Oldsmobile / Cutlass / 1999

1999 Oldsmobile Cutlass problems

Owners have filed 117 complaints about the 1999 Oldsmobile Cutlass with NHTSA. Electrical system accounts for 22.2% of them — narrowly the most common, ahead of service brakes, hydraulic at 17.1%.

Complaints117

Crashes3

Fires2

Injuries3

Deaths0

What owners report breaking

Electrical system 22.2% · 26

Service brakes, hydraulic 17.1% · 20

Tires 15.4% · 18

Engine and engine cooling 11.1% · 13

Suspension 10.3% · 12

Exterior lighting 4.3% · 5

Air bags 4.3% · 5

Power train 2.6% · 3

Severity

Of those complaints, 3 describe a crash, 2 describe a fire and 3 report an injury.

Reading the numbers

Across the 10 model years of the Oldsmobile Cutlass in this data, 1999 draws comparatively few complaints; 1991 is the outlier year.

Filings are rising — 10 in the last three years against 5 in the three before. For a vehicle this age that usually points to a wear-related failure owners are hitting now.

The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 60,205 miles.

In owners' own words

Ignition switch failed to turn due to dropped tumbler in key cylinder. Required replacement of entire lock and switch assembly ($425 parts plus labor) due to the failure of a $2 tumbler in the lock. Dealer said that they (1 dealership) replace approx. 5 Switches of this design (gm instrument panel-mounted ignition switches) per month due to this type of failure. Mechanic attributed failure to faulty design. Electrical system · reported at 44,465 miles

Anti-theft system flashes and car will not start until it set for a while (usually 20 mimutes). Theft system light stays on and will not go off. Concern is that the vehicle will stall in traffic making the vehicle difficult to control leading to possibility of accident and injury. Their is no fix to this problem according to the oldsmoble dealership. Electrical system · reported at 66,000 miles

1. Car running perfectly fine. 2. One day, car wouldn't start and theft system light was flashing. 3. Went online and found a bunch of complaints about the passlock system. It said to wait 1/2 hour and the car would start again. So we wait, and it starts. This is extremely inconvenient. We rely heavily on this car. Electrical system · reported at 98,500 miles

Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Safety recalls

Checking NHTSA for open recalls…

Other Oldsmobile Cutlass years

1993 193 complaints · 29.0% service brakes, hydraulic 1994 200 complaints · 20.0% service brakes, hydraulic 1995 199 complaints · 20.1% service brakes, hydraulic 1996 160 complaints · 16.3% service brakes, hydraulic 1997 161 complaints · 18.6% service brakes, hydraulic 1998 223 complaints · 21.1% service brakes, hydraulic

Compare all 10 model years →