FaultScore

Worst years for a Oldsmobile 88

Owners have filed 1,226 complaints about the Oldsmobile 88 with NHTSA across model years 1972 to 1999. More of them are about the engine & cooling than anything else.

Avoid

1998 Oldsmobile 88

213 complaints — the highest FaultScore of any year, mostly engine & cooling.

Cleanest on record

1994 Oldsmobile 88

91 complaints — the lowest FaultScore of the graded years.

Every Oldsmobile 88 year, graded

The grade compares each year against the rest of this model's own run — never against another car. Click any bar or row to open that year's report.

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded
Year Grade Complaints Crashes Fires Median miles Most reported
1999 C 106 0 14 67,280 Engine & Cooling
1998 D 213 10 19 65,580 Engine & Cooling
1997 C 129 4 21 63,257 Engine & Cooling
1996 C 113 7 9 125,250 Engine & Cooling
1995 C 150 20 9 136,000 Engine & Cooling
1994 B 91 6 0 128,500 Brakes
1993 C 99 13 13 120,000 Brakes
1992 109 15 11 Brakes
1991 16 1 1 Brakes
1990 28 1 2 Engine & Cooling
1989 32 3 0 Fuel & Propulsion
1988 46 7 2 Steering
1987 22 6 3 Steering
1986 33 1 0 Brakes
1985 7 2 0 Tires
1984 9 1 2 Engine & Cooling
1982 13 0 0 Engine & Cooling
1981 4 0 1 Tires
1979 2 0 0 Tires
1977 1 0 1 Engine & Cooling
1976 2 0 0 Transmission & Drivetrain
1972 1 0 0 Seat Belts

What breaks on a Oldsmobile 88

Across every model year on file. Follow a row for that part's complaints and the year it was worst.

Engine & Cooling 276 22.5%

Worst in 1998

Brakes 180 14.7%

Worst in 1992

Worst in 1997

Worst in 1993

Worst in 1998

Airbags 73 6.0%

Worst in 1995

Steering 65 5.3%

Worst in 1995

Seat Belts 57 4.6%

Worst in 1995

Worst in 1994

Worst in 1998

Worst in 1997

Tires 28 2.3%

Worst in 1996

Suspension 26 2.1%

Worst in 1997

Worst in 1998

Exactly what failed on a Oldsmobile 88

The named sub-assemblies behind those complaints, across every model year.

Gasoline 106 25.1%
Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip 66 15.6%
Frontal 44 10.4%
Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe 41 9.7%
Automatic Transmission 41 9.7%
Engine 40 9.5%
Delivery 24 5.7%
Cooling System 23 5.5%
Foundation Components 19 4.5%
Alternator/Generator/Regulator 18 4.3%

Complaints filed over time

Every complaint about every Oldsmobile 88, by the month it reached NHTSA.

Jan 1995 peak 28 May 2022

Oldsmobile 88 problems by state

Where owners filed from. Heavier states are usually just bigger markets, but a part that fails in heat or salt shows up here first.

Compare the Oldsmobile 88

Side by side on complaint history. Remember that raw totals track how many were sold as much as how good they were.