Owner-reported complaints naming the engine system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1997 Oldsmobile 88 submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 28 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 28, in the owner's own words
UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD FAILURE( PLASTIC PART) ON HIGHWAY . ENGINE OVERHEATED FROM COOLANT LEAKING INSIDE ENGINE FOR THE 3RD TIME . FIRST LEAK COOLANT OUTSIDE ENGINE. 2ND TIME BAD OIL LEAK. 3RD TIME THIS.
FOR SEVERAL MONTHS WE WERE NOTICING LEAKS FROM THE CAR ON THE DRIVEWAY. WE KNEW FROM TOUCHING IT WAS NOT OIL. THE CAR STARTED TO HESITATE AT TIMES AND FEEL LIKE IT WAS GOING TO STALL OUT. EVENTUALLY IT DID STALL OUT AND CONTINUED TO DO SO, IT ALWAYS STARTED RIGHT UP THOUGH, SO WE KNEW IT WASN'T THE BATTERY. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON WHEN IT STALLED. WE BROUGHT IT TO THE SHOP AND THEY RAN A DIAGNOSTIC AND FOUND REPAIR CODES P0300 AND P0135, WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO COME ON RESULTING IN RANDOM MISFIRE AND 02 SENSOR HEATER CIRCUIT MALFUNCTION. FOLLOWED DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLESHOOTING FLOWCHART AND FOUND FAULTY 02 SENSOR AND COOLANT INSIDE CYLINDER#4. UPON DISASSEMBLY OF INTAKE MANIFOLD TO INSPECT SYSTEM, FOUND INTAKE MANIFOLD CRACKED. REMOVED AND REPLACED INTAKE MANIFOLD ASSEMBLY, FRONT 02 SENSOR ASSEMBLY AND SPARK PLUGS WITH ALL NEW OEM PARTS. REFILLED COOLANT AND BLEED SYSTEM. RECHECKED OPERATION, CLEARED CODES. AFTER FURTHER RESEARCH WE FOUND THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR AND PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED BY GM. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 OLDSMOBILE LSS. THE CONTACT HEARD A LOUD EXPLOSION UNDER THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY AFTER IT WAS STARTED. AS HE OPENED THE HOOD, HE NOTICED A FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. HE USED A FIRE EXTINGUISHER TO PUT THE FIRE OUT. THE AIR INTAKE AND DEVICE ON THE ENGINE COVER WERE DESTROYED AS A RESULT OF THE FIRE. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT A PRODUCT ALLEGATION REPRESENTATIVE WOULD NOTIFY HIM. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000.
WE HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE (PLASTIC) MANIFOLD ON OUR 1997 OLDS 88 THREE TIMES IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A MANUFACTURER DEFECT, YET NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THIS CAR (WHILE RECALLS HAVE BEEN ISSUE FOR SIMILAR DEFECTS ON SIMILAR CARS). WE HAVE SPENT OVER $2000 GETTING THIS PROBLEM FIXED AND THAT STILL DOESN'T FIX THE COOLANT IN THE ENGINE WHICH CANNOT BE ENTIRELY CLEARED OUT WITHOUT REMOVING THE ENGINE AND INCURRING OTHER POSSIBLE PROBLEMS. *TR
THE CONSUMER HAD TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER TO BE INSPECTED, AND THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD HAD A CRACK, CAUSING FLUID TO LEAK ONTO THE ENGINE. *AK THE WATER PUMP WENT OUT AND THE SPARK PLUGS, HEAD GASKET STARTER, AND THE ACCELERATOR CABLE WAS REPLACED. *SC *JB
MISFIRING, BACKFIRING, STALLING AND COOLANT LEAKS DUE TO LEAKING PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD AND GASKETS. DEALER CLAIMS TO HAVE FOUND NO PROBLEMS IN SEPT. 2000. KEPT HAVING PROBLEMS. TOOK TO ANOTHER REPAIR SHOP AND UPPER INTAKE GASKET WAS REPLACED, FAILED 2 WEEKS LATER AND WAS REPLACED AGAIN. LEAKS COOLANT ONTO FLOOR. CAN SMELL COOLANT IN PASSENGER COMPARTMENT AND GARAGE WHERE PARKED.*AK
ENGINE MANIFOLD EXPLODED WHEN IGNITION TURNED TO START. FUEL RAIL BENT, FUEL REGULATOR DAMAGED, LARGE CLOUD OF SMOKE AND EXPLOSIVE SOUND OCCURRED. ENGINE COVER SPLIT IN TWO.*AK
