We found the following complaints for OLDSMOBILE 88 (1997)
Read complaints for OLDSMOBILE 88 (1997)
Consumer concerned that air bag is a safety hazard.
While driving and without warning, air bag light illuminated. Dealer statedsensors have gone bad and needed to be replaced.
Vehicle was involved in a frontal collision with several trees, and neither air bags deployed. Dealer and manufacturer were not notified at this time. During the accident the axle broke. Also, radiator and battery busted.there were 2 injuries.
Air bags deployed prematurely. Very minor fender bender no damage to other car. Small fist size dent to the car in question. Noted from cop on seen, speed was less than 10 mph. Air bags deployed and totaled inside of car. Sent 2 persons to hospital.
Consumer was driving approximately 5-10mphfelt 2 sharp pulls to the right wthin seconds, dual airbags deployedwithout any warning , causing driver to black out and sustain minor injuries.
Died while at stop light. Wont restart, turns over but wont keep running.
Vehicle had been parked for awhile. Had got in and inserted key in ignition andstarted it. Suddenly, vehicle blew up and then caught onfire. Engine compartment had blown. Had no indication of cause of problem.fire possibly caused by an electrical failure.
Possible electrical failures is causing the horn to sound while the vehicles is parked (off), the courtesy lights would illuminated and the trunk would pop up on it's own.nlm
Had switch on headlights. Heard a noise & left vehicle. Overhead dome light did not go out on oits wn. Went back to vehicle & battery dead. Vehicle towed to dealership & was informed battery was gone & not short in electrical wiring.battery was a delco, only used for 7 months.
Alternator failed.
Alternator making noise.
My complaint is that when the weather is cold, my horn doesn't work until the whole steering wheel warms up, which can take up to an hour.the service department at my olds dealer is apparently aware of this because they advised the only thing i can do is to replace the $700+ air bag because all the wiring for the horn is run through the air bag.as far as i'm concerned, this is a manufacturer's defect and is extremely dangerous.this should be a recall.there was no "incident" but apparently i have to put in a date so i will just make one up so i can proceed with my complaint.
Horn design is difficult to engage.
Spark plug wires burnedout at the plug end, causingengine to misfire and buck. Delaer has replaced the ignition wires. However, the problem has reoccurred.
At 27 mphvehicle stalls. Took vehicle to dealer 4 times, cannot remedy problem.*aik
The engine stalls while the vehicle is in motion. Has been to dealer 2 timesand problem cannot be duplicated. Dealer felt the problem was a combination of a computer problem and fuel injection problem, oldsmobile took vehicle back.
While driving 45 mph vehicles engine died for no reason. Dealer found a faulty code from vehicle computer.
Spark plug wires burnedout at the plug end, causingengine to misfire and buck. Delaer has replaced the ignition wires. However, the problem has reoccurred.
On february 25, 2004 my grandparents purchased a 1997 oldsmobile lss from north lake ford in lakeport california.immediately following the purchase the vehicle developed an intermittent stall, and would not restart for several minutes.in fact the vehicle stalls with no warning and they were nearly ran over by a semi truck when the vehicle stalled.the vehicle has been in to have the problem repaired four times, and it still stalls to this day.please look into this problem to prevent a catastrophe.
Driver heard a pop in the radio, shortly ater the radio went dead and a fire erupted on the passegers door.
Vehicle had been parked for awhile. Had got in and inserted key in ignition andstarted it. Suddenly, vehicle blew up and then caught onfire. Engine compartment had blown. Had no indication of cause of problem.fire possibly caused by an electrical failure.
Had switch on headlights. Heard a noise & left vehicle. Overhead dome light did not go out on oits wn. Went back to vehicle & battery dead. Vehicle towed to dealership & was informed battery was gone & not short in electrical wiring.battery was a delco, only used for 7 months.
Upper intake manifold failure( plastic part) on highway . Engine overheated from coolant leaking inside engine for the 3rd time .first leak coolant outside engine. 2nd time bad oil leak.3rd time this.
When accelerator pedal was depressed, the engine back fired and blew the "plastic" intake manifold.*mr*scc
The consumer had taken the vehicle to the dealer to be inspected, and the mechanic determined that the plastic intake manifold had a crack, causing fluid to leak onto the engine.the water pump went out and the spark plugs, head gasket starter, and the accelerator cable was replaced. *sc
We have had to replace the (plastic) manifold on our 1997 olds 88 three times in the last five years.this is obviously a manufacturer defect, yet no recall has been issued for this car (while recalls have been issue for similar defects on similar cars). We have spent over $2000 getting this problem fixed and that still doesn't fix the coolant in the engine which cannot be entirely cleared out without removing the engine and incurring other possible problems.
For several months we were noticing leaks from the car on the driveway.we knew from touching it was not oil.the car started to hesitate at times and feel like it was going to stall out.eventually it did stall out and continued to do so, it always started right up though, so we knew it wasn't the battery.the check engine light went on when it stalled.we brought it to the shop and theyran a diagnostic and found repair codes p0300 and p0135, which caused the vehicle check engine light to come on resulting in random misfire and 02 sensor heater circuit malfunction.followed diagnostic troubleshooting flowchart and found faulty 02 sensor and coolant inside cylinder#4.upon disassembly of intake manifold to inspect system, found intake manifold cracked.removed and replaced intake manifold assembly, front 02 sensor assembly and spark plugs with all new oem parts.refilled coolant and bleed system.rechecked operation, cleared codes.after further research we found that this was a common problem with this car and probably should have been addressed by gm.
Misfiring, backfiring, stalling and coolant leaks due to leaking plastic intake manifold and gaskets. Dealer claims to have found no problems in sept. 2000. Kept having problems. Took to another repair shop and upper intake gasket was replaced, failed 2 weeks later and was replaced again. Leaks coolant onto floor. Can smell coolant in passenger compartment and garage where parked.
Consumer states the coolant level sensor retainer clips broke off and leaving the sensor retained only by the friction of the o-ring seals.
The radiator and water pump failed prematurely due to corrosion, also the heater core failed.*ph
Three other persons reported the same water pump failure.
Manifold was leaking water inside engine, and engine malfunctioned. Please provide additional information. Ts
Vehicle has an oil leak. Dealer is aware of the problem. Warranty does not coveroil leak. Problem still exists. *ml
The contact owns a 1997 oldsmobile lss. The contact heard a loud explosion under the hood of the vehicle immediately after it was started. As he opened the hood, he noticed a fire in the engine compartment. He used a fire extinguisher to put the fire out. The air intake and device on the engine cover were destroyed as a result of the fire. The manufacturer advised the contact that a product allegation representative would notify him. The failure mileage was 90,000.
Half of the time car stalls at lights, and whenslowing down at turns. Consumeris afraid of being hit in the rear.vehicle has stalled 7 times in less than 3000 miles.
I have a problem with the plentium being made of plastic. To put plastic in the engine, this car is only 5 years old. And has had excellant care. The plentium wears out dumping engine collant into combustion chambers. And contaminates the entire engine with water and coolant. Which in turn destroys the engine. Gm knows of this problem and state that they have corrected the problem in the later models. I would like to see them recall the ones that were not corrected. Although our instance subjected us to any danger . If this was to happen on the highway at night, whos to say what could happen. If other manufacturers can recoginize this problem and have recalls, then why can't oldsmobile step up and do the same? if they want information on othe instances on the same part failure from other peoples, i would be more than happy to provide this. Thank you for your time. Tommy rice.
The insured got out of the vehicle and discovered smoke coming from the vehicle.(claim#40-2516-904)
Consumer tried to start vehicle and it back fired and the engine caught on fire, the plastic plenum blew off and plug wires caught fire, claim 23-1355-542.
Intake manifold exploded, fire in the engine compartment, claim 49-3290-805.
Consumer tried to start vehicle and it back fired and the engine caught on fire, the plastic plenum blew off and plug wires caught fire, claim 23-1355-542.
Engine: driving approximately 15 mph when there was loss of power steering and brake failure.engine had cut offin line of traffic without me realizing it had stopped.
The insured attempted to start vehicle, which back fired and then the engine caught on fire.(claim#23-1355-542)
The insured got out of the vehicle and discovered smoke coming from the vehicle.(claim#40-2516-904)
While drivingat any speed vehicle would cut off for no apparent reason. This would happen without any type of warning. Vehicle was taken to the dealership 4 times for this problem. Dealer was not able to locate what the problem was with the vehicle.*ml
Consumer got out of vehicle and saw smoke, fire in engine compartment, claim 40-2516-904.
The insured attempted to start vehicle, which back fired and then the engine caught on fire.(claim#23-1355-542)
Consumer got out of vehicle and saw smoke, fire in engine compartment, claim 40-2516-904.
Vehicle experienced a back fire while driving and causing an engine compartment fire.dealer / manufacturerwere not notifed at this time.please provide us with any further information concerning this matter.
While traveling onhighwayvehicle shut down without prior warning.
Intake manifold exploded, fire in the engine compartment, claim 49-3290-805.
Manifold was leaking water inside engine, and engine malfunctioned. Please provide additional information. Ts
Consumer states that while driving and without warning the intake manifold blew causing the vehicle to be hard to start. Dealer notified. Ts
I was driving my 1997 oldsmobile 88 and all of a sudden it went boom and the car stopped suddenly and smoke barrelled out of the engine and would not turn over.i had to be pushed out of the wayto the next parking lot.we had our car towed to a mechanic shop and they said that we needed a a new engine.they in turn towed it to yet another reputable shop and they said that the engine blew due to a faulty intake manifold.it was plastic and with the heat of the engine aloowed it to leak into other parts of the engines cooling system.gm didn't take fault even though they stopped using the plastic manifold and had a recall on it.from my understanding. We filed a complaint with the bbb autoline and the referred us to th attorney generals office in which gm still refuses to take fault because we were not the original owners of the car and the number of miles on the car at around 70,000.the car got an inspection before it was sold, i'm sure toyota would'nt resale a junk to it's customers.it was in showroom condition when we purchased it.
Engine manifold exploded when ignition turned to start.fuel rail bent, fuel regulator damaged, large cloud of smoke and explosive sound occurred. Engine cover split in two.
The consumer attempted to start the vehicle the engine back fired and caught on fire*mr *nlm
While driving65 mphvehicleall of a sudden came to a stop. Owner did notice smoke coming from the vehicle. Fire department stated that theengine manifold leaked fuel onto the enigne, which starteda fire. Fire was put out by the fire department. Vehicle has been totalled.referenced in ea02-030
Intermittently, when the electronic display shows that vehicle is in reverse or drive, it is actually in neutral. Driver was almost involved in a crash and killed because of this problem. Vehicle has been brought to dealership 4 times because of this problem. Dealer not able to diagnose or correctprolbem.
The fog lamps switch location cannot be seen from the drivers position.
Switch for the fog lamps can not be seen due to location (steering wheel in the view).
This vehicle is 5 years old and the gas lines have rusted.the vehicle also had a fuel pump replaced due to a leak between the incline fuel filter and the gas tank. *jg
The insured stated that the intake manifold exploded.(49-3290-805)
The insured stated that the intake manifold exploded.(49-3290-805)
While driving vehicle would make a loud squealing noise, and the check engine light stays on.took to dealer and the dealer says gmc has redesigned the intake manifold, dealer saysthe intake manifold has a interior vacuum leak.please provide any further information. Ts
While driving hot water burned a hole inmanifold, causing engine to lock down . Dealer notified.
Fuel line failure on modular unit due to pipe rusting-- will cost $700.00+ to replace.mr
The fuel pressure regulator had to be replaced twice within week due to the defect described in recall 04v090000.the consumers vehicle was not included in the recall.
Fuel pump failed.
The engine stalls while the vehicle is in motion. Has been to dealer 2 timesand problem cannot be duplicated. Dealer felt the problem was a combination of a computer problem and fuel injection problem, oldsmobile took vehicle back.
Vehicle stallis when gas tank is 1/4 tank full.
Fuel sensor failed.
Transmission won't engage in reverse (sticking) intermittently due to piston seal leak.
Transmission failed due to modulating valve. Mjs
Many problems with the 88- anti-lock brake replacementtransmission control box replacementand now the car has a shaking problem that dealer cannot figure outwith 54000 miles it is on it's 5th set of tires and numerious computer balancing's and cannot find the problemthe are has had rotors turned, wheel bearings replaced. Axels and rod's checked into but dealer says they don't know what is causing it and has given up!!! please help thanks( dot number: )
While driving vehicle the transmission jumps into neutral with shift indicator in the drive position. The problem has been corrected. Consumer states the transmission valve box is what caused the problems.
