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1989 Buick Century

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 1989 Buick Century do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 28.

About this comparison →
40Owner complaints

Model-year median: 28

1Recall campaigns

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1Investigations

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
22
198628
198716
198840
198933
199038
199145
1992
Compare all Century years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Seat Belts
7Vehicle Speed Control
7Engine And Engine Cooling
5Structure
5Seats
4
All reported categories
Electrical System
3Fuel System, Gasoline
2Latches/locks/linkages
2Suspension
2Tires
2Equipment
1Service Brakes, Hydraulic
1Steering
1Unknown Or Other
1

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 1 of 40 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Seat Belts. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

8 crash reports0 fire reports4 injury reports

Electrical System complaints

3 reports
Clear category filter
Mileage unknown · Sep 18, 2000
Electrical SystemEngine And Engine CoolingVehicle Speed ControlCrash

CONSUMER HAS HAD 2 ACCIDENTS RELATING TO ENGINE ACCELERATION. BOTH TIMES THIS HAPPENED THE SAME WAY. CONSUMER HAS A VERY STEEP DRIVEWAY. ON SEPT. 11-2000, VEHICLE WAS IN REVERSE & IT ACCELERATED BACKWARDS AT A MAXIUM SPEED. MECHANIC FOUND THAT THERMOSTAT RING GASKET, IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE & COMPUTER SCAN WERE THE CAUSES. *…

Read full complaint

CONSUMER HAS HAD 2 ACCIDENTS RELATING TO ENGINE ACCELERATION. BOTH TIMES THIS HAPPENED THE SAME WAY. CONSUMER HAS A VERY STEEP DRIVEWAY. ON SEPT. 11-2000, VEHICLE WAS IN REVERSE & IT ACCELERATED BACKWARDS AT A MAXIUM SPEED. MECHANIC FOUND THAT THERMOSTAT RING GASKET, IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE & COMPUTER SCAN WERE THE CAUSES. *AK

NHTSA ODI #870808

Mileage unknown · Mar 27, 1996
Electrical System

ELECTRICAL WIRING AROUND ALTERNATOR RUBBED AGAINST EXHAUST MANIFOLD AND MELTED. *AK

NHTSA ODI #981320

Mileage unknown · May 5, 1995
Electrical System

COMING TO A STOP VEHICLE JERKS AND STALLS. TT

NHTSA ODI #964861

Official recalls

1

95V173000 · Seat Belts:front:anchorage

Sep 15, 1995

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."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

EA92024 · Sticking Throttle

Opened Jun 26, 1992 · Closed Jan 31, 1994

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Vehicle Speed Control:linkages

There is no summary currently available