While driving the consumer was informed by a passing motorist that her vehicle was in fire. The consumer and passenger were able to escape the vehicle with help from the passerby. Once the consumer and passenger exited the vehicle it rolled off the road and became fully engulfed in flames. The consumer sustained a sprained left shoulder, knee sprains and bursitis. *ak
The worst 1993 Oldsmobile 98 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Brakes3
- Airbags2
- Body2
- Engine2
- Acceleration1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Brakes3
- Airbags2
- Body2
- Engine2
- Acceleration1
- Fuel system1
- Locks1
- Seat belts1
- Tires1
- Transmission1
Recalls 1
Power train: automatic transmission: cooling unit and lines
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles manufactured from august 1991 through july 1995. The transmission oil cooler line can separate when the vehicle is operated in low temperatures in combination with high transmission loads.
- Risk
- Vehicle fires can occur due to the spillage of transmission fluid.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the transmission oil cooler lines.
Recall number 96V015000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 1993 Oldsmobile 98 18
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Expanded Availability for Remanufacture and Return (R&R) Electronic Control Modules
- Owners of some vehicles equipped with hydra-matic 3T40, 4T60, 4T60-E or 4T65-E transaxles may comment on a...
- Some vehicles equipped with hydra-matic 3T40, 4T60 or 4T60-E transxales may comment on a grinding and / or...
- Some customers may comment that there is corrosion ( rust ) appearing on the left and /or right rocker...
- Some customers may comment that the vehicle
- Concerns of door handles on white painted vehicles truning yellow
- Comments on inoperative power door locks (front and/or rear doors).
- Excessive vibration of electrochromic inside rearview mirror
- Information based on engine idle surge, or MIL (malfunction indicator lamp) illuminated with DTC...
- Cold start rattle noise (diagnosis/service procedure)
What 1993 Oldsmobile 98 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
When accelerating to enter a highway, there was a loud "clunk" and all control was lost as I entered the high speed lane. The engine quit, no brakes and the steering wheel just turned freely and the car rolled to a stop in the high speed lane. It turned out that the rear frame bolts under the engine failed and frame and engine fell down, disconnections the steering. Luckily, no one was hurt as others stopped to direct traffic and push the car to the side of the road. The car is in near perfect condition, no visible rust, no fluid leaks and has only 140,000 miles. It appears that the design mechanism to make the engine drop in a crash(to protect the driver) failed (rusted) way before it should have. The oldsmobile hotline said the car was past the 100,000 rust warranty, what did I expect? I have had 3 other oldsmobiles and put over 250,000 miles on each one and certainly expected similar results from this one. I believe that the frame should not rust out and have the engine fall out before any of the normal high mileage failures such as transmission, engine, radiator or even the failure of the battery in the remote locking device. I believe that oldsmobile should bear the cost of some or all the charges to repair this. Had it happened 5 minutes later, I would have been traveling at 70 MPH and there would have been a tragedy. If there is a general defect, all other owners should be notified.
The driver side air bag deployed randomly while I was driving. The vehicle did not strike any object nor did it hit any bump in the road.
I was driving on highway 60 near dudley, mo @ 65 MPH, when the airbag light came on. I took the nearby exit and stopped at a convenience store. Filled gas tank, everything seemd to be working fine, so I pulled back onto road, soon after the airbag deployed, and horn started honking. I stopped, disconnected horn, cut away bag and drove home. Notified company, and per their request had diagnostics test run at blackwell-baldwin olds in poplar bluff, mo; no codes found, mechanic said a short in the steering column caused the deployment. Mechanic said column was tight, and no sign it had ever been opened, but a wire was stretched. He said apparently the steering wheel snagged the wire. Oldsmobile will accept no responsibility whatsoever for this due to age and mileage on car, and say I must bear entire cost of test, replacement, and resulting equipment problems. Suggested I contact the better business bureau if I didn't like their findings. Since when did airbags come with an expiration date? Thank you for your consideration.
Tire blew out while driving on freeway, revealing 23 inch length of tire lost, separation at edges, and torn wire mesh( dot number: a3moffa163 tire size: p205/70r15 )
Gas gauge does not read correctly. When vehicle gets to about a quarter of tank it cuts off at any stop. *ak engine malfunctions.
Anytime when starting vehicle the ABS light and traction light come on and stay on.
Rear children security locks failed.
Abs failure.
Abs would come on at up to 10mph even when brakes were not applied.
Compare the 1993 Oldsmobile 98
Other model years
Questions about the 1993 Oldsmobile 98
Is the 1993 Oldsmobile 98 reliable?
Owners have filed 13 complaints about the 1993 Oldsmobile 98, fewer than a typical 98 model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1993 Oldsmobile 98?
Brakes, with 3 complaints. Next is airbags (2).
How many recalls does the 1993 Oldsmobile 98 have?
1 recall, covering power train.
What year does the Oldsmobile 98 have bad brakes?
The Oldsmobile 98 model years with the most brakes complaints are 1991 (18 complaints) and 1992 (16 complaints).
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 1993 Oldsmobile 98?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history