RoadVitals

1999 Oldsmobile Silhouette Transmission Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the transmission system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Transmission reportsComplaints 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.
13
Latest May 20, 2011
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
9%
of 149 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
0
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1999 Oldsmobile Silhouette submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 13 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.

Owner reports naming transmission

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

Transmission
Filed May 20, 2011

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT INTO DRIVE GEAR AND IT FAILED TO MOVE FROM PARK TO DRIVE. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO PLACE SHIFT CABLE BACK IN PLACE AND SHIFT INTO DRIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THE AUTOMATIC TRANS AXLE RANGE SELECTOR CABLE ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 154,430.

NHTSA ID
10402235
Incident
May 17, 2011
Mileage
154,430 mi
Transmission
Filed Feb 23, 2004

HARD SHIFTING ON MULTIPLE OCCURRENCES. SEEMS ASSOCIATED WITH RAPID SPEED CHANGES. AFTER TURNING CAR OFF AND WAITING A FEW SECONDS, THE PROBLEM GOES AWAY.*AK

NHTSA ID
10058787
Incident
Feb 23, 2004
Mileage
50,000 mi
Transmission
Filed May 5, 2003

TRANSMISSION TOTALLY FAILED AT ABOUT 45,000 MILES. CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN UP A SMALL HILL AND IT SOUNDED LIKE THE TRANSMISSION FELL OUT. WAS UNABLE TO GO MORE THAN 20 MPH TO DRIVE TO SAFETY. DEALER HAD VEHICLE FOR 1 WEEK. TRANSMISSION WAS TOTALLY OVERHAULED. AT THE TIME, A MECHANIC AT THE DEALER MENTIONED THAT GM WAS AWARE THAT THIS MODEL AND YEAR SILHOUETTE HAD A HISTORY OF THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM. THAT REPAIR WAS OVER $1,000. CAR AGAIN HAD THE PROBLEM AT 75,000 MILES - CONVENIENTLY WHEN THE WARRANTY RAN OUT BUT DESPITE NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS, THE DEALER COULD NOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE CAR WILL RUN FINE FOR ABOUT 25 MILES AND THEN TRANSMISSION WILL BEGIN TO WHINE AND WILL JERK WHEN SHIFTING UP THROUGH THE GEARS. WHEN THE CAR IS PARKED THE PROBLEM WILL THEN NOT RETURN UNTIL THE CAR IS DRIVEN AGAIN FOR SOME TIME. *JB

NHTSA ID
10017058
Incident
Oct 13, 2001
Mileage
45,000 mi
Transmission
Filed Apr 2, 2003

MY 1999 OLDS SILHOUETTE VAN HAS EXPERIENCED A SECOND TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THE FIRST WITH 35K MILES, AND THE SECOND ONE 27K MILES LATER. I HAVE RESEARCHED NUMEROUS OTHER COMPLAINTS WITH THIS SAME TYPE OF GM TRANSMISSION INDICATING TRANSMISSION FAILURES. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. GM IS TRYING TO PASS IT OFF AS AN UNUSUAL MISFORTUNE ON MY BEHALF. FURTHER INVESTIGATION INTO THESE FAILURES IS NEEDED FOR THE CONSUMER SAFETY AND VEHICLE RELIABILITY. I SHOULD NOT BE HAVING TO PUT A THIRD TRANSMISSION INTO A 4 YEAR OLD VEHICLE. *NLM

NHTSA ID
10013850
Incident
Mar 28, 2002
Mileage
63,258 mi
Transmission
Filed Mar 4, 2003

AFTER READING THE OTHER COMPLAINTS ON POWER TRAIN, AUTO TRANSMISSION I NOTICED ALL THE SAME ISSUES. WE TOO EXPERIENCED HEAVY JERKING OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS AT INTERMITTENT TIMES AND REPORTED TO THE DEALER WHO COULD NOT REPEAT THE OCCURRENCE AND TOOK NO ACTION. DREHER HOLLOWAY. AT 48,000 MILES, THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AND THE DEALER CLOSEST TO THE INCIDENT, MERRIMACK STREET GARAGE, RECOMMENDED REPLACEMENT, NOT REPAIR. RENTAL CAR AND REPAIR, ALMOST $4000. GM IS NOT COVERING THE COST OR ADMITTING ANY OWNERSHIP OF THE PROBLEM. DREHER HOLLOWAY IS NO LONGER AN OLDS DEALER. THEY DID A "30,000 MILE GM SERVICE PLUS SERVICE ON THE TRANSMISSION, THAT PROVIDES EXTENDED TROUBLE FREE SERVICE". THAT WAS $400 WASTED. IS THIS ACCEPTABLE PERFORMANCE? *NLM

NHTSA ID
10008378
Incident
Feb 17, 2003
Mileage
48,000 mi
BrakesDriver assistanceElectrical+4 more
Filed Apr 17, 2002

