1989 OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 110 complaints · 6 recalls
Most-reported system: SERVICE BRAKES (38 complaints · 34.6%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 6
  • Fires 5
  • Injuries 9
  • Deaths 1
Compare with 1988 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints 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.

Component Problem Distribution

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

Component Problem Distribution SERVICE BRAKES appears in 38 of 110 owner complaints (34.6%) in this vehicle snapshot. SERVICE BRAKES: 38 complaints, 34.6% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 38 · 34.6% · 1 crash reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 14 complaints, 12.7% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 14 · 12.7% · 1 crash reports 2 fire reports ENGINE: 13 complaints, 11.8% of reports ENGINE 13 · 11.8% · 1 crash reports 1 fire reports SEAT BELTS: 10 complaints, 9.1% of reports SEAT BELTS 10 · 9.1% · 1 crash reports STRUCTURE: 8 complaints, 7.3% of reports STRUCTURE 8 · 7.3% SUSPENSION: 6 complaints, 5.5% of reports SUSPENSION 6 · 5.5% · 1 crash reports STEERING: 4 complaints, 3.6% of reports STEERING 4 · 3.6% · 1 fire reports PARKING BRAKE: 2 complaints, 1.8% of reports PARKING BRAKE 2 · 1.8% POWER TRAIN: 2 complaints, 1.8% of reports POWER TRAIN 2 · 1.8% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 88 complaints, 80.0% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 88 · 80.0% · 3 crash reports 4 fire 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)
SERVICE BRAKES 38 34.6% 1 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 14 12.7% 1 crashes · 2 fires
ENGINE 13 11.8% 1 crashes · 1 fires
SEAT BELTS 10 9.1% 1 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 8 7.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SUSPENSION 6 5.5% 1 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 4 3.6% 0 crashes · 1 fires
PARKING BRAKE 2 1.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 2 1.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 88 80.0% 3 crashes · 4 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 Jan 1995; the first recall shown was reported in Jul 1989. 1995-Q1: 17 owner reports 17 1995-Q2: 9 owner reports 9 1995-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 1995-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 1996-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 1996-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 1996-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 1996-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 1997-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 1997-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 1997-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 1997-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 1998-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 1998-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 1998-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 1998-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 1999-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 1999-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 1999-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 1999-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2000-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2000-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2000-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2000-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2001-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2001-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2001-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2001-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2002-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2003-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2004-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jul 1989 Apr 2014 Recall campaign 89V122000 ◆ Recall campaign 89V122000 Recall campaign 90V054000 ◆ Recall campaign 90V054000 Recall campaign 90V185000 ◆ Recall campaign 90V185000 Recall campaign 94V041000 ◆ Recall campaign 94V041000 Recall campaign 95V115000 ◆ Recall campaign 95V115000 Recall campaign 97V058000 ◆ Recall campaign 97V058000 Investigation PE90088 ● Investigation PE90088 Investigation PE94063 ● Investigation PE94063 Investigation RQ97017 ● Investigation RQ97017 Investigation EA00011 ● Investigation EA00011
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1995-Q1 Owner reports 17
1995-Q2 Owner reports 9
1995-Q3 Owner reports 8
1995-Q4 Owner reports 7
1996-Q1 Owner reports 2
1996-Q2 Owner reports 2
1996-Q3 Owner reports 3
1996-Q4 Owner reports 3
1997-Q1 Owner reports 7
1997-Q2 Owner reports 1
1997-Q3 Owner reports 6
1997-Q4 Owner reports 2
1998-Q1 Owner reports 1
1998-Q2 Owner reports 1
1998-Q3 Owner reports 2
1998-Q4 Owner reports 2
1999-Q1 Owner reports 2
1999-Q2 Owner reports 5
1999-Q3 Owner reports 2
1999-Q4 Owner reports 3
2000-Q1 Owner reports 3
2000-Q2 Owner reports 1
2000-Q3 Owner reports 1
2000-Q4 Owner reports 5
2001-Q1 Owner reports 1
2001-Q2 Owner reports 3
2001-Q3 Owner reports 1
2001-Q4 Owner reports 1
2002-Q2 Owner reports 3
2002-Q3 Owner reports 1
2003-Q3 Owner reports 2
2004-Q2 Owner reports 1
2008-Q2 Owner reports 1
2014-Q2 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 89V122000
Recall campaign 1 90V054000
Recall campaign 1 90V185000
Recall campaign 1 94V041000
Recall campaign 1 95V115000
Recall campaign 1 97V058000
Defect investigation 1 PE90088
Defect investigation 1 PE94063
Defect investigation 1 RQ97017
Defect investigation 1 EA00011
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (6)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 89V122000

    Report date
    Component:
    EQUIPMENT
    Consequence:
    WINDSHIELD MAY NOT DEFROST AND CAR WOULD NOT CONFORMWITH FMVSS 103.
    Remedy:
    REPLACE ELECTRONIC COMFORT CONTROL ASSEMBLY.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 90V054000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    SEAT BELT MAY NOT SUSTAIN LOADS REQUIRED BY FMVSS 210, AND IN A VEHICLE ACCIDENT, THE SEAT BELT MAY NOT PROPERLY RESTRAIN A PASSENGER, RESULTING IN INCREASED RISK OF GREATER INJURY TO AN OCCUPANT.
    Remedy:
    REPLACE FRONT SHOULDER BELT GUIDE LOOP ATTACHMENT NUTS AND INSTALL NEW GUIDE COVER.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 90V185000

    Report date
    Component:
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    Consequence:
    A TRAILING VEHICLE MAY NOT RECOGNIZE A BRAKING ACTIONIN TIME TO RESPOND APPROPRIATELY. ALSO, CRUISE CONTROL WILL REENGAGE UPONRELEASE OF THE BRAKE PEDAL AND RESUME THE SET SPEED. IN EITHER CASE, IT COULDRESULT IN A CRASH WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.
    Remedy:
    INSTALL AN IMPROVED DESIGN STOPLAMP SWITCH.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 94V041000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    IF WHEEL SEPARATION OCCURS WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION, LOSS OF STEERING AND BRAKE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE OCCURS, AND A VEHICLE CRASH COULD RESULT WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE MANUFACTURING CODES STAMPED ON EACH WHEEL OF THE VEHICLE AND IF A WHEEL FALLS WITHIN THE SPECIFIED DATE CODE RANGE, THE DEALER WILL REPLACE THAT WHEEL ASSEMBLY.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 95V115000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    IF WHEEL SEPARATION OCCURS WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION, LOSS OF STEERING AND BRAKE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE OCCURS, AND A VEHICLE CRASH COULD RESULT WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE MANUFACTURING DATE CODES STAMPED ON EACH WHEEL OF THE VEHICLE AND IF A WHEEL FALLS WITHIN THE SPECIFIED DATE CODE RANGE, THE DEALER WILL REPLACE THAT WHEEL ASSEMBLY.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 97V058000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, A VEHICLE CRASH COULD RESULT.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE REAR CRADLE BOLTS AND RETAINERS.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints 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.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-22
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 110 complaints · page 1 of 5

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 2026-08-22 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.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-22.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources