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1988 Pontiac LeMans

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1988 LeMans.

The 1988 Pontiac LeMans, a compact sedan powered by a powertrain requiring 4 quarts of oil with a recommended viscosity of 10W-30 or 5W-30, accumulated 24 owner complaints during its model year with four safety-related recalls issued—seat belts emerging as the most frequently cited concern among them. While the 1988 model year falls outside the tracked complaint window of 1990–1993, the broader data shows complaint volumes ranging from a low of 25 in 1992 to a high of 34 in 1991, indicating that the LeMans experienced moderate but variable reliability issues throughout the early 1990s. This suggests that while the 1988 model benefited from being an earlier production year with relatively fewer documented complaints, prospective owners and researchers should remain aware that the platform experienced a notable concentration of seat belt-related issues and recall activity that persisted into subsequent model years.

Model year1993 1992 1991 1989 1988 1981 1980 1979 1978

Quick specs

Fluid capacities, tune-up values and fuel economy at a glance.

Engine oil capacity4 qtOEM · verified

Engine oil type10W-30 / 5W-30OEM · verified

Fitment & sizes

Replacement part sizes and factory part numbers — battery, bulbs, filters and belts.

From the factory this vehicle uses OE oil filter 12731175. Note the factory engine air filter, fuel filter and serpentine belt are now discontinued — plan on a superseded or quality aftermarket equivalent, which the part pages below list where known. Each part links to every other vehicle that shares it, so a part you already stock may fit more of your fleet than you'd expect.

OE service part numbers OEM · verified

Engine oil filter	12731175
Engine air filter	93152971 discontinued
Fuel filter	25171792 discontinued
Spark plug	05613932
Front wiper blades	90188192
Serpentine belt	90194995 discontinued · alt 90233194
Thermostat	03038094 alt 90096383

Service quick specs OEM factory data

Capacities, torques and tune-up values from the factory service manual.

This engine holds 4 qt of 10W-30 / 5W-30 engine oil, DOT 3 brake fluid.

Lubricants & capacities

Brake Fluid	DOT 3
Engine Coolant	ETHYLENE GLYCOL
Engine Oil	10W-30 · 5W-30
Engine Oil Capacity	4 qt
Power Steering Fluid	USE GM PART NO. 1050017 OR EQUIVALENT

Factory maintenance schedule OEM · verified

Normal service, condensed from the factory interval matrix.

Under the factory schedule, replace the engine oil and filter at 7,500 mi; coolant every 30,000 mi. The big-interval services (every 30,000 mi for coolant, and the transmission fluid) are the ones owners most often skip — on a lower-mileage example, assume the original fluids are still in it and check them first.

At 7,500 mi	Engine Oil Filter (replace) · Throttle Body (torque) · Tire & Wheel Assembly (rotate)
Every 7,500 mi	Axle Shaft Oil Seal (inspect) · Body Latches, Locks & Hinges (inspect) · Brake System (inspect) · CV Joint Boot (inspect) · Engine Oil (drain & refill) · Exhaust System (Complete) (inspect)
Every 15,000 mi	Engine Oil Filter (replace) · Tire & Wheel Assembly (rotate)
Every 30,000 mi	Accessory Drive Belt (inspect) · Distributor Cap (inspect) · Engine Air Filter Element (replace) · Engine Breather Filter (replace) · Engine Coolant System (drain, flush & refill) · Fuel Filter (replace)
Every 100,000 mi	Transmission Fluid & Filter (replace)

Reliability & federal safety record

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

The 1988 Pontiac LeMans sits just outside the provided federal record, which runs from 1990 through 1993, so the year-by-year trend cannot be mapped directly against 1988. Across that 1990–1993 window, complaints remain consistently elevated at 25–34 per year, while recalls and investigations trend modestly downward from three each in 1990–1991 to two recalls and one investigation by 1993; TSBs hold steady at one to two annually. Because 1988 predates this documented arc, the federal data offers no comparable complaint, recall, or investigation count for the target year itself. The separately listed 1988 complaint pattern shows seat belts as the top concern with seven reports, followed by hydraulic brakes (4), suspension (3), and gasoline fuel system (2), plus two crash-related complaints and zero fire complaints. That profile points to real safety-system concerns, but without matching federal-year metrics we cannot say whether 1988 is better or worse than the documented 1990–1993 period. Given the absence of comparable federal-year data and the presence of crash complaints plus leading seat belt and brake complaints, 1988 is not a clearly reassuring year to buy; proceed only with a thorough pre-purchase inspection focused on those systems.

Open recalls

NHTSA campaigns

Service bulletins

Manufacturer communications

ODI investigations

Office of Defects Investigation

Owner complaints

2 involved a crash · 0 a fire

Owner complaints by model year NHTSA · this generation & adjacent

’90 ’91 ’92 ’93

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component

All 24 complaints on record, top 8 components.

Seat Belts7

Service Brakes, Hydraulic4

Suspension3

Fuel System, Gasoline2

Engine & Engine Cooling2

Power Train2

Steering1

Electrical System1

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

Showing 2 of 4 campaigns on record for this vehicle.

06E043000Fuel System, GasolineReported 19/05/2006

CERTAIN REPLACEMENT FUEL FILTERS, FRAM BRAND NAME P/N G3727, WITH DATE CODES X52911 THROUGH X60801 SEQUENTIALLY OR X600141 AND A MEXICO COUNTRY OR ORIGIN MARKING ON THE FUEL FILTER HOUSING MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 18… Remedy: HONEYWELL WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE FUEL FILTERS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 18, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FRAM CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-800-890-2075 (OPTION…

93V154000Seat Belts:Front:Buckle AssemblyReported 21/09/1993

THE SAFETY BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLIES MAY NOT LATCH OR MAY NOT RELEASE DUE TO THE FRACTURE OF THE RED RELEASE PUSH BUTTON. Remedy: REPLACE OR REPAIR THE SAFETY BELT BUCKLES.

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 LeMans. 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.

Vehicles with shared specs

Find every vehicle that shares this one's battery, bulbs, oil capacity, platform or parts.

Vehicles taking 4 qt Engine oil filter 12731175 Engine air filter 93152971 Fuel filter 25171792 Spark plug 05613932

Reference guides

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

Vehicle recalls & TSBs OBD-II trouble codes Maintenance schedules Fluid capacities & specs

Frequently asked

How much oil does the 1988 LeMans take?

4 qt of ABOVE 40 degrees F: 30, ABOVE 0 degrees F: 10W-30, BELOW 60 degrees F: 5W-30, per the factory manual.

Does the 1988 LeMans have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.