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1987 problems

FaultScore report

1987 Oldsmobile 98 problems

Owners have filed 25 complaints about the 1987 Oldsmobile 98 with NHTSA between 1995 and 2004. The largest single group is the brakes.

Read the complaints What breaks Worst years for the Oldsmobile 98

—

Not graded

Too few complaints, or too short a model run, to compare fairly.

How this is worked out

The numbers

Complaints

Crashes reported

Fires reported

Injuries reported

How 1987 compares with every other Oldsmobile 98

Click any bar to open that year's report.

1 1 7 2 1 2 10 13 25 11 14 26 69 46 15 23 71 12 35 32 1

75 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks on a 1987 Oldsmobile 98

Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.

Brakes 6 24.0%

Steering 3 12.0%

Electrical System 3 12.0%

Engine & Cooling 3 12.0%

Acceleration & Cruise Control 2 8.0%

1 crashes, 0 fires

Transmission & Drivetrain 2 8.0%

Equipment & Accessories 1 4.0%

Doors, Latches & Locks 1 4.0%

Seat Belts 1 4.0%

Fuel & Propulsion 1 4.0%

Lights 1 4.0%

Suspension 1 4.0%

When owners complained

A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single owner can see from inside their own car.

May 1995 peak 9 Dec 2004

NHTSA investigations into the 1987 Oldsmobile 98

An investigation is the step before a recall: the agency has seen enough complaints to look into a pattern itself. An open one means it thinks something may be wrong and nothing has been fixed yet.

EA89028 Opened 28 Jul 1989 Closed 27 Jul 1990 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

REAR BRAKE PIN

SUMMARY:THESE VEHICLES HAVE REAR DRUM BRAKES.THE PARKING LEVER PIVOTPIN IS HELD BY AN E RING.WHEN THE RING FAILS, PARTS OF THE RING ANDPIN FALL LOOSE INTO THE DRUM AND MAY JAM THE BRAKE, LOCKING THE WHEEL.A STRONGER E RING IS USED IN 1988 AND NEWER CARS.THIS INVESTIGATIONHAS BEEN EXPANDED TO INCLUDE GMS C BODY CARS LISTED ABOVE (E RING COMMONTO ALL CARS SHOWN).===

PE89098 Opened 10 Mar 1989 Closed 17 May 1989 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

ANTI LOCK BRAKES

===

C89001 Opened 6 Mar 1989 Closed 16 Jan 1990 VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGES

THROTTLE NON-RETURN

EA88031 Opened 22 Apr 1988 Closed 23 Oct 1989 VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGES

SUDDEN ACCELERATION

STATUS:ANALYSIS OF INFORMATION FROM THE MANUFACTURER IS IN PROGRESS.HOWEVER, NEITHER NHTSA OF GM HAS IDENTIFIED A FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION THATCOULD RESULT IN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION.SOME VEHICLES IN THIS GROUP WEREFOUND POTENTIALLY SUBJECT TO THROTTLE CABLE RESTRICTIONS, AND WERERECALLED ALONG WITH H CARS WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS.INVESTIGATION ISCONTINUING.===

EA88010 Opened 30 Nov 1987 Closed 31 Oct 1989 VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGES

THROTTLE CONTROL

SUMMARY OF INFORMATION FROM MANUFACTURER:UNDER PE87-041, GM PROVIDED THECOMPLAINT, ACCIDENT, INJURY, AND FATALITY DATA TABULATED ABOVE.ANALYSIS:DURING GM'S COMPILATION AND EVALUATION OF INFORMATION REQUIREDTO RESPOND TO THE NHTSA'S REQUEST UNDER THE PE, INDICATIONS WERE GIVEN THATTHE NUMBERS OF CONSUMER AND OTHER COMPLAINTS CLEARLY SUGGESTED THE EXIST-OF A SAFETY PROBLEM AND THAT CORRECTIVE ACTIONS WERE IN ORDER.GM'S FORMALLETTER RESPONSE, HOWEVER, RETREATED FROM THIS POSITION.NHTSA'S ANALYSIS OF THE AVAILABLE INFORMATION IS ONGOING IN AN EFFORT TOIDENTIFY ONE OR MORE PRIMARY MODES OF COMPONEN...

EA87022 Opened 27 Aug 1987 Closed 27 Nov 1991 VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGES

STALLING

SUMMARY:THE COMPLAINTS ALLEGE THAT STALLING IS DUE TO VARIOUS FAULTYCOMPONENTS OF THE FUEL INJECTION AND/OR IGNITION SYSTEM. THE FOLLOWINGMODELS ARE INVOLVED:BUICK ELECTRA, LESABRE, RIVERA, CENTURY; OLDS CUTLASSCIERA, 88, 98, TORONADO; PONTIAC BONNEVILLE.STATUS:THIS INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING.WE ARE CONTINUING TO ANALYZEINFORMATION PROVIDED BY GM AND ARE PREPARING AN ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONREQUEST TO GM TO CLARIFY CERTAIN TECHNICAL ITEMS.===

Recalls on the 1987 Oldsmobile 98

A complaint is one owner's allegation. A recall is the point at which the manufacturer or a regulator agreed the defect is real and dangerous enough to fix for free — however old the car is.

