What breaks most · 1990 to 2004 model years
Oldsmobile Silhouette problems by year
Owners have filed 950 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Oldsmobile Silhouette across model years 1990 to 2004. Three years stand out: 1998 for engine and cooling complaints, 1999 for engine and cooling complaints and 2000 for engine and cooling complaints. The quietest years are 1996, 1993 and 1992.
- Years to check closely: 1998, 1999, 2000
- Fewest complaints: 1996, 1993, 1992
- Complaints on file
- 9501990 to 2004, all trims
- Worst year
- 1998170 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 5122 fires · 91 injuries · 10 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 64kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 77Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43 | 1 | 5 | Seat belts (17) | |
| 37 | 4 | 3 | Body and structure (11) | |
| 27 | 1 | 2 | Seat belts (7) | |
| 22 | 1 | 3 | Brakes (hydraulic) (4) | |
| 36 | 3 | 4 | Visibility (9) | |
| 46 | 4 | 2 | Body and structure (8) | |
| 20 | 0 | 2 | Engine and cooling (8) | |
| 104 | 4 | 9 | Steering (20) | |
| 170 | 6 | 10 | Engine and cooling (35) | |
| 149 | 9 | 7 | Engine and cooling (46) | |
| 114 | 3 | 8 | Engine and cooling (29) | |
| 78 | 6 | 9 | Engine and cooling (12) | |
| 57 | 1 | 5 | Suspension (9) | |
| 36 | 6 | 5 | Air bags (5) | |
| 11 | 2 | 3 | Tires (4) |
What fails on the 1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 21% |
35 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 19% |
32 | 0 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 9% |
16 | 0 | Shop body and structure parts for the 1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 9% |
15 | 0 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette |
| Latches and locksDoor latches and actuators | 9% |
15 | 0 | Shop latches and locks parts for the 1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 8% |
14 | 0 | Shop steering parts for the 1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 7% |
12 | 1 | Shop fuel system parts for the 1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 6% |
11 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette |
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.
-
My 1998 old silhouette had intake manifold gasket replaced at 69, 000 miles and then 8 months at 73 000 mile my cam broke in half while i was driving at 25 to 30 mph unknown why or how much more damage is done at this time. Investigator is coming out to check what had happen .
-
Leak in the defective intake manifold gasket , which has been diretly related to engine failure,which i now have with my 1999 olds silouette - cost to replace engine - $4,500 - having collant leak into the oil can not be good for any engine! GM will not own problem
-
2000 oldsmobile silhouette: intake manifold leaking coolant. Understand it is a defect. Requires constant attention, oil changes and addition of coolant. Understand electrical problems are a defect as well. Have been experiencing them since purchase.
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 Silhouette years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1998, 1999, 2000 carry the most filings on the Oldsmobile Silhouette. The 1998 alone has 170 complaints, led by engine and cooling.
What is the most common Oldsmobile Silhouette problem?
On the 1998 model year, the most-reported component is engine and cooling with 35 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Oldsmobile Silhouette problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Oldsmobile Silhouette complaints that include mileage is about 64,000 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.