Total Complaints
22 filings
OLDSMOBILE 88 · model year
1987 OLDSMOBILE 88
22 NHTSA complaints, 6 crash reports. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1987OLDSMOBILE88 carries 22 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 6 crashes, 3 fires, 1 injury, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1987 88 is vehicle speed control with 4 filings, followed by steering (3) and steering:rack and pinion (3). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 13 investigation files overlapping the 1987 88. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
22
Complaints
6
Crashes
3
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
6 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 |
|---|---|
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 4 |
| STEERING | 3 |
| STEERING:RACK AND PINION | 3 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 3 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL | 2 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION | 1 |
| TIRES | 1 |
| TIRES:TREAD/BELT | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR | 1 |
| VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20040422ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
CRANK SENSOR CONSTANTLY COME LOOSE. WEATHER CHANGES AND TEMPERATURE CHANGES IN THE ENGINE CAUSE THIS CHANGE. REALIGNINMENT AND RETIGHTENING COSTS 25.00 EACH INSTANCE. THIS HAS OCCURED WITH THE PREVIOUS OWNER AS WELL [AS I CALLED HER AND ASKED HER ABOUT THIS PROBLEM] THIS HAS OCCURED MORE THAN 50 TIME AS FAR AS I KNOW. THIS CAUSES THE CAR TO BE INOPERATABLE.
Mileage: 150,000
20040117STEERING
1) MY 1987 DELTA 88 OLDSMOBILE WILL NOT STEER LEFT WHEN COLD, WHICH IS VERY DANGEROUS WHEN TURNING AT A BUSY INTERSECTION. 2) MY BRAKES HAVE BEEN REPAIRED SEVERAL TIMES BECAUSE THEY KEEP PULSATING. THIS WEARS OUT MY TIRES VERY FAST. 3) WHEN FIRST CRANKED, IT WILL DRIVE FOR A MILE AT A MEDIUM RATE OF SPEED WITHOUT TOUCHING THE ACCELERATOR BECAUSE THE IDLE IS MESSED UP, EVEN THOUGH IT HAS BEEN ADJUSTED. 4) THE WINDSHIELD WASHER HAS NEVER WORKED. ALL THESE THINGS CONTINUALLY HAPPEN THE 5 YEARS I'VE OWNED IT. *CB
20040117SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR
1) MY 1987 DELTA 88 OLDSMOBILE WILL NOT STEER LEFT WHEN COLD, WHICH IS VERY DANGEROUS WHEN TURNING AT A BUSY INTERSECTION. 2) MY BRAKES HAVE BEEN REPAIRED SEVERAL TIMES BECAUSE THEY KEEP PULSATING. THIS WEARS OUT MY TIRES VERY FAST. 3) WHEN FIRST CRANKED, IT WILL DRIVE FOR A MILE AT A MEDIUM RATE OF SPEED WITHOUT TOUCHING THE ACCELERATOR BECAUSE THE IDLE IS MESSED UP, EVEN THOUGH IT HAS BEEN ADJUSTED. 4) THE WINDSHIELD WASHER HAS NEVER WORKED. ALL THESE THINGS CONTINUALLY HAPPEN THE 5 YEARS I'VE OWNED IT. *CB
20040117VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR
1) MY 1987 DELTA 88 OLDSMOBILE WILL NOT STEER LEFT WHEN COLD, WHICH IS VERY DANGEROUS WHEN TURNING AT A BUSY INTERSECTION. 2) MY BRAKES HAVE BEEN REPAIRED SEVERAL TIMES BECAUSE THEY KEEP PULSATING. THIS WEARS OUT MY TIRES VERY FAST. 3) WHEN FIRST CRANKED, IT WILL DRIVE FOR A MILE AT A MEDIUM RATE OF SPEED WITHOUT TOUCHING THE ACCELERATOR BECAUSE THE IDLE IS MESSED UP, EVEN THOUGH IT HAS BEEN ADJUSTED. 4) THE WINDSHIELD WASHER HAS NEVER WORKED. ALL THESE THINGS CONTINUALLY HAPPEN THE 5 YEARS I'VE OWNED IT. *CB
20040117VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
1) MY 1987 DELTA 88 OLDSMOBILE WILL NOT STEER LEFT WHEN COLD, WHICH IS VERY DANGEROUS WHEN TURNING AT A BUSY INTERSECTION. 2) MY BRAKES HAVE BEEN REPAIRED SEVERAL TIMES BECAUSE THEY KEEP PULSATING. THIS WEARS OUT MY TIRES VERY FAST. 3) WHEN FIRST CRANKED, IT WILL DRIVE FOR A MILE AT A MEDIUM RATE OF SPEED WITHOUT TOUCHING THE ACCELERATOR BECAUSE THE IDLE IS MESSED UP, EVEN THOUGH IT HAS BEEN ADJUSTED. 4) THE WINDSHIELD WASHER HAS NEVER WORKED. ALL THESE THINGS CONTINUALLY HAPPEN THE 5 YEARS I'VE OWNED IT. *CB
20020514FireENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
WHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY, DRIVER NOTICED THAT SPEED STARTED TO DECREASE, DRIVER HEARD A POPPING NOISE AND PULLED OVER TO INVESTIGATE, WITHIN MINUTES SMOKE FILLED THE CAR WITH MORE POPPING NOISE AND THEN FIRE STARTED, NO OTHER VEHICLES WERE INVOLVED AND NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED, POSSIBLE ENGINE FAILURE, OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT. *TT
20020131FireENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
WHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY, DRIVER NOTICED THAT SPEED STARTED TO DECREASE, DRIVER HEARD A POPPING NOISE AND PULLED OVER TO INVESTIGATE, WITHIN MINUTES SMOKE FILLED THE CAR WITH MORE POPPING NOISE AND THEN FIRE STARTED, NO OTHER VEHICLES WERE INVOLVED AND NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED, POSSIBLE ENGINE FAILURE, OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT. *TT
20010906TIRES:TREAD/BELT
TIRE DEVELOPED A LARGE BUBBLE(4") IN TREAD. *AK (DOT NUMBER: W2KC P15 TIRESIZE: 205/75/14)
20000725STEERING:RACK AND PINION
THE STEERING PROBLEM BEGAN IN 1993 AND GOT PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. THE STEERING WAS ALMOST INOPERABLE IN COLD TEMPERATURES AT FIRST BUT BECAME A PROBLEM EVEN IN WARM TERMPERATURES. THE WHEEL COULD NOT BE TURNED TO THE LEFT UNTIL THE CAR HAD BEEN RUNNING FOR MANY MINUTES. THE PROBLEM INCREASED AND THE DIFFICULTY IN STEERING TO THE LEFT OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, EVEN IN SUMMER MONTHS. IT BECAME A HAZARD. I HAD IT REPAIRED AT A COST OF $1,200 AND THE MECHANICS WERE FAMILIAR WITH THIS PROBLEM ON THIS YEAR AND MODEL VEHICLE. THEY ALSO INDICATED THE ENGINE MOUNT APPEARED TO BE FAULTY. MINNESOTA WAS MISSED ON THE RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM AND GM HAS BEEN FORCED TO ADD THIS ONTO A RECALL LIST BUT THE OLDSMOBILE 88 DELTA IS NOT INCLUDED. YOUR WEB SITE INDICATES OVER 50 PROBLEMS WITH RACK AND PINION STEERING FOR THIS YEAR AND MODEL. THERE WAS AN OBVIOUS FAILURE TO WARN ON THE PART OF GM TO DRIVERS OF THIS YEAR AND MODEL CAR. *AK
20000111STEERING:RACK AND PINION
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
19981020TIRES
RIGHT WHEEL FAILED.
19970106CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
WHEN CONSUMER RELEASED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IT STUCK , THE VEHICLE DID NOT RETURN TO IDLE, CAUSING A COLLISION. THE DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
19961231FireENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE. (OHIO STATE POLICE REPORT)
19961202STEERING
WHEN DRIVING ALONG VEHICLE STARTS TO MAKE A LOUD NOISE. IT BECOMES HARD TO STEER AND EVENTUALLY LOSES CONTROL. *AK
19960909STEERING:RACK AND PINION
'COLD POWER STEERING'.
19960906CrashELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
WHEN DRIVING AND STOPPING AT A LIGHT THE CAR STALLS AND ONE OCCASION THERE WAS NO POWER AND CAUSED AN ACCIDENT . PLEASE DESCRIBE .*AK
19960619STEERING
'COLD POWER STEERING'. *DH
19960307CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
ACCELERATOR CABLE STUCK, CAUSING SUDDEN ACCELERATION/ACCIDENT. *DSH
19960229CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
SUDDEN ACCELERATION, CAUSING ACCIDENT PRIOR TO RECALL. (88V-080)
19960214CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
PARK IN SHOPPING CENTER IN A PARKING SPACE FACING FORWARD GOT INTO VEHICLE AND STARTED ENGINE WITH FOOT ON BRAKE AND ACCELERATED FORWARD AND HIT OTHER CARS. TT
Compare 1987OLDSMOBILE88 to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1987 OLDSMOBILE 88 have?▼
The 1987 OLDSMOBILE 88 has 22 NHTSA complaints, 6 crashes, 3 fires, 1 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1987 OLDSMOBILE 88?▼
The most-complained component for the 1987 OLDSMOBILE 88 is VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL with 4 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include STEERING and STEERING:RACK AND PINION.
Is the 1987 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 vintage: August 2026. 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.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1987 OLDSMOBILE 88; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.