OldsmobileCustom Cruiser1978Overview/oldsmobile/custom-cruiser/1978/base/

1978 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1978 Custom Cruiser.

The 1978 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser is best framed for a researcher through the lens of its later owner complaint record, which the available data captures across 1991 through 1994. Within that window, the model shows a striking peak in 1992 with 17 complaints filed — the highest figure in the period covered — followed by a steep drop to just 1 complaint in 1993, the lowest recorded. For anyone working with this data, that dramatic year-over-year swing is itself a finding, underscoring how uneven complaint tallies can be for a single model year and cautioning against reading any single annual figure as a definitive measure of the 1978's standing in the Custom Cruiser's reliability history.

Model year199219911989198819871986198519841978

Reliability & federal safety record

Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.

1
Open recalls
NHTSA campaigns
0
Service bulletins
Manufacturer communications
0
ODI investigations
Office of Defects Investigation
0
Owner complaints
0 involved a crash · 0 a fire
Owner complaints by model year NHTSA · this generation & adjacent

No owner complaints on record with NHTSA for this vehicle.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

Showing 1 of 1 campaigns on record for this vehicle.

79V161000Latches/Locks/Linkages:Doors:LatchReported 02/07/1979

A CHILD COULD OPEN THE REAR SIDE COMPARTMENT DOOR AND ENTER THIS COMPARTMENT. THE CHILD COULD BECOME ENTRAPPED IF THE DOOR WERE TO CLOSE, AS IT CANNOT BE UNLATCHED FROM THE INSIDE. Remedy: DEALER WILL REPLACE THE ORIGINAL COMPARTMENT DOOR LATCH, WHICH CAN BE LATCHED WITHOUT A KEY, WITH A NEW ASSEMBLY THAT REQUIRES A KEY TO LATCH AS WELL AS LOCK THE DOOR.

Common OBD-II trouble codes

The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.

P0420
Catalyst system efficiency below threshold — Bank 1
P0300
Random / multiple cylinder misfire detected
P0171
System too lean — Bank 1
P0455
Evaporative emission system leak detected — large leak
P0128
Coolant thermostat below regulating temperature
P0442
Evaporative emission system leak detected — small leak

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN
Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific Custom Cruiser. OEM
Build data
Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.
Recalls
Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.

Frequently asked

Does the 1978 Custom Cruiser have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.