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Oldsmobile CutlassModel year report

1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass Problems

Complaints
155filed with NHTSA
Median mileage
60,537miles, 41 complaints with mileage
Recalls
2campaigns on record
Trend
StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA crash rating
—overall rating starts with 2011 models
EPA fuel economy
24 mpgcombined, 2.4L 4-cyl FWD · 20 city / 30 hwy

Sources: NHTSA records for the 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass (complaints, recalls, investigations), NHTSA crash tests, EPA fuel economy. Report an error

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often report engine coolant leaks traced to intake manifold and head gasket failures, frequently around 40,000 to 60,000 miles, along with repeated brake work (rumbling rotors, squealing pads, ABS lights) and power steering problems that in some cases led to rack and pinion replacement. Many complaints come from used buyers who found the repairs costly, and a few describe loss of power steering assist or a wiper linkage failure while driving.

  1. Engine cooling

    Coolant leaks from intake manifold and head gaskets

    • 15 complaints (10%)
    • median 42,950 mi at 5.2 yrs old (10 state mileage)
    • filed 2001–2007

    Complaints describe coolant disappearing with no visible puddle, white smoke from the exhaust, and a sweet smell, with coolant mixing into the oil. Owners say the intake manifold gasket or head gasket was replaced, sometimes more than once, and that dealers or independent mechanics described the repair as a recurring cost on this engine. Several report the repair was not covered by warranty or an extended service contract. Mostly reported between roughly 30,000 and 60,000 miles, with some owners told to expect a repeat repair every 40,000 miles.

    1 related service bulletin

    What to check: Ask for service records showing whether the intake manifold and head gaskets have been replaced, and check the coolant level and oil condition (milky or frothy oil) before buying.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “1998 olds Cutlass lower intake manifold went bad. O-rings went bad on fuel injectors and fuel pressure regulator. 40,000 miles. Manifold gasket problem is fairly common on the chevy lumina and malibu. The mechanics at dealer told me and parts mgr. Said to keep my receipts in case of recall. $888. For manifold gasket replacement.”

    NHTSA complaint #10052954, filed 2004-01, 40,000 miles

    “My coolent is leaking. I have had my head gasket replaced twice and it I still have leak. I was told by the GM service department to expect to replace my head gaskit every 20-40,000 miles. There is a defect. Also my AC keeps shutting off. My power window are getting stuck when the windows are down. There has never been a accident in this car. I am the first and only owner.”

    NHTSA complaint #10126666, filed 2005-06, 40,000 miles
  2. Brakes

    Brakes: shudder, squeal and short pad/rotor life

    • 27 complaints (17%)
    • median 37,950 mi at 5.5 yrs old (3 state mileage, few)
    • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • filed 1998–2003

    Owners describe a shudder or vibration when braking from higher speeds, squealing from the front wheels, and brake pads and rotors needing replacement far more often than expected. Some complaints mention an ABS light that comes on intermittently, a spongy pedal that goes near the floor, and rusted rear brake lines. Dealers reportedly resurfaced or replaced rotors and pads and, in some cases, told owners the work was not covered by warranty. Reported from as low as about 19,000 miles up to over 100,000 miles, with several owners citing repeat rotor work within a few years.

    2 related service bulletins

    What to check: Have the brakes inspected for rotor thickness and pedal feel, ask when pads, rotors and brake lines were last replaced, and check that the ABS warning light stays off.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “A week after I bought the car used in october 2002 there was noise from front left end of vehicle....there is another noise that comes from the steering when turning the wheels trying to park the car.....I took the car back to the dealer and they said they don't hear anything...also I had the car checked out the same day for the brakes...there was a squealing noise on the front left side and the car wouldn't brake properly...the dealer replaced the left brake pad..I haven't had any trouble with the brakes since...three weeks later I took the …”

