What breaks most · 1990 to 1996 model years
Oldsmobile Ciera problems by year
Owners have filed 183 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Oldsmobile Ciera across model years 1990 to 1996. Three years stand out: 1996 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints, 1994 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints and 1995 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints.
- Years to check closely: 1996, 1994, 1995
- Complaints on file
- 1831990 to 1996, all trims
- Worst year
- 199683 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 272 fires · 30 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 60kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 8Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 6 | 2 | Speed control and throttle (7) | |
| 46 | 6 | 4 | Brakes (hydraulic) (11) | |
| 34 | 5 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (10) | |
| 83 | 10 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (21) |
What fails on the 1996 Oldsmobile Ciera
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 25% |
21 | 3 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1996 Oldsmobile Ciera |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 18% |
15 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1996 Oldsmobile Ciera |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 13% |
11 | 0 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 1996 Oldsmobile Ciera |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 10% |
8 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 1996 Oldsmobile Ciera |
| Air bags | 10% |
8 | 6 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 7% |
6 | 0 | Shop body and structure parts for the 1996 Oldsmobile Ciera |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 6% |
5 | 0 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 1996 Oldsmobile Ciera |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 5% |
4 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 1996 Oldsmobile Ciera |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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While driving experienced diminished power assist booster when brake action seemed ineffective, allowing vehicle to roll forward, extended stopping distance.*ak
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During rainy weather the serpentine drive belt gets wet and slip, slippage results in loss of power acceleration and makes car prone to rear collision, especially at high speeds, slippage also causes all accessories powered by the belt to lose power
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When applying the ABS brakes in a sudden stop in wet weather, the ABS light came on and brakes locked up, causing an accident. *ak
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Oldsmobile Ciera years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1996, 1994, 1995 carry the most filings on the Oldsmobile Ciera. The 1996 alone has 83 complaints, led by brakes (hydraulic).
What is the most common Oldsmobile Ciera problem?
On the 1996 model year, the most-reported component is brakes (hydraulic) with 21 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Oldsmobile Ciera problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Oldsmobile Ciera complaints that include mileage is about 60,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.