1997 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme problems & reliability
43 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1997 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
3 complaints report injuries (3 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1997 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme vehicles were involved in 1 fatal crash with 1 occupant death. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Steering → | 14 | 33% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic → | 10 | 23% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 5 | 12% |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 7% |
| Service Brakes, Air | 3 | 7% |
| Structure | 3 | 7% |
| Suspension | 3 | 7% |
| Air Bags | 2 | 5% |
| Electrical System | 2 | 5% |
| Power Train | 2 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 15 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Mrs. Jones ownes a 1997 oldsmobile cutlass supreme. On march 10, 2004, I entered the driver seat of the said car to depart from home. When I engaged the ignition to start the car the air bag deployed. The defective air bag struck me in face, causing injury.*ak”
Air Bags · filed Aug 6, 2004
“The plastic fasteners on the front passenger side seat belt fell off. Driver's side the seat belt fastener cracked and was about to fall off. The seat belts were not able to be latched. Dealership did not indicate why the failure occurred, they were just quoting the replacing price of the part.*ak”
Seat Belts · filed Jul 14, 2004
“After having recall 03v527000 performed on my vehicle, I am having clicking noises every time I turn the wheel of the vehicle. *ak”
Steering · filed Jun 29, 2004
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- POWER RACK AND PINION STEERING FAILURE
Engineering Analysis EA03019 · opened Sep 15, 2003 · closed Dec 18, 2003 · led to recall 03V527000
- POWER RACK AND PINION STEERING FAILURE
Recall Query RQ03001 · opened Jan 2, 2003 · closed Sep 15, 2003
Technical service bulletins
21 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1997 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. The 10 most recent:
Revised piston pin removal / installation procedure. *tt
010601002A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 1, 2002
Owners of some vehicles equipped with hydra-matic 3t40, 4t60, 4t60-e or 4t65-e transaxles may comment on a grinding and / or growling noise that is noticeable when standing in park on a hill or slope with the engine…
990730030A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 2001
Some owners may comment on driveability symptons of long or hard starts, chuggle, rough idle and light or intermittent misfire due to clogged fuel injectors. *tt
990604005A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 2001
Some vehicles equipped with hydra-matic 3t40, 4t60 or 4t60-e transxales may comment on a grinding and / or growling noise that is noticeable when in park on incline. *tt
990730030 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 1, 1999
Customers may complain of grinding / scraping / groaning noise from rear suspension. *tt
990309004 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 1, 1999
Subject regarding spark plug wire failure. *tt
99021 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 1, 1999
Subject regarding spark plug wire failure. *tt
99021 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 1, 1999
Some owners may experience a driveability symptom of long or hard starts, chuggle, rough idle and light or intermittent misfire. *tt
990604005 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 1, 1999
Some vehicles may exhibit front suspension scrunch / popping type noise coming from the front of vehicle that is apparent during low speed turning maneuvers. *tt
533307B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 1, 1998
Some v6 engines may, on a very infrequent basis, have an oil odor condition that is generally encountered after the engine's oil has been changed.typically the odor lasts approximately 1000 miles after the change of oil…
876002A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 1, 1998
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 1997 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1997 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.