Automatic transmission will shift gears before it gets to correct speed, causing vehicle to lose power. Maufacturer and dealers cannot fixproblem.i
The car lost complete power on the highway. Startedagain with enough power to pull off the road. The gm dealer in traverse city mi. Stated the car needed a complete transmission and drive shaft. If this happened on a busy road, it would be very dangerous. This car was never abused and should not have this problem at 49000. Miles.
When vehicle is shifted into reverse it does not go into reverse. Dealer put in a new transmission.
When vehicle is idling and shiftinginto reversevehicle isn't doing anything, won't move into any gear until 30 second later. Then vehicle will jump into reverse. Dealer can't determine the cause of the problem.
Transmission has trouble engaging into reverse gear.
Vehicle is having trouble going into reverse gear if not in gear shift in the right position, moving gear shift to drive and reverse gear again solves problems. Mjs
Many problems with the 88- anti-lock brake replacementtransmission control box replacementand now the car has a shaking problem that dealer cannot figure outwith 54000 miles it is on it's 5th set of tires and numerious computer balancing's and cannot find the problemthe are has had rotors turned, wheel bearings replaced. Axels and rod's checked into but dealer says they don't know what is causing it and has given up!!! please help thanks( dot number: )
When the the brakes are applied the vehicle vibrates and shakes . Rotors were rotated and replaced. Later they changed the rear hubs,then the pads. The problem still exists.
While driving the vehicle suddenly stopped with no previous warning sign of trouble, upon inspection consumer found out that the vehicle needed a new transmission, consumer believes that the transmission should not have failed at only 30k miles.nlm
Due to the design and the improper installment of the passenger's side seat belt,the receptacle is stabbing the passenger's side occupant in the back,making it impossible to seat an occupant in the passenger's side seat. Dealer refused to correct the problem.
Design of the rear seat belts are too short to engage.
Seat belt buckle on the rear driver side, would not latch.dealer was notified.the original seat belt is the wrong size.dealer will not replace.*jg
Seat belts are extremely difficult to buckle, impossible to fully grip the buckle, too short of a latch plate.
Rear restraints in vehicle are very difficult to latch. The passengeropposite of the restraint has to buckle the belt for the occupant . Dealer will be contacted.
Rear seat belts have never worked due to design, impossible to latch.
Leather on driver's seat is cracking and splitting.
Consumer complaint that head restraint comes up to driver's ear lobes, possibly causing injury in accident.
Drivers seat reclining mechanism has sheered off while being driven allowing the seat to fall backwards with no warning.please describe details
Seat back collapsed during rear end impact, resulting in injury to consumer. *mjs
My 1997 chevrolet lumina, 1997 oldsmobile and 1998 oldsmobile all have had brake lines fail due to corrosion in the last two years. The most recent failure almost resulted in an accident as the brakes failed during a panic stop to avoid a collision. All vehicles had steel brake lines replaced to correct the failure.i tend to keep my cars until they are ten plus years old. The majority of my cars have had brakes fail due to corrosion of the tubing.i was wondering whystainless steel tubing is not required on brake lines?
Anti lock brakes failed several times, one incident resulted in vehicle collision.
While drivingapplied the brakes and the brakes started slipping which did not allow the vehicle to stop. Dealer cannot find the problem. This slipping of the brakes caused the owner to have anaccident.
Many problems with the 88- anti-lock brake replacementtransmission control box replacementand now the car has a shaking problem that dealer cannot figure outwith 54000 miles it is on it's 5th set of tires and numerious computer balancing's and cannot find the problemthe are has had rotors turned, wheel bearings replaced. Axels and rod's checked into but dealer says they don't know what is causing it and has given up!!! please help thanks( dot number: )
When rapidly applyingbrakes,pedal becomes extremely hard and resists, causing extended stopping distance, cause unknown.
Brakes (ecbm) failed.nlm
When the the brakes are applied the vehicle vibrates and shakes . Rotors were rotated and replaced. Later they changed the rear hubs,then the pads. The problem still exists.
When applying the brakes vehicle shakes and shimmies. Also, vehicle experiencesextended stopping distance.
Rear rotors have completly rusted out so badly that rotors could not have been turned at only 33,000 miles, causing bad vibration in steering wheel.
Many problems with the 88- anti-lock brake replacementtransmission control box replacementand now the car has a shaking problem that dealer cannot figure outwith 54000 miles it is on it's 5th set of tires and numerious computer balancing's and cannot find the problemthe are has had rotors turned, wheel bearings replaced. Axels and rod's checked into but dealer says they don't know what is causing it and has given up!!! please help thanks( dot number: )
Dt: the rear brakes have never worked on this vehicle. The back drums are black, they'venever had contact unlessusing the emergency brake.
While moving the vehicle from the driveway and applying the brakes they failed. Consumer looked underneath ,and saw the brake line rusted and leaking fluid.
I have a 1987 oldsmobile 88 lss that i took in for inspection.it passed inspection, but i was told that it was not safe to drive.there was a failure in the power steering pump that could cause the bearings to lock up, burn the belt and i would lose steering.
While driving at speeds of 70mph, the steering wheel locked up,causing the vehicle to pull to the left, resulting in anaccident.
Trunk is out of adjustment resulting in trunk lid opening while driving.
Load level system/solenoid and elc pump failed causing vehicle to bottom out.
Upon check-up mechanic noticed that rods and bushings for sway bar were never installed.
When driving at any speed the vehicle is shaking/vibration due to all four tires being unbalanced. Original tires were replaced after finding a bubble on one and abnormal wear on other three.replacing tire did not solve the shudder or shaking problem.*ml
When the vehicle is traveling between 60-65 mph it seems to shimmy, sometimes the shimmy seems to relate to the engine acceleration and deceleration. This also seems to occur during normal drivng.
The suspension moves up and down vigoursly which causes loss of vehicle control which could result in an accident.dealer cannot determine the cause of the problem.
While driving down the roadvehicle pulls to the right. Steering is not stable at all.when driving over a bridge and hitsa bump in the road and the steering wheel vibrates. Stopped vehicle and took a look, the belt was about to fall off the front bushing stablizer bar.tighten it. Contacted a dealer.
Upon check-up mechanic noticed that rods and bushings for sway bar were never installed.
Original equipment on a 1997, oldsmobile 88, tire size p205/70r15, dot number not available, tire had 17 thousands miles on them.consumer noticed when driving noise was coming from the rear ofvehicle. Tires were checked and showed evidence of tread separation, rear tires showing more evidence then frontal tires.please provide any further details.
Fuel indicator does not illuminate when fuel is low no oil gauge indicator to show low level of oil. (design flaw).
While pulling into aparking spot, with brake pedal engaged, vehicle accelerated suddenly at very fast speed, ran over a sign and over a curb. Could not get brakesto stop vehicle for a while. Then engine slowed down somewhat and vehicle stopped. Had both feet on brakes at time. The dealer has been notified.
With the cruise control engaged at 72 mp, driver stepped on the accelerator pedal to pass slower traffic. Once he took his foot off the accelerator pedal,vehicle slowed down, and did not kick back into cruise control, and the engine cut off. The problem was reported to the dealership. The dealer could not duplicate the problem.
The consumer had taken the vehicle to the dealer to be inspected, and the mechanic determined that the plastic intake manifold had a crack, causing fluid to leak onto the engine.the water pump went out and the spark plugs, head gasket starter, and the accelerator cable was replaced. *sc
The radiator and water pump failed prematurely due to corrosion, also the heater core failed.*ph
Right front door caught on fire (unable to unlock door), possible power window failure cause of fire.
Side rearview mirror fell off and after repair the knob adjuster did not work properly.
Windshield distorted in line of vision.yh
While driving on highway 60mphdriver's windshield wiper doclean the windshield, but it appearsas if theywill fly off.contacted the dealer, and dealer replaced the arm and blade, but the areworse than ever.
Consumer complains that windshield wipers performinadequatelywhen using washer fluid, causing obscured vision.
Windshield wiper failed. Yh
Driver sidewindshield wiper blade chatters causing failure which results in poor visibility. Dealer cannot find the problem.replaced the arm and blade from a stock car.problem has become worst.
When the windshield washer is activated, the wipers sometimes fail to come on and the washer fluid continues to spray on the windshield, obscuring vision . Frantic manipulation of the control results in a return to normal operation. A serious accident could result fromthis failure.
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