"How reliable is the 1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette?"

"Based on 225 NHTSA complaints, the 1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette has a median complaint mileage of 78500 miles. The most common issue is Headlights."

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

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette is Headlights, accounting for a significant portion of the 225 total complaints filed."

1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 225 complaints

225

Total Complaints

78,500mi

Median Mileage

Headlights

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

55,250 25th Percentile

78,500 Median Mileage

100,442 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Headlights

Latch

Engine And Engine Cooling

Door

Engine

Seats

Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip

Belts And Associated Pulleys

Hydraulic Power Assist System

Automatic Transmission

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"HEADLIGHTS ARE INADEQUATE FOR RURAL DRIVING. DEALER HAS TRIED TO ADJUSTING WITHOUT ANY IMPROVEMENT."

"HEADLIGHTS NOT ADEQUATE FOR RURAL DRIVING."

"HEAD LIGHTS DO NOT LIGHT UP ROAD EFFICIENTLY."

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

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Headlights 27 complaints

25th: 45,000 mi Median: 52,000 mi 75th: 74,500 mi

Latch 14 complaints

25th: 60,500 mi Median: 104,500 mi 75th: 120,000 mi

Engine And Engine Cooling 13 complaints

25th: 59,000 mi Median: 73,000 mi 75th: 80,000 mi

Engine 9 complaints

25th: 61,029 mi Median: 77,000 mi 75th: 80,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

PA: 18 FL: 17 OH: 16 NV: 12 IN: 11 MI: 10 IL: 10 MA: 10 NY: 8 MO: 8

Who Files Complaints?

45.8%

Original Owners

54.2%

Second+ Owners

Oldsmobile Silhouette — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1990	68	-	Retractor	1
1991	57	150,000	Door	5
1992	29	-	Retractor	1
1993	24	-	Retractor	1
1994	43	100,000	Windshield Wiper/Washer	3
1995	60	91,000	Door	7
1996	24	111,500	Engine And Engine Cooling	0
1997	155	74,500	Headlights	6
1999	186	69,000	Engine And Engine Cooling	11
2000	139	58,876	Door	3
2001	113	57,860	Automatic Transmission	10
2002	102	44,072	Door	1
2003	40	45,000	Frontal	7

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