United States — NHTSA

06E043000 19 May 2006

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

CERTAIN REPLACEMENT FUEL FILTERS, FRAM BRAND NAME P/N G3727, WITH DATE CODES X52911 THROUGH X60801 SEQUENTIALLY OR X600141 AND A MEXICO COUNTRY OR ORIGIN MARKING ON THE FUEL FILTER HOUSING MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 18, 2005, THROUGH MARCH 21, 2006, SOLD FOR USE ON THE VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE AND ON CERTAIN SCHOOL BUSES. (TO SEE THE SCHOOL BUS ENGINE SIZES, CLICK ON "DOCUMENT SEARCH" AND THEN "BUS APPLICATIONS"). THE CONNECTOR ON THE FUEL FILTER WAS NOT MANUFACTURED TO HONEYWELL'S SPECIFICATION. AS A RESULT, THE O-RING MAY NOT SEAT CORRECTLY ON THE FUEL LINE.

Risk: THIS CONDITION MAY CAUSE AN INADEQUATE SEAL AT THE CONNECTION, POTENTIALLY LEADING TO A FUEL LEAK. IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, A FIRE COULD OCCUR.

88V080000 16 May 1988

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

EXCESSIVE ACCELERATOR CABLE FRICTION MAY RESTRICT THE CABLES FREE MOVEMENT BETWEEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND THE THROTTLE BODY.

Risk: THIS COULD PREVENT THROTTLE FROM RETURNING TO CLOSED(IDLE) POSITION WHEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS RELEASED; THUS, ENGINE SPEED WOULDNOT DECREASE, AND LOSS OF ACCELERATOR CONTROL COULD RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT.

87V135000 1 Sep 1987

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS

AN IN LINE FUSIBLE LINK MAY MELT DOWN AND CAUSE A FIRE.

Risk: THE IN LINE FUSIBLE LINK LOCATED IN THE AREA OF THEPLASTIC WINDSHIELD WASHER BOTTLE BRACKET MAY, UNDER A HIGH RESISTANCE LOAD,MELT DOWN AND IGNITE THE WASHER BOTTLE BRACKET RESULTING IN AN ENGINECOMPARTMENT FIRE.

87V093000 23 Jun 1987

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

THE ANTI LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM (ABS) PRESSURE/WARNING SWITCH MAY EXHIBIT BRAKE FLUID SEEPAGE WHICH EVENTUALLY CAN LEAD TO LOSS OF THE BRAKE SYSTEM HYDRAULIC PUMP MOTOR. ADDITIONALLY, THE HYDRAULIC PUMP MOTOR AND ABS ELECTRICAL RELAYS MAY HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO WATER CONTAMINATION DURING VEHICLE ASSEMBLY. THIS CONDITION CAN CAUSE LOSS OF THE HYDRAULIC PUMP MOTOR AND/OR LOSS OF THE ABS FUNCTION.

Risk: LOSS OF THE HYDRAULIC PUMP MOTOR WOULD RESULT IN A TOTALLOSS OF REAR BRAKES AS WELL AS POWER ASSIST TO THE FRONT BRAKES. THE RED BRAKEWARNING LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE AND STAY ON. IF THIS WARNING IS NOT HEEDED, ALOSS OF REAR BRAKES AT A TIME WHEN MINIMUM STOPPING DISTANCE IS REQUIRED COULDRESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH. AN INOPERATIVE ABS ELECTRICAL RELAY COULD CAUSELOSS OF THE ABS FUNCTION, BUT NORMAL POWER ASSISTED BRAKING WOULD BE RETAINED.THE AMBER ANTI LOCK WARNING LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE AND STAY ON.

Recalls cover specific build ranges, so check your own vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or, in Canada, Transport Canada.

Complaints that involved harm

Reports where the owner recorded a crash, a fire, an injury or a death.

Filed 16 Feb 1999 Reidsville, NC Crash

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

WHILE COMING OUT OF A PARKING STOP THROTTLE GOT STUCK, RESULTING IN SUDDEN ACCELERATION, WHICH CAUSED VEHICLE TO GO DOWN AN EMBANKMENT. CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.

NHTSA complaint #834835 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

The most recent complaints

In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.

Filed 14 Dec 2004 Costa Mesa, CA

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

NAR 03-25-2003. *MR. SEVERAL PARTS ON THE VEHICLE FAILED SUCH AS 2 EGR VALVES, IDLE PASSAGE SWITCH, POWER ANTENNA, TRANSMISSION GASKET, CV BOOT, AUTOMATIC AIR CONDITION CONTROL UNIT, RADIO SPEAKERS, CRUISE CONTROL, RANDOM STALLING, CRACKED RADIATOR, WATER PUMP, THE RIGHT REAR BRAKE SPRING, WHEEL ALIGNMENT DID NOT HOLD, AIR CONDITION DID NOT WORK DUE TO A FREON LEAK, HEAD LIGHT ADJUSTING SCREW BROKE, TIE RODS, BATTERY CABLES, GAS GAUGE BROKE, CATALYTIC CONVERTER BROKE, THE HORN WAS HARD TO PUSH.