I WAS DRIVING MY 1997 OLDSMOBILE 88 AND ALL OF A SUDDEN IT WENT BOOM AND THE CAR STOPPED SUDDENLY AND SMOKE BARRELLED OUT OF THE ENGINE AND WOULD NOT TURN OVER.I HAD TO BE PUSHED OUT OF THE WAYTO THE NEXT PARKING LOT.WE HAD OUR CAR TOWED TO A MECHANIC SHOP AND THEY SAID THAT WE NEEDED A A NEW ENGINE.THEY IN TURN TOWED IT TO YET ANOTHER REPUTABLE SHOP AND THEY SAID THAT THE ENGINE BLEW DUE TO A FAULTY INTAKE MANIFOLD.IT WAS PLASTIC AND WITH THE HEAT OF THE ENGINE ALOOWED IT TO LEAK INTO OTHER PARTS OF THE ENGINES COOLING SYSTEM.GM DIDN'T TAKE FAULT EVEN THOUGH THEY STOPPED USING THE PLASTIC MANIFOLD AND HAD A RECALL ON IT.FROM MY UNDERSTANDING. WE FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE BBB AUTOLINE AND THE REFERRED US TO TH ATTORNEY GENERALS OFFICE IN WHICH GM STILL REFUSES TO TAKE FAULT BECAUSE WE WERE NOT THE ORIGINAL OWNERS OF THE CAR AND THE NUMBER OF MILES ON THE CAR AT AROUND 70,000.THE CAR GOT AN INSPECTION BEFORE IT WAS SOLD, I'M SURE TOYOTA WOULD'NT RESALE A JUNK TO IT'S CUSTOMERS.IT WAS IN SHOWROOM CONDITION WHEN WE PURCHASED IT. *AK
THE CONSUMER ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE THE ENGINE BACK FIRED AND CAUGHT ON FIRE *MR *CB *NLM
WHEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, THE ENGINE BACK FIRED AND BLEW THE "PLASTIC" INTAKE MANIFOLD. *MR *SCC
THE RADIATOR AND WATER PUMP FAILED PREMATURELY DUE TO CORROSION, ALSO THE HEATER CORE FAILED. *PH *JB
MANIFOLD WAS LEAKING WATER INSIDE ENGINE, AND ENGINE MALFUNCTIONED. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. TS
CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING AND WITHOUT WARNING THE INTAKE MANIFOLD BLEW CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO BE HARD TO START. DEALER NOTIFIED. TS
I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE PLENTIUM BEING MADE OF PLASTIC. TO PUT PLASTIC IN THE ENGINE, THIS CAR IS ONLY 5 YEARS OLD. AND HAS HAD EXCELLANT CARE. THE PLENTIUM WEARS OUT DUMPING ENGINE COLLANT INTO COMBUSTION CHAMBERS. AND CONTAMINATES THE ENTIRE ENGINE WITH WATER AND COOLANT. WHICH IN TURN DESTROYS THE ENGINE. GM KNOWS OF THIS PROBLEM AND STATE THAT THEY HAVE CORRECTED THE PROBLEM IN THE LATER MODELS. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THEM RECALL THE ONES THAT WERE NOT CORRECTED. ALTHOUGH OUR INSTANCE SUBJECTED US TO ANY DANGER . IF THIS WAS TO HAPPEN ON THE HIGHWAY AT NIGHT, WHOS TO SAY WHAT COULD HAPPEN. IF OTHER MANUFACTURERS CAN RECOGINIZE THIS PROBLEM AND HAVE RECALLS, THEN WHY CAN'T OLDSMOBILE STEP UP AND DO THE SAME? IF THEY WANT INFORMATION ON OTHE INSTANCES ON THE SAME PART FAILURE FROM OTHER PEOPLES, I WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO PROVIDE THIS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. TOMMY RICE. *AK
CONSUMER STATES COOLANT WARNING LIGHT FLASHES, THERE IS PUDDLES OF ANTIFREEZE CAUSED BY THE COOLANT LEVEL SENSOR RETAINER CLIPS BREAKING OFF AND LEAVING THE SENSOR RETAINED ONLY BY THE FRICTION OF THE O-RING SEALS. *TT
WHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY VEHICLE SHUT DOWN WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.*AK
THE INSURED GOT OUT OF THE VEHICLE AND DISCOVERED SMOKE COMING FROM THE VEHICLE.*JB(CLAIM#40-2516-904)
THE INSURED ATTEMPTED TO START VEHICLE, WHICH BACK FIRED AND THEN THE ENGINE CAUGHT ON FIRE.*JB(CLAIM#23-1355-542)
INTAKE MANIFOLD EXPLODED, FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, CLAIM 49-3290-805. *SLC
CONSUMER GOT OUT OF VEHICLE AND SAW SMOKE, FIRE IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT, CLAIM 40-2516-904. *SLC
HALF OF THE TIME CAR STALLS AT LIGHTS, AND WHEN SLOWING DOWN AT TURNS. CONSUMER IS AFRAID OF BEING HIT IN THE REAR. *AK VEHICLE HAS STALLED 7 TIMES IN LESS THAN 3000 MILES. *SLC
VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A BACK FIRE WHILE DRIVING AND CAUSING AN ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE. DEALER / MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFED AT THIS TIME. PLEASE PROVIDE US WITH ANY FURTHER INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS MATTER. *AK
CONSUMER TRIED TO START VEHICLE AND IT BACK FIRED AND THE ENGINE CAUGHT ON FIRE, THE PLASTIC PLENUM BLEW OFF AND PLUG WIRES CAUGHT FIRE, CLAIM 23-1355-542. *SLC
WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE WOULD CUT OFF FOR NO APPARENT REASON. THIS WOULD HAPPEN WITHOUT ANY TYPE OF WARNING. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP 4 TIMES FOR THIS PROBLEM. DEALER WAS NOT ABLE TO LOCATE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS WITH THE VEHICLE. *AK *ML
THREE OTHER PERSONS REPORTED THE SAME WATER PUMP FAILURE. *AK
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .