Owner-reported complaints naming the transmission system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1997 Buick Park Avenue submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 18 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.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
CALLER STATED: TRANSMISSION FAILING. LOCKED UP AND SHOOK THE ENTIRE VEHICLE. THERE WAS THE SENSATION OF SOMETHING HITTING THE BOTTOM OF THE CAR FROM UNDERNEATH. HAPPENED WHEN CAR WAS PUT INTO MOTION, AND INTERMITTENTLY. *AK
I HAVE A 1997 BUICK PARK AVENUE WITH 103,000 MILES. I PURCHASED THE CAR NEW IN APRIL OF 1997. AFTER 10 MONTHS AND 16,000 MILES I BEGAN TO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSIMISSION SHIFTING HARD AFTER THE CAR GOT WARMED UP. IF I WOULD STOP AND TURN THE CAR OFF AND LET IT SIT FOR 15 SECONDS AND RESTART IT SHIFT SMOOTH FOR SEVERAL STOPS AND THEN START SHIFTING HARD AGAIN. I TOOK IT INTO A BUICK GARAGE AND THEY KEPT THE CAR FOR 10 DAYS AND COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM. FINALLY THEY DECIDED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. THAT SOLVED THE PROBLEM. AT 90,000 MILES THE SAME PROBLEM REOCCURED. IT DIDN'T DO IT THAT OFTEN TO BEGIN WITH BUT NOW ONE YEAR LATER IT DOES IT ALMOST EVERY TIME I DRIVE THE CAR AFTER IT GET COMPLETELY WARMED UP. GIVEN IT HAS HAPPENED TWICE TO MY CAR IT WOULD APPEAR THERE IS A DEFECT HERE THAT BUICK SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR. I HAVE LOOKED OVER YOU SIGHT AND FOUND NO RECALLS FOR THE TYPE OF PROBLEM. ARE THERE ANY OUT THERE THAT YOU ARE AWARE OF? WHAT ELSE CAN I DO? MEL RUTLIN
CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE PARKED WITH THE VEHICLE TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE INADVERTENTLY JUMPED INTO REVERESE RESULTING IN A COLLISION. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED THE VEHICLE WAS IN DRIVE. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *MR
ELECTRONIC BRAKES MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING ABS TO ACTIVATE WHEN IT WAS NOT SUPPOSE TO. ALSO, TRACTION CONTROL ACTIVATED WHEN TAKING OFF, PREVENTING VEHICLE FROM ACCELERATING. RECALL 97V064000/ ABS FAILURE. HOWEVER, THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN RECALL DUE TO VIN. *AK
TRANSMISSION WOULD CLINK BEFORE ENGAGING. TAKEN TO DEALER, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE OVERHAULED. *AK THE CONSUMER BELIEVES THE TRANSMISSION HAD BEEN DEFECTIVE. SIMILAR FAILURES WERE FOUND ON INTERNET BY THE CONSUMER. *YH
CONSUMER WILL HEAR A LOUD THUMP AND VEHICLE WILL JERK WHEN FIRST STARTING VEHICLE, AND PUTTING IT INTO REVERSE. DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE CAUSE. THEY HAVE CONTACTED A SERVICE ADVISOR, CONSUMER HAS BEEN WAITING FOR THE SERVICE ADVISOR TO RETURN CALL SINCE JANUARY 2000.*AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOV EVEHICLE. *AK
ODOMETER FOUND TO BE BROKEN
FRONT WHEELS OUT OF BALANCE. NLM
BRAKES MAKE VIBRATION AND SHUDDER, REPAIRED ROTORS HOWEVER CONTINUES. MJS
TRANSMISSION FAILED AGAIN AND LEAKED TRANSMISSION FLUID ALL OVER THE UNDERSIDE OF VEHICLE AND ROADWAY. *AK
NO SUMMARY
TRAMSMISSION FAILED TO SHIFT INTO GEAR. NM
TRANSMISSION FAILED.
TRANSMISSION FAILED. NLM
WHEN THE TRANSMISSION IS IN DRIVE AND THE ENGINE GOES PAST FIRST GEAR, THE ENGINE RACES. EVEN THOUGH FOOT IS NOT ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL THE ENGINE GOES INTO A PASSING GEAR. THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED ON OCTOBER 1, 1997. *AK
SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON.
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILED.
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .