1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme problems & reliability
23 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1989 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.
0 complaints report injuries (0 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | 8 | 35% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 4 | 17% |
| Steering | 4 | 17% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 9% |
| Suspension | 2 | 9% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 4% |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 4% |
| Power Train | 1 | 4% |
| Unknown OR Other | 1 | 4% |
| Visibility | 1 | 4% |
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.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The engine cradle fell off consumer 1989 oldsmobile cutlass supreme. *ts the cradle fell dropping the engine due to condensation forming between the rubber mounting supports and the metal framework. The manufacturer refused to honor the recall for this vehicle. *jb”
Structure · filed Oct 12, 2005
“Dt:consumer was climbing a hill at 5% grade five miles long on freeway when transmission shifted down from overdrive to second gear and locked in second. Transmission would not come out of second gear. Consumer believes this a safety feature of the transmission. When vehicle is stopped after this happens it will not…”
Power Train · filed Jun 24, 2005
“Paint flaking on hood and roof of vehicle. Just purchased vehicle. Spoke with gm service manager who knew nothing about the class action filed against gm concerning defective paint on their vehicles.”
Unknown OR Other · filed Apr 22, 2004
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- STRUCTURE
Investigation RP01001 · opened Nov 28, 2001 · closed Jun 13, 2002 · led to recall 00V189000
- STICKING THROTTLE
Engineering Analysis EA92024 · opened Jun 26, 1992 · closed Jan 31, 1994
- W-CAR HINGE PIN FAILURE
Engineering Analysis EA91055 · opened Dec 5, 1991 · closed Aug 17, 1992
- STEERING WHEEL SEPARATION
Preliminary Evaluation PE91072 · opened May 1, 1991 · closed Jul 8, 1991
Technical service bulletins
1 manufacturer communication (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme.
Customers may complain of grinding / scraping / groaning noise from rear suspension. *tt
990309004 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 1, 1999
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 1989 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 1989 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.