Total Complaints
11 filings
OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS CIERA · model year
1987 OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS CIERA
11 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1987OLDSMOBILECUTLASS CIERA carries 11 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 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 1987 CUTLASS CIERA is wheels with 1 filings, followed by suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint (1) and tires (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 1987 CUTLASS 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.
11
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
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 |
|---|---|
| WHEELS | 1 |
| SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT | 1 |
| TIRES | 1 |
| STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:FAN | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| STEERING:COLUMN | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20050128STEERING:COLUMN
STEERING WHEEL MOVED WHILE BEING LOCKED IN POSITION. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT IT WAS DUE TO LOOSE BOLTS. *AK WHEN NEGOTIATING A CORNER, THE ENGINE IGNITION SWITCH INSIDE OF THE STEERING COLUMN DISCONNECTED, THE ENGINE STOPPED, THE POWER STEERING AND THE POWER BRAKES FAILED. THE STEERING WHEEL WOBBLED FROM SIDE TO SIDE. *SC
20050128ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
STEERING WHEEL MOVED WHILE BEING LOCKED IN POSITION. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT IT WAS DUE TO LOOSE BOLTS. *AK WHEN NEGOTIATING A CORNER, THE ENGINE IGNITION SWITCH INSIDE OF THE STEERING COLUMN DISCONNECTED, THE ENGINE STOPPED, THE POWER STEERING AND THE POWER BRAKES FAILED. THE STEERING WHEEL WOBBLED FROM SIDE TO SIDE. *SC
20040416ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE
ENGINE PROBLEM : FOR THE PAST 3YRS.THE IGNITION MODULE CONTINUES TO GO BAD AND PREVENTS THE FUEL PUMP AND THE SPARK PLUGS TO WORK CAUSING THE ENGINE TO STALL OUT AND LAEVING ME STRANDED.WE REPLACED THE MODULE SEVERAL TIMES AND EVEN REPLACED THE DISTRIBUTOR AND THE PROBLEM CONTINUES. WE EVEN REPLACED THE COMPUTER JUST IN CASE IT WHAS GOING BAD.(5TIMES) OVER HEATED REPLACED FAN THERMO SWICTH 2 TIMES AND STARTED AGAIN SO WE HAD IT BYPASS SO THE FAN CAN STAY ON WITH THE IGNITION SWITCH ON.(3TIMES) TRANSMISSION: VEHICLE WOULD TURN ON EVEN ON D GEAR AND PROBLEM WITH THE SHIFTER WE HAD THE TRANSMISSION REPAIR 2 YEAR AGO AND KNOW THE REVERSE SOMETIMES DONT GO FLUID AND EVERYTHING IS OK. *AK
Mileage: 98,396
20040416ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:FAN
ENGINE PROBLEM : FOR THE PAST 3YRS.THE IGNITION MODULE CONTINUES TO GO BAD AND PREVENTS THE FUEL PUMP AND THE SPARK PLUGS TO WORK CAUSING THE ENGINE TO STALL OUT AND LAEVING ME STRANDED.WE REPLACED THE MODULE SEVERAL TIMES AND EVEN REPLACED THE DISTRIBUTOR AND THE PROBLEM CONTINUES. WE EVEN REPLACED THE COMPUTER JUST IN CASE IT WHAS GOING BAD.(5TIMES) OVER HEATED REPLACED FAN THERMO SWICTH 2 TIMES AND STARTED AGAIN SO WE HAD IT BYPASS SO THE FAN CAN STAY ON WITH THE IGNITION SWITCH ON.(3TIMES) TRANSMISSION: VEHICLE WOULD TURN ON EVEN ON D GEAR AND PROBLEM WITH THE SHIFTER WE HAD THE TRANSMISSION REPAIR 2 YEAR AGO AND KNOW THE REVERSE SOMETIMES DONT GO FLUID AND EVERYTHING IS OK. *AK
Mileage: 98,396
20040416POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
ENGINE PROBLEM : FOR THE PAST 3YRS.THE IGNITION MODULE CONTINUES TO GO BAD AND PREVENTS THE FUEL PUMP AND THE SPARK PLUGS TO WORK CAUSING THE ENGINE TO STALL OUT AND LAEVING ME STRANDED.WE REPLACED THE MODULE SEVERAL TIMES AND EVEN REPLACED THE DISTRIBUTOR AND THE PROBLEM CONTINUES. WE EVEN REPLACED THE COMPUTER JUST IN CASE IT WHAS GOING BAD.(5TIMES) OVER HEATED REPLACED FAN THERMO SWICTH 2 TIMES AND STARTED AGAIN SO WE HAD IT BYPASS SO THE FAN CAN STAY ON WITH THE IGNITION SWITCH ON.(3TIMES) TRANSMISSION: VEHICLE WOULD TURN ON EVEN ON D GEAR AND PROBLEM WITH THE SHIFTER WE HAD THE TRANSMISSION REPAIR 2 YEAR AGO AND KNOW THE REVERSE SOMETIMES DONT GO FLUID AND EVERYTHING IS OK. *AK
Mileage: 98,396
20031110SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR
SEAT BELT FAILURE ON PASSENGER SIDE FRONT, FAILS TO RETRACT.*AK
Mileage: 163,000
20030916ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
WHILE DRIVING ENGINE BLEW OUT WITHOUT WARNING. *AK
20010307STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
RIGHT FRONT END OF VEHICLES FRAME HAS DIPPED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.*AK
19990217SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT
VEHICLE WOULD SHIMMY AND AS THE SPEED INCREASED IT WOULD SHIMMY VERY MUCH. MECHANIC STATED THAT IT WAS A TIRE. FOUR TIRES WERE PURCHASED, VEHICLE STILL HAS THE SAME PROBLEM. MECHANIC STATES THAT IT IS A BROKEN LOWER RIGHT BALL JOINT. DEALER CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK
19990217TIRES
VEHICLE WOULD SHIMMY AND AS THE SPEED INCREASED IT WOULD SHIMMY VERY MUCH. MECHANIC STATED THAT IT WAS A TIRE. FOUR TIRES WERE PURCHASED, VEHICLE STILL HAS THE SAME PROBLEM. MECHANIC STATES THAT IT IS A BROKEN LOWER RIGHT BALL JOINT. DEALER CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK
19980928WHEELS
CONSUMER'S SON WAS DRIVING VEHICLE ABOUT 55 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE FRONT LEFT WHEEL (DRIVER'S SIDE) BECAME DEATACHED WITHOUT A REASON. CONSUMER'S SON SAID IT WAS A BRAKING FAILURE AND LOST STEERING CONTROL. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE CONTACTED. *AK
Compare 1987OLDSMOBILECUTLASS CIERA to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1987 OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS CIERA have?▼
The 1987 OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS CIERA has 11 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1987 OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS CIERA?▼
The most-complained component for the 1987 OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS CIERA is WHEELS with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT and TIRES.
Is the 1987 OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS 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.