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 1997 record →
PE99056, DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SEATBELT SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED DUE TO DESIGN FLAW. WHEN THE SEATBELT IS ON AND THE OCCUPANT TURNS EITHER WAY, THE SEATBELT BECOMES TWISTED IN THE HOUSING AND WON'T RETRACT BACK, WHICH WON'T PROTECT THE OCCUPANT IN EVENT OF A CRASH. DEALER REPLACED DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SEATBELTS 2 TIMES. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
DRIVER MASTER DOOR LOCK INOPERATIVE. YH
BRAKES MAKE VIBRATION AND SHUDDER, REPAIRED ROTORS HOWEVER CONTINUES. MJS
TRANSMISSION FAILED AGAIN AND LEAKED TRANSMISSION FLUID ALL OVER THE UNDERSIDE OF VEHICLE AND ROADWAY. *AK
DRIVERS SIDE DOOR MISADJUSTED. NLM
CRUISE CONTROL ACTIVATED AUTOMATICALLY AT 60MPH,CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO ACCELERATE RAPIDLY. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
CAR VIBRATES AND SHAKES WHEN TRAVELING ON THE HWY AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 60-70. DEALER TOOK THE CAR FOR A ROAD TESTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PROBLEM DOES EXIST AND THAT THE TIRES ARE EXTREMELY NOISY!! HE SAID I SHOULD WAIT UNTIL I NEED NEW TIRES ,AND BUY SPECIAL MICHELINE 'S. THIS IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE SOLUTION!! THE TIRES SHOULD BE REPLACED WITH NO EXPENCE TO ME!!( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P225/60R16 )
NO SUMMARY
DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SEAT BELTS MALFUNCTIONED WHICH MAY NOT PROTECT THE OCCUPANT IN EVENT OF A CRASH. DEALER REPLACED SEATBELTS 5 TIMES. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT IS TWISTED & FAILS TO RETRACT PROPERLY. THE SEAT BELTIS SUPPOSE TO LOCK UP. ALSO, FRONT END HAS A SCRAPPING NOISE WHILE BEING DRIVEN. BEEN TO DEALER'S & WAS TEST DRIVEN, TWICE BY MECHANIC. NOTHING WAS FOUND. *AK
FRONT END VIBRATION CONTINUAL, DESIGN CHARACTERISTIC AND NO CURE AT THIS TIME. VIBRATION IS CAUSING PREMATURE WEAR OF TIRES. MJS
SWAY BAR LINK MISSING. FUEL GAUGE REPLACED, STRONG FUMES WHEN FULL. WEATHERSTRIPPING ON DOOR REPLACED.
DRIVER'S SIDE AND PASSAGER'S SIDE SHOULDER BELTS DON'T WORK DUE TO THE SHOULDER BELTS KEEP GETTING JAMMED. *AK
VEHICLE HAS TROUBLE WITH SUSPENSION CONTROL WHEN GOING OVER BUMPS IN THE ROAD, VEHICLE EXPERIENCES LOSS OF CONTROL WHEN TRAVELING OVER 50 MPH. MJS
SHOULDER BELTS ROLL AND JAM IN RETRACTOR OPENING IF LEAN FORWARD, OR AS RETRACTING. FUEL EXPELLED FROM FILLER WHEN FUELING - REPEATEDLY, EVEN AT SLOW PUMP SPEEDS IF USE AUTO SHUTOFF - SEVERAL DIFFERENT STATIONS/PUMPS. MUST SLOWLY NURSE FUEL BY HAND TO AVOID - APPROX 1 CUP FUEL SPLASHES OVER VEHICLE, ONTO GROUND OR OPERATOR.
VIBRATIOIN IN VEHICLE AT 60-75 MPH - TIRES HAVE BEEN BALANCED TWICE IN FIRST MONTH OF OWNERSHIP - TIRE RUNOUT/OUT-OF-ROUND IS GOOD
THE FRONT BRAKE ROTORS WERE REPLACED FIVE TIMES AND THE REAR BRAKE ROTORS WERE REPLACED THREE TIMES. HOWEVER, VEHICLE STILL EXPERIENCE SHAKING OF THE WHEEL, MOST SEVERE WHEN BRAKING AT 60 MPH. *YC
SHOULDER BELT DOESN'T WORK ON PASSENGER'S SIDE, AND ON DRIVER'S SIDE SHOULDER BELT KEEPS GEETING JAMMED. *AK
POWER STEERING BOLTS BROKE AT PUMP, RESULTING IN A LOSS OF CONTROL. ON 5/28/98 OWNER EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. THE DEALER HAS REPIRED VEHICLE. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
SEAT BELT INOPERATIVE DUE TO THE RETRACTING MECHANISM JAMMING. MJS
AFTER VEHICLE HAD BEEN PARKED ABOUT 5 TO 10 MINUTES ENGINE CAUGHT ON FIRE, TOTALLING THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
THE BATTERY HAD BEEN LEAKING ACID ONTO THE CASE FOR 11 DAYS BEFORE OWNER FOUND OUT. DEALER HAS SEEN. *AK
THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SEAT BELT IS INOPERATIVE. CONSUMER CANNOT PULL IT DOWN,OUT OF CASING TO STRAP IT ACROSS AND LOCK IT. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
FRONT SEAT BELTS CONTINUOUSLY FAIL TO RETRACT AND TWIST. UNITS HAVE BEEN REPLACED ONCE, HOWEVER PROBLEM CONTINUES.
PASSENGER'S SEATBELT HOUSING SPRING GETS STUCK, CAUSING THE SEATBELT NOT TO RETRACT UNLESS THE OCCUPANT KEEPS PULLING THE SEATBELT. BUT, IT WON'T PROTECT THE OCCUPANT IN EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT. DEALER REPLACED THE HOUSING 3 TIMES. DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. *AK
ANTI LOCK BRAKE RECALL REPAIR WORK COMPLETED HOWEVER AFTER REPLACEMENT BRAKES HEATED UP CAUSING ROTORS TO WARP.
TRANSMISSION FAILED.
ELECTRICAL WIRING FAILURE IN THE BACK OF DASHBOARD. *YC
TRAMSMISSION FAILED TO SHIFT INTO GEAR. NM
SEAT BELTS JAMMED. NLM
CRACKED BATTERY. *YC
TRANSMISSION FAILED. NLM
TRANSMISSION/TRANSAXLE FAILED. YH
SEAT BELT RETRACTOR FAILED. *YC
BATTERY IS LEAKING AT REAR TERMINAL. YH
BATTERY DIED. YH
CAR HAS BEEN IN GARAGE FOR REPAIRS OR PROBLEMS FOR 116 HOURS OF SERVICE
WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH DOWN A MOUNTAIN HILL AND WHEN APPYLING THE ABS BRAKES, THE ENTIRE VEHICLE VIOLENTLY SHUDDERED CAUSE UNKNOWN. DEALER RESURFACED THE ROTORS. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
STEERING WHEEL LOOSE CAUSING POWER STEERING TO BE INAFFECTIVE AND VEHICLE TO LOOSE CONTROL.
ROTORS WARPED RESULTING IN VIBRATION.
SEAT BELT RETRACTORS LOCKS UP.
WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 60 AND 70 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL AND VEHICLE VIBRATES. CAUSE IS UNKNOWN. DEALER REPLACED ALL FOUR TIRES BUT IT DID NOT CORRECT PROBLEM.
WHEN TRYING TO UNLATCH THE SEAT BELTS ON DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SIDES, THE BELTS GETS JAMMED AND WILL NOT RETRACT PROPERLY. THE BELTS ARE ALSO LOOSE ON THE BODY, AND ARE NOT TIGHT ENOUGH. *AK
FRONT BRAKE MALFUNCITON.
STEERING WHEEL BROKE FREE FROM STEERING SYSTEM.
THE DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SIDE SEAT BELTS WILL NOT RETRACT. THE BELTS ARE EXTENDED TO THE UTMOST POSITION. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER. *AK
SEAT BELTS ROLL IN THE OVER THE SHOULDER BRACKET.
SERPENTINE BELT CAME OFF ON A CROWDED INTERSTATE AT 70 MPH, CUTTING AN A/C HOSE SO THAT ENGINE FLUID LEAKED OUT, RESULTGING IN ENGINE OVERHEATING. *AK
FRONT SEAT BELT TWISTS AND BECOMES JAMMED IN THE GUIDE RENDERING IT USELESS. VERY DIFFICULT TO UN-JAM.
BRAKE PEDAL BROKE LOOSE AND DANGLED TO THE FLOOR, CAUSING ACCIDENT DUE TO LOSS OF CONTROL.
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 1997 Buick Park Avenue → · Every Park Avenue year → · How the figures are calculated →