    NHTSA complaint #10014097, filed 2003-04, 37,950 miles

    “I have e-mailed Oldsmobile and they have referred me back to burne Oldsmobile. It is a government owned vehicle that is used as an enforcement vehicle. The brakes have been replaced two times, the calipers once and now they are failing again. Our group has a second Oldsmobile Cutlass that is experiencing the same problems with brake failure. There are no current recalls. The vehicle is covered until 36,000 miles, however; the more important issue is the constant wearing out of the front brakes as well as the calipers. …”

    NHTSA complaint #716866, filed 2000-01
  3. Steering

    Power steering noise, stiffness and rack leaks

    • 16 complaints (10%)
    • median 56,267 mi at 6.1 yrs old (8 state mileage, few)
    • filed 1998–2013

    Complaints describe the steering becoming stiff or hard to turn, especially at low speed or when parking, grinding or squeaking noises while turning, and one side requiring more effort than the other. Owners report dealers replacing the power steering pump and rack and pinion, in some cases repeatedly without curing the noise. A few complaints describe the steering rack separating from a rusted frame mounting area. Spread from under 30,000 miles to well past 100,000 miles, with several reports in the 45,000 to 75,000 mile range.

    Recall 03V5270002 related service bulletins

    What to check: Ask whether the rack and pinion recall (03V527000) was completed, listen for whine or grinding while turning at parking speed, and check for fluid leaks and rust where the steering rack mounts to the frame.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “Steering making noise after both power steering pump and steering rack began leaking fluid. Dealership has replaced power steering pump (4 times) and power steering rack (4 times), but grinding noise persists. Dealership has been very accommodating and has assigned three different technicians in an attempt to solve this problem. After reading other complaints on this site, I now understand why dealership has been unable to fix this problem after repeated attempts. I am now concerned about my safety while driving the vehicle. …”

    NHTSA complaint #10047700, filed 2003-11, 118,000 miles

    “Steering feels strange wheel has a tug to it when making turns.. Left turns require more steering effort than right turns also steering wheel squeaks when turning in either direction. This has been going on even when the car was still under warranty.. Car has just 25,000 miles on it, afraid there is something wrong with the rack and pinion.”

    NHTSA complaint #10021496, filed 2003-06, 15,000 miles
  4. Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)

    Windshield wipers stop or cross over

    • 5 complaints (3%)
    • median 71,000 mi at 7.8 yrs old (3 state mileage, few)
    • filed 2001–2007

    Owners describe wipers stopping mid-stroke in heavy rain, the two arms crossing or moving out of sync, and the linkage or transmission breaking so neither wiper works. Some say a dealer replaced the wiper transmission or linkage, and several note that the wiper linkage recall did not apply to their vehicle because of where it was registered. Reported from about 15,000 miles up to very high mileage, typically during rain or normal wiper use.

    Recall 01V068000

    What to check: Check whether the wiper linkage recall (01V068000) applies to the vehicle's registration history, and run the wipers on high speed to confirm both arms move together without binding.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “Recall campaign#01v068000 windshield wiper linkage breakage will not cover my breakage because I am in a southern state, my VIN is not on their racall list.”

    NHTSA complaint #10130080, filed 2005-07, 15,000 miles

    “I was driving on route 9, a major highway here in the city of poughkeepsie and I had mywindshield wipers on because it was raining. Suddenly the passenger side wiper arm stopped moving, causing the driver side wiper to move across it forming an 'x' across the windshield. The wiper system stalled and I couldn't see through the windshield again. Luckily there wasn't too much traffic at the time and I was lucky enough to pull out of the road without crashing into anything. …”

    NHTSA complaint #745967, filed 2001-05
  5. Air bags

    Airbags deploy without impact or fail to deploy

    • 9 complaints (6%)
    • median 73,500 mi at 7.0 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
    • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • filed 1998–2007

    Complaints describe both front airbags deploying at low speed without a collision, such as after a dip or bump, and in other cases airbags not deploying in a frontal impact. Owners also report the airbag warning light staying on with the system reportedly out of service, and dealers telling them no recall applied. Reported from low mileage up to about 76,000 miles, across a wide range of model years of ownership.

    1 related service bulletin

    What to check: Confirm the airbag warning light goes out after the instrument cluster self-test and ask whether any airbag module or sensor work has been done.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “Dt: caller was at a stop sign and when he started to take off. He hit a dip and both front air bags deployed. Dealer said there was not recall, but caller said there was a recall on the air bags. Manufacturer has not been contacted yet.”

    NHTSA complaint #10130566, filed 2005-07, 76,000 miles

    “The vehicle was involved in a frontal collision while driving 35 MPH. Upon impact, the front air bags did not deploy. The driver sustained facial injuries and was transported to the hospital.”

    NHTSA complaint #10051844, filed 2004-01, 71,000 miles

Buying note. A pre-purchase inspection focused on coolant leaks, brake condition, steering noise and rust at the steering rack mount is worthwhile on this model year, and it is worth confirming which open recalls have been completed. Service records showing gasket and brake work already done can help set expectations for future maintenance costs.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.

NHTSA recorded 155 consumer complaints for the 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass. 41 of the complaints include a mileage, and 41% of those were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the median is 60,537 miles. Of all complaints, 7 involved a crash, 4 an injury, according to the filers. NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns and 24 technical service bulletins for this model year.

Not compared (before 2008). Model years 2008–2023 of the same vehicle that have at least 25 complaints are compared, and a model needs at least 3 of them.

Which parts are reported most

Complaints can name more than one part, so the counts add up to more than the total. Select a part to see its complaints, recalls and bulletins.

Also reported: Fuel system (6), Tires (6), Seat belts (5), Transmission and drivetrain (4), Seats (3), Vehicle speed control (2), Latches, locks and linkages (1), Other or unknown (1).

Example complaints

Brakes: “98 olds Cutlass. Rear brake lines rusted through in vicinity of lr wheel . Resulted in sudden total loss of braking due to loss of all brake fluid. No separate reservoir for front brake fluid. Heard of similar event with same model style chevy malibu. No year known.”

NHTSA complaint #10315673, filed 2010-03, 120,000 miles

Engine cooling: “I have a 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass with 55,000 miles--the car has a 3.1 liter v6 with a blown intake gasket-- it cost me $550 to have this fixed. Per 3 mechanics -- all l 3.1 intake gaskets go out at around 50,00 miles I feel the GM should pay for defects that effects all 3.1s I've had 40+ cars in my life and never ever had an intake manifold go out on any of them---------to me that's a mfg defect!!!”

NHTSA complaint #10182923, filed 2007-02, 55,000 miles

Steering: “Recall on 1998 olds Cutlass- I was not notified of such recall on steering: rack and pinion. I am paying out of pocket for this repair and am getting a run around from Oldsmobile. My car is being serviced at a non-GM facility. Oldsmobile is very inconsistant and unreliable, especially when it comes to safety and customer service. I will never buy a GM vehicle, and recommend that my friends/family not buy one either. Gm is not customer oriented and this is very dissappointing.”

NHTSA complaint #10134164, filed 2005-08, 163,586 miles

Suspension: “Vehicle has around 98000 miles light went out on a monday morning to go to work and found the diver side front wheel was all the way up into the wheel hub. After jacking the car up I was able to see that the spring had snapped. Immediately I had it towed to a GM dealer for repair. Contacted GM and dealer, both said this was due to normal wear and tear??? My concern was that if this had happened on the freeway the car would have lost control and more then likely caused a serious crash. …”

NHTSA complaint #10074493, filed 2004-05, 99,000 miles

Mileage when problems were reported

41% of the 41 complaints with a mileage were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the middle half falls between 40,000 and 99,000 miles.

0%0–1010%10–2532%25–5022%50–7512%75–10020%100–1505%150+
Share of complaints by mileage when the problem was reported, in thousands of miles (41 complaints with mileage). Red bars: under 50,000 miles. Bucket widths differ. Median: 60,537 miles.

Complaints by year filed

Trend: stable. Complaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.

