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 1996 Oldsmobile Ciera submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 15 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.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
HEAD GASKET LEAKED. CONSUMER INDICATED THAT WHEN HE WENT INTO GARAGE THERE WAS WATER ON THE FLOOR. CONSUMER HAD VEHICLE CHECKED OUT BY MECHANIC, WHO DETERMINED THERE WAS A HEAD GASKET LEAK. CONSUMER WAS QUOTED A PRICE TO HAVE VEHICLE REPAIRED. CONSUMER FELT THAT OLDSMOBILE SHOULD REPAIR THE PROBLEM FREE OF CHARGE SINCE THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE.*AK
LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAK INTO OIL
LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAK ON GM 3.1 L V6. *NLM
THE ENGINE STOPPED WORKING IN DECEMBER OF 2002. WHICH HAD TO BE REPLACED. *JB
WAS DRIVING VEHICLE AND NOTICED COOLANT WAS GETTING LOW. CHECKED UNDER HOOD, AND FLUID WAS ON ENGINE. HEAD GASKET WAS LEAKING FROM RIGHT SIDE. *AK
THE OXYGEN SENSOR FAILED CAUSING THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE. NLM
WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING VEHICLE WILL CUT OFF AND COME TO A DEAD STOP. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER HAS REPLACED SOME WIRING. REPAIRS WERE NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. *AK *ML
SEVERAL COMPONENTS HAVE PREMATURELY DETERIORATED CALLING INTO QUESTION SAFETY OF OTHER RELATED COMPONENTS. THE CAR IS 3 YEARS AND 6 MONTHS OLD, BUT HAS LESS THAN 29,000 MILES. THE PROBLEMS ALL SEEM TO DEAL WITH RUBBER (OR SIMILAR MATERIAL) COMPONENTS. THE ENGINE INTAKE MANIFOLD IS LEAKING. THE LEFT SIDE AXLE SEAL AND COVER ON THE TRANSMISSION IS LEAKING. THE SERPENTINE BELT WAS ALREADY CRACKING AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. (THE SERPENTINE BELT IS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION, IF SO DESIRED). *AK
#6 CYLINDER FAILED RESULTING IN ENGINE FAILURE. DEALER WANTS TO REBUILD OR REPLACE WITH A NEW ENGINE. CONSUMER FEELS THIS MAJOR ENGINE PROBLEM SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPEND AT 44K MILES. NLM
VEHICLE STALLED WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH CAUSING A LOSS OF POWER
ENGINE CONTINUALLY FAILING, UNABLE TO DETERMINE CAUSE.
MANIFOLD GASKET FAILED. WILL DRIVING GASKET RAN HOT; THE MANIFOLD GASKET WAS SPEWING WATER AND THE GASKET HAD TO BE CHANGED.
WHEN TRAVELING ABOUT 50 TO 60 MPH THE DASHLIGHT CAME ON, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND CUT OFF. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER, VEHICLE AWAITING SERVICE. *AK
WHEN COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP THE VEHICLE WILL STALL AND WHILE DRIVING UP ON A HILL THERE WILL BE NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. DEALER REPLACED OXGEN SENSOR. ALSO IN COLD WEATHER THE DOORS ARE HARD TO OPEN. *AK
VEHICLE STALLED.
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 .