1998 Oldsmobile Achieva problems
Owners have filed 52 complaints with NHTSA about the 1998 Oldsmobile Achieva. Electrical system is the most reported problem area, at 25% of complaints. Next are brakes (15%) and engine (13%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 52 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Electrical system 25% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 2 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 1 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 75,000 miles 14 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 2 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 2 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 1 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 5 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 1 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 2 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 1 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 14 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 75,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 2 complaints mention a crash; 2 complaints mention a fire; 1 injury reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1998 ranks 7th most-complained-about out of 7 model years of the Oldsmobile Achieva with enough data (30 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
When driver lost control of the vehicle and hit a utility pole on the passenger front side, there was no deployment of the air bags. The vehicle is being repaired.
I was drive along union street in greenville, miss when I notice smoke coming from the hood of the car. I suddenly pull over because the car became engulf in flames. The fireman was called to put the flames out from the vehicle.the car was lost due to the flames and I lost wages due to the car. I contact GMC about the car and they said , the car engulf in flames had nothing to do with them.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 oldsmobile achieva. While driving approximately 35 MPH, a burning odor was detected from the front end of the vehicle. The vehicle idled and stalled without warning. The contact had a certified mechanic check the oil where it was diagnosed that the cooling liquid leaked onto the oil pan, which mixed the two liquids. Coolant also leaked into the air vents. There were no recalls on the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 58,000.
While driving at highway speed the vehicle began to knock. Then , engine light illuminated. Vehicle was towed to a mechanic, and mechanic determined that engine needed to be replaced, and replaced some parts.
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 oldsmobile achieva. The contact had her vehicle repaired according to NHTSA campaign id number 04v036000 (electrical system:ignition:switch). The technician installed a relay kit. Years later, she noticed that the failure recurred. The contact called the dealer in reference to having the ignition switch replaced.