IllustrationWHILE PULLING INTO DRIVEWAY VEHICLE STARTED TO ACCELERATE WHEN BRAKE WAS APPLIED. DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED AT THIS TIME. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
1996 Buick Century
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1996 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: 14 of 80 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.
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Fuel System, Gasoline. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Steering. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
6 crash reports1 fire reports6 injury reports
Vehicle Speed Control complaints
8 reportsWHEN CONSUMER HITS THE BRAKES, THE VEHICLE SURGES A FOOT OR TWO, THE DEALER HAS TRIED TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM SEVERAL TIMES BUT HAS NOT BEEN SUCCESSFUL. *SLC
WHEN TRAVELING AT ANY SPEED WITH FOOT PRESSED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE, CAUSING UNWANTED SPEED. ALSO, IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE, THE KEY HAS TO BE REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER, DEALER HAS YET TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *…
Read full complaint
WHEN TRAVELING AT ANY SPEED WITH FOOT PRESSED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE, CAUSING UNWANTED SPEED. ALSO, IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE, THE KEY HAS TO BE REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER, DEALER HAS YET TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK *YC
CRUISE CONTROL SPEED INCREASES UPON DESCENDING A HILL. (QCAW)
SUDDEN ACCELERATION RESULTING IN A VEHICLE COLLISION.
ONCE A DAY, THE FIRST TIME OF OPERATION OF VEHICLE, WILL EXPRIENCE STARTING THE VEHICLE AND DRIVING APPROX. 2 BLOCKS BEFORE PROBLEM STARTS. WHEN PRESSING GAS PEDAL HALF WAY DOWN, VEHICLE WILL IMMEDIATELY BEGIN STALLING. THEN IT WILL AUTOMATICALLY BEGIN TO SURGE. WHEN SURGING BEGINS CONSUMER WOULD HAVE TO HIT HIS BRAKES QUICKLY. …
Read full complaint
ONCE A DAY, THE FIRST TIME OF OPERATION OF VEHICLE, WILL EXPRIENCE STARTING THE VEHICLE AND DRIVING APPROX. 2 BLOCKS BEFORE PROBLEM STARTS. WHEN PRESSING GAS PEDAL HALF WAY DOWN, VEHICLE WILL IMMEDIATELY BEGIN STALLING. THEN IT WILL AUTOMATICALLY BEGIN TO SURGE. WHEN SURGING BEGINS CONSUMER WOULD HAVE TO HIT HIS BRAKES QUICKLY. AFTER THIS HAPPEN ENGINE DIES. STALLING AND SURGING AND ENGINE DYING HAPPENS SOMETIMES. BUICK SERVICE MANAGER SAYS THE PROBLEM IS HAPPENING IN MOST 95/96 BUICKS WITH A 3.1 ENGINE. *AK
AUTO-TRAN: VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOSES POWER WHILE DRIVING UPHILL OR WHILE PASSING, LURCHES FORWARD WHEN STARTED IN PARK, TRIES TO LURCH BACKWARD WHILE IN REVERSE, JUMPS FORWARD AT HIGH SPEED IN DRIVE POSITION, NEARLY CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. *AK ALSO WHEN WENT TO HAVE VEHICLE INSPECTED IT WAS FOUND THAT A WHEEL ALIGNMENT WAS NEEDED AND T…
Read full complaint
AUTO-TRAN: VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOSES POWER WHILE DRIVING UPHILL OR WHILE PASSING, LURCHES FORWARD WHEN STARTED IN PARK, TRIES TO LURCH BACKWARD WHILE IN REVERSE, JUMPS FORWARD AT HIGH SPEED IN DRIVE POSITION, NEARLY CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. *AK ALSO WHEN WENT TO HAVE VEHICLE INSPECTED IT WAS FOUND THAT A WHEEL ALIGNMENT WAS NEEDED AND THERE WAS A FUEL LEAK.*JB
ENGINE SURGES OR STALLS INTERMITTENTLY.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.