Total Complaints
23 filings
OLDSMOBILE 98 · model year
23 NHTSA complaints, 10 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 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.
The most frequently selected component label in reports 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). 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 1994 98. 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.
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 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 1994 OLDSMOBILE 98; 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.