2002 Oldsmobile OLDSMOBILE TRUCK problems and owner complaints
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
2 owner complaints analyzed
0 distinct recall campaigns
79,150 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2002 model year. Data updated: . 1 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.
This selection has limited data. It remains available for lookup but is excluded from search indexing.
Most common problems
Power Train:Transfer Case (4-Wheel Drive) is the most frequently named component, appearing in 1 of 2 complaints (50.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Power Train:Transfer Case (4-Wheel Drive) | 1 |
| Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly | 1 |
Power Train:Transfer Case (4-Wheel Drive): 1; Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly: 1
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 0 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 0 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 0 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 1 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 0 |
| 150,000 and above | 0 |
Under 25,000: 0; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 1; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0
75,000 to 99,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (1). 1 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 1 |
| 2005 | 1 |
2001: 1; 2005: 1
Pattern summary
Power Train:Transfer Case (4-Wheel Drive) leads the component reports. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Complaint evidence
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Vehicle analysis explorer
Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.
Data completeness
2 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.
Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.
Problems by model year
Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.
| Component | 1996 | 1998 | 1999 | 2002 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 150.0%ODI 10446735 · 273,718 miSECURITY LIGHT ON INSTRUMENT PANEL IS ILLUMINATED. CAR STARTS AND RUNS WITH OWNERS IGNITION KEY. DEALER DETERMINED THAT PASS-KEY II DECODER MODULE PN 88964942 IS DEFECTIVE. *TR | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Electrical System:Wiring | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 150.0%ODI 10109838 · 112,000 miON THIS EVENING I STARTED MY VEHICLE AT APPROX. 8:30 PM AND BACKED UP, IT THEN SHUT DOWN SMOKE WAS COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I OPENED THE HOOD AND THERE WERE FLAMES. I PUT OUT THE FIRE MYSELF AND REPORTED IT TO GM MOTORS INC. THEY INVESTIGATED AND COULD COME TO NO CONCLUSION ON WHERE THE FIRE STARTED. THEY ALSO DENIED IT TO BE FAILURE OF GM VEHICLE PARTS. *JB | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 150.0%ODI 10106295 · 90,000 miDEFECT IN INTAKE MANIFOLD, IN MY 1998 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE VAN, WHICH CAUSED MY CAR TO OVERHEAT AND FAIL. THIS WAS MY ONLY TRANSPORTATION TO WORK AND I WAS LEFT GETTING RIDES FROM NEIGHBORS. I TOOK THE VAN TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT IT IS GOING TO TAKE $1000.00 TO $2000.00 DOLLARS TO FIX. I AM A MOTHER OF SIX AND DO NOT HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY TO SHELL OUT. THE VAN BROKE DOWN ON MY WAY TO WORK, AND I AM STILL MAKING PAYMENTS ON A VAN THAT I CANNOT DRIVE. *JB | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Exterior Lighting:Headlights | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 150.0%ODI 723849INSIDE OF HEADLIGHT SHIELD FOG UP,GREATLY REDUCING LIGHT OUTPUT. DEALER REPLACED IN FIRST INSTANCE,NOW OTHER SIDE GOING BAD. EVEN WHEN WORKING PROPERLY, HEADLIGHTS INADEQUATE FOR SAFE HIGHWAY/RURAL ROAD ILLUMINATION! *AK | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Power Train:Transfer Case (4-Wheel Drive) | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 150.0%ODI 10112637 · 79,150 miON A CLEAR DRY DAY IN MIDAFTERNOON THE AWD SYSTEM ENGAGED AND WON'T DISENGAGE. THE CAR WILL NOT DRIVE SAFELY IN THIS CONDITION. GENERAL MOTORS HAS ISSUED A TECH SERVICE BULLETIN ON IT BUT NO RECALL AS YET. THE VEHICLE IS AT A DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR. I UNDERSTAND THE COST COULD EXCEED $2000.*AK |
| Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 150.0%ODI 889395WHEN APPLYING SEAT BELT ON PASSENGER'S SIDE SEAT BELT LOCKS UP, AND PASSENGER CANNOT GET OUT. DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 150.0%ODI 10100488THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL OCCASIONS IN WHICH I AM SLOWING TO A STOP AND THE BRAKE PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR AND A "MOANING"SOUND OCCURS AS WELL AS THE TRUCK NOT STOPPING. TODAY THIS NEARLY CAUSED ME TO REAR END ANOTHER VEHICLE. THIS IS DEFINITELY NOT SLIDING ALTHOUGH IS DOES TEND TO HAPPEN ON WET SURFACES IT ALSO OCCURS ON BUMPY ROADS OR STREETS. NO LIGHTS LIGHT UP ON THE CONTROL PANEL TO EVEN POINT AT A POSSIBLE PROBLEM. I HAVE NOTICED THAT THIS PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE WORSENING ALTHOUGH TO BE FAIR SO DO OUR ROADS. *NM | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Suspension:Front:Control Arm:Upper Arm | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 150.0%ODI 10212584 · 151,000 miUPPER CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS, DRIVER SIDE BROKE PULLING THE WHOLE UPPER CONTROL ARM ASSEMBLY OFF THE VEHICLE AND THUS RESULTING IN THE WHEEL FALLING OFF THE VEHICLE. FORTUNATELY THIS HAPPENED IN MY DRIVEWAY AT A LOW SPEED. I REPLACED THE UPPER CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS AND BOLTS AND SO FAR HAVE NOT HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE AFTERMARKET PARTS. REPLACED THE PASSENGER SIDE ALSO AS A PREVENTIVE MEASURE. *TR | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.
Failure mileage by component
Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.
| Component | Mileage range (25th–75th percentile) | Median | Usable records | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train:Transfer Case (4-Wheel Drive) | Too few reports for a range | 79,150 mi | 1 (sparse) | ODI 10112637 · 79,150 miON A CLEAR DRY DAY IN MIDAFTERNOON THE AWD SYSTEM ENGAGED AND WON'T DISENGAGE. THE CAR WILL NOT DRIVE SAFELY IN THIS CONDITION. GENERAL MOTORS HAS ISSUED A TECH SERVICE BULLETIN ON IT BUT NO RECALL AS YET. THE VEHICLE IS AT A DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR. I UNDERSTAND THE COST COULD EXCEED $2000.*AK |
Complaint and recall timeline
Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.
Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.
Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples
| Month | Complaints | Campaigns announced | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2024-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-10 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-10 (partial) | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
Emerging complaint spikes
Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.
This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.
No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.
Equal-age model-year comparison
Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.
1999: 0 complaints · 2002: 0 complaints
| Model year | Through age 0 | Through age 1 | Through age 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Date coverage across each selected cohort
| Year | Incident dates used | Filing date fallbacks | Excluded dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.
Components reported together
Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.
| Component | Power Train:Transfer Case (4-Wheel Drive) | Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train:Transfer Case (4-Wheel Drive) | — | 0 |
| Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly | 0 | — |
Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.
Recurring narrative patterns
Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.
0 patterns with matching reports.
No narratives match the published patterns.