Buick Century
Owners filed 1,691 complaints across 16 model years of the Buick Century. The 1999 drew the most (235); the 2005 the fewest (19).
Model years16
Complaints1,691
Recalls51
Fires30
Deaths2
Every Buick Century model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 19 | 2 | — | 1 | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2004 | 39 | 2 | — | 4 | Exterior Lighting | Routine | |
| 2003 | 127 | 2 | 2 | 4 | Exterior Lighting | Routine | |
| 2002 | 154 | 2 | 4 | 9 | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2001 | 145 | 5 | 2 | 9 | Power Train › Automatic Transmission | Routine | |
| 2000 | 193 | 7 | 1 | 11 | Power Train › Automatic Transmission | Routine | |
| 1999 | 235 | 5 | 4 | 18 | Engine and Engine Cooling | Above average | |
| 1998 | 218 | 4 | — | 9 | Power Train › Automatic Transmission | Above average | |
| 1997 | 106 | 4 | 1 | 4 | Electrical System › Horn | Routine | |
| 1996 | 80 | 2 | 1 | 6 | Vehicle Speed Control | Routine | |
| 1995 | 99 | 1 | 1 | 10 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip | Routine | |
| 1994 | 106 | 6 | 4 | 24 | Air Bags › Frontal | Fatalities reported | |
| 1993 | 54 | 2 | 3 | 17 | Air Bags › Frontal | Routine | |
| 1992 | 45 | 3 | 2 | 10 | Vehicle Speed Control | Fatalities reported | |
| 1991 | 38 | 2 | 2 | 7 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components | Routine | |
| 1990 | 33 | 2 | 3 | 1 | Seat Belts › Front › Anchorage | Routine |
Which Buick Century years should you avoid?
On raw complaint volume the 1999 is the weakest year on record, with 235 complaints concentrated in the engine and engine cooling. It carries 5 recalls.
Read these numbers with sales volume in mind. A model year that sold in huge numbers naturally accumulates more reports than a rare one, and older cars have had more years to fail. The stronger signal is the severity columns and whether the same component keeps coming up year after year.
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, September 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.