The 1985 Oldsmobile Calais has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 603,465 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 4 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine and engine cooling. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
STRUCTURE87V1240001987-08-10261,171 affected
Defect
SMALL CRACKS MAY DEVELOP IN THE BODY PILLAR AROUND THE DOOR STRIKER BOLT HOLE.
Consequence
CRACKS WOULD INCREASE LEADING TO DIFFICULTY IN CLOSINGTHE DOOR AND MIGHT ALLOW DOOR TO COME OPEN DURING A CRASH, INCREASINGLIKELIHOOD OF INJURY TO OCCUPANTS.
Remedy
INSTALL INNER AND OUTER REINFORCEMENT PLATE ON BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT BODY PILLARS.
THE SECONDARY HOOD LATCH MAY BE INCORRECTLY ALIGNED, OR MAY EXHIBIT A BINDING CONDITION OF THE LATCH PIVOT. CONSEQUENCE OF DEFECT: THIS CONDITION COULD RESULT IN THE PRIMARY HOOD LATCH NOT BEING…
Remedy
THE SECONDARY HOOD LATCH WILL BE REPLACED AND INSPECT THE PRIMARY HOOD LATCH POP-UP LEVER.
THE THROTTLE RETURN SPRING ASSEMBLY MAY FAIL PREVENTING THE THROTTLE FROM RETURNING TO THE CLOSED (IDLE) POSITION WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS RELEASED. CONSEQUENCE OF…
Remedy
REPLACE THROTTLE RETURN SPRING.
VISIBILITY85V0470001985-04-2620 affected
Defect
A LOSS OF BONDING ADHESION BETWEEN THE PAINT AND THE WINDSHIELD OPENING AREA COULD ALLOW THE WINDSHIELD TO SEPARATE DURING A 30 MILE PER HOUR FRONTAL BARRIER TEST REQUIRED BY FMVSS 212, WINDSHIELD RETENTION. CONSEQUENCE OF…
Remedy
REMOVE AND REINSTALL WINDSHIELD IF A LACK OF PAINT BONDING IS EVIDENT.
Complaints by component
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL:SWITCH
1
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH
1
STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR
1
Total complaints4
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Smoke coming from engine. *sd”
“Hood latch failed after recall repairs, causing hood to fly up. (86v-1210) *aw”
“Steering column wheel has cracked on two occasions, indicator light lever also broke off. Tt”
“Steering column wheel has cracked on two occasions, indicator light lever also broke off. Tt”
Defect investigations
InvestigationEA86025 Opened 1986-08-25 · closed 1988-03-02
WINDSHIELD WIPERS
SUMMARY:GM BELIEVES THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN CORRECTED THROUGH ITS PUBLI-CATION OF 7 SERVICE BULLETINS CONCERNING THIS MATTER. IN ADDITION, GMDOES NOT BELIEVE WINDSHIELD WIPER FAILURE REPRESENTS A SAFETY HAZARD.ANALYSIS: THREE FAILURE MODES HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED; INSULATING FILM MAYBUILD UP BETWEEN THE BRUSH FACE AND THE…
InvestigationEA91045 Opened 1991-11-07 · closed 1992-10-26
SEAT BELT SEPARATION
There is no summary currently available
InvestigationPE88027 Opened 1988-02-09 · closed 1988-05-11
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1985 Oldsmobile Calais as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.