1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Problems: Brakes (42 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme is Brakes (36% of 42 owner reports). There are 0 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Brakes — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 42 complaints · 0 recalls

What problems show up on the 1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme?

15 of 42 filings named Brakes (36% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Cruise / speed control (5 reports).

This snapshot lists no safety recalls for this year. That is not a clean bill of health. Still check the VIN at nhtsa.gov.

The previous year is not published here. Use the year list to jump around.

What to check before you buy a 1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme

A useful visit to this page takes five minutes. YearTell does not score years and cannot see the vehicle in front of you.

  1. Look up the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov even if this page lists none.
  2. Brakes. Have a shop check pads, rotors, fluid and whether the pedal feels firm.
  3. Cruise / speed control. Test cruise control and ask about unintended-acceleration reports on this year.
  4. Airbags. Confirm the airbag light behaves normally and that open airbag recalls are closed.
  5. Skim a few owner reports below for Brakes. Look for the same symptom repeating.
  6. Take that list to a mechanic. Do not turn the complaint total into a score.

What owners reported

System named most often: Brakes 15 complaints · 35.7% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 3
  • Fires 0
  • Injuries 2
  • Deaths 0
All Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme years →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 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.

Which systems owners named

Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.

Which systems owners named Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) appears in 15 of 42 owner complaints (35.7%) in this vehicle snapshot. Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES): 15 complaints, 35.7% of reports Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 15 · 35.7% Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL): 5 complaints, 11.9% of reports Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 5 · 11.9% Airbags (AIR BAGS): 4 complaints, 9.5% of reports Airbags (AIR BAGS) 2 crash reports 4 · 9.5% Engine (ENGINE): 4 complaints, 9.5% of reports Engine (ENGINE) 4 · 9.5% Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY): 3 complaints, 7.1% of reports Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY) 3 · 7.1% Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM): 2 complaints, 4.8% of reports Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 2 · 4.8% Suspension (SUSPENSION): 2 complaints, 4.8% of reports Suspension (SUSPENSION) 2 · 4.8% Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING): 1 complaints, 2.4% of reports Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) 1 · 2.4% Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM): 1 complaints, 2.4% of reports Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 1 · 2.4% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 35 complaints, 83.3% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 3 crash reports 35 · 83.3% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 15 35.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 5 11.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Airbags (AIR BAGS) 4 9.5% 2 crashes · 0 fires
Engine (ENGINE) 4 9.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY) 3 7.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 2 4.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Suspension (SUSPENSION) 2 4.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) 1 2.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 1 2.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 35 83.3% 3 crashes · 0 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

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

When reports and recalls showed up

When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.

When reports and recalls showed up Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jul 1995. 1995-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 1996-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 1997-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 1998-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 1998-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 1998-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 1998-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 1999-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 1999-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 1999-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 1999-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2000-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2000-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2000-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2001-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2001-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2002-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2002-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2002-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2003-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2003-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2004-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2004-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2004-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jul 1995 Jul 2004 Investigation EA96023 ● Investigation EA96023
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1995-Q3 Owner reports 1
1996-Q3 Owner reports 1
1997-Q4 Owner reports 2
1998-Q1 Owner reports 2
1998-Q2 Owner reports 1
1998-Q3 Owner reports 1
1998-Q4 Owner reports 2
1999-Q1 Owner reports 1
1999-Q2 Owner reports 1
1999-Q3 Owner reports 2
1999-Q4 Owner reports 3
2000-Q2 Owner reports 2
2000-Q3 Owner reports 4
2000-Q4 Owner reports 2
2001-Q1 Owner reports 1
2001-Q2 Owner reports 2
2002-Q1 Owner reports 1
2002-Q2 Owner reports 2
2002-Q3 Owner reports 3
2002-Q4 Owner reports 1
2003-Q2 Owner reports 1
2003-Q4 Owner reports 2
2004-Q1 Owner reports 2
2004-Q2 Owner reports 1
2004-Q3 Owner reports 1
Defect investigation 1 EA96023
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (0)

Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.

No safety recalls are on file for this model year in this snapshot.

