Recall Register

1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass. The newest campaign is 85V048000. NHTSA received the report on 29 Apr 1985. The NHTSA record gives the component Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Foundation Components / Drum / Wheel Cylinders. NHTSA has no complaint on file for this model year. 1 NHTSA investigation names this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 85V048000, in the NHTSA record

Add a part to prevent wheel cylinder from rotating.
NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.

NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on . Complaint file through . Recall file through .

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

5 campaigns, newest first. 12,961,001 units in total.

  • 85V048000Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Foundation Components / Drum / Wheel Cylinders
  • 84V149000Power Train / Axle Assembly / Axle Shaft
  • 81V025000Suspension / Rear
  • 79V175000Suspension / Front / Wheel Bearing
  • 78V139000Engine and Engine Cooling / Cooling System / Fan

  1. 85V048000Received . 1,810,000 units.

    Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Foundation Components / Drum / Wheel Cylinders

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Excessive enlargement of the wheel cylinder pilot hole in the rear brake backing plate could allow the wheel cylinder to rotate and cause loss of brake fluid. Consequence of defect: a loss of brake fluid leads to loss of rear brake action, creating the potential for an accident. Front brakes would remain operational.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Add a part to prevent wheel cylinder from rotating.

    Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP..

  2. 84V149000Received . 3,100,000 units.

    Power Train / Axle Assembly / Axle Shaft

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Rear axle assembly may have axles that were improperly manufactured. This condition may result in separation of the axle shaft and wheel assembly from the vehicle.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    The dealer will inspect the rear axle to determine whether it was manufactured at the buffalo plant. If so, they will make axle measurements and if necessary replace or modify affected axle components without charge.

    Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  3. 81V025000Received . 5,821,160 units.

    Suspension / Rear

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    The bolts that attach the lower rear control arm to the frame may fracture. The rear control arm supports and positions the rear axle. Fracture of the bolts would allow the control arm to drop free.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Both rear control arm attachment bolts will be replaced without charge.

    Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  4. 79V175000Received . 1,896,222 units.

    Suspension / Front / Wheel Bearing

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Under certain driving conditions, these vehicles can experience temperatures in the front wheel outer bearing area which can affect the wheel bearing grease. This can result in inadequate lubrication of the bearing. This condition may be further aggravated by improper adjustment of the front wheel spindle nut.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    The dealer will install new front wheel outer bearings packed with grease and the spindle will be coated with lubricant. New grease retainer caps will also be installed to maintain grease in outer bearing. This will be done free of charge.

    Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  5. 78V139000Received . 333,619 units.

    Engine and Engine Cooling / Cooling System / Fan

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    The hub portion of the fan blade assembly could crack due to high stress levels generated during engine operating conditions. Eventually, the blade could break apart at the hub and blade pieces could be propelled into the engine. If the hood is open while the engine is running, the fragments would be free to fly from the vehicle.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Dealer will replace the fan blade assembly without charge to owner.

    Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

The NHTSA complaint file has no complaint for this model year.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass
NumberTypeSubjectComponentOpenedClosedCampaign
EA86006Engineering analysisBRAKE BACKING PLATEService Brakes, Hydraulic27 Nov 198528 Nov 1988

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

  1. 19671
  2. 19732
  3. 19743
  4. 19753
  5. 19761
  6. 19772
  7. 19785
  8. 19797
  9. 19804
  10. 19812
  11. 19822
  12. 19832
  13. 19842
  14. 19853
  15. 19863
  16. 19872
  17. 19886
  18. 19896
  19. 19906
  20. 19916
  21. 19923
  22. 19934
  23. 19944
  24. 19953
  25. 19960
  26. 19972
  27. 19982
  28. 19990

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

Official channels

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/oldsmobile/cutlass/1978/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through .

Sources

Source
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence
US government work, public domain
Recall file through
30 Sep 2026
Complaint file through
30 Sep 2026
First complaint in the file
1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file
GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass?
12,961,001 units in 5 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Oldsmobile Cutlass have for all model years?
NHTSA lists 58 recall campaigns for the Oldsmobile Cutlass, model years 1967 to 1999. 5 of them name the 1978 model year.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass open?
No. The 1 investigation that names this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.