Total Complaints
107 filings
OLDSMOBILE CIERA · model year
1996 OLDSMOBILE CIERA
107 NHTSA complaints, 12 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1996OLDSMOBILECIERA carries 107 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 12 crashes, 1 fire, 10 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 1996 CIERA is service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip with 13 filings, followed by power train:automatic transmission (7) and air bags:frontal (6). 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 1996 CIERA. 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.
107
Complaints
12
Crashes
1
Fires
10
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
12 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 |
|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | 13 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 7 |
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 6 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 6 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 6 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:PADS | 3 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 3 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | 3 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY:HOOD | 2 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL | 2 |
| SUSPENSION:FRONT | 2 |
| AIR BAGS | 2 |
| STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS | 2 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DRUM:WHEEL CYLINDERS | 2 |
Recent Complaints
20040422ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAK INTO OIL
Mileage: 65,000
20040130ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
HEAD GASKET LEAKED. CONSUMER INDICATED THAT WHEN HE WENT INTO GARAGE THERE WAS WATER ON THE FLOOR. CONSUMER HAD VEHICLE CHECKED OUT BY MECHANIC, WHO DETERMINED THERE WAS A HEAD GASKET LEAK. CONSUMER WAS QUOTED A PRICE TO HAVE VEHICLE REPAIRED. CONSUMER FELT THAT OLDSMOBILE SHOULD REPAIR THE PROBLEM FREE OF CHARGE SINCE THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE.*AK
Mileage: 44,000
20030622ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAK ON GM 3.1 L V6. *NLM
Mileage: 60,000
20030428ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
THE ENGINE STOPPED WORKING IN DECEMBER OF 2002. WHICH HAD TO BE REPLACED. *JB
20021125CrashSEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE
THE CAR WAS HIT FROM BEHIND WHILE STOPPED AND THE SEAT AND SHOULDER BELTS DID NOT HOLD US IN PLACE. DT
20020617POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE WILL STALL OUT FOR 2 MINUTES AND START BACK UP, AND STALL BACK OUT AGAIN WITHOUT ANY WARNING.CONTACTED DEALERSHIP, CANNOT FIND PROBLEM.*AK
20020425VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
WHILE YIELDING ONTO HIGHWAY, STEPPED ON GAS PEDAL TO ACCELERATE, AFTER RELEASING PEDAL, ACCELERATED AT 80MPH. THROTTLE BECAME STUCK AND VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE, HAD TO GEAR INTO NEUTRAL TO SLOW VEHICLE DOWN. *AK *TT
20020419POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
CONSUMER STATES THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED WITHOUT WARNING DEALERSHIP HAS SERVICED THE VEHICLE LIGHT ANF FOUND THAT THE TRANSMISSION HAD FAILED. NLM
20010614ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL
THE OXYGEN SENSOR FAILED CAUSING THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE. NLM
20010601ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
WAS DRIVING VEHICLE AND NOTICED COOLANT WAS GETTING LOW. CHECKED UNDER HOOD, AND FLUID WAS ON ENGINE. HEAD GASKET WAS LEAKING FROM RIGHT SIDE. *AK
20010511CrashAIR BAGS:FRONTAL
