IllustrationPROBLEMS WITH VEHICLE'S STEERING.*MR STIFFNESS IN STEERING, SOMETIMES CONSUMER HAVE TO STEER IN NEUTRAL AS IT DOESN'T COME BACK BY ITSELF. SOMETIMES IT SQUEAK WHILE TURNING, NO LOCK UP HAS OCCURRED YET. *PH
1990 Buick Century
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1990 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: 0 of 33 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 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Structure. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
1 crash reports3 fire reports3 injury reports
What owners actually said
33 reportsCONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING AND WITHOUT WARNING THE ENGINE BLEW AND THE VEHICLE STARTED TO SMOKE UNDER THE HOOD CAUSING THE CONSUMER TO PULL OVER. DEALER NOTIFIED. MR
ON WEDNESDAY 6/13/2002 MY 1990 BUICK CENTURY LOST STEERING CONTROL DUE TO A FAILURE IN THE CRADLE BOLTS.I COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED.I HAVE FOUND THE FOLLOWING RECALL WHICH INCLUDES THE 1990 BUICK REGAL, NHTSA RECALL NO. 97V058/GM RECALL NO. 97016. MY VEHICLE IS A 1990 BUICK CENTURY WITH 3300 V6 AND IS NOT LISTED IN THIS …
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ON WEDNESDAY 6/13/2002 MY 1990 BUICK CENTURY LOST STEERING CONTROL DUE TO A FAILURE IN THE CRADLE BOLTS.I COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED.I HAVE FOUND THE FOLLOWING RECALL WHICH INCLUDES THE 1990 BUICK REGAL, NHTSA RECALL NO. 97V058/GM RECALL NO. 97016. MY VEHICLE IS A 1990 BUICK CENTURY WITH 3300 V6 AND IS NOT LISTED IN THIS RECALL.I BELIEVE THE CRADLE BOLT'S IN 1990 BUICK CENTURY'S ARE ALSO SUBJECT TO FAILURE, CAUSING THE SAME SAFETY RELATED ISSUE MOTIONED IN THIS RECALL.MY VEHICLE DOES HAVE 202000 MILES ON IT, BUT THIS IS THE KIND OF FAILURE SHOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED. I BELIEVE BUICK SHOULD REPAIR MY VEHICLE AT THEIR COST. I HAVE FOUND TWO OTHER COMPLAINT ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM. I TRIED TO ISSUED A COMPLAINT THE HNTSA ON 6/21/2002 OVER THE PHONE BUT IT FAILED TO GET ENTERED SO HERE A TRY BY EMAIL. HOME EMAIL SMOKEY90@AOL.COM, WORK EMAIL DAVID.LEINGANG@PTD.SIEMENS.COM, HOME PHONE 765-447-2782, WORK PHONE 765-429-1387. *AK
CIRCUIT BREAKER FOR SEAT IN FUSE COMPARTMENT OVERHEATED, CAUSING POWER SEATS AND POWER DOOR TO BE INOPERATIVE. DRIVER IS UNABLE TO REPLACE FUSE BECAUSE IT WAS SO HOT, IT BURNED. *AK. CONSUMER STATES WHEN HE TOUCHED THE CORRECT FUSE HE WAS BURNED LEAVING A BLISTER ON HIS FINGER AND THUMB, CONSUMER STATES HE DISCOVERED THERE WAS A…
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CIRCUIT BREAKER FOR SEAT IN FUSE COMPARTMENT OVERHEATED, CAUSING POWER SEATS AND POWER DOOR TO BE INOPERATIVE. DRIVER IS UNABLE TO REPLACE FUSE BECAUSE IT WAS SO HOT, IT BURNED. *AK. CONSUMER STATES WHEN HE TOUCHED THE CORRECT FUSE HE WAS BURNED LEAVING A BLISTER ON HIS FINGER AND THUMB, CONSUMER STATES HE DISCOVERED THERE WAS A RECALL, HOWEVER THE DEALER KNEW OF THE CAMPAIGN BUT COULD NOT FIND CONSUMERS VEHICLE IN THE SYSTEM.*JB
WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY, I NOTICED THAT THE FRONT OF CAR LURCHED AND THE STEERING WHEEL POSITION CHANGED. PULLED CAR TO SIDE AND SAW THAT PART OF FRAME WAS HANGING DOWN. TOOK TO DEALER WHO SAID THAT THE CRADLE BOLT HAD PULLED THROUGH THE SUPPORT AND WAS HANGING DOWN. WHY WASN'T MY CAR ON THE RECALL CAMPAIGN AS THE REGA…
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WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY, I NOTICED THAT THE FRONT OF CAR LURCHED AND THE STEERING WHEEL POSITION CHANGED. PULLED CAR TO SIDE AND SAW THAT PART OF FRAME WAS HANGING DOWN. TOOK TO DEALER WHO SAID THAT THE CRADLE BOLT HAD PULLED THROUGH THE SUPPORT AND WAS HANGING DOWN. WHY WASN'T MY CAR ON THE RECALL CAMPAIGN AS THE REGAL WAS? I AM AFRAID THAT THE OTHER BOLTS WILL PULL THROUGH AND I WILL LOSE MY DIRECTIONAL STEERING ABILITY. I HAVE KEPT ALL DEFECTIVE PARTS FOR THE NHTSA REVIEW. IT APPEARS THAT THE METALS FUSSED OR MIGRATED TOGETHER. DID BUICK USE THE TWO WRONG METALS IN THIS AREA, CAUSING THIS PROBLEM? IS THEIR AN ACTIVE CAMPAIGN FOR THE CENTURY? PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME.*AK
MOTOR FELL TO GROUND WHILE PULLING OUT. THIS DAMAGED STEERING AND CAR WAS OUT OF CONTROL. *AK
NONE OF THE POWER WINDOWS WOULD OPEN OR CLOSE. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP. TWO BROKEN WIRES WERE RECONNECTED AT OWNER'S EXPENSE. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
WHILE DRIVING ON ROAD NOTICED VEHICLE PULLING A SHARP LEFT. LOOKED AT THE CRADLES, AND THE RETAINER WASHER BROKE/WAS RUSTED THROUGH. REPLACED IT. ALSO, OTHERS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. IN ADDITION, RACK & PINION STEERING ASSEMBLY IS CONNECTED TO ENGINE CRADLE FRAME AND THE STEERING SHAFT, DROPPED. THIS MAY CAUSE ERRATIC STEER…
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WHILE DRIVING ON ROAD NOTICED VEHICLE PULLING A SHARP LEFT. LOOKED AT THE CRADLES, AND THE RETAINER WASHER BROKE/WAS RUSTED THROUGH. REPLACED IT. ALSO, OTHERS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. IN ADDITION, RACK & PINION STEERING ASSEMBLY IS CONNECTED TO ENGINE CRADLE FRAME AND THE STEERING SHAFT, DROPPED. THIS MAY CAUSE ERRATIC STEERING PROBLEMS. *AK
WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD ALL OF SUDDEN THE VEHICLE JUST SHUT OFF WHEN MAKING A STOP OR SLOWING DOWN. CONTACTED DEALER, AND HE WAS NOT ABLE TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS WRONG ON THE DIAGNOSIS MACHINE. *AK
DURING ACCIDENT FRONT BENCH SEAT LATCH FAILED CAUSING THE SEAT TO COLLAPSE, RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER SEAT BELT ALSO BECAME UNLATCHED, RESULTING IN INJURY. NLM
Official recalls
295V173000 · 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.
92V124000 · Seats:front Assembly:recliner
Sep 1, 1992
THE POWER SEAT OR RECLINER WIRING HARNESS CAN BE PINCHED OR CAN CHAFE ON THE SEAT FRAME OR SPRING SUPPORT ROD, WEARING THROUGH THE WIRE INSULATION AND CAUSING AN ELECTRICAL SHORT.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THE HIGH CURRENT CAUSED BY THE ELECTRICAL SHORT WELDS THECIRCUIT BREAKER ELEMENTS TOGETHER IN THE CLOSED POSITION, LEAVING THE CIRCUITUNPROTECTED AND GENERATING SUFFICIENT HEAT TO BURN THE WIRE INSULATION ANDIGNITE THE SEAT CUSHION MATERIAL.
Remedy: REPAIR ANY ABRADED WIRING AND REROUTE THE WIRING HARNESS USING A WIRING HARNESS CLIP.
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