RoadVitals

1990 Buick Park Avenue Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints 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 12, 2003
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
6
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1990 Buick Park Avenue, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.

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

Reports by component

Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category

  • Brakes440.0%
  • Seat belts220.0%
  • Driver assistance110.0%
  • Engine110.0%
  • Exterior lighting110.0%
  • Tires & wheels110.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Each component in detail

What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words

Brakes

Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.

4
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

WHEN APPLYING THE ABS BRAKES THE PEDAL RESISTED, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. ABS WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED, INDICATING MALFUNCTION WITHIN THE SYSTEM. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

NHTSA ID 827445 · filed Sep 1, 1998

ABS: WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED THEY WOULD GET SPONGY & THEN PULL HARD TO RIGHT. TOOK TO DEALER & DIAGNOSTICS WAS PERFORMED. PROBLEM INTERMITTENT. FINALLY MECHANIC FOUND PROBLEM & HAD THE REAR BRAKES ADJUSTED. *AK

NHTSA ID 825340 · filed Jul 13, 1998

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Seat belts

Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.

2
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

DRIVER'S SEAT BELT BUCKLE JAMMED 1/3 OF THE TIME. THE CONSUMER HAD TO STEP OUT OF THE VEHICLE, STILL BUCKLED AND THEN THE SEAT BELT UNBUCKLED.*AK FAILURE OF THE SEAT BELT TO RELEASE WHEN THE BUTTON WAS PRESSED HAPPENED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. *PH *JB

NHTSA ID 10033681 · filed Sep 12, 2003

SEAT BELT LOCKING MECHANISM FAILS TO RELEASE WITHOUT TURNING VEHICLE OFF. *DSH

NHTSA ID 501431 · filed Feb 9, 1996

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Driver assistance

Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

WHEN MOVING TRANSMISSION PAWL FROM PARK TO DRIVE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER. *AK

NHTSA ID 857255 · filed Feb 18, 2000

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Engine

Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

OUR BUICK STARTS JUST FINE BUT OFTEN DIES OUT INTERMITTENTLY AT STOP SIGNS, WHEN WE SLOW DOWN, WHEN WE ARE JUST IDLING, WHEN WE FIRST START IT AND WHEN WE PUT IT IN REVERSE OR DRIVE. IT HAPPENS WHETHER IT'S COLD OR HOT, BEEN RUNNING FOR A LONG TIME OR NOT, GOING 50 MPH OR 2 MPH, IT JUST DIES OUT. WE'VE HAD 3 DIFFERENT MECHANICS TRY TO FIX IT THIS PAST YEAR, COSTING APPROXIMATELY $900 AND IT STILL DIES OUT. WHAT THE HECK IS THE PROBLEM? IT'S PRETTY SCARY DRIVING IN TRAFFIC AND HAVING IT DIE OUT AT 50 MPH AND HAVING TO RESTART IT, SOMETIMES 3 TO 4 TIMES. I BELIEVE THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND COULD CAUSE ACCIDENTS. AS FAR AS THE "INCIDENT DATE" IT HAS HAPPENED SO OFTEN I CAN'T PUT JUST ONE DATE ON IT. AND THE NUMBER OF FAILURES IS JUST TOO MANY TO COUNT. THE VEHICLE COMPONENT INFORMATION I PUT DOWN IS A COMPLETE GUESS. 3 MECHANICS AND I DON'T REALLY KNOW WHERE THE PROBLEM LIES. *NLM

NHTSA ID 10032548 · filed Aug 11, 2003

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Exterior lighting

Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

TWICE WHILE DRIVING HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT, CAUSING POOR VISIBILTY AT NIGHT. POSSIBLE CAUSE DEFECTIVE AUTOMATIC LIGHT SENSOR. *AK

NHTSA ID 827585 · filed Sep 3, 1998

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Tires & wheels

Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

KELLY-SPRINGFIELD TIRES GT,P205/75R14 TIRES FAILED PRIOR TO RECALL NOTICE.

NHTSA ID 538923 · filed Aug 10, 1998

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

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.

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .