1994 Buick Century

Fatalities reported

Owners filed 106 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the air bags › frontal. It has been recalled 6 times.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip13
100
Air Bags › Frontal12
1208
Vehicle Speed Control9
503
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline5
010
Steering › Steering Wheel/Handle Bar4
000
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine4
000
Suspension › Front3
000
Seats3
002
Electrical System › Wiring › Interior/Under Dash3
021
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Disc2
000

6 safety recalls

Part 573 reports
Seat Belts › Front › Anchorage95V173000
Filed Sep 15, 19952,216,325 vehiclesGeneral Motors Corp.

Defect. THESE VEHICLES WERE ASSEMBLED WITH REAR OUTBOARD SAFETY BELT ANCHORAGES THAT MAY NOT WITHSTAND THE REQUIRED LOAD. THIS DOES NOT COMPLY WITH FMVSS NO.210, "SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY ANCHORAGES."

Risk. CONSEQUENCE OF NON-COMPLIANCE: IN A COLLISON, STRESS CAN CAUSE THE ATTACHMENT METAL TO TEAR AND ALLOW THE ANCHORAGE TO SEPARATE FROM THE BODY OF THE VEHICLE. THE SAFETY BELT MAY NOT PROTECT AN OCCUPANT IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH.

Remedy. DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE EXISTING ANCHOR BOLTS WITH A NEW SHOULDER BOLT AND THREAD LOCKING ADHESIVE. ADDITIONALLY, NOISE CONTROL PATCHES WILL BE APPLIED AT EACH ANCHORAGE.

Steering › Linkages › Knuckle › Spindle › Arm94V189000
Filed Oct 4, 1994206 vehiclesGeneral Motors Corp.

Defect. THE RIGHT HAND SPINDLE NUT WAS NOT PROPERLY TIGHTENED DURING ASSEMBLY. THIS CAN CAUSE PREMATURE WHEEL BEARING FAILURE AND OVER TIME, THE SPINDLE CAN FRACTURE.

Risk. THIS WOULD CAUSE THE WHEEL TO SEPARATE FROM THE AXLE AND RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

Remedy. DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE TORQUE ON THE RIGHT HAND FRONT SPINDLE NUT. IF THE SPINDLE NUT IS UNDERTORQUED THE DEALER WILL REPLACE THE RIGHT HAND FRONT WHEEL BEARING ASSEMBLY AND THE SPINDLE NUT WILL BE REPLACED.

Latches/Locks/Linkages › Doors › Latch94V159000
Filed Aug 31, 1994139,542 vehiclesGeneral Motors Corp.

Defect. WATER INTRUSION CAN CAUSE A SHORT CIRCUIT IN THE POWER DOOR LOCK ASSEMBLY.

Risk. A SHORT CIRCUIT IN THE POWER DOOR LOCK ASSEMBLY CAN RESULT IN A VEHICLE FIRE.

Remedy. DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE POWER DOOR LOCK RELAY AND ANY CORRODED TERMINALS. IN ADDITION, THE NEW RELAY WILL BE RELOCATED TO AN AREA WHERE WATER INTRUSION IS LESS LIKELY.

Vehicle Speed Control › Springs94V008000
Filed Jan 12, 199449,047 vehiclesGeneral Motors Corp.

Defect. IN THE EVENT OF A PRIMARY ACCELERATOR CONTROL SPRING FAILURE, THE SECONDARY (BACK-UP) ACCELERATOR CONTROL RETURN SPRING WILL NOT RETURN THE THROTTLE TO THE FULLY CLOSED POSITION, AS REQUIRED BY FMVSS NO. 124, "ACCELERATOR CONTROL SYSTEM."

Risk. CONSEQUENCE OF NON-COMPLIANCE: LOSS OF THROTTLE CONTROL COULD RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.

Remedy. DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE SECONDARY THROTTLE RETURN SPRING.

Vehicle Speed Control › Cables94V021000
Filed Jan 8, 199410,646 vehiclesGeneral Motors Corp.

Defect. DURING ASSEMBLY, WATER MAY HAVE ENTERED THE ACCELERATOR CONTROL CABLE CONDUIT CAUSING IT TO DEVELOP A HIGH EFFORT AND/OR BINDING CONDITION IN VERY COLD WEATHER.

Risk. HIGH EFFORT OR BINDING CONDITIONS CAUSE LOSS OF NORMALTHROTTLE CONTROL OR THE THROTTLE MAY NOT RETURN TO IDLE WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS RELEASED. IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION, A VEHICLE CRASH COULD OCCUR.

Remedy. THE DEALER WILL PURGE THE THROTTLE CABLE OF ANY INTERNALLY TRAPPED WATER, IF IT IS PRESENT.

Vehicle Speed Control93V162000
Filed Sep 27, 1993579 vehiclesGeneral Motors Corp.

Defect. THE CRUISE CONTROL CABLE MAY SEPARATE FROM THE CONDUIT END FITTING WHILE ENGAGED AND ACCELERATOR CONTROL COULD BE LOST.

Risk. LOSS OF ACCELERATOR CONTROL MAY NOT REDUCE ENGINE SPEEDTO A LEVEL ANTICIPATED BY THE DRIVER. ALTHOUGH THE VEHICLE CAN STILL BE STOPPEDWITH THE SERVICE BRAKE, LOSS OF ACCELERATOR CONTROL COULD RESULT IN A VEHICLECRASH WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.

Remedy. REPLACE THE CRUISE CONTROL CABLE.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Exterior Lighting › Headlights
Filed Feb 26, 2010NE

SINCE 1990 AUTO HAVE COME WITH PLASTIC HEADLIGHT LENSES. AFTER ABOUT TWO YEARS THEY BECOME CLOUDY AND RESTRICT THE RANGE OF THE HEADLIGHTS. A WALK THROUGH THE PARKING LOT WILL CONFIRM THE CLOUDINESS, AND COMPARING A NEW ONE WITH AN OLD ONE SHOWS AN ALMOST 50% REDUCTION IN NIGHT RANGE. THE REPLACEMENT UNITS ARE $150.00 AND UP COMPARED TO $15 FOR THE OLDER GLASS UNITS BEFORE 1990.. THE PLASTIC FORMULATION NEEDS TO BE CHANGED AND THE PROBLEM ADDRESSED.. THANK YOU. *TR

Steering › Linkages › Tie Rod Assembly
Filed Jan 20, 2009100,000 milesIN

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1994 BUICK CENTURY. WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE TIE ROD FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTO BODY SHOP AND THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT YET BEEN NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 100,000. UPDATED 03/17/09. *LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE TIE ROD BROKE IN HALF. UPDATED 03/17/09. *JB

Tires › Tread/BeltCrash1 injured
Filed Feb 7, 200684,000 milesIL

VEHICLE WAS TRAVELS ALONG 113 IN KANKAKEE IL AT APPROX 55 MPH, AS VEHICLE ENTERED A BEND THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE TREAD SEPARATED FROM THE VEHICLES RIGHT FRONT TIRE CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO GO INTO A LEFT SIDE SPIN OVER THE EMBANKMENT AND INTO A FENCE POLL. VEHICLE DID ROLL POSSIBLY TWO TIME. VEHICLE WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED, IF ANYBODY ELSE WAS IN THE VEHICLE THEY WOULD BE DEAD. DRIVE DID SUFFER MULTIPLE INJURES BUT WAS ALIVE, AS THE POLICE AND FIRE DEPT PUT IT LUCKY TO BE ALIVE. THE TIRE IN WHICH THE TREAD SEPARATED WAS A FIRESTONE FR440 DOT #EJTUDJD288. VEHICLE WAS A 94 BUICK CENTURY IN GOOD MECH SHAPE INSPECTED APROX 1,000 MILE PRIOR TO ACCIDENT. THE DRIVER STATED THE WAS DRIVING FINE UP TO THE ACCIDENT, NO VIBRATIONS, PULLING, NOISE ETC. *NM

Fuel System, Gasoline › Fuel Injection System › Injectors
Filed Oct 5, 200493,597 milesWI

ENGINE INJECTOR FAILURE. *BF THE CONSUMER HAS 5 INJECTORS ON THE VEHICLE AND SO FAR ONLY 1 HAS FAILED. THE CONSUMER BELIEVED THAT EVENTUALLY THE REMAINING INJECTORS WILL HAVE TO REPLACED. THE CONSUMER THE MANUFACTURER KNEW ABOUT THE PROBLEM FOR YEARS AS FAR AS 1994. THE INJECTOR PROBLEM HAS CAUSED ANOTHER SAFETY ISSUE SUCH AS ENGINE HESITATION WHEN THE GAS PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND THE ENGINE DOES NOT WANT TO MOVE FOR A NUMBER OF SECONDS UNTIL THE PEDAL IS ALMOST FLOORED. *JB

Seat Belts › Front › Retractor
Filed Apr 22, 2004KS

DRIVER AND PASSENGER FRONT SEAT BELTS WILL NO LONGER RETRACT. DEALER STATED BOTH SEAT BELTS NEED TO BE REPLACED. *AK

Steering › Hydraulic Power Assist System
Filed Feb 23, 2004CA

CONSUMER EXPERIENCED ENGINE SHUTDOWN WHEN MAKING RIGHT HAND TURN WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH. *LA THE CONSUMER OWN A 1991 BUICK CENTURY AND HAD EXPERIENCED THE SAME FAILURE WITH HIS VEHICLE AS HE DID WITH HIS FATHER'S VEHICLE (1994 BUICK CENTURY) AS STATED IN THE RECALL. *PH

Tires
Filed Jan 22, 200493,000 milesNV

ROCKY MOUNTAIN MODEL STEEL RADIAL SIZE 185P/75R14, REAR DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE BLEW OUT WHILE DRIVING AT 75 MPH, MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. *AK

Wheels
Filed Jan 12, 200465,825 milesCA

RIGHT FRONT WHEEL HAD 5 BROKEN "SPOKES" OUT OF 10, WHEEL MADE A TERRIBLE NOISE, THE OTHER 2 WHEELS HAD SEVERAL BROKEN "SPOKES," I DID NOT SEE ANY BROKEN "SPOKES" ON THE 4TH. WHEEL. I REPLACED THE FRONT WHEEL WITH ONE FROM THE L.A. AREA, AND IT WAS ALSO BROKEN. $252.22 FOR 4 OTHER STYLE, USED, REPLACEMENT WHEELS. PLEASE REFER TO YOUR REFERENCE NO. 830643. *LA

Air Bags › FrontalCrash1 killed
Filed Oct 31, 200363,000 milesWA

AIR BAGS ON LOW MILEAGE 1994 BUICK CENTURY DID NOT DEPLOY DURING HEAD ON CRASH. *LA

Fuel System, Gasoline › Storage › Tank Assembly
Filed May 27, 2003CT

FUEL IS LEAKING UNDER THE VEHICLE. PLEASE PROVIDE DETAILS.*AK

Equipment › Appliance › Air Conditioner
Filed May 11, 2002PA

A/C COMPRESSOR CLUTCH IS FAILING AT 37865 MILES.MAKES A SEVERE SQUEALING NOISE AND IS GRINDING INTERNAL PARTS INTO PEICES.AT THIS VERY LOW MILAGE I WOULD NOT EXPECT THIS PROBLEM TO OCCURRED. *AK

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine
Filed Nov 26, 2001MI

ENGINE MOUNTS AND SUPPORTS ARE CORRODED AND COMING APART WHICH COULD EVENTUALLY CAUSE ENGINE TO DROP. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION. *AK

Air Bags › FrontalCrash2 injured
Filed Aug 20, 2001OH

DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY DURING AN ACCIDENT. *YH

Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited SlipCrash
Filed Jul 17, 2001LA

