Reliability & cost of ownership
Oldsmobile 98 Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Oldsmobile 98? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars — then open the year you're shopping for a full reliability and repair-cost forecast.
Oldsmobile 98 problems by model year
4 recall entries and 97 owner complaints on file across 5 model years, sourced from the federal NHTSA database.
| Year | Recalls | Complaints | NCAP stars | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 98 | 0 | 1 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1998 98 | 0 | 27 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1997 98 | 0 | 30 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1996 98 | 2 | 10 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1995 98 | 2 | 29 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Oldsmobile 98, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- seat belts18 complaints
- engine and engine cooling15 complaints
- air bags12 complaints
- electrical system9 complaints
- visibility8 complaints
- service brakes6 complaints
- fuel system5 complaints
- gasoline5 complaints