall
- CRADLE BOLT FAILURESLed to recall 97V-058
- ENGINE CRADLE SEPARATIONLed to recall 97V-058
In owners' words
What Cutlass owners report
Recent service brakes, hydraulic complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.
CORRODED DISC BRAKES CAUSING LACK OF BRAKE REDUCTION WHEN APPLIED. PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED. PLEASE DESCRIBE DEAILS. IDENTIFY COMPONENTS REPLACED. TT
OWNER STATES THAT HIS BRAKES WENT OUT AND THAT IT WAS A FAULTY PLASTIC SHIELD THAT RUBBED A HOLE ON TO THE BRAKE LINE. *AK
WITH LIGHT BRAKING THE REAR BRAKES LOCKED UP AT SPEEDS UNDER 15MPH. THIS HAPPENED TWICE, THE SECOND TIME RESULTING IN A CRASH WITH VEHICLE BEING TOTALED. *AK
Own a 1988 Cutlass?
Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.