Oldsmobile Silhouette Years to Avoid and Recalls

Which Oldsmobile Silhouette years should you avoid?

Going by 950 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the Oldsmobile Silhouette years to avoid are 1998, 1999, 2000 and 1997.

1998170 complaints, 3.3× a typical Silhouette year, most often about the headlights.
1999149 complaints, 2.9× a typical Silhouette year, most often about the engine.
2000114 complaints, 2.2× a typical Silhouette year, most often about the engine.
1997104 complaints, 2.0× a typical Silhouette year, most often about the headlights.

How this is worked out: each year is compared with a typical year of the same model, which takes most of the difference in sales out of it, and its share of serious failures is compared with every other car of the same model year, because older cars were complained about differently. A year needs 25 complaints to be judged at all. Complaints are unverified owner reports. Full method →

Year	Complaints	Recalls	Fires	Crashes	Most reported	Status
2004	11	3	—	2	Tires › Tread/Belt	Routine
2003	36	5	—	6	Air Bags › Frontal	Fatalities reported
2002	57	5	—	1	Structure › Body › Door	Routine
2001	78	9	3	6	Power Train › Automatic Transmission	Fatalities reported
2000Avoid	114	8	2	3	Structure › Body › Door	Routine
1999Avoid	149	7	4	9	Engine and Engine Cooling	Routine
1998Avoid	170	10	—	6	Exterior Lighting › Headlights	Routine
1997Avoid	104	9	—	4	Exterior Lighting › Headlights	Routine
1996	20	2	—	—	Engine and Engine Cooling	Routine
1995	46	2	2	4	Structure › Body › Door	Routine
1994	36	4	4	3	Visibility › Windshield Wiper/Washer	Routine
1993	22	3	4	1	Seat Belts › Front › Retractor	Routine
1992	27	2	—	1	Seat Belts › Front › Retractor	Routine
1991	37	3	2	4	Structure › Body › Door	Fatalities reported
1990	43	5	1	1	Seat Belts › Front › Retractor	Routine

Year

Complaints

Relative volume

Recalls

Fires

Crashes

Most reported

Status

2004

—

Tires › Tread/Belt

Routine