Selling a junk 1997-1999 Oldsmobile Cutlass

This was the last car to wear the Cutlass name. Wikipedia dates the Cutlass series from 1961 to 1999, calls the 1997 car the sixth generation, and names the Oldsmobile Intrigue as its successor. EPA lists it as a gasoline midsize car for 1997, 1998 and 1999. If yours sits with a soft pedal, a tired engine or a list of other problems, you can sell the whole car as it sits.

What owners reported on the 1997-1999 Cutlass

All three model years belong to one generation, so this section goes by what broke rather than by body style.

Brakes and steering

Brakes are at or tied for the top every year from 1996 to 1998. On the 1996 they tie with air bags at 18 complaints each. On the 1997, the brakes and the steering tie at 17 complaints each out of 96. The steering is named 17 more times on the 1998.

One recall lines up with those steering complaints. On some 1997-1998 Cutlass cars, the retainer tabs on the lower pinion bearing of the power rack and pinion were never crimped right, and campaign 03V527 covers them. NHTSA's notice says the retainers could fail and let the ball bearings escape. The listed remedy was a new lower pinion bearing, or a new gear assembly if inspection called for one. NHTSA counts 750,283 vehicles in that campaign, and the total may include other GM models.

Engine and cooling

Engine and engine cooling follows the brakes, at 64 complaints across the four years. The 1998 has 26 of them, the most of any year.

Wipers in the salt states

Recall 01V068 applies only to certain 1997-1998 cars with a salt-belt history, meaning originally sold or still registered in states the notice lists. The list includes Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts and Minnesota, among others. Dealers replaced the passenger-side windshield wiper pivot housing, and owner letters began going out on August 14, 2001. The campaign counted 129,427 vehicles, which may include other models.

1999: electrical and tires

The 1999 has 80 complaints. Electrical system and tires each have 15, ahead of the brakes at 14. NHTSA lists no recall campaign for the 1999.

The 1996 complaints

NHTSA's file holds 123 complaints filed as a 1996 Cutlass, a year before the first one in EPA data. They name the brakes 18 times, the air bags 18 times and the engine 15 times, and they include 11 crashes, 5 fires and 13 people injured. Oldsmobile still sold the Cutlass Ciera and the Cutlass Supreme in 1996, so some of these may belong to one of them. Check the model on your title.

Complaints and recalls by year

We tallied the Cutlass rows in NHTSA's complaint file on October 10, 2026. Every row is something an owner told the agency, not a grade for reliability, and a 1999 Cutlass has been driven a bit fewer years than a 1996. The recall column shows how many campaigns name each model year.

No deaths are recorded in any of these complaints. Steering (37), air bags (32) and suspension (26) round out the top six components.

Fix the Cutlass or sell it?

The newest of these cars is 27 years old. So put a written repair quote next to the price of a running 1997-1999 Cutlass in your area. If the repair eats most of that price, the car is worth more to you sold unrepaired.

• Brakes gone soft or seized? Our bad brakes guide covers what to check first.
• Steering clunks or wanders? Run the VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup to see if 03V527 shows as open on your car.
• Engine knocking or overheating? See blown engine before you pay for a teardown.
• Just worn out all over? Old or high mileage walks through selling a car that has simply run its course.

Selling the Cutlass whole

1. Jot down the VIN from the windshield or the title, plus the mileage and the symptoms.
2. Ask for an offer online, or call (877) 421-6008.
3. Tell us where the Cutlass is parked and if it can roll on its own tires. Pickup is free anywhere in the US.
4. Leave every part on. If something is already gone, like the battery or the converter, tell us up front.
5. When the truck comes for the Cutlass, sign the title over and show ID. No title? Read selling with no title. Plate rules vary by state, and after you sell lists them.