The 1995 Oldsmobile Achieva has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 699,617 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 102 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the service brakes, hydraulic. Last updated July 5, 2026.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. IF THE ENGINE STARTER FAILS TO ENGAGE AND THE DRIVER HOLD THE KEY IN THE "START" POSITION FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD, HIGH CURRENT FLOWS THROUGH THE IGNITION SWITCH, PRODUCING HEAT THAT CAN MELT SWITCH PARTS.
Consequence
A FIRE COULD OCCUR IN THE STEERING COLUMN AND SPREAD TO THE INTERIOR OF THE CAR.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A RELAY KIT AND VERIFY THAT THE VEHICLE WILL START WITH A PROPERLY CHARGED BATTERY IN GOOD OPERATING CONDITION (ADEQUATE RESERVE CAPACITY, OR COLD CRANKING AMPS). THIS CAMPAIGN DOES NOT COVER BATTERY REPLACEMENT OR UNRELATED STARTING SYSTEM OR ELECTRICAL SYSTEM REPAIRS.
Complaints by component
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
7
2crashes5injuries
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
6
6crashes4injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
4
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
4
STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
4
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
4
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH
3
1fires
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
3
1fires
Total complaints102
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“I purchased this vehicle from a private party approximately 4-5 years ago, unbeknownst of the 2000 recall for ignition issues with the ignition switch. Since I have owned this vehicle I have replaced the ignition switch 3 occasions most currently today 3/24/2015. I presume there is a statute of…”
“Stupid passlock issue . Everybody knows about it but no fix from gm. Worthless car that will not start one time out of every 10. You never know when it will happen. Car must be sold or gotten rid of to fix cause there is no fix. Engineers should be sent to iraq. *tr”
“Stupid passlock issue . Everybody knows about it but no fix from gm. Worthless car that will not start one time out of every 10. You never know when it will happen. Car must be sold or gotten rid of to fix cause there is no fix. Engineers should be sent to iraq. *tr”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1995 oldsmobile achieva. The contact was experiencing difficulty starting the vehicle. She would have to depress the accelerator pedal occasionally in order for it to start. While driving 35 mph, she smelled something burning and noticed smoke coming from under the hood. The…”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1995 oldsmobile achieva. The contact was experiencing difficulty starting the vehicle. She would have to depress the accelerator pedal occasionally in order for it to start. While driving 35 mph, she smelled something burning and noticed smoke coming from under the hood. The…”
“Dt*: the contact stated while traveling 65 mph, the steering wheel was adjusted for better vision. This caused the dashboard lights, the brake lights, and headlights to become inoperative. The vehicle has not been seen by a mechanic for this.”
“The vehicle caught fire, then a recall letter was received. The manufacturer sent a representative to the consumers home and he stated the fire was not a direct result of the fuel rail. Nhtsa recall 04v110000. *jb”
“Antilock brake system not functioning properly. When abs is activated the brake pedal goes to the floor resulting in a greater stopping distance. *ak”
Defect investigations
InvestigationEA00007 Opened 2000-03-03 · closed 2001-02-07
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1995 Oldsmobile Achieva as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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