’98’0033’02’04’06’08’10’14
Complaints by year the complaint was filed with NHTSA. Red bars: the last 3 full calendar years used for the trend. The current year (2026) is partial.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass. Frontal results are shown driver / passenger; rollover shows the star rating and NHTSA's estimated risk of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

VersionOverallFrontalSideSide poleRollover
Cutlass · sedan not rated4 / 4———

Ratings before the 2011 model year come from an older, less demanding test and are not comparable with ratings for 2011 and later.

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), nhtsa.gov/ratings.

Fuel economy and running cost

EPA ratings for each 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass version. Annual fuel cost is the EPA's estimate at its current fuel prices for 15,000 miles a year (55% city driving).

VersionEngineTransmissionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yr
Cutlass FWD2.4L 4-cyl4-speed automatic203024$2,800
Cutlass FWD3.1L 6-cyl4-speed automatic172721$3,200

Source: U.S. EPA and Department of Energy, fueleconomy.gov. Ratings are for comparing vehicles; real-world mileage varies with driving and conditions.

Recalls and investigations

Recall details for the 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass → · Check a VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls

NHTSA investigations

Technical service bulletins

TSBs are manufacturer notes to dealers about known repair procedures. They are not recalls and do not by themselves mean a vehicle has a fault. 24 on record; the latest 10 are shown.

See all 24 bulletins →

Other model years of the Oldsmobile Cutlass

YearComplaintsMedian miRecallsCrash ★MPGScore (50 = typical)Trend
19998064,1900—23Not compared (before 2008)Stable
199815560,5372—24Not compared (before 2008)Stable
19979679,4622—21Not compared (before 2008)Falling
1996123115,0000——Not compared (before 2008)Stable
1995156100,7503—20Not compared (before 2008)Stable
199414875,0004—20Not compared (before 2008)Falling
1993139120,0004—20Not compared (before 2008)Stable
1992136118,0003—20Not compared (before 2008)Stable
199119388,0006—20Not compared (before 2008)Stable
1990103—6—23Not compared (before 2008)Stable
1989113200,0006—21Not compared (before 2008)Stable
198874120,0006—23Not compared (before 2008)Stable
198716—2—20—Stable
198623—3—19—Stable
198518139,0003—19—Stable
19841631,1792—19—Stable
19835—2———Not enough data

All Oldsmobile Cutlass model years · Best and worst years by complaints

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass?

Owners of this model year most often report engine coolant leaks traced to intake manifold and head gasket failures, frequently around 40,000 to 60,000 miles, along with repeated brake work (rumbling rotors, squealing pads, ABS lights) and power steering problems that in some cases led to rack and pinion replacement. The issues reported most often: Coolant leaks from intake manifold and head gaskets; Brakes: shudder, squeal and short pad/rotor life; Power steering noise, stiffness and rack leaks.

How many NHTSA complaints does the 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass have?

NHTSA recorded 155 consumer complaints for the 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass as of Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

What part of the 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass is reported most often?

Brakes is named most often, in 41 complaints (26% of the total), followed by engine cooling with 32.

Has the 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass been recalled?

NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for this model year. To check a specific vehicle, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What gas mileage does the 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass get?

The EPA rates the 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass (Cutlass, 2.4L 4-cyl) at 24 mpg combined, 20 city and 30 highway, with an estimated annual fuel cost of $2,800 at 15,000 miles a year. Other engine and drive versions are rated differently.

At what mileage are problems with the 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass reported?

Among the 41 complaints that include a mileage, the median is 60,537 miles and the middle half falls between 40,000 and 99,000 miles; 41% were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles.

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. Crash ratings are from NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program. Fuel economy is from the EPA and DOE (fueleconomy.gov).

Complaint counts come from NHTSA’s public complaint database; we count each complaint once. The source records for this vehicle are on nhtsa.gov. Scores and trends are our own summaries of that data, described in the methodology. This page is not legal, safety or repair advice: for a specific vehicle, check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and ask a qualified mechanic. See an error? Tell us.