Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 1998 record →
HORN & AIR BAG MODULES CONNECTED TO SAME FUSE. HORN DOES NOT WORK. TOLD BY MANUFACTURER IT MEETS ALL SPECS. NEED TO HIT HORN IN CERTAIN LOCATION WHICH CAUSES EYE TO LEAVE ROAD IN ORDER TO DO SO. WAS GIVEN INSTRUCTIONS ON HITTING HORN. *AK
CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN A REAR END COLLISION AND WAS FORCED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE IN WHICH NEITHER DRIVER OR PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED, CAUSING INJURIES TO BOTH DRIVER AND PASSENGER. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER. DEALER STATED VEHICLE HAD OVER 5000 DOLLARS WORTH OF DAMAGE TO THE FRONT END. *AK *SLC
ON A SUNNY DAY THE FRONT WINDSHIELD REFLECTS THE WHOLE DASHBROAD WHICH CAUSES POOR VISIBILITY. ALSO, THE FRONT AND THE BACK WINDSHIELD CLOUD UP VERY BADLY FROM BRIGHT LIGHT AND GOING INTO A DARKER AREA. THE DEALER IS NOT ABLE TO DETECT A PROBLEM WITH THE WINDSHIELD. AK
VEHICLE HAS POOR VISIBILITY WHILE DRIVING. OWNER CANNOT SEE OVER FRONT HOOD WHILE DRIVING, POSSIBLE DESIGN FLAW. *AK
THE FRONT LAP BELTS ARE CONSTANTLY TWISTED. DEALER HAS FIXED THEM, PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. *AK
VEHICLE STALLS IN REVERSE FOR NO REASON. VEHICLE ALSO SHIFTS ERRATICALLY WHEN PUT IN ANY GEAR. *AK CONSUMER STATES THAT WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN ANY FORWARD GEAR AND UPON STOPPING AND PUTTING THE SHIFT LEVER INTO REVERSE, THE VEHICLE IS NOT ENGAGED IN REVERSE AND DOES NOT RESPOND WHEN DEPRESSING THE GAS PEDAL, CONSUMER STATES THAT HE HAS TO MOVE THE SHIFT LEVER AROUND AND BACK INTO REVERSE FOR IT TO ENGAGE, THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM AND THE DEALER HAS WORKED ON THIS PROBLEM 3 TIMES, JUST RECENTLY THE DEALER REPLACED THE SHIFT CONTROL CABLE AND EVERYTHING SEEMS OKAY FOR RIGHT NOW. *SLC
DASHBOARD REFLECTS ONTO WINDSHIELD CAUSING POOR VISIBILITY.
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE AT 70 MPH VEHICLE PULLS TO RIGHT. PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. DEALERS ARE UNABLE TO CORRECT PROBLEM. *AK
IDLE SURGE AFTER RELEASING BRAKE DUE TO FAILURE OF THE OXYGEN SENSORS.
GEAR SHIFT INDICATOR OUT OF ALIGNMENT CAUSING TRANSMISSION NOT TO ENGAGE PROPERLY.
IN RAINY WEATHER CONDITIONS THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS BECAME INOPERABLE, CAUSE UNKNOWN. IN ADDITION, WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY VEHICLE WENT COMPLETELY DEAD DUE TO SHORT IN ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. *AK
WHEN VEHICLE IS PUT FROM PARK INTO REVERSE THE SHIFTER STAYS IN NEUTRAL. *AK
THE LOCATION OF THE HORN BUTTONS MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE TO LOCATE THEM WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL IS NOT IN A STRAIGHT POSITION. THE DEALER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. CONSUMER INDICATES THAT HE HAS RECENTLY SOLVED THE PROBLEM. *AK
THE DESIGN OF THE DASHBOARD BEING CONSTRUCTED IN TWO SECTIONS CAUSES A REFLECTED LINE TO GLARE ONTO THE WINDSHIELD CAUSING POOR VISIBILITY.
DASH DESIGN CAUSES POOR VISIBILITY, DUE TO REFLECTION ON WINDSHIELD.
DAYLIGHT RUNNING LIGHT DESIGN IS AGAINST ALASKA STATE LAW, DESIGN ALLOWS THE TURN SIGNAL/PARKING LAMPS TO BE LIT WHEN IGNITION SWITCH IS ON.
WHILE PUTTING VEHICLE IN REVERSE VEHICLE WILL NOT MOVE. GEAR SHIFT IDICATOR SEEMS TO BE FAULTY. *AK
HORN IS TOO CLOSE TO AIRBAG HOUSING, CAUSING HORN NOT TO BLOW WHEN APLLIED. OWNER IS VERY CONCERNED FOR SAFETY. POSSIBLE DESIGN FLAW. *AK
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 1998 Buick Century → · Every Century year → · How the figures are calculated →