"How reliable is the 1996 Buick Park Avenue?"

"Based on 68 NHTSA complaints, the 1996 Buick Park Avenue has a median complaint mileage of 112000 miles. The most common issue is Air Bags."

"What are common problems with the 1996 Buick Park Avenue?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1996 Buick Park Avenue is Air Bags, accounting for a significant portion of the 68 total complaints filed."

1996 Buick Park Avenue: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 68 complaints

Total Complaints

112,000mi

Median Mileage

Air Bags

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

89,135 25th Percentile

112,000 Median Mileage

180,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Air Bags

Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip

Engine And Engine Cooling

Tires

Frontal

Control Module

Hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings

Front

Gasoline

Ignition

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE ENGINE SHUTS DOWN AND HAS TO BE RESTARTED AGAIN. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK"

"VEHICLE VIBRATES AT SPEEDS EXCEEDING 50 MPH. *SD"

"WINDSHIELD WASHER FLUID COMES OUT TOO MUCH, DRIVERS VISION IS IMPAIRED FOR SEVERAL SECONDS AND MUST SLOW DOWN OR BE AT A STOP TO SEE. *AK *JB"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

IL: 7 CA: 6 NY: 5 PA: 5 MI: 4 TX: 4 MO: 3 VA: 3 AZ: 3 MA: 2

Who Files Complaints?

25%

Original Owners

75%

Second+ Owners

Buick Park Avenue — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1991	134	-	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	16
1992	104	-	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	13
1993	102	156,510	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	7
1994	63	110,000	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	6
1995	164	108,000	Hydraulic Power Assist System	7
1997	355	89,747	Gasoline	5
1998	327	73,171	Gasoline	8
1999	174	59,600	Gasoline	5
2000	104	60,000	Electrical System	6
2001	71	66,469	Electrical System	5
2002	41	47,000	Electrical System	4
2003	38	52,500	Tires	2

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28