1997 Oldsmobile Achieva: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 108 complaints
108
Total Complaints
90,000mi
Median Mileage
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
Top Issue
6
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

64,540 25th Percentile
90,000 Median Mileage
99,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
7
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
6
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
6
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
5
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
4
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE
4
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
3
POWER TRAIN
3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
3

Severity Assessment

6
Crashes
3
Fires
3
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"DURING VEHICLE OPERATION, THE SPEED CONTROL WAS SET AT 60 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP WITHOUT WARNING, CAUSING THE DRIVER TO LOSE CONTROL/ACCIDENT, VEHICLE HAS ABS BRAKES. *AK"
"DURING VEHICLE OPERATION, THE SPEED CONTROL WAS SET AT 60 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP WITHOUT WARNING, CAUSING THE DRIVER TO LOSE CONTROL/ACCIDENT, VEHICLE HAS ABS BRAKES. *AK"
"STEERING SEIZED WHILE TRAVELING WITH CRUISE SET AT 60 MPH, FIVE DAYS AFTER BEING PURCHASED NEW."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28