Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2001 Oldsmobile Silhouette, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Engine and engine cooling12
- Power train9
- Latches/locks/linkages8
- Electrical system8
- Tires7
- Suspension7
- Wheels6
- Service brakes, hydraulic6
- Exterior lighting5
- Structure5
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 5 injuries and 1 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2001 Oldsmobile Silhouette failed the safety check 4.49% of the time — 124% more often than the average 2001 passenger car (2.00%). Median odometer at inspection: 153,686 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 1 variant: combined 12.0 L/100 km (about 20 mpg US), CO₂ 276 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silhouette · Minivan · Regular gasoline | 13.8 | 9.8 | 12.0 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
5 Transport Canada recalls for the 2001 Oldsmobile Silhouette.
| 2004446 22 Dec 2004 | Other On certain vehicles equipped with second-row bucket seats or captain's chairs and power sliding door on the passenger side, if a passenger uses the interior han… |
| 2004028 23 Jan 2004 | Wheels On certain vehicles, the aluminum wheels are not marked with "T" and "DOT" as required by CMVSS 120. Correction: Since this does not pose any safety risk, no … |
| 2002234 4 Dec 2002 | Airbag On certain vehicles, the passenger air bag was manufactured without a check pin. An air bag without the check pin could produce increased pressure at the onset… |
| 2001236 24 Sept 2001 | Other Certain 1997-2001 Chevrolet Venture, Pontiac Montana/ Trans Sport, and Oldsmobile Silhouette mini vans equipped with passenger side power sliding doors that wer… |
| 2001059 9 Mar 2001 | Structure Certain vehicles may exhibit a condition in which the power sliding door closes, but is not latched, If this happens the power sliding door can open while the v… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
ON CERTAIN MINIVANS EQUIPPED WITH SECOND-ROW BUCKET SEATS OR CAPTAIN'S CHAIRS AND A POWER SLIDING DOOR ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE, A PASSENGER USING THE INTERIOR HANDLE TO OPEN THE POWER SLIDING DOOR COULD BE INJURED.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER, SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES AND MINI VANS, SOME OF THESE VEHICLES HAVE A PASSENGER AIR BAG THAT WAS MANUFACTURED WITHOUT A CHECK VALVE PIN. AN AIR BAG WITHOUT THE CHECK VALVE PIN COULD PRODUCE INCREASED PRESSURE AT THE ONSET OF THE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT AND REDUCED PRESSURE AFTERWARD.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: CERTAIN MINI VANS BUILT WITH SECOND ROW 50/50 SPLIT BENCH SEATS OR CAPTAIN'S CHAIRS, FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 225, "CHILD RESTRAINT ANCHORAGE SYSTEMS." THE SEAT LATCH ANCHOR WIRE DIAMETER IS GREATER THAN 6.1 MM.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: 1997-2001 CHEVROLET VENTURE, PONTIAC MONTANA/TRANSPORT, AND OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE MINI VANS EQUIPPED WITH PASSENGER SIDE POWER SLIDING DOORS THAT WERE SERVICED IN CAMPAIGN 01013 (01V-067) FROM APRIL TO AUGUST 2001. ALSO 2001 CHEVROLET VENTURE, PONTIAC MONTANA, AND OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE MINI VANS EQUIPPED WITH PASSENGER SIDE POWER SLIDING DOORS ASSEMBLED IN JANUARY THROUGH APRIL 2001. THESE VEHICLES HAVE INADEQUATE FRONT WELDS. IF A FRONT WELD FAILS, THE ACTUATOR CAN JAM IN THE UNLATCHED POSITION AND, WHEN THE SLIDING DOOR CLOSES, IT WILL NOT BE LATCHED.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MINIVANS EQUIPPED WITH PASSENGER SIDE POWER SLIDING DOORS. THE DOOR CLOSES BUT MAY NOT BE LATCHED. IF THIS HAPPENS, THE POWER SLIDING DOOR CAN OPEN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION, PARTICULARLY WHEN THE VEHICLE ASCENDS A HILL, MAKES A TURN, OR TRAVELS OVER A ROUGH ROAD SURFACE.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES, LIGHT DUTY TRUCKS, SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, AND MINI VANS EQUIPPED WITH TRW SEAT BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLIES. THE BUCKLE BASE OF THESE SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES WERE NOT PROPERLY HEAT TREATED AND THEREFORE DO NOT PASS THE LOAD BEARING REQUIREMENT OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 209, "SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES."
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Oldsmobile told its dealers about the 2001 Oldsmobile Silhouette: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 636667 | SEVERAL DEALERS HAVE REPORTED DIFFICULTY IN ORDERING ADDTIONAL HEADPONES FOR ENTERTAINMENT EQUIPPED U-VANS. *TT |
| 636584 | SUBJECT REGARDNG DIFFICULTIES WITH SPECIAL TOOL J45920 USED TO INSPECT AND RESIZE THE CHILD SEAT ANCHORS. *TT |
| 636513 | VEHICLES WITH AN INTERMITTENT POWER SLIDING DOOR LOW LEVEL, BARELY AUDIBLE BUZZING NOISE FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. *TT |
| 636509 | ISSUE REGARDING EXCESSIVE ROAD NOISE MOST PREVALENT IN THE SLIDING DOOR AREAS, LEFT, RIGHT OR BOTH. *TT |
| 636485 | SUBJECT REGARDING WIND NOISE WHILE DRIVING. *TT |
| 636481 | THIS MESSAGE ANNOUNCES THE NEW FMVSS NON-COMPLIANCE RECALL 01077 REGARDING CHILD RESTRAINT ANCHORAGE SYSTEMS. *TT |
| 636479 | INFORMATION REGARDING PILOT PROGRAM - ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. *TT |
| 635008 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT THAT THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON (SES) INDICATOR IS ILLUMINATED AND THAT WHILE THE LIGHT IS ILLUMINATED, TRANSMISSION SHIFTS ARE EXTREMELY HARSH. *TT |
| 635006 | INFORMATION ON SERVICING 4T65-E TRANSAXLE SPACER PLATE AND GASKETS FOR VARIOUS MODELS FROM 1997 THROUGH 2002. *TT |
| 634997 | INFORMATION ON SERVICING 4T65E TRANSAXLE SPACER PLATE AND GASKETS. *TT |
| 634985 | CONCERNS WITH SLIPS, HARSH UPSHIFT OR GARAGE SHIFTS, LAUNCH SHUDDERS, FLARES, ERRATIC SHIFTS AND INTERMITTENT CONCERNS, DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE P1811 OR P0748 SET. *TT |
| 634931 | SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT ON WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES P0716 AND / OR P0717, P0730, P0753, P0758, P1860, P1887 OR OTHER MISCELLANEOUS TRANSMISSION TROUBLE CODES SET. *TT |
| 634837 | THIS BULLETIN IS BEING ISSUED TO REVISE THE VACUUM BRAKE BOOSTER REPLACEMENT PROCEDURE. *TT |
| 634708 | SUBJECT REGARDING REVISED LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD INSTALLATION. *TT |
| 634674 | CONCERNS WITH WIND NOISE AT THE BASE OF THE WINDSHIELD. *TT |
| 634513 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT THAT THERE IS RUST FORMING AROUND THE FRONT OR REAR PORTION OF THE ROOF. *TT |
| 634510 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT THAT ROAD NOISE CAN BE HEARD COMING FROM THE AREA BEHIND THE FRONT SEATS. *TT |
| 632322 | SUBJECT REGARDING THE ELIMINATION OF THE SERVICE BAY TEST PROCEDURE. *TT |
| 631267 | INCORRECT TRANSMISSION SHIFTS, POOR PERFORMANCE OF ENGINE, TRANSMISSION SLIPPING, SES LAMP ILLUMINATED, DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES P0756 AND P0757. *SLC UPDATE. *TT |
| 629683 | SOME VEHICLES HAVE ENCOUNTERED THE SITUATION WHERE THE PLUNGERS ON THE POWER SLIDING DOOR ARE GROUNDING OUT ON THE DOOR SKIN. *TT |
| 629666 | SUBJECT REGARDING RECALL 01013 AND 01059 POWER SLIDING DOORS. *TT |
| 629659 | CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS REGARDING LACK OF POWER. *TT |
| 629418 | CONCERNS WITH RATTLE TYPE NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. *TT |
| 628930 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT ABOUT A RATTLE TYPE NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE UNDER 30 MPH AND WHILE DRIVING OVER BUMPS. *TT |
| 628928 | SOME OWNERS MAY COMMENT ON A TRANSMISSION OIL LEAK. *TT UPDATED *EH |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
POWER-SLIDING DOOR
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation