Your vehicle report
1997 Buick Park Avenue
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
- 219
- Received Nov 1996 to Oct 2019
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Seat belt fails to latch or retract44 complaints · 20% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Vehicle catches fire from wiring19 complaints · 8.7% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Anti-lock brakes fail or lock up10 complaints · 4.6% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #00V117000Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Some of these vehicles have front seat shoulder belts that may twist, allowing the webbing to become jammed in the retractor.
- Recall #97V064000The electronic brake control module or the electronic brake and traction control module can cause the antilock brake system (ABS) to cycle during a non-abs brake application.
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: 5 crashes, 21 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
Body, doors & glass
- Frame rusts and corrodes through
- Windshield wipers work intermittently or fail
- Dashboard melts, becomes sticky and glares
1 more problem
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 |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 1 |
| 1997 | 22 |
| 1998 | 9 |
| 1999 | 37 |
| 2000 | 28 |
| 2001 | 30 |
| 2002 | 17 |
| 2003 | 12 |
| 2004 | 16 |
| 2005 | 13 |
| 2006 | 6 |
| 2007 | 6 |
| 2008 | 5 |
| 2009 | 1 |
| 2010 | 4 |
| 2011 | 3 |
| 2012 | 3 |
| 2013 | 1 |
| 2014 | 2 |
| 2015 | 1 |
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 219 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 44 | 20% | – | NHTSA recall #00V117000, #97V036000 |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 19 | 8.7% | – | |
| Anti-lock brakes fail or lock up | 10 | 4.6% | – | NHTSA recall #97V064000 |
| Front brake rotors warp and wear early | 10 | 4.6% | – | |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 8 | 3.6% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 8 | 3.6% | – | |
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 8 | 3.6% | – | |
| Steering wheel shakes violently at highway speed | 7 | 3.2% | – | |
| Plastic intake manifold cracks and leaks coolant | 7 | 3.2% | – | |
| Battery drains and dies when parked | 7 | 3.2% | – | |
| Frame rusts and corrodes through | 6 | 2.7% | – | |
| Head gasket leaks coolant into engine | 6 | 2.7% | – | |
| Serpentine belt breaks or slips off | 4 | 1.8% | – | |
| Fuel gauge reads erratically or incorrectly | 4 | 1.8% | – | |
| Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed | 4 | 1.8% | – | |
| Cruise control fails to disengage | 4 | 1.8% | – | |
| Windshield wipers work intermittently or fail | 3 | 1.4% | – | |
| Dashboard melts, becomes sticky and glares | 3 | 1.4% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 3 | 1.4% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 3 | 1.4% | – |
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 #00V117000April 18, 200077,952 vehicles affected
seat belts: front: webbing
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Some of these vehicles have front seat shoulder belts that may twist, allowing the webbing to become jammed in the retractor.
When the shoulder belt webbing becomes jammed in the retractor, the belt may be unusable.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect for the presence of updated front shoulder belt bezels and where necessary, install new front seat shoulder belt opening bezel kits.
NHTSA recall #97V064000April 28, 1997156,910 vehicles affected
service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
The electronic brake control module or the electronic brake and traction control module Can cause the antilock brake system (ABS) to cycle during a non-abs brake application.
This condition Can result in an increase in vehicle stopping distance increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the electronic brake control module or the electronic brake and traction control module.
NHTSA recall #97V036000March 11, 199720,959 vehicles affected
seats: mid/rear assembly
These vehicles were assembled with center rear seat belt anchor bolts not properly installed. This does not meet the requirements of FMVSS no. 210, "seat belt assembly anchorages."
In the event of a vehicle crash, the seat belt system would not withstand the required load and injury to the seat occupant could occur.
Remedy
Dealers will tighten the center rear seat belt anchor bolts to specification.
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 1997 Buick Park Avenue.
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