WHILE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH VEHICLE HYDROPLANED INTO A DITCH AND IMPACTED A TREE HEAD-ON. DRIVER'S AIR BAG FAILED TO DEPLOY. MANUFACTURER WAS SENDING AN INVESTIGATOR TO EXAMINE VEHICLE, AND DETERMINE A CAUSE FOR POOR PERFORMANCE OF AIR BAG. DRIVER EXPERIENCED LIGHT INJURIES. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/ATTACHMENTS.*AK
20010131SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
VEHICLE SKIDS IF APPLYING BRAKES ON LEAST AMOUNT OF ICE OR SLUSH. LOW TRACTION LIGHTS COMES ON, AND ABS LOCKS UP. *AK CONSUMER SAYS ABS IS NOT USEFUL IN WINTER DRIVING. *YH
20010131POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)
VEHICLE SKIDS IF APPLYING BRAKES ON LEAST AMOUNT OF ICE OR SLUSH. LOW TRACTION LIGHTS COMES ON, AND ABS LOCKS UP. *AK CONSUMER SAYS ABS IS NOT USEFUL IN WINTER DRIVING. *YH
20001010SEATS
DRIVERS SEAT IS SEPARATING FROM ANCHOR. *AK ANCHOR WAS NOT PROPERLY SECURED TO FLOOR BOARD. *YH
20000724ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
#6 CYLINDER FAILED RESULTING IN ENGINE FAILURE. DEALER WANTS TO REBUILD OR REPLACE WITH A NEW ENGINE. CONSUMER FEELS THIS MAJOR ENGINE PROBLEM SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPEND AT 44K MILES. NLM
20000620ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING VEHICLE WILL CUT OFF AND COME TO A DEAD STOP. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER HAS REPLACED SOME WIRING. REPAIRS WERE NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. *AK *ML
20000620ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING VEHICLE WILL CUT OFF AND COME TO A DEAD STOP. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER HAS REPLACED SOME WIRING. REPAIRS WERE NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. *AK *ML
20000531POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
OCT 99 WHILE DRIVING HEARD A NOISE $ VEHICLE STARTED TO SLOW DOWN. PULLED TO SIDE OF ROAD.CONTACTED DEALER & INFORMED BY MECHANIC TO BRING VEHICLE IN . HAD VEHICLE TOWED. TRANSMISSION'S REVERSE WENT OUT. TRANSMISSION REPAIR WAS $2,200 . THIS CAR IS UNSAFE PLEASE RECALL IT. PLEASE SEND REBATE TO HELP REPAIR OR GET NEW VEHICLE. THANKS. *AK
20000418FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:CARBURETOR SYSTEM
SEVERAL COMPONENTS HAVE PREMATURELY DETERIORATED CALLING INTO QUESTION SAFETY OF OTHER RELATED COMPONENTS. THE CAR IS 3 YEARS AND 6 MONTHS OLD, BUT HAS LESS THAN 29,000 MILES. THE PROBLEMS ALL SEEM TO DEAL WITH RUBBER (OR SIMILAR MATERIAL) COMPONENTS. THE ENGINE INTAKE MANIFOLD IS LEAKING. THE LEFT SIDE AXLE SEAL AND COVER ON THE TRANSMISSION IS LEAKING. THE SERPENTINE BELT WAS ALREADY CRACKING AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. (THE SERPENTINE BELT IS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION, IF SO DESIRED). *AK
20000418POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
SEVERAL COMPONENTS HAVE PREMATURELY DETERIORATED CALLING INTO QUESTION SAFETY OF OTHER RELATED COMPONENTS. THE CAR IS 3 YEARS AND 6 MONTHS OLD, BUT HAS LESS THAN 29,000 MILES. THE PROBLEMS ALL SEEM TO DEAL WITH RUBBER (OR SIMILAR MATERIAL) COMPONENTS. THE ENGINE INTAKE MANIFOLD IS LEAKING. THE LEFT SIDE AXLE SEAL AND COVER ON THE TRANSMISSION IS LEAKING. THE SERPENTINE BELT WAS ALREADY CRACKING AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. (THE SERPENTINE BELT IS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION, IF SO DESIRED). *AK
Compare 1996OLDSMOBILECIERA to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1996 OLDSMOBILE CIERA have?▼
The 1996 OLDSMOBILE CIERA has 107 NHTSA complaints, 12 crashes, 1 fires, 10 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1996 OLDSMOBILE CIERA?▼
The most-complained component for the 1996 OLDSMOBILE CIERA is SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP with 13 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION and AIR BAGS:FRONTAL.
Is the 1996 OLDSMOBILE CIERA 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.