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

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

What owners actually wrote

Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07
Safety incident filters
Showing 10 of 42 complaints · page 1 of 2
2004-08-30Airbags (AIR BAGS)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10089986
CrashFireInjuryDeath
WHILE STARTING THE VEHICLE DRIVER'S AIR BAG DEPLOYED. PASSENGER SUSTAINED A CUT TO FOREHEAD AND BRUISES TO THE KNEES WHEN COMING IN CONTACT WITH THE AIR BAG. *AK
2004-04-01Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10061064
CrashFireInjuryDeath
BRAKE LIGHTS CONTINUOUSLY WENT OUT WITHOUT WARNING. WHEN THIS OCCURRED FUSE AND THE BULB BLEW OUT, AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THIS WAS CAUSED BY A SHORT IN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. VEHICLE HAD BEEN SERVICED 3 TIMES, AND A DIAGNOSTIC TEST WAS PERFORMED, BUT THE PROBLEM WAS NOT RESOLVED. *AK *MR
2004-03-02Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 10061191
CrashFireInjuryDeath
VEHICLE, WAS TAKEN TO A REPAIR SHOP FOR AN INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT ENGINE K-FRAME CORRODED, AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. *AK
2004-01-15Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10070215
CrashFireInjuryDeath
THE BRAKES ARE A CONSTANT REPAIR THEY NEVER WORKED AND CONSTANTLY NEED REPLACEMENT THE DEALER "FIXED" THE BRAKES BUT SHORTLY AFTER -THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON AND THEY WON'T HONOR THE BRAKED JOB BECAUSE THEY ENTERED IN THE WRONG DATE OF REPAIR DATE. THE COOLING SYSTEM IS ALWAYS NEEDED FOR THESE CARS. MINE HAS BEEN SITTING FOR MONTHS NOW WITH THE BRAKES OUT AND THE COOLING SYSTEM LEAKING WITH AN EXPENSIVE REPAIR OF 500.00 -SOME METAL TUBE LEAKS -THEY HAVE TO TAKE THE ENTIRE CAR APART TO FIX IT !
2003-10-22Engine (ENGINE)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10044572
CrashFireInjuryDeath
AFTER PARKING THE VEHICLE AND TURNING THE ENGINE OFF CONSUMER SMELLED A VERY STRONG GASOLINE ODOR INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER COULD NOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE ODOR. *AK
2003-10-02Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10041086
CrashFireInjuryDeath
FUEL TANK RUSTED OUT AND LEAKED GAS AND FUMES. *JB
2003-06-16STEERINGUnclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10023169
CrashFireInjuryDeath
ON A 1994 OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS SUPREME CONVERTIBLE WITH THE 3.4 LITER DOHC ENGINE, THE HIGH PRESSURE (I.E., INLET) POWER STEERING LINE FAILED CATASTROPHICALLY. THE POINT OF FAILURE WAS ABOUT 2 INCHES ABOVE WHERE THE LINE TURNS 90 DEGREES VERTICALLY UP AT THE RIGHT FRAME RAIL AND BETWEEN THE TRANSMISSION HOUSING AND THE FRONT FRAME REAR CROSS-MEMBER. A BOLT AND BRACKET FOR DIFFERENT ASSEMBLY INTERFERED WITH AND WORE A HOLE IN THE FLEXIBLE PART OF THE LINE. *NLM
2002-10-21Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY)
NHTSA ODI 8021297
CrashFireInjuryDeath
INTERMINTENTLY THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS INOPERABLE OBSTRUCTING THE DRIVERS VIEW. A RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED ON THIS SIMILAR MAKES AND MODELS, HOWEVER THIS VEHICLE IS NOT DUE TO VIN# DEALER AND MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. TS
2002-09-09Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 8018164
CrashFireInjuryDeath
ABS LIGHT WILL COME ON AND STAY ON. ALSO, THERE IS EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. CONTACTED DEALER. *AK CONSUMER STATED THAT VEHICLE WAS AT DEALER SEVERAL TIMES BUT DEALER COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE BRAKES. THE PROBLEM STILL EXIST. *YH
2002-09-09Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL)
NHTSA ODI 8018163
CrashFireInjuryDeath
VEHICLE HAS PROBLEM ACCELERATING. DEALER STATED THAT A VALVE COULD BE DEFECTIVE, CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER COULD NOT FIND CAUSE OF PROBLEM. *AK

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme?

Owners named Brakes most often — 15 of 42 reports (36%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme?

NHTSA lists 0 safety recall campaigns. This snapshot lists none, which is not a clean bill of health. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.

What should I inspect before buying a 1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme?

Look up the VIN for open recalls. Have a shop check pads, rotors, fluid and whether the pedal feels firm. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.

Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?

No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.

EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record

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 2026-09-07 Open source record

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

Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources