Buick / Park Avenue / 1998
1998 Buick Park Avenue problems
Owners have filed 327 complaints about the 1998 Buick Park Avenue with NHTSA. Engine and engine cooling accounts for 35.2% of them — far more than any other system, ahead of seat belts at 10.4%.
Complaints327
Crashes8
Fires46
Injuries7
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Engine and engine cooling 35.2% · 115
Seat belts 10.4% · 34
Electrical system 8.9% · 29
Fuel system, gasoline 8.3% · 27
Service brakes, hydraulic 5.5% · 18
Steering 4.3% · 14
Suspension 4.0% · 13
Power train 3.7% · 12
Severity
Of those complaints, 8 describe a crash, 46 describe a fire and 7 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 8 model years of the Buick Park Avenue in this data, 1998 ranks 2nd by complaint volume — 1997 draws the most.
Filing volume has held steady, 6 in the last three years against 7 in the three before.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 73,171 miles.
In owners' own words
Engine would not start. Car had to be towed to dealership for repair. R&r upper intake, clean water of of intake, replace plugs, manifold, coolant. Owner noticed a decrease in power while driving on interstate highway at 70mph. Exited interstate and drove home (aprox. 1/4 Mile or less). Vehicle parked in owner's garage. Owner tried to restart car and engine would not turn over. Engine and engine cooling
While driving at approximately 25-35mph vehicle would stall out. Would have no prior warning. Nearly rearended. Need to shift into neutral to restart. An intermittent problem. Took to dealership & mechanic placed a monitor on vehicle. Nothing happened. Was road tested & battery died. Found a short in battery & it was changed. The vehicle finally stalled again while at stop light. Engine and engine cooling
1998 Buick Park Avenue had the water pump , fuel pressure regulator, oil pressure switch, left door lock control bezel, tensioner pulley and bearing replaced.***No answer required***.*Mr the gas gauge needle jumped past the full mark then all the way back around to empty. The plastic upper intake plenum was replaced because it had warped from the heat and started to leak. Engine and engine cooling
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…
Other Buick Park Avenue years
1992 104 complaints · 26.9% service brakes, hydraulic 1993 102 complaints · 23.5% service brakes, hydraulic 1995 164 complaints · 13.4% steering 1997 355 complaints · 16.6% engine and engine cooling 1999 174 complaints · 24.7% engine and engine cooling 2000 104 complaints · 13.5% engine and engine cooling