1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue problems & reliability
510 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue, alongside 5 safety recall campaigns. 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.
11 complaints report injuries (12 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue vehicles were involved in 7 fatal crashes with 5 occupant deaths. 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 | 160 | 31% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 73 | 14% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 70 | 14% |
| Seat Belts | 51 | 10% |
| Electrical System | 50 | 10% |
| Visibility | 34 | 7% |
| Suspension | 32 | 6% |
| Engine | 29 | 6% |
| Power Train | 20 | 4% |
| Tires | 12 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 87,762 miles (middle 50% between 60,292 and 128,725 miles), based on 176 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The engine had a fire and the ignition switch is very hard Do turn, it would be available for inspection. The fire happen while driving down the highway. I have an appointment set with dealership. No prior inspections have been made and no indications of anything.”
Engine · filed Feb 10, 2024
“July 17th 2019 engine dies while driving at high speed without warning. Replaced crank shaft sensor. Died in motion again july 24th, replaced alternator. This same problem originally happened in sept of 2011, again in march of 2015, and march of 2017. Different repair shops have replaced many different parts…”
Engine · filed Aug 2, 2019
“My son was driving the car and it started making a noise and I pulled over and checked and didn't see anything and continued driving. I noticed smoke coming from under the hood and pulled into a gas station and noticed the car was on fire and ran into the gas station and asked for a fire extinguisher. The attendant…”
Engine · filed Mar 6, 2018
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
- ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES
Engineering Analysis EA02030 · opened Oct 22, 2002 · closed Mar 9, 2004 · led to recall 04V090000
- POWER RACK AND PINION STEERING FAILURE
Engineering Analysis EA02003 · opened Apr 4, 2002 · closed Dec 10, 2002 · led to recall 02V286000
- STEERING RACK AND PINION
Preliminary Evaluation PE01038 · opened Nov 14, 2001 · closed Apr 4, 2002
- WINDSHIELD WIPER
Engineering Analysis EA99024 · opened Aug 20, 1999 · closed Jan 13, 2000
- REAR SHOULDER BELT MALFUNCTION
Engineering Analysis EA99019 · opened Jul 7, 1999 · closed Feb 22, 2000 · led to recall 00V044000
- WINDSHIELD WIPER
Preliminary Evaluation PE99028 · opened Apr 16, 1999 · closed Aug 20, 1999
Technical service bulletins
79 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue. The 10 most recent:
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 14, 2022
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 31, 2020
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco TheftLock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696E · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 22, 2019
This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy transportation policy.
17NA073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 18, 2019
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco TheftLock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 5, 2019
This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy transportation policy.
17NA073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 15, 2019
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco Theft Lock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 31, 2018
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 20, 2017
This warranty administration bulletin provides policy information with the field action courtesy transportation policy.
17-NA-073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 15, 2017
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 22, 2017
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 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue has 5 NHTSA recall campaigns — 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 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue?
- · 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.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 87,762 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.