Problems · NHTSA complaints
1996 Oldsmobile Silhouette problems
Owners filed 23 complaints about the 1996 Oldsmobile Silhouette with NHTSA between Sep 1997 and Jun 2010. The most-cited component is engine and engine cooling (8).
Complaints
23
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Engine and engine cooling8
- Visibility4
- Structure3
- Steering2
- Service brakes, hydraulic1
- Tires1
- Vehicle speed control1
- Power train1
- Seats1
- Fuel system, gasoline1
- Fuel system, other1
- Suspension1
- Exterior lighting1
- Other / unknown1
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 11, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
3
2
1
3
0
2
7
3
0
1
0
0
0
1
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 3 |
| 1998 | 2 |
| 1999 | 1 |
| 2000 | 3 |
| 2001 | 0 |
| 2002 | 2 |
| 2003 | 7 |
| 2004 | 3 |
| 2005 | 0 |
| 2006 | 1 |
| 2007 | 0 |
| 2008 | 0 |
| 2009 | 0 |
| 2010 | 1 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Engine and engine cooling
8 reports
“WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT SHOP, AND TECHNICIAN REPLACED THE ENGINE. BUT PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK”
Visibility
4 reports
“INTAKE GASKET LEAKED INTERNALY AND ALLOWED OIL AND COOLANT TO INTERMIX AND DESTROYED THE ENGINE. THERE WAS NO WARNING. I\\\\\\'M STILL GETTING ESTIMATES FOR THE ENGINE REPAIR/REPLACEMENT BUT IT LOOKS TO BE $4000+.”
Structure
3 reports
“CONSUMER STATES WHILE DRIVING WATER GETS INTO THE VEHICLE CAUSING WATER BUILD UP ON THE FLOOR OF THE VEHICLE. TS”
Steering
2 reports1 related recall
“WHILE IN REVERSE AND WITHOUT ANY INDICATION VEHICLE LOST STEERING POWER. CONSUMER TURNED VEHICLE OFF. THEN, RESTARTED VEHICLE AND STEERING OPERATED NORMALLY. *AK”
Service brakes, hydraulic
1 report
“I OWN TWO VERY SIMILAR GM MADE VANS, A 1996 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE, AND A 1994 CHEVROLET LUMINA APV VAN. BOTH HAD SUDDEN BRAKE FAILURE DUE TO THE REAR BRAKE LINE BURSTING, IN EXACTLY THE SAME PLACE! BOTH HAD CURRENT INSPECTIONS. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. I HAD TO REPLACE THE REAR BRAKE LINES ON BOTH VANS. THE FACT THAT THEY FAILED AT EXACTLY THE SAME POINT IN THE REAR BRAKE LINE MAKES ME THINK THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW. WHEN THE LINE FAILED AND WAS REPAIRED, I ALSO REPLACED THE SAME LINE ON THE OTHER SIDE AND FOUND IT WEAK AND READY TO BURST. I STILL SEE MANY OF THESE GM VANS ON THE ROAD AND FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD. I AM FILING THIS COMPLAINT TWICE, ONE FOR EACH CAR. *TR”
Tires
1 report
“LEFT FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE TREAD SEPARATED FROM TIRE WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 60 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY. THE TIRE NEVER DEFLATED WHILE SEPARATING . THE TRACKS FROM THE MATERIAL OF TIRE CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE UNDERCARRIAGE OF VEHICLE. FUTURA, SIZE P205/70R15, DOT# HYM0S8M420. *AK”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 11, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.