"How reliable is the 1998 Oldsmobile 98?"

"Based on 32 NHTSA complaints, the 1998 Oldsmobile 98 has a median complaint mileage of 81500 miles. The most common issue is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE."

"What are common problems with the 1998 Oldsmobile 98?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1998 Oldsmobile 98 is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE, accounting for a significant portion of the 32 total complaints filed."

1998 Oldsmobile 98: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 32 complaints

Total Complaints

81,500mi

Median Mileage

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

66,000 25th Percentile

81,500 Median Mileage

87,962 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

TIRES

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:CARBURETOR SYSTEM

SEATS

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"INTERMITTENTLY WHEN THE VEHICLE IS PUT INTO REVERSE IT SPINS LIKE IT'S IN NEUTRAL. THE DEALER STATES THAT WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN REVERSE, IT GOES PASSED THE DETENT, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SPIN. THE MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK"

"CONSUMER IS TOO SHORT AND CAN'T REACH PEDALS."

"WHILE BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT COLLISION OCCURRING. CAUSE UNKNOWN. *AK.ET."

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

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

MI: 5 CA: 3 ME: 3 MN: 3 IL: 2 SC: 2 GA: 2 VA: 2 IN: 2 OH: 2

Who Files Complaints?

12.5%

Original Owners

87.5%

Second+ Owners

Oldsmobile 98 — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1990	26	-	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION	1
1991	69	-	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	7
1992	46	-	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	4
1994	23	-	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL	10
1995	71	-	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	2
1997	35	-	SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER	0

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