Most common 1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette problems
Share of the 170 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Oldsmobile Silhouette complaints by model year
Best Silhouette years: 2004, 1996, 2003. Years to avoid: 1998, 1999, 2000, 1997. Compare all years →
1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette recalls (7)
Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch
On certain minivans equipped with second-row bucket seats or captain's chairs and a power sliding door on the passenger side of the vehicle, a passenger using the interior handle to open the power sliding door could be injured.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the power sliding door interior handle on the passenger-side. If the vehicle is equipped with a power or manual sliding door on the driver-side, the interior handle will also be replaced for…
Steering › Rack and pinion
Certain passenger vehicles and Mini vans have lower pinion bearings in the power rack and pinion assembly in which the retainer tabs were not crimped properly. These and some other retainers used in vehicles assembled between January 1, 1996 and October 31, 1997, could fail and permit the ball bearings to escape.
Remedy: Dealers will install a new lower pinion bearing unless inspect of the existing bearing indicates that replacement of the gear assembly is necessary. Owner notification began January 24, 2003.
Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch
Vehicle description: 1997-2001 Chevrolet venture, Pontiac montana/transport, and Oldsmobile silhouette Mini vans equipped with passenger side power sliding doors that were serviced in campaign 01013 (01v-067) from April to August 2001.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and, if required, install a new power sliding door unlatch actuator assembly. Owner notification began on October 22, 2001.
Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch
Vehicle description: minivans equipped with passenger side power sliding doors. The door closes but May not be latched. If this happens, the power sliding door can open while the vehicle is in motion, particularly when the vehicle ascends a hill, makes a turn, or travels over a rough road surface.
Remedy: Dealers will install a new un-latch actuator assembly to the power sliding door. This recall has been continued under safety recall 01v-264.
Seats › Front assembly › Recliner
Vehicle description: passenger Mini vans equipped with bucket seats or a split bench seat in the second (middle) or third (back) row. The seat latch mechanisms on bucket seats and on the 40% portion of the split bench seat in the second and third rows do not have protective covers.
Remedy: Dealers will install protective covers on the outboard latch mechanisms on all left and right hand rear bucket seats in the second and third row, and to both inboard and outboard latch mechanisms on the center rear…
Power train › Automatic transmission
Vehicle description: Mini vans. These vehicles May have (1) a broken shift cable fitting or (2) loose shift linkage. Consequently, moving the shift lever to a 'park' position May not shift the transmission to 'park'.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect, and replace if necessary, the automatic transaxle range selector cable.
Show 1 more recall
Visibility › Windshield wiper/washer › Linkages
Vehicle description: passenger Mini vans equipped with traction control systems. The windshield wiper linkage arm can contact a brake line which is connected to the traction control system modulator valve. This contact can chafe the brake line resulting in a brake fluid leak.
Remedy: Dealers will install a brake line clip to ensure proper clearance. Also the brake lines will be inspected to any damage caused by this condition and will replace any damaged lines.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 8 possible defects involving the 1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette:
Unexpected opening of sliding door
There is no summary currently available
Traction control
Power-sliding door
Subject vehicles are available with an optional power sliding door.the interior handle is oriented in the vertical position in the door panel and lines up at the elbow level when the occupant is seated in the 2nd-row outboard position.if the occupant holds the interior handle in the thumb up position during power-assisted opening, the arm/wrist can be push back with force against the 2nd-row bucket seat or captain's…
Rear axle trailing arm failure
Analysis of odi and GM data has identified 14 incidents of rear trailing arm failures in model year (my) 1997 through 1999 GM u-vans, including two that allegedly resulted in crashes. The trailing arm design in these vehicles is used in the u-vans from my 1997 through 2003.according to GM, the subject trailing arms can crack or buckle if they have been damaged during assembly, pre-delivery handling, or certain…
Shoulder harness clip
Air bag tear during deployment
Rear axle trailing arm failure
On November 18, 2002, odi opened a preliminary evaluation (pe02-086) to evaluate allegations of rear axle trailing arm failures in the subject vehicles (u-van) which included two reporting crashes.on April 9, 2003, odi upgraded pe02-086 to an engineering analysis (ea03-005) to continue its examination of the issue.
Safety belt assembly failure
Odi identified 59 reports with the alleged defect.odi was able to contact 44 of the 59 consumers in order to determine the specific cause of the latch problems.of the 44 owners contacted, odi determined that four failures were due to an out-of-tolerance latch plate, and that 23 failures were due to a displaced buckle housing cover.the remaining 17 failures had indeterminable causes.of the 59 reports, there were…
What 1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette owners say
Engine & cooling all 35 →
Overheating/cooloing system/intake gasket failure on a 1998 oldmobile sillhoette van with a 3.4 ltr v-6 engine.low coolant light first came on about March 12th, 2003 during a long cross-country trip. Engine not overheating so I purchased some dex-cool to add to system. No visible leaks. Engine overheats in February of 2004. Changed thermostat assuming it to be problem (no heat but hot engine). There were no other warning lights. Weeks past and system not working properly but not getting overheated. Finally taken to mechanic were he immediately suggested the intake manifold gasket as a common prolem. Van taken to GM dealer for several repairs ($1700) including intake manifold gaskets, water pump, complete cooling system dex-cool flush and other maintenance. We drove the van about 30 miles and experienced another severe overheating episode. …
Coolant leaked from gasket into engine degrading oil and resulted in extensive damage and cost. The downgrading began with this event. Il pump eventually clogged resulting in low oil pressure & repaired again. Eventually, engine self destructed, while on freeway, loosing power steering and power brakes resulting in near accident while exiting freeway. Then had to rent a Chrysler van to escape oncoming hurricane frances. This is more expense and aggrivation. All because of a faulty gasket leaking coolant into engine. This looks like neglegent design on gms part resulting in a catastrophic failure which could have resulted in death.
Lights all 32 →
Consumer states that while driving the passenger side headlight lens cracked allowing water to enter the component, and blowing out the headlight bulb. While visually inspecting headlights, the driver's side lens fell out and the bulb blew. Nlm the consumer states that it is hard to see while driving. Scc
The headlamps on this vehicle and the Chevrolet and Pontiac equivilants fill with water or get moisture in them. This causes the headlights to short out. Both headlights have failed on two occasions and one headlight at present on my vehicle. Voss village has said they have seen this problem on numerous occasions. Danielle garwin of GM Oldsmobile said that GM is aware of the problem, but have not corrected the situation on vehicles they are currently manufacturing. GM dealers want $600.00 to replace the headlights with the same healights that the problem exists in. I am told customers are correcting the problem by drilling a hole in the bottom of the headlights. I maintain that this is a safety hazard as you do not know when this May occur as you are driving in the dark. GM is not concerned with the safety issue they only want to know if your car is under warranty. …
Brakes
Tl contact owns a 1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette. The contact stated that the vehicle made a loud banging noise. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the noise was coming from the brakes. Repairs were made to the entire braking system, but the noise continued. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and they determined that the fuel system was the cause of the failure. The dealer stated that it was not a safety concern because the issue was common in some fuel tanks. The failure and current mileages were less than 70,000. Updated 01/07/09. Updated 01/08/09.
Brakes failed without warning (no indicator light) and no warning lights lit now. I have checked all brake pads, shoes, wheel cylinders and calipers and didn't find any indication of a problem. I have checked for leaks on the power booster and brake lines and didn't find any leaks. The local dealer hasn't observed a failure of this nature, I also called Oldsmobile ([phone]) and they were unaware of any cause for this failure.
1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.4L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 16 / 23 / 19 |
EPA ratings. Class: Minivan.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette a good car?
Based on 170 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 1998 Silhouette rates avoid: 3.0× as many complaints as a typical year of the Silhouette at the same age. It is one of the Silhouette years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette?
The engine & cooling — 35 complaints, 21% of all complaints for this model year, most often about engine. Next are the lights (32) and brakes (17).
How many recalls does the 1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette have?
There are 7 recalls for the 1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette, the most recent from December 22, 2004 (latch). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Oldsmobile Silhouette?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2004, 1996 and 2003. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 1998, 1999, 2000 and 1997. See the full Oldsmobile Silhouette years comparison.
At what mileage do 1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 80,000 miles; 15% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.