Your vehicle report
1998 Buick Century
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 218
- Received Nov 1997 to Dec 2020
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Headlights dim or fail at night16 complaints · 7.3% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Horn fails with airbag warning light13 complaints · 6.0% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Transmission will not engage reverse gear13 complaints · 6.0% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #99V356000Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. These vehicles do not conform to the requirements of FMVSS no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." the vertical head lamp adjusting device may not be calibrated properly.
- Recall #98V102000Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The owner manuals do not contain the requirement information pertaining to the vehicle headlamp aiming device. This does not comply with requirements of FMVSS no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment."
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 9 crashes, 0 fires, 9 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 20 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
- Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed
- Power steering cuts out while driving
- Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly
1 more problem
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 2 |
| 1998 | 35 |
| 1999 | 47 |
| 2000 | 30 |
| 2001 | 12 |
| 2002 | 14 |
| 2003 | 16 |
| 2004 | 20 |
| 2005 | 8 |
| 2006 | 4 |
| 2007 | 5 |
| 2008 | 3 |
| 2009 | 4 |
| 2010 | 5 |
| 2011 | 3 |
| 2012 | 1 |
| 2013 | 2 |
| 2014 | 4 |
| 2015 | 1 |
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 218 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 16 | 7.3% | – | NHTSA recall #99V356000 |
| Horn fails with airbag warning light | 13 | 6.0% | – | |
| Transmission will not engage reverse gear | 13 | 6.0% | – | |
| Dashboard melts, becomes sticky and glares | 12 | 5.5% | – | |
| Anti-lock brakes fail or lock up | 11 | 5.1% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 8 | 3.7% | – | |
| Windshield wipers work intermittently or fail | 7 | 3.2% | – | |
| Power window regulator fails and window drops | 7 | 3.2% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 6 | 2.8% | – | |
| Fuel pump fails and engine stalls | 6 | 2.8% | – | |
| Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed | 6 | 2.8% | – | |
| Power steering cuts out while driving | 6 | 2.8% | – | |
| Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly | 5 | 2.3% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 5 | 2.3% | – | |
| Head gasket leaks coolant into engine | 5 | 2.3% | – | |
| Brakes make grinding or squealing noise | 5 | 2.3% | – | |
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 5 | 2.3% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 4 | 1.8% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 4 | 1.8% | – | |
| Plastic intake manifold cracks and leaks coolant | 4 | 1.8% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #99V356000December 17, 1999411,880 vehicles affected
exterior lighting: headlights
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. These vehicles do not conform to the requirements of FMVSS no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." the vertical head lamp adjusting device may not be calibrated properly.
Driver visibility may be impaired increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Owners will be provided with an owner's manual insert containing instructions for optically aiming the headlamps.
NHTSA recall #98V102000May 15, 1998149,342 vehicles affected
exterior lighting: headlights
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The owner manuals do not contain the requirement information pertaining to the vehicle headlamp aiming device. This does not comply with requirements of FMVSS no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment."
If the headlamp assemblies are replaced, customers may not be able to properly aim the headlights.
Remedy
Owners will be mailed an owner manual's insert which contains the appropriate information.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 1998 Buick Century.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN