IllustrationVEHICLE RUNNING IN NORMAL TRAFFIC ON A CITY STREET, KEY SWITCH JUST SUDDENLY TURNED BACK AND VEHICLE SHUT OFF. NO BRAKING, AND NO STEERING. HAD TO TRY AND STEER OFF TO A SAFE PLACE. ONGOING ISSUE AS THE IGNITION SWITCH IS STILL IN THIS CONDITION ENDANGERING MY LIFE, MY FAMILY'S LIFE, AND THE LIVES OF OTHERS. *JS
1998 Oldsmobile Aurora
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1998 Oldsmobile Aurora do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 33.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Aurora years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 19 of 49 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
2 crash reports2 fire reports0 injury reports
Electrical System complaints
7 reportsLIGHTS COME ON AND FLICKER BY THEMSELVES EVEN WHEN THE CAR IS OFF. THIS OCCURS WHEN THE CAR IS OFF AND THE KEYS ARE NOT IN THE IGNITION. ALSO, THERE IS THE SMELL OF BURNED RUBBER PRESENT SOME OF THE TIMES. *JB
CAR STALLS ONCE A DAY, ALMOST EVERY DAY IN TRAFFIC. SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T QUITE STALL AND CATCHES ITSELF AND LEARCHES FORWARD A FEW FEET. NEITHER OLDSMOBILE OR INDIPENDENT MECHANICS CAN FIND THE PROBLEM. THA CODES ARE THERE IN MEMORY OF THE CAR BUT THE CODES DO NOT SAY WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE PROBLEM. KNOW ONE KNOWS WHAT TO DO OTHER…
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CAR STALLS ONCE A DAY, ALMOST EVERY DAY IN TRAFFIC. SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T QUITE STALL AND CATCHES ITSELF AND LEARCHES FORWARD A FEW FEET. NEITHER OLDSMOBILE OR INDIPENDENT MECHANICS CAN FIND THE PROBLEM. THA CODES ARE THERE IN MEMORY OF THE CAR BUT THE CODES DO NOT SAY WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE PROBLEM. KNOW ONE KNOWS WHAT TO DO OTHER THAN GUESSING AND CHANGING EXPENSIVE PARTS. *NM
1. THE LIGHTS CAME ON BY THEMSELVES AND STARTED FLICKERING. 2.THIS DRAINED THE BATTERY. 3. THE MECHANIC HAD TO REPLACE THE MULTI FUNCTION STALK SWITCH AND A MODULE UNDER THE DASH. THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE AURORA'S, AND I FEEL THAT OLDSMOBILE NEEDS TO RECALL THESE CARS OR AT LEAST REIMBURSE ALL OF THE OWNERS W…
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1. THE LIGHTS CAME ON BY THEMSELVES AND STARTED FLICKERING. 2.THIS DRAINED THE BATTERY. 3. THE MECHANIC HAD TO REPLACE THE MULTI FUNCTION STALK SWITCH AND A MODULE UNDER THE DASH. THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE AURORA'S, AND I FEEL THAT OLDSMOBILE NEEDS TO RECALL THESE CARS OR AT LEAST REIMBURSE ALL OF THE OWNERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM. A SIMPLE INTERNET SEARCH ON GGOGLE.COM FOUND MANY PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM, SO IT'S OBVIOUSLY A DESIGN PROBLEM. *AK
INTERMITTENTLY WHILE VEHICLE IS IN PARK AT RESIDENCE, ALARM WILL GO OFF , ALSO HEADLIGHT AND HORN WILL COME ON. DEALER PUT VEHICLE ON COMPUTER, BUT COULD NOT DETERMINE CAUSE. DEFECT WAS POSSIBLY DUE TO ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. *AK *SLC
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
THE HORN SENSOR IS NOT EASILY LOCATED IN EMERGENCY SITUATION. THIS IS DIFFICULT TO ACCESS WHEN DRIVER IS INABLE TO LOOK DOWN AT WHEEL TO FIND THE "SWEET SPOT" HORN PLACEMENT IN ORDER TO ENGAGE THE HORN. *AK
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.