Total Complaints
4 filings
Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera · model year
1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera
4 NHTSA complaints. 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
- Complaints
- 4
- Recalls
- 0
The verdict
The 1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera posts below-average complaint volume among its own model-year siblings.
- Top 40%
- fewest complaints, own model years
- 0
- recall campaigns
The 1989OldsmobileCutlass Ciera carries 4 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 1 fire, 0 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 1989 Cutlass Ciera is seat belts:front with 1 filings, followed by power train:automatic transmission (1) and electrical system (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 1989 Cutlass Ciera. 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.
4
Complaints
0
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
F
PlainCars Safety Score
0/100
1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera
PlainCars' own composite of NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings and rollover-risk assessment, each dimension normalized against the federal scale or the full national model-year corpus. Not an official NHTSA figure, and not a substitute for a specific vehicle's VIN-level recall check.
NHTSA Overall Rating N/A
Not rated
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program overall crash-test rating.
Front Crash N/A
Not rated
Frontal barrier crash-test rating.
Side Crash N/A
Not rated
Side barrier and pole crash-test rating.
Rollover Resistance N/A
Not rated
Static stability factor + dynamic rollover test rating.
Rollover Risk N/A
Not reported
NHTSA single-vehicle rollover probability, dynamic test.
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 |
|---|---|
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20050309ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
WHILE DRIVING DRIVER HEARD A LOUD KNOCKING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A MECHANIC FOR CHECKUP, AND RESULTS SHOWED THAT ENGINE FAILED, AND WAS NO LONGER ABLE TO START AND OPERATE.*AK
Mileage: 113,000
20020612FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM
ALL INSTRUMENTS FAILED DUE TO FIRE IN THE TRUNK. THE CONSUMER SAYS THE POSSIBLE CAUSE OF THE FIRE WAS AN INSULATION SHORTING OUT. *YH
20010423POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT DISENGAGE CAUSING CAR TO STALL IN TRAFFIC, WHEN STOPPING. *AK
20000822SEAT BELTS:FRONT
DRIVER-SIDE SEAT-LAP BELT FAILS TO ENGAGE AND IF LOCKS, FAIL TO RELEASE. MICH HAS A MANDATORY SEATBELT LAW & I MUST USE THE PASSENGER-SIDE STUB-END TO CONNECT TO.*AK
Compare 1989OldsmobileCutlass Ciera to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Vehicle Safety Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera have?▼
The 1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera has 4 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 1 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera?▼
The most-complained component for the 1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera is SEAT BELTS:FRONT with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION and ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Is the 1989 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.
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 1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera; 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.