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 →
FRONT PASSENGER'S SEAT BELT HAS BEEN ON BACK ORDER FOR OVER A MONTH. CONSUMER IS DRIVING WITHOUT A SEATBELT DUE TO THIS SEATBELT DEFECT. THIS CAN RESULT IN INJURIES IN CASE OF ACCIDENT. DOUGLASS MOTORS 908 277 3300. *AK
WHEN LEANNING OVER THE FRONT DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SEATS, SEAT BELT EXTENDS AND THEN WILL NOT RETRACT BACK AFTER SITTING UP. *AK CONSUMER STATES THAT THE PARTS ORDERED FROM BUICK ARE SAME AS THE ORIGINAL AND ARE DEFECTIVE. *SLC
WHEN THE TRANSMISSION IS IN DRIVE AND THE ENGINE GOES PAST FIRST GEAR, THE ENGINE RACES. EVEN THOUGH FOOT IS NOT ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL THE ENGINE GOES INTO A PASSING GEAR. THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED ON OCTOBER 1, 1997. *AK
HORN IS TOO HARD TO ACTIVATE. *AK
WHEN FILLING GAS TANK AND REACHES FULL CAPACITY, IT KICKS OFF THE AUTOMATIC NOZZLE AND GASOLINE WILL SPILL ONTO VEHICLE AND GROUND. IN ADDITION, WINDSHIELD HAD TO BE REPLACED DUE TO A VISUAL DEFECT IN THE DRIVER'S AREA. THE REPLACEMENT WINDHSHIELD CAUSES A DOUBLE IMAGE AND IS VERY DISTRACTING. *AK
ANTI-LOCK BRAKES FAILED PRIOR TO RECALL, RECALL REPAIRS REFUSED DUE TO WRONG VIN (97V-064). *AK
WHEN APPLYING THE ABS BRAKES UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS, THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND THE BRAKES FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE. *AK THE CAUSE FOR THE BRAKE FAILURE WAS DETERMINED TO BE A MISSING SPLIT LOCK RING. POSSIBLY, IT WAS NEVER INSTALLED AT FACTORY. DRIVER SUFFERED MINOR INJURIES DURIGN THE ABS FAILING. *YH
WHILE DRIVING AT 65 TO 72 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES AND VEHICLE VIBRATES. CAUSE UNKNOWN. DEALER REPLACED TIRE THREE TIMES. *AK
DEALERSHIP SAYS NOTHING IS WRONG WITH THE FUEL GAUGE, BUT WHEN THE FUEL GAUGE READS EMPTY THERE'S REALLY 8 OR 9 GALLONS IN THE TANK. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK
UNSPECIFIED: ROAD DEBRIS HITS AIRBAG SENSOR, CAUSING FALSE DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAGS, RESULTING IN LEG INJURIES/HEARING LOSS.
VEHICLE OWNER CONTACTED DEALER IMMEDIATELY AFTER RECEIVING RECALL NOTICE. ACCORDING TO DEALER, NO PARTS TO PERFORM CORECTIVE ACTION, MANUFACTURER CANNOT GET PARTS. NHTSA NO: 97V064000, MFR NO: 97020. NO BRAKE PROBLEMS AS YET. *AK
CONSUMER EXPERIENCED A HARD TIME READING THE SPEEDOMETER DUE TO THE LOCATION AND THE DESIGN. ALSO, WHEN DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED CONSUMER IS UNABLE TO VERIFIY HOW FAST THE VEHICLE IS TRAVELING DUE TO THE LOCATION OF SPEEDOMETER. *AK
SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON.
OWNER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING THE ABS LIGHT COMES ON AND THE SERVICE LIGHT ALSO COMES ON, OWNER NOTES THAT DEALER REPLACED A FAULTY COMPUTER BUT PROBLEM RETURNED. *AK
GAS EXPULSION AFTER FILLING TANK.
OWNER STATES WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE THERE IS A REFLECTION IN WINDSHIELD COMING FROM THE DASHBOARD THAT OBSTRUCTS VIEW. *AK
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILED.
DIFFICULTY SEEING DASHBOARD CONTROLS DUE TO DASH TOP DESIGN.
BOTH REAR SEAT BELTS WERE NON OPERATIVE, BELT TENSIONING DEVICE COULD NOT BE ADJUSTED CAUSING A SAFETY HAZARD FOR ANYONE RIDING IN THE REAR SEAT OF THE VEHICLE.
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 →