ON 3 SEPARATE OCCASSIONS THAT RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT, TWICE WITH ME AND ONCE WITH MY WIFE, THE BRAKES HAVE FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THEIR HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS OTHER OCCASIONS WHERE THE BRAKES HAVE FAILED TO STOP THE THE VEHICLE IN A PANIC OR NEAR PANIC SITUATION. THE ANTI-LOCK WORKS FINE, THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE BRAKES WILL NOT BRING THE CAR TO A COMPLETE STOP. IT KEEPS ROLLING MANY FEET FARTHER THAN IS SAFE. THE THREE ACCIDENTS OCURRED AT LES THAN 5 MPH. YOU HIT THE BRAKES AND THE VEHICLE NOT ONLY WON'T LOCK THE BRAKES IT WON'T STOP THE VEHICLE. I HAVE INSTALLED SEMI-METALLIC AND STANDARD BRAKE PADS WITH NO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT. THE ROTORS ARE FINE AND THE PADS HAVE NEVER BEEN ALLOWED TO WEAR DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY. I HAVE HAD NUMEROUS VEHICLES AND ALSO RACED CARS AND THEY ALL STOP IMMEDIATELY FROM 5 - 10 MPH. THIS VEHICLE WILL USUALLY REQUIRE 30 - 40 FEET TO STOP FROM THE TIME THE PEDAL IS PUSHED. I HAVE NOTED THE PROBLEM TO THE DEALER IN THE PAST WITH NO RESULTS. MY WIFE AND I HAVE BOTH RELAYED THE SITUATION TO OTHERS IN THE PAST AND ON SEVERAL OCCASSIONS THE OTHER PARTY HAS SAID SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT OF "OH, I GUESS YOU HAVE A BUICK". SO, THIS PROBLEM IS OBVIOUSLY NOT ISOLATED TO MY VEHICLE. EVEN AT HIGH SPPED THE BRAKES WORK EXCEPTIONALLY WELL TILL THE LAST FEW FEET WHERE THE BRAKES WILL NOT BRING THE VEHICLE TO A COMPLETE STOP IN A SATISFACTORY DISTANCE. I HAVE DRIVEN MANY OTHER VEHICLES WITH AND WITHOUT ANTI-LOCK BRAKES. I FULLY UNDERSTAND THAT THE OPERATOR APPLIES

Vehicle Speed ControlCrash1 injured
Filed Jun 18, 2001WI

FIRST CRASH---VEHICLE ACELERATED UNCONTROLLABLY WITH FOOT ON BRAKE / SECOND CRASH---VEHICLE ACCELERATED IN REVERSE EXTREMELEY FAST WITH GEAR SHIFT IN THE PARK POSITION UPON TURNING KEY IN IGNITION. *AK

Latches/Locks/Linkages › Doors › Latch
Filed Oct 2, 2000VA

CONSUMER HAS REQUESTED DEALER TO PERFORM RECALL 94V159000 DUE TO FAULTY LOCKS, DEALER IS REFUSING TO DO RECALL UNTIL SOMEONE GIVES HIM AUTHORIZATION BECAUSE THE VEHICLE'S CONSUMER'S CAMPAIGN NUMBERS DIDN'T MATCH HIS RECALL NUMBERS. *SLC

Exterior Lighting › Turn Signal › Flasher Unit
Filed Jul 11, 2000TN

DRIVER'S SIDE COVER ON THE TURN SIGNAL LIGHT HAS FALLEN OFF. LOOKS LIKE THE DRIVER'S SIDE IS COMING OFF. CONSUMER SAID THAT LIGHT INDICATED THAT IT WAS WORKING FROM THE INSIDE, BUT WAS NOT BLINKING ON THE OUTSIDE BECAUSE OF WATER GETTING INTO IT.*AK

Air Bags › FrontalCrash
Filed May 30, 2000TN

WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH VEHICLE WAS REARENDED BY ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 40MPH, AND PUSHED CONSUMER'S VEHICLE INTO AN EMBANKMENT, CRUSHING THE FRONT END. VEHICLE WENT INT BUSHES. UPON IMPACT, DRIVER'S AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY, WHICH DID NOT PROTECT THE OCCUPANT IN THIS CRASH. NO PREVIOUS PROBLEM WITH AIRBAG SYSTEM. *AK

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline
Filed Feb 24, 2000IL

ONGOING PROBLEM WITH ENGINE STALLING WHENEVER FOOT WAS APPLIED TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL FROM A STOP POSITION. VEHICLE BEEN INTO DEALER SHOP FOR REPAIRS, AND PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. *AK

Steering › Linkages › Knuckle › Spindle › Arm
Filed Feb 14, 2000CA

STEERING KNUCKLE BROKE, CAUSING HALF SHAFT TO EXPLODE AND BALL JOINT TO BREAK RESULTING IN LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. *AK

20 of 106 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 1999
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
200519200Routine
200439200Routine
2003127220Routine
2002154240Routine
2001145520Routine
2000193710Routine
1999235540Above average
1998218400Above average
1997106410Routine
199680210Routine
199599110Routine
1994 — this page106641Fatalities reported
199354230Routine
199245321Fatalities reported
199138220Routine
199033230Routine

Compare every Century year →

Reading this record

1 death reported in complaints filed with NHTSA.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.

Most recent recall on file: Sep 15, 1995. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.