IllustrationWHILE ENGINE IDLED HIGH, CONSUMER SHIFTED VEHICLE OUT OF PARK INTO DRIVE WITH BRAKES DEPRESSED, AND VEHICLE DROVE OFF OUT OF CONTROL, RUNNING INTO A CREEK. *AK
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 →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Century years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
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
What owners actually said
40 reportsCRACKED REAR TRACKING BAR DETECTED ON 7/18/99. CHECKED UNDER CAR BECAUSE OF POOR STEERING AND HANDLING AND FOUND THE BAR WAS CRACKED IN HALF. WE HAD IT REPLACED WITH A NEW ONE ON 7/19/99. WE LOOKED FOR PREVIOUS RECALLS FOR THIS, BUT WEREN'T ABLE TO FIND THE INFORMATION. THE COST OF THE REPAIR WAS $144.45.
VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION WHEN SHIFTING FROM PARK TO DRIVE GEAR, RESULTING IN ACCIDENT. MJS
LISTED VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN 10-CAR CRASH AT INTERSECTION IN OUR JURISDICTION AFTER ACCELERATOR ON VEHICLE STUCK, FOLLOWING VICTIM'S USE OF CAR WASH. VICTIM GOT INTO VEHICLE AFTER CAR WASH, PUT VEHICLE'S TRANSMISSION INTO DRIVE, AND VEHICLE ACCELERATED RAPIDLY, REACHING A MAXIMUM SPEED OF APPROX. 90 MPH BEFORE CRASHING INT…
Read full complaint
LISTED VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN 10-CAR CRASH AT INTERSECTION IN OUR JURISDICTION AFTER ACCELERATOR ON VEHICLE STUCK, FOLLOWING VICTIM'S USE OF CAR WASH. VICTIM GOT INTO VEHICLE AFTER CAR WASH, PUT VEHICLE'S TRANSMISSION INTO DRIVE, AND VEHICLE ACCELERATED RAPIDLY, REACHING A MAXIMUM SPEED OF APPROX. 90 MPH BEFORE CRASHING INTO A LARGE COMMERCIAL VEHICLE, CAUSING THE CRASH LISTED ABOVE. THE DRIVER OF THE BUICK IN THIS LISTED QUESTIONNAIRE DIED DUE TO INJURIES RECEIVED.
THE CONSUMER HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH SEAT BELT TRACKS AND ANCHORS. SEAT BELTS SLIDE BACK AND FORTH. IN ADDITION, TO CRACKS IN SEAT BELT BUCKLES. *AK
THE CONSUMER HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH SEAT BELTS. SEAT BELTS LATCH, AND TRACKS AND ANCHORS, ARE BROKEN. THE WHOLE SEATBELT SYSTEM IS SLOWLY DETERIORATING. THE MANUFACTURER HAS YET TO BE CONTACTED. THE DEFECTS ARE RELATED TO PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH RECALL NUMBER 95V173000. *AK
STEERING WHEEL FAILED.
FRONT END SHAKES WHILE DRIVING AT 55 MPH.
BOLT FAILED CAUSING BODY TO SEPARATE FROM FRAME.
PAINT WOULD NOT STAY ON VEHICLE. NLM
Official recalls
195V173000 · 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
1EA92024 · 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