Total Complaints
23 filings
OLDSMOBILE 98 · model year
23 NHTSA complaints, 10 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1994OLDSMOBILE98 carries 23 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 10 crashes, 3 fires, 9 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 1994 98 is air bags:frontal with 7 filings, followed by service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (2) and seat belts:front:retractor (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 1994 98. 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.
Total Complaints
23 filings
Crashes Reported
10 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 7 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | 2 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR | 1 |
| SEATS | 1 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR | 1 |
| SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK | 1 |
| TIRES | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:VACUUM:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL | 1 |
VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONT COLLISION, AND AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, CONSUMER WAS INJURED.*JB
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE AT ANY SPEED AND WITHOUT WARNING, VEHICLE WILL START STALLING, RESULTING IN COMPLETE SHUTDOWN.*AK CONSUMER STATES ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON OFTEN, BUT NOT NECCESSARILY WHEN THE ENGINE STALLS, THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR, AIR MASS FLOW SENSOR WERE REPLACED AND A CRACKED VACCUM LINE WAS REPLACED.*JB
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE AT ANY SPEED AND WITHOUT WARNING, VEHICLE WILL START STALLING, RESULTING IN COMPLETE SHUTDOWN.*AK CONSUMER STATES ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON OFTEN, BUT NOT NECCESSARILY WHEN THE ENGINE STALLS, THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR, AIR MASS FLOW SENSOR WERE REPLACED AND A CRACKED VACCUM LINE WAS REPLACED.*JB
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE AT ANY SPEED AND WITHOUT WARNING, VEHICLE WILL START STALLING, RESULTING IN COMPLETE SHUTDOWN.*AK CONSUMER STATES ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON OFTEN, BUT NOT NECCESSARILY WHEN THE ENGINE STALLS, THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR, AIR MASS FLOW SENSOR WERE REPLACED AND A CRACKED VACCUM LINE WAS REPLACED.*JB
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE AT ANY SPEED AND WITHOUT WARNING, VEHICLE WILL START STALLING, RESULTING IN COMPLETE SHUTDOWN.*AK CONSUMER STATES ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON OFTEN, BUT NOT NECCESSARILY WHEN THE ENGINE STALLS, THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR, AIR MASS FLOW SENSOR WERE REPLACED AND A CRACKED VACCUM LINE WAS REPLACED.*JB
THE TIRE WAS PURCHASED ON 11/26/2000 FROM A SEARS BRANCH WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS AT 100000 MILE. CURRENTLY (6/11/2002) THE VEHICLE IS 122023 MILES AND THERE IS A BIG CRACK ON THE WALL OF THE FRONT DRIVER-SIDE TIRE. IT LOOKS MUCH LIKE WHAT HAPPENED WITH FORD MODELS. THE TIRE DID NOT BLOW BUT THE AIR WAS GONE THINKING THAT IT WAS A FLAT I TOOK IT TO GET IT REPAIRED, IT WAS SAID THE TIRE BEYOND REPAIR. I HAVE THE TIRE WITH ME AND CAN PROVIDE PICTURES IF WANTED...PLEASE TAKE ACTION BEOFE ANOTHER FORD INCIDENT HAPPENNES AND MORE PEOPLE DIES. I WAS LUCKY THAT I NOTICED IT EARLIER...THANKS. *AK
WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH VEHICLE HIT A SMALL TREE, BOTH AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. CONSUMER RECEIVED BURNS TO RIGHT SIDE OF FACE/ BLEEDING BEHIND RIGHT EYE, AND A FRACTURED NOSE. STILL UNDER MEDICAL ATTENTION. *AK *JB
CONSUMER LOST CONSCIOUSNESS DUE TO HYPOGLYCEMIA AND HIT A TREE, THERE WAS NO DEPLOYMENT OF DRIVER OR PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAGS. NLM
WHEN DRIVING AT 50 MPH ABS SYSTEM LOCKED UP, CAUSING THE CONSUMER TO REAR END ANOTHER VEHICLE. *AK
ANTI LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM WILL NOT OPERATE DUE TO VALVE FAILURE. THE MECHANIC THAT FOUND THE PROBLEM SAID THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM, AND GENERAL MOTORS FAILS TO REPAIR IT UNDER WARRANTY. THEY ALSO WOULD NOT GIVE ME ANY INFORMATION ON HOW MUCH OF A PROBLEM THIS HAS BEEN. PERHAPS THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RE-CALL ON THIS DEVICE.
ENGINE STALLED AT 40MPH ON DOWNHILL. HAS STALLED BEFORE AT SLOW SPEEDS
EXHAUST FUMES COME INTO VEHICLE. (QCAW)
WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION , UPON IMPACT, THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WILL BE NOTIFIED. *AK
BRAKES: DRIVING DOWN HIGHWAY APPROXIMATELY 10MPH ,STARTED BRAKING BECAUSE FIRE TRUCK WAS COMING . APPLIED BRAKES COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR, AND THEY WOULD NOT HOLD. BRAKES FAILED AND REAR ENDED A CAR. *AK *SLC
FUEL GAUGE GOES UP/DOWN WHILE DRIVING, DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND FUEL LEVEL, COULD RUN OUT OF FUEL UNKNOWINGLY. *AK
FAILURE ON THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT, CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AND THE DRIVER SIDE SEATBACK RECLINED TO THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE.
DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION CAUSING A MINOR FIRE, ALSO AIRBAGS BROKE WINDSHIELD. *AK
DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION CAUSING A MINOR FIRE, ALSO AIRBAGS BROKE WINDSHIELD. *AK
DEPLOYMENT OF DRIVER'S AIR BAG WAS VIOLENT IN FRONTAL COLLISION, RESULTING IN A MINOR FIRE/INJURIES. *AK
DEPLOYMENT OF PASSENGER'S AIR BAG WAS VIOLENT IN FRONTAL COLLISION. *AK
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.