What breaks most · 1990 to 1999 model years
Oldsmobile Cutlass problems by year
Owners have filed 1,329 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Oldsmobile Cutlass across model years 1990 to 1999. Three years stand out: 1991 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints, 1995 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints and 1998 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints. The quietest years are 1990, 1996 and 1992.
- Years to check closely: 1991, 1995, 1998
- Fewest complaints: 1990, 1996, 1992
- Complaints on file
- 13291990 to 1999, all trims
- Worst year
- 1991193 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 9932 fires · 88 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 76kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 40Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 103 | 11 | 6 | Brakes (hydraulic) (51) | |
| 193 | 11 | 8 | Brakes (hydraulic) (60) | |
| 136 | 11 | 4 | Brakes (hydraulic) (51) | |
| 139 | 11 | 5 | Brakes (hydraulic) (45) | |
| 148 | 15 | 5 | Brakes (hydraulic) (35) | |
| 156 | 12 | 4 | Brakes (hydraulic) (36) | |
| 123 | 11 | 1 | Air bags (22) | |
| 96 | 7 | 3 | Brakes (hydraulic) (24) | |
| 155 | 7 | 3 | Brakes (hydraulic) (37) | |
| 80 | 3 | 1 | Electrical system (18) |
What fails on the 1991 Oldsmobile Cutlass
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 31% |
60 | 1 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1991 Oldsmobile Cutlass |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 16% |
30 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1991 Oldsmobile Cutlass |
| Seat belts | 13% |
26 | 0 | Check recalls for seat belts on NHTSA.gov |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 12% |
23 | 1 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 10% |
20 | 2 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 9% |
17 | 3 | Shop steering parts for the 1991 Oldsmobile Cutlass |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 6% |
12 | 2 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 5% |
9 | 0 | Shop all visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
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.
-
All four brake calipers either freeze and apply pressure due to one or more weakening or rotors warped w/numerous changes of parts. Please describe details. Tt
-
Brakes lo trac light came on, the brake pedal dropped at least 1/2 inch, and the antilock began pulsating. The road was dry. The car stopped normally whenever the ABS light was on.
-
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.
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 Cutlass years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1991, 1995, 1998 carry the most filings on the Oldsmobile Cutlass. The 1991 alone has 193 complaints, led by brakes (hydraulic).
What is the most common Oldsmobile Cutlass problem?
On the 1991 model year, the most-reported component is brakes (hydraulic) with 60 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Oldsmobile Cutlass problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Oldsmobile Cutlass complaints that include mileage is about 76,000 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.