1997 Oldsmobile Cutlass problems
The 1997 Oldsmobile Cutlass has 161 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (22%) concerns brakes. After that come steering (13%) and electrical system (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 161 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 22% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 9 and 1
- Injuries and deaths
- 8 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 82,000 miles 35 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 | 3 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 0 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 5 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 9 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 5 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 3 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 5 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 5 |
What the data shows
Among the 35 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 82,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 9 complaints mention a crash; 1 complaint mentions a fire; 8 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1997 ranks 7th most-complained-about out of 10 model years of the Oldsmobile Cutlass with enough data (81 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 2 safety recall campaigns.
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.
Driving 65 MPH w/cruise control on; vehicle started drifting left, off road, put brakes on, but to no avail; vehicle spun around & went right; hit post; air bag did not deploy; vehicle went up post then landed on roof.
1) after purchasing the car I had it to the dealer at least 4 times for a body module malfunction. 2) ignition switch went bad could not start car, had to be towed, took two attempts to fix correctly 3) air-conditioning button quit working 4) smoke came from steering column 5) when using cigarette lighter, blows auxiliary power fuse 6) passenger side fog light keeps blowing about every three months 7) windows jump track and back windows gradually go down themselves.
While driving at 30 MPH consumer heard a loud noise coming through the engine. Suddenly, steering wheel locked . Vehicle was taken to the dealership, and the technician determined that serpentine belt broke.