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.

Counts are not adjusted for sales, age, mileage exposure or reporting. A lower count does not establish that a car is problem-free.

About this comparison →

40Owner complaints

Model-year median: 28

1Recall campaigns

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1Investigations

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Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗ Model-level counts do not show whether a particular VIN is affected or repaired.

Inspection summary

1989 Buick Century

NHTSA snapshot: September 18, 2026. 40 owner complaints · 1 recall campaigns · 1 investigations.

Counts are not failure probabilities and are not adjusted for sales, age, mileage exposure or reporting. One report may name several categories. Comparison method and limitations.

Top reported categories (up to 5)

Seat Belts: 7 reports
Vehicle Speed Control: 7 reports
Engine And Engine Cooling: 5 reports
Structure: 5 reports
Seats: 4 reports

Full reported-category list and vehicle report

Recall links

95V173000 — Seat Belts:front:anchorage

Check a VIN with NHTSA. Model-level history does not establish whether a particular VIN is affected or repaired.

Print the top reported categories, recall links, snapshot date and comparison limits.

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year

Compare all Century years →

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

What owners reported most

Seat Belts

7 Vehicle Speed Control

7 Engine And Engine Cooling

5 Structure

5 Seats

All reported categories

Electrical System

3 Fuel System, Gasoline

2 Latches/locks/linkages

2 Suspension

2 Tires

2 Equipment

1 Service Brakes, Hydraulic

1 Steering

1 Unknown Or Other

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

Service Brakes, Hydraulic complaints

1 reports

Clear category filter

Mileage unknown · Oct 4, 1997

Service Brakes, HydraulicCrash

Read full complaint

CONSUMER'S MOTHER WAS DRIVING VEHICLE WITH THE RED BRAKE LIGHT ON FOR A MONTH. DON COLLINS, BUICK FRANCHESE OWNERS, SERVICE DEPARTMENT HAS KNOWN ABOUT BRAKES SINCE JANUARY1997, AND HAS NOT CORRECTED THIS PROBLEM AS REQUESTED BY MRS. JUDSON/HER HUSBAND OR MRS. PELUSO. ON OCTOBER 1-, 97, MRS. PELUSO'S MOTHER CONTINUED TO DRIVE VEHICLE WITH LIGHT ON UNTIL ONE DAY SHE WAS TURNING INTO HER DRIVEWAY AND THE BRAKES FAILED. SHE COULD NOT STOP THE VEHICLE, CRASHED INTO HER GARAGE DOOR, DAMAGING THE GARAGE AND THE VEHICLE. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO LARRY MENKE BUICK DEALERSHIP IN THE AUTO CENTER, TOWN OF SEASIDE, CA. MENKE'S # 408-394-3374. *AK

NHTSA ODI #816882

Recall campaigns

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 ↗

Defect investigations

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

An investigation is not a finding of a defect, and closure does not prove a vehicle is problem-free.