1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass. The newest campaign is 03V527000. NHTSA received the report on 11 Dec 2003. The NHTSA record gives the component Steering / Rack and Pinion. NHTSA has 151 complaints on file for this model year. 6 NHTSA investigations name 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, 03V527000, in the NHTSA record

Dealers will install a new lower pinion bearing unless inspect of the existing bearing indicates that replacement of the gear assembly is necessary. Owner notification began on february 5, 2004. Owners should contact buick at 1-866-608-8080; chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438; oldsmobile at 1-800-630-6537; or pontiac at 1-800-620-7668.

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 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 29 Mar 2018. Recall file through 29 Sep 2026.

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

2 campaigns, newest first. 879,710 units in total.

03V527000Received 11 Dec 2003. 750,283 units.
Steering / Rack and Pinion
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Certain passenger vehicles have lower pinion bearings in the power rack and pinion assembly in which the retainer tabs were not crimped properly. These retainers could fail and permit the ball bearings to escape.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If this occurs, the pinion shaft can be forced upward during left turns and back down as the steering wheel is moved back and to the right. If the pinion shaft moves further, the driver will need to exert more effort to turn the steering wheel, similar to a vehicle without power assisted steering. If the pinion shaft moves even further, the driver will require much higher effort to turn left and may not be able to turn the wheel as much as intended. With the maximum pinion shaft movement, which requires internal gear component damage, the driver can encounter high resistance to turning left, followed by unintended power assist to the right. In any of these conditions, a crash could occur.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will install a new lower pinion bearing unless inspect of the existing bearing indicates that replacement of the gear assembly is necessary. Owner notification began on february 5, 2004. Owners should contact buick at 1-866-608-8080; chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438; oldsmobile at 1-800-630-6537; or pontiac at 1-800-620-7668.
Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Manufacturer campaign number 03062. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 5 Feb 2004.
01V068000Received 8 Mar 2001. 129,427 units.
Visibility / Windshield Wiper/Washer / Linkages
Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain passenger vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the "salt belt" states: alaska, colorado, connecticut, delaware, idaho, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, montana, nebraska, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, north dakota, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, south dakota, utah, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and wyoming. If a buildup of snow or ice restricts the movement of the passenger side windshield wiper arm, the pivot housing can crack and the wipers will not operate.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Reduced visibility in inclement weather could lead to a vehicle crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the passenger side windshield wiper pivot housing. Owner notification began august 14, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020 or oldsmobile at 1-800-442-6537.
Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Manufacturer campaign number 01014. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 14 Aug 2001.

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

151 complaints, 218 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass
All 1998 vehicles

1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	1998 Cutlass	All 1998 vehicles	Cutlass, all years	Mentions
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	215.6	114.6	256.8	47
Engine and Engine Cooling	165.1	131.3	107.5	36
Steering	96.3	55.6	50.8	21
Suspension	91.7	81.5	49	20
Electrical System	73.4	79.1	101.2	16
Visibility	50.5	60.4	31.8	11
Equipment	50.5	23.4	18.6	11
Air Bags	41.3	49.3	41.3	9
Structure	41.3	39.6	48.1	9
Exterior Lighting	27.5	27.8	21.8	6

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 20.

Complaints that report a crash: 7
Complaints that report a fire: 0
Injuries in the complaints: 4
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 2 Mar 2010

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2000, with 33 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
RQ04006	Recall query	WINDSHIELD WIPER FAILURE	Visibility / Windshield Wiper/Washer	7 Jul 2004	13 Jan 2005
RQ03001	Recall query	POWER RACK AND PINION STEERING FAILURE	Steering	2 Jan 2003	15 Sep 2003
EA00019	Engineering analysis	WINDSHIELD WIPER	Visibility	12 Jul 2000	6 Mar 2001	01V068000
PE00009	Preliminary evaluation	WINDSHIELD WIPER	Visibility	22 Feb 2000	12 Jul 2000
EA99030	Engineering analysis	OVERSENSITIVE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT	Air Bags	29 Oct 1999	25 Mar 2002
PE99037	Preliminary evaluation	INADVERTENT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENTS	Air Bags	19 May 1999	29 Oct 1999

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.

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

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 1998 Oldsmobile CutlassThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/oldsmobile/cutlass/1998/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 29 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 29 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 29 Mar 2018
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 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass?: 879,710 units in 2 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. 2 of them name the 1998 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass name most often?: Service Brakes, Hydraulic: 47 of 218 component mentions, or 215.6 per 1,000. For all 1998 vehicles the figure is 114.6 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass open?: No. Each of the 6 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.