1994 Buick Century
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Vehicles › Buick › Century › 1994
These records cover every 1994 Buick Century. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
6 recalls name the 1994 Buick Century. Newest first.
These vehicles were assembled with rear outboard safety belt anchorages that may not withstand the required load. This does not comply with fmvss no.210, "seat belt assembly anchorages."
Risk and remedy
Risk
Consequence of non-compliance: in a collison, stress can cause the attachment metal to tear and allow the anchorage to separate from the body of the vehicle. the safety belt may not protect an occupant in the event of a vehicle crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the existing anchor bolts with a new shoulder bolt and thread locking adhesive. Additionally, noise control patches will be applied at each anchorage.
The right hand spindle nut was not properly tightened during assembly. This can cause premature wheel bearing failure and over time, the spindle can fracture.
Risk and remedy
Risk
This would cause the wheel to separate from the axle and result in a vehicle crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the torque on the right hand front spindle nut. If the spindle nut IS undertorqued the dealer will replace the right hand front wheel bearing assembly and the spindle nut will be replaced.
Water intrusion can cause a short circuit in the power door lock assembly.
Risk and remedy
Risk
A short circuit in the power door lock assembly can result in a vehicle fire.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the power door lock relay and any corroded terminals. In addition, the new relay will be relocated to an area where water intrusion IS less likely.
In the event of a primary accelerator control spring failure, the secondary (back-up) accelerator control return spring will not return the throttle to the fully closed position, as required by fmvss no. 124, "accelerator control system."
Risk and remedy
Risk
Consequence of non-compliance: loss of throttle control could result in a vehicle crash without prior warning.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the secondary throttle return spring.
During assembly, water may have entered the accelerator control cable conduit causing it to develop a high effort and/or binding condition in very cold weather.
Risk and remedy
Risk
High effort or binding conditions cause loss of normalthrottle control or the throttle may not return to idle when the accelerator pedal IS released. If this were to occur while the vehicle IS in motion, a vehicle crash could occur.
Remedy
The dealer will purge the throttle cable of any internally trapped water, if it IS present.
The cruise control cable may separate from the conduit end fitting while engaged and accelerator control could be lost.
Risk and remedy
Risk
Loss of accelerator control may not reduce engine speedto a level anticipated by the driver. Although the vehicle can still be stoppedwith the service brake, loss of accelerator control could result in a vehiclecrash without prior warning.
Remedy
Replace the cruise control cable.
Owner complaints
106 complaints25 involved a crash4 involved a fire21 injuries1 deaths
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Exterior lighting › Headlights
Since 1990 auto have come with plastic headlight lenses. After about two years they become cloudy and restrict the range of the headlights. A walk through the parking lot will confirm the cloudiness, and comparing a new one with an old one shows an almost 50% reduction in night range. the…
Since 1990 auto have come with plastic headlight lenses. After about two years they become cloudy and restrict the range of the headlights. A walk through the parking lot will confirm the cloudiness, and comparing a new one with an old one shows an almost 50% reduction in night range. the replacement units are $150.00 and up compared to $15 for the older glass units before 1990.. The plastic formulation needs to be changed and the problem addressed.. Thank you. *tr
- Steering › Linkages › Tie rod assembly
Tl*the contact owns a 1994 buick century. while driving 5 mph, the tie rod failed without warning. the vehicle was towed to an auto body shop and the manufacturer has not yet been notified. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure and current mileages were 100,000. Updated 03/17/09. *Lj the consumer stated the tie rod broke in half. Updated 03/17/09. *Jb
- Tires › Tread/belt
Vehicle was travels along 113 in kankakee il at approx 55 mph, as vehicle entered a bend the right front tire tread separated from the vehicles right front tire causing the vehicle to go into a left side spin over the embankment and into a fence poll. Vehicle did roll possibly two time. Vehicle was…
Vehicle was travels along 113 in kankakee il at approx 55 mph, as vehicle entered a bend the right front tire tread separated from the vehicles right front tire causing the vehicle to go into a left side spin over the embankment and into a fence poll. Vehicle did roll possibly two time. Vehicle was completely destroyed, if anybody else was in the vehicle they would be dead. Drive did suffer multiple injures but was alive, as the police and fire dept put it lucky to be alive. The tire in which the tread separated was a firestone fr440 dot #ejtudjd288. Vehicle was a 94 buick century in good mech shape inspected aprox 1,000 mile prior to accident. The driver stated the was driving fine up to the accident, no vibrations, pulling, noise etc. *Nm
- Fuel system, gasoline › Fuel injection system › Injectors
Engine injector failure. *bf the consumer has 5 injectors on the vehicle and so far only 1 has failed. the consumer believed that eventually the remaining injectors will have to replaced. The consumer the manufacturer knew about the problem for years as far as 1994. the injector problem has…
Engine injector failure. *bf the consumer has 5 injectors on the vehicle and so far only 1 has failed. the consumer believed that eventually the remaining injectors will have to replaced. The consumer the manufacturer knew about the problem for years as far as 1994. the injector problem has caused another safety issue such as engine hesitation when the gas pedal was depressed and the engine does not want to move for a number of seconds until the pedal IS almost floored. *jb
- Seat belts › Front › Retractor
Driver and passenger front seat belts will no longer retract. Dealer stated both seat belts need to be replaced. *ak
- Electrical system › Ignition · Steering › Hydraulic power assist system
Consumer experienced engine shutdown when making right hand turn while driving at 35 mph. *la the consumer own a 1991 buick century and had experienced the same failure with his vehicle as he did with his father's vehicle (1994 buick century) as stated in the recall. *ph
- Tires
Rocky mountain model steel radial size 185p/75r14, rear driver's side tire blew out while driving at 75 mph, manufacturer was notified. *Ak
- Wheels
Right front wheel had 5 broken "spokes" out of 10, wheel made a terrible noise, the other 2 wheels had several broken "spokes," I did not see any broken "spokes" on the 4TH. wheel. I replaced the front wheel with one from the l.a. Area, and it was also broken. $252.22 for 4 other style, used, replacement wheels. Please refer to your reference no. 830643. *la
- Air bags › Frontal
Air bags on low mileage 1994 buick century did not deploy during head on crash. *la
- Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly
Fuel IS leaking under the vehicle. please provide details.*ak
- Equipment › Appliance › Air conditioner
A/c compressor clutch IS failing at 37865 miles.makes a severe squealing noise and IS grinding internal parts into peices.at this very low milage I would not expect this problem to occurred. *Ak
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine
Engine mounts and supports are corroded and coming apart which could eventually cause engine to drop. Please provide more information. *ak
- Air bags › Frontal
Driver side air bag did not deploy during an accident. *Yh
- Service brakes, hydraulic › Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip · Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Disc
On 3 separate occassions that resulted in an accident, twice with me and once with my wife, the brakes have failed to stop the vehicle. their have been numerous other occasions where the brakes have failed to stop the the vehicle in a panic or near panic situation. the anti-lock works fine, the…
On 3 separate occassions that resulted in an accident, twice with me and once with my wife, the brakes have failed to stop the vehicle. their have been numerous other occasions where the brakes have failed to stop the the vehicle in a panic or near panic situation. the anti-lock works fine, the problem IS that the brakes will not bring the car to a complete stop. it keeps rolling many feet farther than IS safe. the three accidents ocurred at les than 5 mph. you hit the brakes and the vehicle not only won't lock the brakes it won't stop the vehicle. I have installed semi-metallic and standard brake pads with no significant improvement. the rotors are fine and the pads have never been allowed to wear down significantly. I have had numerous vehicles and also raced cars and they all stop immediately from 5 - 10 mph. this vehicle will usually require 30 - 40 feet to stop from the time the pedal IS pushed. I have noted the problem to the dealer in the past with no results. my wife and I have both relayed the situation to others in the past and on several occassions the other party has said something to the effect of "oh, I guess you have a buick". so, this problem IS obviously not isolated to my vehicle. even at high spped the brakes work exceptionally well till the last few feet where the brakes will not bring the vehicle to a complete stop in a satisfactory distance. I have driven many other vehicles with and without anti-lock brakes. I fully understand that the operator applies brakes differently with anti-lock brakes. I happened to get into this web-site today inquiring about any possible recalls on my other vehicle (2000 voyager) and figured I would note this problem while I was here. *Ak
- Vehicle speed control
First crash---vehicle acelerated uncontrollably with foot on brake / second crash---vehicle accelerated in reverse extremeley fast with gear shift in the park position upon turning key in ignition. *Ak
- Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch
Consumer has requested dealer to perform recall 94v159000 due to faulty locks, dealer IS refusing to do recall until someone gives him authorization because the vehicle's consumer's campaign numbers didn't match his recall numbers. *slc
- Exterior lighting › Turn signal › Flasher unit
Driver's side cover on the turn signal light has fallen off. looks like the driver's side IS coming off. Consumer said that light indicated that it was working from the inside, but was not blinking on the outside because of water getting into it.*ak
- Air bags › Frontal
While driving 15 mph vehicle was rearended by another vehicle that was traveling about 40mph, and pushed consumer's vehicle into an embankment, crushing the front end. vehicle went int bushes. Upon impact, driver's airbag did not deploy, which did not protect the occupant in this crash. no previous problem with airbag system. *ak
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Gasoline
Ongoing problem with engine stalling whenever foot was applied to the accelerator pedal from a stop position. Vehicle been into dealer shop for repairs, and problem still occurs. *ak
- Steering › Linkages › Knuckle › Spindle › Arm · Suspension › Front › Control arm
Steering knuckle broke, causing half shaft to explode and ball joint to break resulting in loss of vehicle control. *ak
- Seats › Front assembly › Recliner · Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components · Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Disc › Rotor · Suspension › Front · Tires
Tires worn out on three occasions. yh
- Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system › Hoses/lines/piping/fittings · Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Gasoline › Belts and associated pulleys · Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Disc › Pads · Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Disc › Rotor
Engine belts/tensioner failed several times, hoses failed one time.
- Suspension › Rear
While driving to work at posted speed of 45 mph on route 12 in the vincinity of hintz road car made a loud sound and suddenly swerved to the left. I quickly tried to correct to avoid oncoming traffic only to find out I could not control vehicle . by luck, I did not hit anyone before I stopped but…
While driving to work at posted speed of 45 mph on route 12 in the vincinity of hintz road car made a loud sound and suddenly swerved to the left. I quickly tried to correct to avoid oncoming traffic only to find out I could not control vehicle . by luck, I did not hit anyone before I stopped but most certainly could have killed myself and/or someone. after pulling car off of road, I found that right rear support bracket for the axel housing (called "trailer arm?") had completely fractured in half. the tow truck driver who towed me to joe mitchell buick in mount prospect, il also observed the failure. I feel this IS a definite safety failure since it caused sudden unexpected loss of steering control.*ak
- Service brakes, hydraulic › Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
While driving vehicle would start to slow down. ABS brakes felt like a short delay before kicking in sto stop. ABS brakes also felt like they were slipping. Have taken vehicle to dealer's mechanic & a private mechanic to check out ABS brakes. In both instances, nothing was found wrong. *ak
- Service brakes, hydraulic › Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
When applying the brakes vehicle pulsates, but no change in the brake performance. Also, the ABS warning light comes on when vehicle IS turned on. dealer has not seen vehicle. *Ak
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 10246631Expanded Availability for Remanufacture and Return (R&R) Electronic Control Modules
- 10168979This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco TheftLock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to contact the radio unlock center to retrieve the unlock code from the scrambled code. The PI update to version D is to advise the unlock procedure is temporarily unavailable. E version update is to add administrative details.
- 10165876This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco TheftLock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to contact the radio unlock center to retrieve the unlock code from the scrambled code. The PI update to version D is to advise the unlock procedure is temporarily unavailable.
- 10141381This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco Theft Lock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to contact the radio unlock center to retrieve the unlock code from the scrambled code.
- 10000782Revised piston pin removal / installation procedure.
- 6089996Some vehicles equipped with hydra-matic 3T40, 4T60 or 4t60-e transxales may comment on a grinding and / or growling noise that IS noticeable when in park on incline.
- 619370Owners of some vehicles equipped with hydra-matic 3T40, 4T60, 4t60-e or 4t65-e transaxles may comment on a grinding and / or growling noise that IS noticeable when standing in park on a hill or slope with the engine running and the parking brake not applied.
- 619360Some owners may comment on driveability symptons of long or hard starts, chuggle, rough idle and light or intermittent misfire due to clogged fuel injectors.
- 615073Some V6 engines may, on a very infrequent basis, have an oil odor condition that IS generally encountered after the engine's oil has been changed.typically the odor lasts approximately 1000 miles after the change of oil and then does not reappear until the next change of oil.
- 604343Some owners may experience a driveability symptom of long or hard starts, chuggle, rough idle and light or intermittent misfire.
- 602341Prom calibration replacement for nox emissions.
- 601915Comments on a ticking type noise that begins shortly after cold engine start-up and gradually diminishes as the engine warms up.
- 601058Vehicles may exhibit a clattering noise at idle speed originating from the timing chain and front cover area.
- 600282Some vehicles may experience a driveability symptom of long or hard starts, chuggle, rough idle and light or intermittent misfire.
- 54419Comment that the ABS light IS on with diagnostic trouble codes (dtc's) 46 and 86 set as current or history.
- 54328Experiencing intermittent steering column snap or click noise when turning.
- 54066Subject pertaining to driveability symptoms due to fuel injector deposits.
- 52935Information concerning engine knock/rattle or tap noise before engine has reached operating temperature or under light load conditions at operating temperature (replace piston and/or rod assemblies). Ak
- 51497Cold start rattle noise (diagnosis/service procedure).
- 51302Knock, rattle or tap noise from the engine before the engine has reached operating temperature or under light load conditions at operating temperature knock, rattle or tap noise from the engine before the engine has reached operating temperature or under light load conditions at rature (replace piston and/or rod assemblies).
- 50571Cold start rattle noise.
- 45881Grinding and/or growling noise in park on incline.*sd
- 45825ABS dtc 34 and/or 35 may be set (replace/repair harness).
- 45815Cold engine tick or rattle after start-up (replace piston/pin assembly).
- 43038Unknown
- 39725Oil leak at the rocker cover.
- 39308Cold start rattle noise.
- 39279Cold start stall/sag/hesitation/cold rough idle.
- 39083Exhaust manifold seal squeak.
- 37937Highway speed vibration.
Every Buick Century model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.