RoadVitals

1998 Buick Century Seat belts Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the seat belt system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Seat belts reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
12
Latest Sep 4, 2009
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
6%
of 218 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
0
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1998 Buick Century submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 12 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming seat belt

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

Seat belts
Filed Sep 4, 2009

I HAVE A 1998 BUICK REGAL WITH REAR SEATBELTS THAT JAM INSIDE AND CANNOT BE RE-EXTENDED. I HAVE PAID $200 TO HAVE THE BACK SEAT REMOVED AND THE SEATBELTS REALIGNED SO THAT THEY WORK. I WAS WARNED AT TIME OF REPAIR THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM IN THIS MODEL CAR AND IT WOULD PROBABLY REOCCUR. DESPITE OUR GREAT CARE IN USING THE REALIGNED BELTS, THE PROBLEM DID IN FACT REOCCUR AND NOW BOTH REAR BELTS ARE JAMMED AGAIN, WITH THE RESULT THAT OUR CHILDREN CANNOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED IN THE CAR AND WE CANNOT USE IT WHEN TRAVELING WITH THEM (UNLESS WE PAY TO HAVE IT REPAIRED AGAIN). MY MOTHER HAS A BUICK REGAL ROUGHLY THE SAME AGE WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS. *TR

NHTSA ID
10282883
Incident
Mar 15, 2009
Mileage
106,000 mi
Seat belts
Filed Jul 19, 2004

THE REAR SEAT BELTS ARE JAMMED INTO THE RETRACTOR MECHANISM. THE REAR SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY HAS ALREADY BEEN REPLACED. THE DEALER WILL NOT REPAIR THE PROBLEM FREE OF CHARGE. *AK BUICK REFUSED TO FIX THE SEAT BELT BECAUSE OF THE MILEAGE ON THE VEHICLE. *SC *JB

NHTSA ID
10074158
Incident
Apr 8, 1999
Mileage
12,102 mi
Seat belts
Filed Sep 4, 2003

THE REAR MIDDLE SEAT BELT DIDN'T TIGHTEN OR HOLD IT'S POSITION. THE CAR SEAT MOVED. *SCC *JB

NHTSA ID
10026657
Incident
Jul 6, 2003
Mileage
101,000 mi
Seat belts
Filed Jul 15, 2002

BOTH OUTSIDE REAR SEATBELTS WILL NOT PULL OUT, VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN EXAMINED BY DEALER.*AK

NHTSA ID
8013895
Incident
Feb 1, 2002
Body & structureInterior & seatsOther / unspecified+5 more
Filed Mar 14, 2002

THE VEHICLE DRIFTED TO THE LEFT, NOISES SEEMED TO HAVE BEEN COMING FROM THE STEERING, THE POWER STEERING LOCKED UP, THE RACK AND PINION HAD GONE OUT AND LEAKED, THE A/C CONTROL WAS INOPERATIVE, THE SEAT BELT BUTTON LATCH HAD FALLEN AND THE BUTTON WAS MISSING, THE WHEEL ALIGNMENT WAS OUT OF SPECIFICS, THE DRIVER DOOR WAS HARD TO OPEN, THE PANEL HAD MOVED WHEN THE WINDOW WAS ROLLED DOWN, THE POWER WINDOW(S) WERE INOPERATIVE, THE SHIFTER GOES IN AND OUT, THE RIGHT FRONT DOOR EXTERIOR TRIM WAS HARD TO OPEN, THE PASSENGERS SEAT COUSHIN WAS TOO SOFT AND HAD COLLAPSED, AND THE DOOR'S MIRROR WAS LOOSE. THE SERVICE DEALER HAD FOUND NO PROBLEMS WITH THE STEERING. SCC

NHTSA ID
566331
Incident
Sep 19, 2001
Mileage
54,696 mi
Seat belts
Filed Dec 10, 2001

SEAT BELT BUCKLE TWISTS TO OPPOSITE SIDE OF BELT. CAUSES BELT TO BE TWISTED WHEN ON. *AK

NHTSA ID
755499
Incident
Nov 18, 1997
Seat belts
Filed Sep 10, 2001

CONSUMER'S SHOULDER BELT WAS DEFECTIVE. *AK *SLC

NHTSA ID
896158
Incident
Mar 1, 2001
Seat belts
Filed May 25, 2001

LEFT REAR RETRACTOR ON THE SEATBELT KEPT GETTING STUCK AND HAD TO BE REPLACED*AK.

NHTSA ID
889167
ElectricalSeat belts
Filed Apr 21, 2000

HORN FAILED TO WORK WHEN TRYING TO USE IT WHILE DRIVING. HORN FAILED TO WORK EVEN WHEN VEHICLE WAS PARKED. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP & INFORMED BY MECHANIC THAT PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. ALSO, FRONT SEAT BELTS FAILED TO OPERATE PROPERLY. LATCH PLATE WOULD NOT GO INTO THE BUCKLE MECHANISM. *AK

NHTSA ID
860727
BrakesSeat belts
Filed Sep 8, 1999

SEAT BELTS DIFFICULT TO ENGAGE, BRAKE PEDAL MAKES LOUD NOISE WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED.

NHTSA ID
609597
Seat belts
Filed Oct 20, 1998

FRONT SEATBELT IS TOO TIGHT. SHE STATED TO THE DEALERSHIP THAT SEATBELT CUTS OFF HER CIRCULATION WHEN SHE DRIVES HER CAR . ALSO THE DEALERSHIP TOLD HER THAT SHE CAN GET A CLOTHES PIN TO ATTACH TO THE SEATBELT TO STOP THE SEATBELT FROM BEING TOO TIGHT. SEATBELT REPLACED, BUT REPLACEMENT HAS THE SAME PROBLEM. *AK *ML

NHTSA ID
829240
Incident
Oct 5, 1998
Seat belts
Filed Jun 9, 1998

THE FRONT LAP BELTS ARE CONSTANTLY TWISTED. DEALER HAS FIXED THEM, PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. *AK

NHTSA ID
823618

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Other components reported on this vehicle

Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .