IllustrationWATER PUMP FAILED.
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 reportsCONSUMER'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 V…
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
WHEN DRIVING AND UPON HITTING A BUMP IN THE ROAD THE SEATBACK FALLS INTO THE RECLINING POSITION. COSNUMER HAS YET TO HAVE THE PROBLEM CORRECTED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
WHEN BACKING OUT OF GARAGE WITH FOOT ON THE BRAKE, THE CAR SURGED OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY AND THE BRAKE DID NOT STOP THE CAR. *AK
DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT IS NOT RELEASING DUE TO A RETRACTOR PROBLEM OF THE SEAT BELT. DEALER WON'T FIX THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE THERE ARE NO SEAT BELT PARTS FOR THIS VEHICLE. *AK
TRUNK LATCH UNFASTENS.
PURCHASED CAR USED, THE OIL ISN'T GOIG TO THE ENGINE . PLEASE DESCRIBE .*AK
DRIVER SEAT COLLAPSED IN A RECLINING POSITION, CAUSING SEATBACK FAILURE. *AK
THE FRONT SEATBACK BRACKETS BROKE AND CAUSED THE SEATBACKS TO FALL BACKWARDS, ALSO REPLACED 2 FRONT TIRES. *AK
ELECTRICAL WIRING AROUND ALTERNATOR RUBBED AGAINST EXHAUST MANIFOLD AND MELTED. *AK
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