1997 Oldsmobile Aurora Recalls, Ratings & Complaints

Incident: February 2, 2017 · Filed: July 11, 2017

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 OLDSMOBILE AURORA. THE CONTACT OBSERVED A FUEL ODOR WITHIN THE ENGINE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. IN ADDITION, THE EXTERIOR BRAKE LIGHTS AND HEADLIGHTS ILLUMINATED INDEPENDENTLY WITHOUT THE ENGINE BEING STARTED. THE CONTACT HAD TO REMOVE THE BATTERY FROM THE VEHICLE IN ORDER FOR THE LIGHTS TO REMAIN OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER, BUT WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL INJECTORS, FUEL PUMP, AND SPARK PLUGS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE REMEDY FAILED TO REPAIR THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT INQUIRED IF THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 04V110000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE); HOWEVER, THERE WERE NO OPEN RECALLS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 197,000.

Incident: February 2, 2017 · Filed: February 2, 2017

USED THE REMOTE START FEATURE DURING 24 DEG WEATHER AND THE DRIVER SIDE REAR FIXED WINDOW SHATTERED. POSSIBLE CAUSE WOULD BE A SHORT IN THE REAR WINDOW DEFROST UNIT, WHICH COMES ON WHEN USING REMOTE START IN COLD WEATHER.

Incident: August 14, 2015 · Filed: August 20, 2015

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 OLDSMOBILE AURORA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE WOULD SUDDENLY STALL. IN ADDITION, WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE A MIST WAS PRESENT COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND THE ENGINE WOULD NOT START. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE NUMBER 8 CYLINDER FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

Incident: October 6, 2014 · Filed: October 6, 2014

ON MARCH 4, 2004, A RECALL WAS ISSUED FOR MY CAR - COMPONENTS FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE: DELIVERY: HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS. NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 04V110000. NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: EA04003. I WENT TO THE DEALER IN 2004 AND THEY REPLACED MY FUEL RAIL. THEY DID NOT REPLACE THE FUEL RETURN LINE. THE RECALL STATES "ADDITIONALLY, THE 1995 MODEL YEAR USES A UNIQUE UNDERHOOD FUEL RETURN LINE THAT MAY CRACK. CRACKING OF THE FUEL RAIL OR RETURN LINE TUBING CAN RESULT IN A FUEL LEAK INTO THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. CONSEQUENCE: FUEL LEAKAGE, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, COULD RESULT IN A FIRE." MY CAR IS A 1997. THE RETURN LINE HAS, SO FAR, CRACKED FOUR TIMES AND EACH TIME I WAS FORTUNATE TO NOT HAVE THE CAR CATCH ON FIRE WHILE I DROVE TO MY MECHANIC WHO WAS ABLE TO SPLICE IT. IT IS NOW TOO SHORT TO SPLICE ANYMORE AND I HAVE NO DOUBT IT WILL CRACK AGAIN. TODAY I WENT TO A LOCAL DEALER AND HE SAID REPAIR/REPLACEMENT OF THE LINE IS NOT COVERED UNDER THIS RECALL. IT IS THE SAME DANGEROUS PROBLEM FOR WHICH THE 1995 AURORA WAS RECALLED. I AM RETIRED AND LIVING SOLELY ON SOCIAL SECURITY. I DO NOT HAVE MONEY TO GET THIS FIXED (THE DEALER SAID MINIMUM $500 AND COULD GO BEYOND $1,000). I SEE NO REASON WHY THIS SHOULD NOT BE COVERED. IT IS A FAULT OF THE MANUFACTURER USING SUBSTANDARD "RUBBER" OR WHATEVER IS CRACKING WHICH CAN NOT HANDLE THE EXTREMELY HIGH PRESSURE OF THE FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM IN THAT LINE. *TR

Incident: April 26, 2013 · Filed: June 7, 2013

BOTH REAR BRAKE LINES ARE SO EXTREMELY CORRODED IT ACTUALLY RUSTED THROUGH THE METAL BRAKE LINES IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT LOCATIONS ON BOTH REAR BRAKE LINES AND IS LEAKING IN LARGE AMOUNTS AT THE SEVERE CORRODED SPOTS OF THE LINES. ALSO THE FRONT BRAKE LINES ARE ALSO EXTREMELY CORRODED THEY JUST HAVE YET TO CORRODE COMPLETELY THROUGH THE METAL LINE AND LEAK BRAKE FLUID YET BUT CAN GUARANTEE THEY WILL IN LESS THAN 20K MILES EASILY! AND THE MASTER CYLINDER IS NOT DIVIDED INTO 2 DIVIDED AND SEPARATE RESERVOIRS FOR THE FRONT AND REAR DISTRIBUTION BRAKING HYDRAULIC POWER IN CASE THE REAR BRAKE PRESSURE WOULD NOT BE ENOUGH FOR THE REAR CALIPERS TO WORK OR IF THE OPPOSITE HAPPENED TO THE FRONT AND ITS BECAUSE FLUID STARTED LEAKING: THAT WAY THERE IS STILL FLUID LEFT IN THE MASTER CYLINDER RESERVOIR FOR EITHER THE FRONT BRAKES OR REAR BRAKES, WHICHEVER LINE(S) AREN'T LEAKING AND SO THE REMAINING BRAKING AXLE STILL HAS REMAINING EXCESS BRAKE FLUID TO STOP. *TR

Incident: July 8, 2011 · Filed: July 11, 2011

I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH MY 1997 OLDS AURORA. IT HAS NO POWER AT ALL. BEFORE NOW I HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR TAKING A LONG TIME TO START. I ALSO HAD A PROBLEM WITH CLEAN KEY, WAIT 3 MINUTES. A PROBLEM WHERE IT SEEMS AS IF THE BATTERY WAS DISCONNECTED OVERNIGHT BECAUSE THE INFORMATION CENTER WAS RESET AS IF THE POWER WAS LOST WHILE SITTING. I ALSO HAVE HAD NUMEROUS OVERHEATING PROBLEMS THAT EVEN THE MECHANIC COULD NOT FIGURE OUT ON THIS CAR AFTER CHECKING IT OVER FOR DAYS, THEY JUST SAID THAT THEY DID NOT UNDERSTAND IT BECAUSE THE CAR WAS REGISTERING HOTTER THAN THE MACHINE THAT THEY USED TO CHECK THE TEMPERATURE WITH. WAS NOT ABLE TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. CAN'T DRIVE THE CAR FAR AT ALL BECAUSE IT OVERHEATS BEFORE EVEN GOING TWO MILES. NOW I HAVE NO TYPE OF POWER, NO INSIDE LIGHTS, NO HORN, THE REMOTE WON'T WORK. NO LIFE AT ALL. ALL THE FUSES ARE GOOD. CAN'T EVEN GET ANY POWER BY CONNECTING IT TO A CHARGER OR JUMP STARTING THE CAR. NOTHING AT ALL WORKS. THE CAR IS LIFELESS!!!!!!!! I LOVE THIS CAR AND I HAVE HAD THIS CAR SINCE 2004. *TT

Incident: April 2, 2011 · Filed: April 2, 2011

MY 1997 OLDS AURORA STARTED LEAKING GAS FROM THE PLASTIC FUEL LINE UNDER THE HOOD.I HAD REMEMBERED THERE WAS A RECALL ON THIS AND CALLED OLDSMOBILE AND THEY TOLD ME MY CAR WAS NOT UNDER THE RECALL #04014. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THIS COULD BE SINCE THEY FIGURED THIS OUT IN 2004 AND MY CAR WAS MADE IN 1997... THE DATE ON THE PLASTIC FUEL LINES IS 5/10/1996. *TR

Incident: August 17, 2010 · Filed: September 17, 2010

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 OLDSMOBILE AURORA. THE CONTACT WAS TURNING IN REVERSE APPROXIMATELY 2 MPH WHEN HE HEARD A LOUD POP. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND SHUT OFF. THE CONTACT THEN NOTICED A LARGE AMOUNT OF FLUID LEAKING FROM UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT THEN DISCOVERED A BOLT WAS MISSING FROM THE STEERING RACK TO THE FRAME. THE RACK AND PINION HOUSING WAS ALSO FRACTURED AND THERE WERE SEVERAL RUSTED BOLTS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 150,000.

Incident: August 11, 2010 · Filed: August 16, 2010

I HAVE A 1997 OLDSMOBILE AURORA (VIN [XXX] WITH A RECALLED FUEL RAIL. THE FUEL RAIL SPRING A PINHOLE LEAK, WHICH WAS SPRAYING ATOMIZED GASOLINE ON THE ENGINE BLOCK. THERE IS A RECALL ON THIS FUEL RAIL, BUT WHEN I CALLED THE OLDSMOBILE RECALL HOTLINE, THEY TOLD ME THAT THE REPAIR HAD ALREADY BEEN PERFORMED. SINCE THE FUEL RAIL WAS STILL THE OLD STYLE NYLON ONE AND NOT THE STAINLESS STEEL ONE SPECIFIED IN THE RECALL, I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THE SERVICE WAS PERFORMED (AW GOLDEN IN READING, PA) TO INQUIRE AS TO WHY THE NYLON FUEL RAIL WAS STILL IN PLACE. THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE FORMER OWNER HAD NEVER COME BACK TO GET THE RECALL DONE. I WAS NEVER INFORMED OF THIS PROBLEM UNTIL I HAD FUEL LEAKING ONTO MY ENGINE BLOCK AND DUE TO OLDSMOBILE'S SYSTEM, WHICH HAS THE RECALL MARKED AS COMPLETE, I CANNOT GET THE RECALL SERVICE DONE. WHAT GOOD ARE SAFETY RECALLS IF THE MANUFACTURER CAN MARK THE RECALL COMPLETE WITHOUT PERFORMING THE WORK? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

Incident: June 14, 2009 · Filed: August 4, 2009

1997 OLDSMOBILE AURORA. I HAVE OWNED THIS VEHICLE FOR THE PAST 6 YEARS. OVER THE PAST YEAR, I HAVE NOTICED SOME "PLAY" IN THE TILT STEERING COLUMN. MY RESEARCH HAS REVEALED AN INHERENT PROBLEM THAT THESE MODEL OF CARS HAVE HAD WITH THE PIVOTS IN THE STEERING-TILT MECHANISM BACKING THEMSELVES OUT. ONE DAY I CLIMBED INTO THE CAR TO BACK DOWN THE DRIVEWAY, AND THE WHOLE STEERING ASSEMBLY JUST PLOPPED INTO MY LAP. I SUSPECTED THE PIVOTS WERE TO BLAME, SO I BEGAN REMOVAL OF THE JUNK AROUND THE STEERING COLUMN, ENOUGH TO GET A VIEW OF THE PIVOTS, AND TO MY DISMAY, I DISCOVERED THAT THE PIVOT ON ONE SIDE HAD WORKED LOOSE, BUT THE CAST METAL THAT SURROUNDS THE PIVOT ON THE OTHER SIDE HAD BROKEN COMPLETELY. I CAN THINK OF NO OTHER REMEDY THAN TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE COLUMN. *TR