IllustrationWHILE DRIVING AT ABOUT ANY SPEED STEPPED ON BRAKE PEDAL TO REDUCE OR STOP, AND ENTIRE VEHICLE STARTED VIBRATING, THEN IT STALLED. WHEN CONSUMER TRIED TO RE-START VEHICLE, IT VIBRATED. BUT, WHEN PUT IN DRIVE VEHICLE STALLED AGAIN.*AK
1992 Oldsmobile Achieva
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1992 Oldsmobile Achieva do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 57.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Achieva years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 2 of 53 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 13 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
2 crash reports4 fire reports2 injury reports
What owners actually said
53 reportsALTERNATOR OUT 96/UPPER RAD HOSE OUT 97/ OXYGEN SENSOR OUT 98/DOOR LOCK OUT 98/TIMING CHAIN,GEARS,GUIDES, WATER PUMP OUT 99/TRANS. PAN LEAK 2000/HEAD GASKET OUT 2000** HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE A FEAR OF GETTING BEHIND THE WHEEL OF A VEHICLE NOT GET PAID FOR WITH ALL OF THESE PROBLEMS. *AK
THIS VENICLE HAS STARTED TO OVERHEAT AFTER GOING SHORT DISTANCES. I HAVE HAD IT SERVICED TWICE WITH IN THE LAST FOUR (4) MONTHS. THE FISRT TIME 8/24/99 AND THE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO ENGINE OVERHEATING. I HAD THE VALVE COVER GASKET AND TIMING COVER REPLACED FRO A TOTAL COST OF $692.10. THE SECOND OCCURENCE WAS DUE TO ENGINE OVERHEAT…
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THIS VENICLE HAS STARTED TO OVERHEAT AFTER GOING SHORT DISTANCES. I HAVE HAD IT SERVICED TWICE WITH IN THE LAST FOUR (4) MONTHS. THE FISRT TIME 8/24/99 AND THE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO ENGINE OVERHEATING. I HAD THE VALVE COVER GASKET AND TIMING COVER REPLACED FRO A TOTAL COST OF $692.10. THE SECOND OCCURENCE WAS DUE TO ENGINE OVERHEATING AS WELL. ON THIS OCASSION THE HEAD HAD TO REPLACED DUE TO A CRACK ON THE ALU. HEAD. THE MECHANIC INFORMED ME THAT IT WAS DIFFICULT TO FIND A REPLACEMENT HEAD BECAUSE ALL OF THE ONES HE COULD FIND ALL HAD THE SAME FAILURE IN THE SAME GENERAL AREA. I PURCHASED A NE W UNIT DIRECTLY FROM GM AND THE CAR WAS REPAIRED AFTER 2 1/2 WEEKS AND $856 LATER. MY OPINION IS THAT THE ALUMINUM HEAD IN QUESTION HAS A DESIGN DEFECT IN THE AREA WHERE THE CRACK OCCURED. I HAVE NOTED OTHER CONSUMERS WITH THE SAME STORY ANF TYPE OF PROBLEM WITH THIS YEAR AND MODEL/ENGINE TYPE. I STRONGLY FEEL THAT THERE IS SOME SOME KIND OF CONSIDERATION BACK TO THE CONSMER FOR CASH OUT OF POCKET FOR THE LISTED HEAD FAILURES. VICTOR M. MARRUFO *AK
WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM WORK I THOUGHT I SMELLED A SMOKE ODOR, BUT THOUGHT IT WAS FROM THE OUTSIDE COMING IN THE VENT. I DROVE ALL THE WAY HOME ABOUT 35 MINUTES. AFTER GETTING HOME WHEN I EXITED MY CAR I JUST HAPPENED TO NOTICE THAT IT LOOKED LIKE MY LIGHTS WERE ON, BUT THEY WEREN'T TURNED ON. I DOUBLED CHECKED AND THEY WERE …
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WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM WORK I THOUGHT I SMELLED A SMOKE ODOR, BUT THOUGHT IT WAS FROM THE OUTSIDE COMING IN THE VENT. I DROVE ALL THE WAY HOME ABOUT 35 MINUTES. AFTER GETTING HOME WHEN I EXITED MY CAR I JUST HAPPENED TO NOTICE THAT IT LOOKED LIKE MY LIGHTS WERE ON, BUT THEY WEREN'T TURNED ON. I DOUBLED CHECKED AND THEY WERE TURNED OFF. MY HUSBAND THEN CAME OUT AND WE MOVED IT INTO THE SHADE JUST TO MAKE SURE IT WASNT THE SUNLIGHT, AND IT WASNT. WE THEN HAD A MUCH STRONGER SMELL OF SMOKE AND THEN SMOKE STARTING COMING OUT THE THE STEERING COLUMN. IT SMELLED LIKE A FIRE WAS GOING TO START. WE IMMEDIATELY TURNED OFF THE CAR, BUT SMOKE CONTINUED SO WE DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY. IT WAS THEN TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP WHERE THEY SAID I HAD AN ELECTRICAL SHORT IN THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH. THE MOST SHOCKING THING WAS JUST ABOUT 1 MONTH BEFORE THIS INCIDENT MY CO-WORKER HAS AN 1993 OLDSMOBILE ACHIEVA ALSO AND IT CAUGHT FIRE UNDER THE STEERING COLUMN ALSO AND SHE WAS TOLD IT WAS CAUSED BY THE CRUISE CONTROL. SURE SEEMS LIKE AN AWLFUL CONSEQUENCE. THANK YOU FOR CHECKING INTO THIS. IT COULD OF BEEN A HORRIBLE INCIDENT IF I HAD TO OF DRIVEN ANY LONGER. *AK
TRANSMISSION WILL NOT SHIFT OUT OF 1ST GEAR. VEHICLE WOULD NOT GO BEYOND 15MPH. BEEN TO DEALER, AND TOLD CONSUMER TRANSMISSION NEEDED REPLACING . ALSO, ENGINE HAD A RETTLING NOIS. THEN HESITATED AND STALLED OUT. *AK
INTERMITTENTLY INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS GOES OUT. THE DEALER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. *AK
WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 55MPH WENT TO APPLY BRAKES, AND VEHICLE SHUT OFF AND VIBRATED. ALSO, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. WHEN SHIFTING FROM PARK TO DRIVE THERE IS A LOUD NOISE. IN ADDITION, WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS IN PARK AND SHIFTED INTO DRIVE, VEHICLE WOULD SHUT OFF. *AK
THE HEAD CRACKED ON THE ENGINE- CAUSING THE CAR TO OVER HEAT
AFTER THE PURCHASE OF MY CAR, I WAS ISSUED A RECALL ON THE ENGINE FOR CRACKED CYLINDER HEAD AND COOLANT LOSS. THOMAS MOTOR CARS DID THE WORK ON THE CAR AND NOW ABOUT 2 YEARS LATER I AM HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS WITH COOLANT LOSS AND HEAD GASKETS. IS THERE ANY THING THAT I CAN DO TO HELP GET THIS PROBLEM RESOLVED. *AK
THIS HAS BEEN A CONSTANT PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR. BOTH THE DRIVER'S SIDE AND PASSENGER'S SIDE WINDOWS ALWAYS FALL OFF TRACK. THEY ARE AUTOMATIC WINDOWS AND TO REPAIR THIS TIME I AM TOLD BY THE DEALER WOULD BE $600 EST. I DON'T FEEL I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS EXPECIALLY SINCE IT IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND THAT OLDSMOBILE IS SO AW…
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THIS HAS BEEN A CONSTANT PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR. BOTH THE DRIVER'S SIDE AND PASSENGER'S SIDE WINDOWS ALWAYS FALL OFF TRACK. THEY ARE AUTOMATIC WINDOWS AND TO REPAIR THIS TIME I AM TOLD BY THE DEALER WOULD BE $600 EST. I DON'T FEEL I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS EXPECIALLY SINCE IT IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND THAT OLDSMOBILE IS SO AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM THAT THEY CREATED A TSB (S). THE TSB ARE: 231066, 93T-34 AND 92-U-54 SO I AM TOLD BY THE TECHS. THANKS FOR YOUR HELP.
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.