What breaks most · 1996 to 2002 model years
Oldsmobile Intrigue problems by year
Owners have filed 1,140 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Oldsmobile Intrigue across model years 1996 to 2002. Three years stand out: 1998 for steering complaints, 1999 for electrical system complaints and 2000 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 1996 and 1997.
- Years to check closely: 1998, 1999, 2000
- Fewest complaints: 1996, 1997
- Complaints on file
- 11401996 to 2002, all trims
- Worst year
- 1998510 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 5157 fires · 37 injuries · 3 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 77kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 30Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Seat belts (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 510 | 19 | 8 | Steering (160) | |
| 256 | 11 | 8 | Electrical system (61) | |
| 200 | 11 | 6 | Electrical system (71) | |
| 108 | 6 | 5 | Exterior lighting (41) | |
| 64 | 4 | 3 | Electrical system (34) |
What fails on the 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 31% |
160 | 6 | Shop steering parts for the 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 14% |
73 | 4 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 14% |
70 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue |
| Seat belts | 10% |
51 | 0 | Check recalls for seat belts on NHTSA.gov |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 10% |
50 | 1 | Shop electrical system parts for the 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue |
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 7% |
34 | 0 | Shop visibility parts for the 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 6% |
32 | 0 | Shop suspension parts for the 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 6% |
29 | 1 | Shop engine parts for the 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue |
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.
-
Vehicle can no longer turn to the left or right. I don't think recall 03052 was ever done on it. Can no longer drive this car because it's unsafe for me as well as the public.
-
Speedometer, tempature gage on the opposite side. Car still over heats after extensive repairs. Cooling fans stays on while off. Potential fire because of oil compartment fire. Visible leak.
-
Car shuts off driving 40mph or faster sometimes wont start dash lights go crazy off and on had it maintaintanced many times still does not stay started and shuts down when driving had contacted GM and they will not help me car was recalled for a new key and since than car has been acting up
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 Intrigue years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1998, 1999, 2000 carry the most filings on the Oldsmobile Intrigue. The 1998 alone has 510 complaints, led by steering.
What is the most common Oldsmobile Intrigue problem?
On the 1998 model year, the most-reported component is steering with 160 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Oldsmobile Intrigue problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Oldsmobile Intrigue complaints that include mileage is about 77,000 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.