1998 Oldsmobile 88 Engine Problems
- Complaints
- 6about this part
- Share
- 4%of 164 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 84,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 6 complaints about the engine of the 1998 Oldsmobile 88, 4% of the 164 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 84,000 miles. 2 a fire, according to the filers.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Yesterday our car began overheating. We added a bottle of coolant yesterday and another two gallons today along with a bottle of stop leak and had it towed to our mechanic. Our mechanic told us it seems like the engine has seized completely and he is not equipped to fix it.”
NHTSA complaint #10460856, filed 2012-06, 93,000 miles“Engine using coolant but no evident leak. After a week of adding a little coolant to reservoir engine ran hot and hydro-locked due to cylinders flooded with coolant. Discovered plastic intake manifold had hole in it where the EGR tube entered plastic manifold allowing coolant to flood intake. This engine had 84k miles. Also discovered intake gaskets were replaced at 45k miles by dealer. Definitely an engineering defect.”
NHTSA complaint #10911055, filed 2016-10, 84,000 miles“The contact owns a 1998 Oldsmobile 88. When the vehicle was started, smoke appeared without warning. The contact observed oil on the manifold. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.”
NHTSA complaint #10915750, filed 2016-10, 120,000 miles“The contact owns a 1998 Oldsmobile 88. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled without warning while driving 40 MPH. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic for inspection. The failure was located at the engine plemun, which was fractured and caused fluid to penetrate the engine. The engine was replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 45,191 and the current mileage was 48,000. ..updated 10/30/13 updated 10/31/2013”
NHTSA complaint #10538524, filed 2013-09, 45,191 miles“The contact owns a 1998 Oldsmobile 88. The contact stated that when turning on the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact proceeded to check the coolant in the vehicle finding that there was no coolant in the reservoir. When attempting to turn on the vehicle, the exhaust pipe in the rear of the vehicle released large amounts of white smoke. The contact stated that the when having the vehicle diagnosed by the dealer, the vehicle stalled. The dealer diagnosed that the engine failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. …”
NHTSA complaint #10839420, filed 2016-03, 36,000 milesEngine: other model years
Other parts of the 1998 Oldsmobile 88
76 complaintsBrakes
20 complaintsFuel system
20 complaintsElectrical system
15 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
10 complaintsOther or unknown
9 complaintsVehicle speed control
7 complaintsAir bags
6 complaintsBody and structure
5 complaintsSeat belts
3 complaintsSuspension
3 complaintsWheels
3 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1998 Oldsmobile 88
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology