HEADLAMP SWITCH FAILURE
Opened Feb 9, 1988
Closed May 11, 1988
===
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
1985 Oldsmobile Ciera
Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
8
Latest Jul 9, 1997
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
4
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0
1 injuries, 0 deaths reported
Overview
Our database contains 8 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1985 Oldsmobile Ciera, most frequently naming the brakes, driver assistance and steering categories. 4 NHTSA investigations name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Complaint activity over time
When owners filed reports about this model year
View as table
| Month | Complaints filed | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| May 1995 | 2 | 2 |
| Aug 1995 | 1 | 3 |
| Mar 1996 | 1 | 4 |
| Apr 1996 | 1 | 5 |
| Oct 1996 | 1 | 6 |
| Apr 1997 | 1 | 7 |
| Jul 1997 | 1 | 8 |
What owners report
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
- Brakes225.0%
- Driver assistance225.0%
- Steering225.0%
- Suspension112.5%
- Transmission112.5%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Safety recalls
No recalls in our database for this model year
That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.
Safety investigations
NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.
POWER ST. ASSIST
Opened Dec 16, 1986
Closed Sep 19, 1988
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION FROM THE MANUFACTURER:GM HAS DEVELOPED A SPLITRING FIELD REPAIR KIT AND IS EXTENDING THE WARRANRY ON ALL 1982-84 A,J, AND X, BODY CARS AND 1985 C,BODY CARS.THE WARRANTY APPLIES TO CARSTHAT ARE FOR 50,000 MILES OR 5 YRS.IT INCLUDES REIMBURSEMENT FOR PREVIOUSREPAIRS.ANALYSIS:WEARING OF THE RACK AND PINION HOUSING AND LOW AMBIENT TEMPCAN CAUSE TEMPORARY LOSS OF POWER ASSIST.TEFLON O RINGS FAIL TO SEALOFF INTERNAL PRESSURE.STATUS:EVALUATING THE EXTENDED WARRANTY OFFER BY GM.======
STEERING
WINDSHIELD WIPERS
Opened Aug 25, 1986
Closed Mar 2, 1988
SUMMARY:GM BELIEVES THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN CORRECTED THROUGH ITS PUBLI-CATION OF 7 SERVICE BULLETINS CONCERNING THIS MATTER. IN ADDITION, GMDOES NOT BELIEVE WINDSHIELD WIPER FAILURE REPRESENTS A SAFETY HAZARD.ANALYSIS: THREE FAILURE MODES HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED; INSULATING FILM MAYBUILD UP BETWEEN THE BRUSH FACE AND THE COMMUTATOR OF THE WIPER MOTOR,CORROSION MAY FORM IN THE WIPER MOTOR BRUSH AND DISENGAGEMENT OF THEWIPER ARMS MAY OCCUR. IN VIEW OF THE EXISTING LEGAL PRECEDENT, THE LARGENUMBER OF WARRANTY CLAIMS CONCERNING WIPER MOTOR FAILURES (114,000) ANDTHE HIGH WIPER MOTOR AND MOTOR KIT PART SALES (251,000), IT IS IMPERATIVETHAT THIS MATTER RECEIVE MANAGEMENT SUPPORT.STATUS: GM RESPONSE DATED 2/23/87. ANALYZING AS TIME PERMITS.EA CLOSED 3/2/88.=== D@
VISIBILITY
REAR BRAKE LOCKUP
Opened Jun 19, 1985
Closed May 18, 1989
There is no summary currently available
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULICLed to recall 66V003000
Recent owner complaints
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
Suspension
Filed Jul 9, 1997
THE FRONT END SUSPENSION CRADLE PULLED THROUGH AND PULLED THE ENTIRE STEERING OUT, AND THE DRIVER LOST STEERING WHILE SLOWING DOWN FROM HIGHWAY SPEEDS. *AK
- NHTSA ID
- 813984
- Incident
- Jul 1, 1997
Brakes
Filed Apr 22, 1997
1 injury reported
ANTILOCK BRAKES FAILED, CAUSING ACCIDENT/INJURY.
- NHTSA ID
- 516676
- Incident
- Mar 24, 1997
Steering
Filed Oct 21, 1996
UPON MAKING LEFT TURN, VEHICLE WEAVED, STEERING WOULD NOT RESPOND, RESULTING IN ACCIDENT/INJURY.
- NHTSA ID
- 510314
- Incident
- Sep 20, 1996
Steering
Filed Apr 15, 1996
DEFECTIVE 'O' RINGS IN RACK/PINION CAUSE STEERING TO LOCK UP INTERMITTENTLY, CAUSING TEMPORARY LOSS OF CONTROL. *DSH
- NHTSA ID
- 503475
- Incident
- Apr 15, 1996
Brakes
Filed Mar 18, 1996
THE BRAKES ON THE VEHICLE ARE LOCKING UP WHICH CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO SKID AND NOT STOP. THE BRAKES ARE HYDRUALIC. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
- NHTSA ID
- 980822
- Incident
- Mar 12, 1995
Transmission
Filed Aug 23, 1995
TRANSMISSION FAILURE. *SD
- NHTSA ID
- 483400
- Incident
- Aug 23, 1995
Driver assistance
Filed May 22, 1995
STIFF GAS PEDAL. *AK
- NHTSA ID
- 486107
- Incident
- May 22, 1995
Driver assistance
Filed May 11, 1995
EXPERIENCE INTERMITTENT SUDDENLY ACCELERATION, WITHOUT PRESSING GAS PEDAL, WHEN RPM'S GO UP RESULTING IN WIDE OPEN THROTTLE. TT
- NHTSA ID
- 965145
Compare model years
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.