I HAVE HAD THIS VEHICLE SINCE 3/99. IN WHICH TIME I HAVE HAD TO BRING IT BACK FOR TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS, ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS, LEAKING FUEL INJECTORS, BRAKES, NON WORKING CRUISE CONTROL WHICH LED TO THE DEALER REPLACING THE COMPRESSOR. FRONT END LEAKED ANTI FREEZE WHICH LED TO ANOTHER MAJOR JOB. I AM NOT A HAPPY MOTORIST HERE. THE STEERING COLUMN SQUEEKED. THEY GREASED IT. TURNED OUT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE RACKINPINION. I KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT CARS AND I KNOW THAT FOR THE AMOUNT I PAY FOR THIS VEHICLE, I SHOULDN'T BE HAVING THESE MAJOR PROBLEMS. BANDADE FIXES DON'T CUT IT WITH ME. NLM

NHTSA ID
760804
Transmission
Filed Mar 5, 2001

AUTOMATIC TRANMISSION WOULD EXPERIENCE A SHIFTING PROBLEM IN THE FIRST TWO LOW GEARS, CAUSING VEHICLE TO JERK AND A NOISE WOULD APPEAR INTERMITTENTLY. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE PROBLEM. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS ON THIS MATTER. *AK

NHTSA ID
882049
Incident
Oct 1, 2000
Transmission
Filed Feb 11, 2000

AFTER A FEW HOURS OF HIGHWAY DRIVING, I PULLED INTO MY DRIVEWAY AND WENT INTO THE HOUSE FOR ABOUT AN HOUR. I CAME OUT LATER AND DROVE TO THE STORE, AND AS I WAS PULLING AWAY FROM A TRAFFIC SIGNAL, THE SHIFTING OF GEARS (AUTO-TRANS) WAS VERY FORCEFUL, BUCKING THE VAN, LIKE IT WAS HAVING TROUBLE SHIFTING. THE FIRST DEALERSHIP (PAUL BROTHERS) TRIED TO EXPLAIN THAT THE FLUID LEVEL WAS LOW BY 1 QUART, SO THEY FILLED IT. THE PROBLEM CONTINUED OFF AND ON UNTIL I FINALLY TOOK IT INTO A DIFFERENT DEALERSHIP (KOONS - MANASSAS), AND THEY FOUND THAT THE PROBLEM WAS A BAD PRESSURE CONTROL SELENOID, WHICH THEY REPLACED. MY CONCERN IS THAT NOT ONLY MAY I HAVE LESSENED THE LIFE EXPECTANCY OF THE VEHICLE DUE TO THE MISDIAGNOSIS, I ALSO AM CONCERNED ABOUT A POSSIBLE PROBLEM ON OTHER SILHOUETTES IN THE 15K-20K RANGE OF THIS HAPPENING TO THEM AS WELL. POSSIBLE RECALL ISSUE FOR SAFETY REASONS.*AK

NHTSA ID
718611
Incident
Oct 26, 1999
Transmission
Filed Sep 28, 1999

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTIONS, CAUSING A KNOCKING NOISE EVERYTIME THE OCCUPANT CHANGES GEARS AND MAY CAUSE LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

NHTSA ID
848870
Incident
Mar 1, 1999
Transmission
Filed Sep 2, 1999

WENT UP AN INCLINE AND STOPPED, IN THE TIME IT TAKES TO MOVE FOOT FROM BRAKE TO GAS PEDAL, AT THE TOP OF A HILL, THE VEHICLE BEGINS TO ROLL BACKWARDS WHEN IN DRIVE GEAR. THE VEHICLE STALLED WHILE IN DRIVE ROLLING BACKWARDS DOWN THE HILL. *MJS

NHTSA ID
844330
Incident
Aug 1, 1999
Transmission
Filed Aug 18, 1999

TRANSMISSION DESIGN DOES NOT PREVENT VEHICLE FROM ROLLING BACKWARD WHILE IN DRIVE GEAR, RESULTING IN VEHICLE STALLING. MJS

NHTSA ID
548024
Body & structureTransmission
Filed Jul 6, 1999

AUTOMATIC SLIDING DOOR CLOSED ON ITS OWN. ALSO, AUTOMATIC REVERSE MECHANISM DID NOT WORK. OWNER WAS PINNED IN DOOR AND INJURED WHEN PUTTING CHILD IN SAFETY SEAT. THE VAN IS BEING LOOKED OVER BY DEALERSHIP. *AK

NHTSA ID
841644
Incident
Jul 3, 1999
Transmission
Filed Apr 23, 1999

VEHICLE WILL ROLL BACKWARDS WITHOUT STOPPING WHEN IN DRIVE ON A UPWARD INCLINE. THE TOURQUE CONVERTER DOES NOT STOP THE CAR FROM ROLLING BACK. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS IN TRAFFIC. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THIS IS NORMAL AND CANNOT BE REPAIRED. I DO NOT AGREE WITH THIS. A VAN SHOULD NOT ROLL BACK 20 FEET WHILE TRANSMISSION IS IN DRIVE. *AK

NHTSA ID
705936

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.

Other components reported on this vehicle

Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .