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 Cutlass submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 16 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
CADILLAC & 1996 OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS CIERA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO BOTH VEHICLE SUDDEN ACCELERATION ISSUES. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED OFTEN, THE ENGINE WOULD SPEED UP RANDOMLY WHILE IDLING OR IN PARK, AS THOUGH HE WERE TRAVELING 50 MPH. SEVERAL TIMES, THE VEHICLE WOULD ABRUPTLY SHUT DOWN. *JB
LTR FM (FL) RE DEFECTIVE 1996 OLDSMOBILE CIERA. *TS THE ENGINE OVERHEATED, THE BATTERY HAD A LOW CHARGE AND THE VEHICLE WAS LOW ON FUEL AND OIL. THE OXYGEN SENSOR WAS REPLACED WHEN THE ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE INDICATOR FOR THE FUEL NEVER GAVE AN ACTUAL READING OF THE FUEL IN THE TANK, IT FLUCTUATED AT VARIOUS SPEEDS AND IT WAS HARD TO TELL HOW MUCH FUEL WAS ACTUALLY IN THE TANK. THE CONSUMER HAD A WATER PUMP INSTALLED. *JB
LTR FM CONSUMER (FL) RE DEFECTIVE 1996 OLDSMOBILE CIERA. *TS SIX MONTHS AFTER VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED THE CONSUMER NOTICE THAT THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT WOULD FLASH ON AND OFF INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO REPLACED THE OXYGEN SENSOR. THE VEHICLE RAN FINE FOR A WHILE THEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AGAIN. THE DEALER REPLACED ANOTHER SENSOR. EVENTUALLY THE VEHICLE'S ENGINE OVERHEATED WHICH RESULTED IN ENGINE DAMAGE. THIS FAILURE OCCURRED UNDER 100,000 MILES . THE FUEL GAUGE NEVER GAVE THE ACTUAL FUEL TANK READING. THE FUEL NEEDLE WOULD FLUCTUATE WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN AT VARIOUS SPEED. MANY BATTERIES HAVE BEEN REPLACED IN THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THEY FAIL UNEXPECTEDLY. THE BATTERY INDICATOR NEVER ILLUMINATED INDICATING THERE WAS A PROBLEM. *NM
DT: THE CONSUMER OWNS A 1996 OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS SUPREME. SHE STATED THAT THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON AND SOME TYPE OF CODE COMES ON. THE CODE MEANS A SLIP IN THE ENGINE. THE CONSUMER HAS DONE RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET AND THIS CODE IS KNOWN TO COME ON IN A LOT OF GM MODELS. *JB
I WAS DRIVING ACROSS TOWN WHEN I NOTICED MY ENGINE WAS OVERHEATING. I WAS RIGHT DOWN THE STREET FROM MY MECHANIC, SO I STOPPED THERE. WHAT WAS LEFT OF MY COOLANT EMPTIED OUT ONTO THE GROUND AS A I WATCHED. MY COOLANT INTAKE GASKETHAD GIVEN OUT. THE REPAIR GUY TOLD ME AFTER HE FIXED IT THAT IT HAD VIRTUALLY DISAPPEARED AT SOME PLACES. HE ALSO CALLED ME AT SOME POINT TO INFORM ME THAT MY FUEL LINE HAD GIVEN OUT AND WAS LEAKING. THANKFULLY THE SHOP WAS ABLE TO FIX EVERYTHING QUICKLY, AS I USE MY CAR FOR COMMUTING TO COLLEGE AND WORK.
WAS DRIVING THE CAR NOTICED IT WAS NOT WARMING UP CHECKED ANTI FREEZE AND NOTICED IT WAS LOW IN RADIATOR AND IN OVERFLOW CONTAINER. ADDED ANTI FREEZE LOOKED TO SEE IF HAD BEEN LEAKING AT HOSES OR WAS AFTER ADDING ANTI FREEZE AND IT DID NOT APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN LEAKING AT ANY HOSES OR FROM RADIATOR. STARTED CAR DID NOT RUN RIGHT SHUT ENGINE OFF PULLED DIPSTICK AND FOUND OIL TO BE DISCOLORED. CALLED AROUND AND FOUND THAT THIS YEAR ENGINE MADE BY GENERAL MOTORS IS KNOWN TO BLOW THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKETS AND THAT THIS EXACT CAR HAD ALREADY BEEN REPAIRED FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM PRIOR TO MY PURCHASING THIS CAR 2 YEARS AGO. OLD ENGINE IS AVAILABLE. HAVE ESTIMATED MILEAGE UNTIL IT IS TOWED BACK HOME. THIS CAR WAS ORIGINALLY OWNED BY MY AUNT AND UNCLE WAS SOLD TO MY MOM JOAN ROODBERGEN SHE NEVER DROVE IT AND I PURCHASED IT FROM THEM IN OCTOBER OF 2002. I KNEW THE INTAKE MANIFOLD HAD ALREADY FAILED ONCE AND WAS REPAIRED BY MULLINS AUTO SERVICE. *JB
WHEN DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED VEHICLE STALLED. AFTER STOPPING FOR A FEW MINUTES VEHICLE STARTED UP AGAIN. DEALER HAD THE VEHICLE ON A DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE, AND EVEN THEN NOTHING COULD BE DETECTED AS TO WHY THIS WAS HAPPENING. THE PROBLEM OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. *AK *NM
CONSUMER STATES THAT VEHICLE CUTS OFF ON HER AT WILL. HAS TAKEN VEHICLE TO 2 MECHANICS, AND THEY COULD NOT FIND OUT THE CAUSE. CONSUMER GETS SCARED WHEN CROSSING AN INTERSECTION, BECAUSE SHE IS AFRAID THAT VEHICLE WILL CUT OFF AND ANOTHER VEHICLE MAY RUN INTO HER. WHEN VEHICLE CUTS OFF THE RPMS GO DOWN TO ZERO, AND VEHICLE COASTS ALONG. *AK
WHILE STARTING VEHICLE ENGINE WOULD BE MAKING NOISES. HAD VEHICLE SERVICED. TWO-WEEKS LATER, ENGINE CHECK INDICATOR LIGHT FLASHED. ENGINE SHUTDOWN, AND WOULD NOT RESTART. DEALER WAS CONTACTED.*AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE *AK
ENGINE CHECK LIGHT ON; DIAGNOSTIC RAN - REPORTED BAD AIR PUMP WHICH WAS REPLACED. WITHIN DAYS LIGHT CAME BACK ON. DIAGNOSTIC RAN AGAIN; SAME CODE=BAD AIR PUMP. MECHANIC SAID THE PUMP IS A BAD DESIGN. THE PUMP ALLOWS WATER TO GET INTO PUMP WHICH THEN GETS INTO THE ENGINE CAUSING DAMAGE AND THE LIGHT TO COME ON. $500 LATER - NO RESOLUTION; SAME PROBLEM. *AK
ENGIN ECHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, AND THE DEALER SAID THE AIR PUMP HAD FAILED. EVEN THOUGH MY CAR IS TECHNICALLY OUT OF THE 3 YEAR WARRANTY PERIOD BY A FEW MONTHS, IT HAS NOT REACHED 36,000 MILES YET (3 YRS/36,000 MILE WARRANTY). I AM TRYING TO FIND OUT IF THERE ARE REPORTED PROBLEMS WITH THE AIR PUMP ON THE 1996 CUTLASS.
ENGINE MAKES NOISE UNTIL WARMED UP. MJS
INTERMITTENT STALLING WHEN VEHICLE IS DRIVEN OVER WATER.
INTAKE MANIFOLD LEAKS.
INTERMITTENT STALLING.
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 .