2001 Oldsmobile Aurora

Typical pattern

11.9% of complaints about the 2001 Oldsmobile Aurora came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2001 vehicle — around the middle of the 216 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 7.1 yr in service. The most-reported system is steering (28 complaints), typically at 7.6 yr or about 95,000 miles.

Complaints: 159
Median age at failure: 7.1 yr
Median mileage: 81,337 n=95
Crash / fire / tow: 11.9% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

00V114000 2000-04-17

Service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. SOME OF THESE VEHICLES HAVE INTERNAL FLUID LEAKS IN THE BRAKE HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT.

WHEN THE REAR BRAKE PROPORTIONING, ANTILOCK BRAKE, TRACTION CONTROL, OR STABILITY CONTROL FEATURE IS ACTIVATED IN SOME DRIVING SITUATIONS, THE FEATURE MAY NOT PERFORM AS DESIGNED.

In owners’ own words

Steering mileage not reported 2 mo in service crash / fire / tow

WHILE DRIVING LED'S ON THE DASHBOARD WENT OFF. ALSO, THERE WAS LOSS OF STEERING, RESULTING IN A COLLISION THAT TOTALLED VEHICLE. *AK

Steering mileage not reported 1.6 yr in service

WHILE DRIVING 15MPH OR LESS, LOST POWER STEERING IN VEHICLE. DEALER CAN NOT REPAIR PROBLEM BECAUSE OF EMISSION CONTROL LAW.*AK.*JB

Steering mileage not reported 1.0 yr in service

I AM REPORTING THIS NOW BECAUSE THE CAR IS BEGINNING TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AGAIN AFTER BEING REPAIRED IN OCTOBER 2001. NO SAFETY DEFECT LISTED. *AK

Engine cooling mileage not reported 8 mo in service

THE PULLEY AND ASSOCIATED BOLT FAILED CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO BE IMMOBILE, THE VEHICLE ALMOST STALLS WHILE MAKING TURNS, THE OIL CONSUMPTION IN THE VEHICLE IS POOR, THE PERCENTAGE GAUGE OF OIL LIFE IN THE MONITOR SYSTEM DOES NOT REFLECT THE MILES DRIVEN. NLM

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2001 Oldsmobile Aurora

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

How to read this