FaultScore report
Owners have filed 11 complaints about the 1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera with NHTSA between 1998 and 2005. The largest single group is the engine & cooling.
11
Complaints
0
Crashes reported
0
Fires reported
0
Injuries reported
Click any bar to open that year's report.
Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.
Median failure at 98,396 miles
Median failure at 98,396 miles
Median failure at 163,000 miles
Median failure at 98,396 miles
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.
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.
STICKING THROTTLE
In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.
STEERING:COLUMN
STEERING WHEEL MOVED WHILE BEING LOCKED IN POSITION. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT IT WAS DUE TO LOOSE BOLTS. *AK WHEN NEGOTIATING A CORNER, THE ENGINE IGNITION SWITCH INSIDE OF THE STEERING COLUMN DISCONNECTED, THE ENGINE STOPPED, THE POWER STEERING AND THE POWER BRAKES FAILED. THE STEERING WHEEL WOBBLED FROM SIDE TO SIDE.
NHTSA complaint #10109195 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
STEERING WHEEL MOVED WHILE BEING LOCKED IN POSITION. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT IT WAS DUE TO LOOSE BOLTS. *AK WHEN NEGOTIATING A CORNER, THE ENGINE IGNITION SWITCH INSIDE OF THE STEERING COLUMN DISCONNECTED, THE ENGINE STOPPED, THE POWER STEERING AND THE POWER BRAKES FAILED. THE STEERING WHEEL WOBBLED FROM SIDE TO SIDE.
NHTSA complaint #10109195 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
ENGINE PROBLEM : FOR THE PAST 3YRS.THE IGNITION MODULE CONTINUES TO GO BAD AND PREVENTS THE FUEL PUMP AND THE SPARK PLUGS TO WORK CAUSING THE ENGINE TO STALL OUT AND LAEVING ME STRANDED.WE REPLACED THE MODULE SEVERAL TIMES AND EVEN REPLACED THE DISTRIBUTOR AND THE PROBLEM CONTINUES. WE EVEN REPLACED THE COMPUTER JUST IN CASE IT WHAS GOING BAD.(5TIMES) OVER HEATED REPLACED FAN THERMO SWICTH 2 TIMES AND STARTED AGAIN SO WE HAD IT BYPASS SO THE FAN CAN STAY ON WITH THE IGNITION SWITCH ON.(3TIMES) TRANSMISSION: VEHICLE WOULD TURN ON EVEN ON D GEAR AND PROBLEM WITH THE SHIFTER WE HAD THE TRANSMISSION REPAIR 2 YEAR AGO AND KNOW THE REVERSE SOMETIMES DONT GO FLUID AND EVERYTHING IS OK.
NHTSA complaint #10066296 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE
ENGINE PROBLEM : FOR THE PAST 3YRS.THE IGNITION MODULE CONTINUES TO GO BAD AND PREVENTS THE FUEL PUMP AND THE SPARK PLUGS TO WORK CAUSING THE ENGINE TO STALL OUT AND LAEVING ME STRANDED.WE REPLACED THE MODULE SEVERAL TIMES AND EVEN REPLACED THE DISTRIBUTOR AND THE PROBLEM CONTINUES. WE EVEN REPLACED THE COMPUTER JUST IN CASE IT WHAS GOING BAD.(5TIMES) OVER HEATED REPLACED FAN THERMO SWICTH 2 TIMES AND STARTED AGAIN SO WE HAD IT BYPASS SO THE FAN CAN STAY ON WITH THE IGNITION SWITCH ON.(3TIMES) TRANSMISSION: VEHICLE WOULD TURN ON EVEN ON D GEAR AND PROBLEM WITH THE SHIFTER WE HAD THE TRANSMISSION REPAIR 2 YEAR AGO AND KNOW THE REVERSE SOMETIMES DONT GO FLUID AND EVERYTHING IS OK.
NHTSA complaint #10066296 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:FAN
ENGINE PROBLEM : FOR THE PAST 3YRS.THE IGNITION MODULE CONTINUES TO GO BAD AND PREVENTS THE FUEL PUMP AND THE SPARK PLUGS TO WORK CAUSING THE ENGINE TO STALL OUT AND LAEVING ME STRANDED.WE REPLACED THE MODULE SEVERAL TIMES AND EVEN REPLACED THE DISTRIBUTOR AND THE PROBLEM CONTINUES. WE EVEN REPLACED THE COMPUTER JUST IN CASE IT WHAS GOING BAD.(5TIMES) OVER HEATED REPLACED FAN THERMO SWICTH 2 TIMES AND STARTED AGAIN SO WE HAD IT BYPASS SO THE FAN CAN STAY ON WITH THE IGNITION SWITCH ON.(3TIMES) TRANSMISSION: VEHICLE WOULD TURN ON EVEN ON D GEAR AND PROBLEM WITH THE SHIFTER WE HAD THE TRANSMISSION REPAIR 2 YEAR AGO AND KNOW THE REVERSE SOMETIMES DONT GO FLUID AND EVERYTHING IS OK.
NHTSA complaint #10066296 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR
SEAT BELT FAILURE ON PASSENGER SIDE FRONT, FAILS TO RETRACT.
NHTSA complaint #10045906 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
WHILE DRIVING ENGINE BLEW OUT WITHOUT WARNING.
NHTSA complaint #10040077 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
RIGHT FRONT END OF VEHICLES FRAME HAS DIPPED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
NHTSA complaint #882350 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
TIRES
VEHICLE WOULD SHIMMY AND AS THE SPEED INCREASED IT WOULD SHIMMY VERY MUCH. MECHANIC STATED THAT IT WAS A TIRE. FOUR TIRES WERE PURCHASED, VEHICLE STILL HAS THE SAME PROBLEM. MECHANIC STATES THAT IT IS A BROKEN LOWER RIGHT BALL JOINT. DEALER CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM.
NHTSA complaint #824427 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT
VEHICLE WOULD SHIMMY AND AS THE SPEED INCREASED IT WOULD SHIMMY VERY MUCH. MECHANIC STATED THAT IT WAS A TIRE. FOUR TIRES WERE PURCHASED, VEHICLE STILL HAS THE SAME PROBLEM. MECHANIC STATES THAT IT IS A BROKEN LOWER RIGHT BALL JOINT. DEALER CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM.
NHTSA complaint #824427 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
WHEELS
CONSUMER'S SON WAS DRIVING VEHICLE ABOUT 55 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE FRONT LEFT WHEEL (DRIVER'S SIDE) BECAME DEATACHED WITHOUT A REASON. CONSUMER'S SON SAID IT WAS A BRAKING FAILURE AND LOST STEERING CONTROL. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE CONTACTED.
NHTSA complaint #828299 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.