Owner-reported complaints naming the airbag system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 8 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
AIRBAG LIGHT IS INTERMITTENT. AS THE VEHICLE STARTS, THE COMPUTER RUNS THROUGH IT'S CHECKS, EVERY NOW AND THEN THE AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATES AND STAYS ON UNTIL THE VEHICLE IS SHUT OFF AND RE-STARTED. THERE IS NO WARNING WHEN THE LIGHT WILL STAY ON OR TURN OFF DURING START-UP. THIS HAS BEEN AN ON-GOING ISSUE WITH THIS VEHICLE. *TR
1998 OLDSMOBILE MINI VAN WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT AND THE AIR BAG EQUIPMENT DID NOT DEPLOY. *MR A VEHICLE PULLED OUT IN FRONT OF THE CONSUMER WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONSUMER HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE IN THE SIDE. *SC *JB
PASSENGER SIDE SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED UPON CLOSING DOOR. THIS IS LOCATED IN THE DRIVERS SEAT AND IS ALSO CALLED A SIDE CURTAIN AIR BAG. WOULD LIKE INVESTIGATED BY GM. THIS VEHICLE DOES HAVE A SDM MODULE THAT SHOULD HAVE DATA THEY COULD RETREAVE. AIRBAG HAS NOT BEEN REPACED AS OF YET. INTERIOR MOLDING WAS DAMAGED DUE TO IMPACT WITH AIR BAG. VEHICLE WAS RUNNING AND IN PARK. *AK
SEAT BELTS IN THE SECOND ROW CAPTAIN CHAIRS RELEASED IN A CAR ACCIDENT (ROLL OVER). SEAT BELT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE EXPANDED STILL CAUSING THE PASSENGER TO BE THROWN AROUND IN THE ROLL OVER. AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY! -OLDS HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *JB
THE METAL FRAME SEAT BOLSTER ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE IN MY 1998 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE HAS BROKEN THROUGH THE FOAM CUSION AND HAS BEGUN TO DAMAGE THE LEATHER. I AM CONCERNED THAT IF THIS VEHICLE WERE IN AN ACCIDENT THE METAL WOULD IMPALE THE DRIVER. I HAVE CONTACTED GENERAL MOTORS SEVERAL TIMES ONLY FOR THEM TO TELL ME SOMEONE WOULD HAVE TO BE INJURED BEFORE THEY WOULD RECONGNIZE THIS AS A PROBLEM. A RELATIVE HAS THE EXACT SAME MINI-VAN (YEAR AND MODEL) AND IS EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. I HAVE RECEIVED AN ESTIMATE OF REPAIR FROM AN INDEPENDENT AUTO UPHOLSTERY SHOP AND FOUND IT INTERESTING THAT WHEN I TOLD THE GENTLEMAN WHAT TYPE OF VEHICLE IT WAS HE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS PRIOR TO LOOKING AT THE VEHICLE. HE INDICATED THAT HE HAS REPAIRED MANY OF THESE. WE ALSO FOUND OUT THAT GENERAL MOTORS HAS REDESIGNED THE DRIVERS AND PASSENGERS SEATS IN THE SILHOUETTE, EITHER PROVIDING MORE SEAT FRAME PROTECTION OR REMOVING THE METAL PORTION THAT IS PROTRUDING FROM MY VEHICLE.
I HAVE HAD NUMEROUS PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR SINCE I PURCHASED IT. THE POWER SLIDING SIDE DOOR HAS BENN REPAIRED 2 OR 3 TIMES AND STILL WORKS INTERMITTENTLY. THE HEADLIGHTS HAVE BEEN REPACED ONCE AND REPAIRED ONCE AND THEY NOW HAVE WATER INSIDE CAUSING THE LIGHTS TO PERFORM POORLY. THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT WAS REPAIRED AT A COST OF $80 DUE TO CORROSION CAUSING THE LIGHT TO COME ON. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON IF YOU DRIVE OVER 100 MILES THEN EVENTUALLY GOES OFF. NOW, THE MAJOR PROBLEM IS THAT I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY MY MECHANIC THAT I HAVE A BLOWN HEAD GASKET OR CRACKED BLOCK WHICH IS CAUSING ANTIFREEZE TO LEAK INTO MY OIL. THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT THE ENGINE NEEDS REPLACED. I NOTED NUMEROUS INSTANCES OF BLOWN HEAD GASKETS ON GM MESSAGE BOARDS. THIS SEEMS TO BE AN ONGOING PROBLEM. I CONTACTED GM AND RECEIVED NO OFFER OF HELP. THE REQUEST # GIVEN TO ME WAS 06214553. THIS IS THE 7TH OR 8TH GM VEHICLE I HAVE OWNED AND HAVE NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS. THIS ONE HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT A PROBLEM. DOES THIS CLASSIFY AS A "LEMON"? ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED.*AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
NO DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAGS DURING VEHICLE COLLISON RESULTING IN INJURY TO DRIVER'S KNEES, HANDS, ARMS AND SHOULDERS. *NLM
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 .