IllustrationCONSUMER STATES THAT WAS INVOLVED ON A FRONT COLLISION AND THE AIR BAG EXPLODED ON HER FACE CAUSING PHISICAL DAMAGE TO THE CONSUMER. DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. MR
1996 Oldsmobile Cutlass
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Cutlass 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: 19 of 123 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.
- Air Bags. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 20 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
11 crash reports5 fire reports10 injury reports
What owners actually said
123 reportsCONSUMER STATES WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED, A FIRE HAS STARTED FROM UNDER THE DASH. LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. NLM
CONSUMER STATES THAT THERE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE WIRING HARNESS WHEN DRIVING MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO ROLL DOWN THE POWER WINDOWS. DEALER NOTIFIED.
CONSUMER WAS A PASSENGER IN THE VEHICLE DURING AN ACCIDENT AND WAS INJURED BY THE AIRBAG.*JB
WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH, CONSUMER T-BONED ANOTHER VEHICLE AND DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT DID NOT RETRACT AND HOLD CONSUMER IN PLACE LIKE IT SHOULD HAVE DONE. CONTACTED DEALER. *AK CONSUMER STATES THAT AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY, ONE PERSON WAS INJURED IN ACCIDENT. *SLC
WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH CONSUMER T-BONED ANOTHER VEHICLE AND NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. CONTACTED DEALER, AND THE DEALER COULD NOT FIND CAUSE OF PROBLEM.*AK.
TURN SIGNAL SWITCH SHORT. NO TAILLIGHTS WHEN TURN SIGNAL IS ON. ONE WAY BOTH SIDE TAILLIGHTS GO OUT AND THE OTHER WAY ONE SIDE OF TAILLIGHTS GO OUT. WHEN TURN SIGNALS ARE NOT BEING USED, SOMETIMES I HAVE TAILIGHTS AND SOMETIMES I DON'T. THEY BLINK ON AND OFF. THIS HAS ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT AND IT STARTED AFTER I HAD MY CAR I…
Read full complaint
TURN SIGNAL SWITCH SHORT. NO TAILLIGHTS WHEN TURN SIGNAL IS ON. ONE WAY BOTH SIDE TAILLIGHTS GO OUT AND THE OTHER WAY ONE SIDE OF TAILLIGHTS GO OUT. WHEN TURN SIGNALS ARE NOT BEING USED, SOMETIMES I HAVE TAILIGHTS AND SOMETIMES I DON'T. THEY BLINK ON AND OFF. THIS HAS ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT AND IT STARTED AFTER I HAD MY CAR IN THE DEALER FOR THE RECALL WORK ON THE DRIVER SIDE AIRBAG. I HAVE NO TAILLIGHTS AND I AM CONCERNED ABOUT MY SAFETY WHEN DRIVING MY CAR. IT IS VERY UNSAFE TO BE DRIVING WITHOUT ANY TAILLIGHTS. THE ONLY LIGHTS THAT WORK ON THE BACK END OF MY CAR ARE THE BRAKE LIGHT IN THE WINDOW AND THE REVERSE LIGHTS. THE REST OF THE LIGHTS GO ON AND OFF.
WHILE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION DRIVER'S POWER SEAT WILL MOVE FORWARD AND/OR BACKWARD INVOLUNTARILY.*AK
GMC WOULD NOT RECTIFY THE PROBLEM; CLAIMED THE FAILURE WAS NORMAL! NO SAFETY DEFECT LISTED. *AK
VEHICLE BROUGHT INTO DEALER TO PERFORM RECALL CAMPAIGN 99021 SPARK PLUG WIRE FAILURE. HOWEVER, RECALL REPAIRS WERE NOT PERFORMED DUE TO LACK OF PARTS. CONSUMER HAS YET TO BE CONTACTED. *TT
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.