1997 OLDSMOBILE ACHIEVA — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 62 complaints · 4 recalls
Most-reported system: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (13 complaints · 21.0%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 4
  • Fires 1
  • Injuries 3
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 1996 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution ELECTRICAL SYSTEM appears in 13 of 62 owner complaints (21.0%) in this vehicle snapshot. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 13 complaints, 21.0% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 13 · 21.0% · 1 fire reports ENGINE: 10 complaints, 16.1% of reports ENGINE 10 · 16.1% AIR BAGS: 8 complaints, 12.9% of reports AIR BAGS 8 · 12.9% · 2 crash reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 6 complaints, 9.7% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 6 · 9.7% POWER TRAIN: 5 complaints, 8.1% of reports POWER TRAIN 5 · 8.1% VISIBILITY: 5 complaints, 8.1% of reports VISIBILITY 5 · 8.1% SERVICE BRAKES: 3 complaints, 4.8% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 3 · 4.8% · 1 crash reports PARKING BRAKE: 2 complaints, 3.2% of reports PARKING BRAKE 2 · 3.2% STEERING: 2 complaints, 3.2% of reports STEERING 2 · 3.2% · 1 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 44 complaints, 71.0% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 44 · 71.0% · 3 crash reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 13 21.0% 0 crashes · 1 fires
ENGINE 10 16.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 8 12.9% 2 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 6 9.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 5 8.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 5 8.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 3 4.8% 1 crashes · 0 fires
PARKING BRAKE 2 3.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 2 3.2% 1 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 44 71.0% 3 crashes · 0 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Oct 1996; the first recall shown was reported in Apr 1997. 1996-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 1997-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 1997-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 1998-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 1998-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 1998-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 1999-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 1999-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 1999-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 1999-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2000-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2000-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2000-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2001-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2001-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2002-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2003-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2003-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2004-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2004-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Oct 1996 Oct 2014 Recall campaign 97V059000 ◆ Recall campaign 97V059000 Recall campaign 02V070000 ◆ Recall campaign 02V070000 Recall campaign 07E015000 ◆ Recall campaign 07E015000 Recall campaign 07E021000 ◆ Recall campaign 07E021000
  • Campaign 02V070000 was reported 884 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 07E015000 was reported 3,587 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 07E021000 was reported 3,601 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1996-Q4 Owner reports 1
1997-Q1 Owner reports 1
1997-Q2 Owner reports 1
1998-Q2 Owner reports 2
1998-Q3 Owner reports 2
1998-Q4 Owner reports 3
1999-Q1 Owner reports 5
1999-Q2 Owner reports 2
1999-Q3 Owner reports 3
1999-Q4 Owner reports 6
2000-Q1 Owner reports 2
2000-Q2 Owner reports 3
2000-Q3 Owner reports 1
2001-Q1 Owner reports 4
2001-Q4 Owner reports 1
2002-Q1 Owner reports 1
2002-Q2 Owner reports 5
2002-Q3 Owner reports 3
2003-Q1 Owner reports 3
2003-Q2 Owner reports 3
2004-Q1 Owner reports 4
2004-Q4 Owner reports 1
2007-Q3 Owner reports 1
2011-Q1 Owner reports 1
2012-Q1 Owner reports 1
2013-Q2 Owner reports 1
2014-Q4 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 97V059000
Recall campaign 1 02V070000
Recall campaign 1 07E015000
Recall campaign 1 07E021000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (4)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 02V070000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    IF THE SWITCH IS DAMAGED, A FIRE COULD OCCUR IN THE STEERING COLUMN, EVEN WITH THE ENGINE OFF AND THE KEY REMOVED.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSTALL A RELAY KIT IN THESE VEHICLES TO PREVENT HIGH CURRENT FROM FLOWING THROUGH THE IGNITION SWITCH. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MARCH 27, 2002. 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, PONTIAC AT 1-800-762-2737, BUICK AT 1-800-521-7300, OR OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-442-6537.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 07E015000

    Report date
    Component:
    FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
    Consequence:
    A STALLED VEHICLE CAN INCREASE THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH. A FUEL LEAK CAN RESULT IN A FIRE.
    Remedy:
    DELPHI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE MRAS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 20, 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT DELPHI AT 1-877-335-7443.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 07E021000

    Report date
    Component:
    FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER
    Consequence:
    FUEL MAY LEAK, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A FIRE.
    Remedy:
    DELPHI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE UPR FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 23, 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT DELPHI AT 877-411-8770.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 97V059000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    THIS HIGH CURRENT FLOW CAN CAUSE ARCING AND RESULT IN AN UNDERHOOD FIRE.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSPECT THESE VEHICLES FOR THE PRESENCE OF THE PROTECTIVE COVER AND, IF NECESSARY, INSTALL A PROTECTIVE COVER TO THE UNDERHOOD FUSE CENTER.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 62 complaints · page 1 of 3

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources