1994 Buick Century problems
Owners have filed 144 complaints about the 1994 Buick Century with NHTSA. Service brakes, hydraulic account for 17.4% of them — the clear leader, ahead of engine and engine cooling at 11.1%.
Complaints144
Crashes29
Fires7
Injuries25
Deaths1
What owners report breaking
Service brakes, hydraulic 17.4% · 25
Engine and engine cooling 11.1% · 16
Air bags 10.4% · 15
Vehicle speed control 9.0% · 13
Electrical system 7.6% · 11
Steering 6.3% · 9
Seat belts 6.3% · 9
Suspension 4.9% · 7
Severity
Of those complaints, 29 describe a crash, 7 describe a fire, 25 report an injury and 1 report a death.
Reading the numbers
Across the 10 model years of the Buick Century in this data, 1994 sits 7th by complaint volume. 1999 draws the most.
Filings have fallen off, 3 in the last three years against 9 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 88,500 miles.
In owners' own words
Abs light would stay on & then would go out after awhile. Can hear a click sound when abs brakes are applied. Would slow down, but does not stop right away. Pedal goes to floor when abs brakes make clicking sound. Pedal would pop up & would have braking ability again. Happens intermittently. Will be taking vehicle to dealer. Service brakes, hydraulic
While driving vehicle would start to slow down. Abs brakes felt like a short delay before kicking in sto stop. Abs brakes also felt like they were slipping. Have taken vehicle to dealer's mechanic & a private mechanic to check out abs brakes. In both instances, nothing was found wrong. Service brakes, hydraulic
Abs light comes on, it began when it rained and now at various times. The sensor has been worked on by a dealer 6 times, it has been cleaned, checked, replaced, repositioned,test driven, etc. And the problem still exists at this date.6/3/99. Service brakes, hydraulic
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…
Other Buick Century years
1995 127 complaints · 18.9% service brakes, hydraulic 1996 110 complaints · 13.6% service brakes, hydraulic 1997 132 complaints · 16.7% electrical system 1998 278 complaints · 10.1% service brakes, hydraulic 1999 287 complaints · 20.2% engine and engine cooling 2000 249 complaints · 19.7% power train