1998 Buick Century problems
Owners have filed 278 complaints about the 1998 Buick Century with NHTSA. Service brakes, hydraulic account for 10.1% of them — narrowly the most common, ahead of power train at 9.7%.
Complaints278
Crashes13
Fires0
Injuries12
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Service brakes, hydraulic 10.1% · 28
Power train 9.7% · 27
Electrical system 9.4% · 26
Visibility 9.0% · 25
Steering 8.6% · 24
Engine and engine cooling 8.3% · 23
Exterior lighting 7.6% · 21
Unknown or other 5.8% · 16
Severity
Of those complaints, 13 describe a crash and 12 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 10 model years of the Buick Century in this data, 1998 ranks 2nd by complaint volume — 1999 draws the most.
Filings have fallen off, 5 in the last three years against 8 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 54,696 miles.
In owners' own words
Consumer stated that while driving and without warning, brake fluid leaked from the rear wheel cylinder. Dealer notified. *Ak the consumer felt that gm parts were of poor quality, as he owned a Buick before, that had a number of problems at low mileage. The service dealer told the consumer that the hot climate caused the rubber inside of the wheel cylinders to crack. *Scc Service brakes, hydraulic · reported at 28,331 miles
The contact owns a 1998 Buick Century. While approaching a stop sign at approximately 15 mph, the brake pedal extended to the floor when depressed. She drove the vehicle to the dealer and they informed her that all the brake lines had rusted and needed to be replaced. The dealer is currently replacing all of the parts. The current and failure mileages were 107,000. Service brakes, hydraulic · reported at 107,000 miles
The contact owns a 1998 Buick Century. While driving 45 mph, the antilock brake light illuminated when the brake was depressed. The dealer stated that a module needed to be replaced. The contact was unsure what type of module the dealer wanted to replace. The dealer did not make the repair. The current mileage is 104,000 and failure mileage was 60,000. Service brakes, hydraulic · reported at 60,000 miles
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 1999 287 complaints · 20.2% engine and engine cooling 2000 249 complaints · 19.7% power train 2001 190 complaints · 15.3% engine and engine cooling