Total Complaints
4 filings
OLDSMOBILE 88 · model year
1981 OLDSMOBILE 88
4 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1981OLDSMOBILE88 carries 4 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 1 fire, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1981 88 is tires:tread/belt with 2 filings, followed by engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline (1) and wheels:lugs/nuts/bolts/studs (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 13 investigation files overlapping the 1981 88. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
4
Complaints
0
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| TIRES:TREAD/BELT | 2 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 1 |
| WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20030519WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS
INAPPROPRIATE WHEEL ATTACHMENTS COULD CAUSE THE WHEELS TO DETACH FROM THE VEHICLE WHILE TRAVELING. *AK *JB
Mileage: 79,284
20030512TIRES:TREAD/BELT
THE LEFT REAR TIRE EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION. YOKOHAMA ALL SEASON RADIAL TIRE P215/75R15. *JB
20000824TIRES:TREAD/BELT
I HAVE BEEN A MECHANIC FOR 15 YEARS AND HAVE HAD A LOT OF PROBLEMS WITH SEVERAL BRANDS OF FIRESTONE TIRES. ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO SEVERAL FIRESTONE TIRES DEVELOPED LUMPS IN THE TREAD AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. LAST YEAR, I HAD TWO TIGERPAW TIRES SLING THE TREAD FROM THE TIRE AND SHRED AT ABOUT 70 MPH. I HAVE USED A LOT OF TIRES AND THESE ARE THE ONLY TWO THAT EVER SLUNG THE TREAD AND THEN SHREDDED. THEY WERE NOT EVEN INSTALLED ON THE CAR AT THE SAME TIME. THESE TWO INCIDENTS WERE ABOUT 6 MONTHS APART. I STOPPED USING FIRESTONE TIRES COMPLETELY AFTER THAT. THERE ARE TROUBLES WITH FIRESTONE TIRES OTHER THAN THE ONES CURRENTLY BEING RECALLED ON SUVS. THIS NEEDS TO BE CHECKED INTO. *AK( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 225/75R15 )
19970828FireENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
VEHICLE FIRE. (OHIO STATE POLICE REPORT)
Compare 1981OLDSMOBILE88 to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1981 OLDSMOBILE 88 have?▼
The 1981 OLDSMOBILE 88 has 4 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 1 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1981 OLDSMOBILE 88?▼
The most-complained component for the 1981 OLDSMOBILE 88 is TIRES:TREAD/BELT with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE and WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS.
Is the 1981 OLDSMOBILE 88 safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.