"How reliable is the 1997 Buick Century?"

"Based on 132 NHTSA complaints, the 1997 Buick Century has a median complaint mileage of 100000 miles. The most common issue is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN."

"What are common problems with the 1997 Buick Century?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1997 Buick Century is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN, accounting for a significant portion of the 132 total complaints filed."

1997 Buick Century: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 132 complaints

132

Total Complaints

100,000mi

Median Mileage

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

46,200 25th Percentile

100,000 Median Mileage

121,768 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER

STEERING:RACK AND PINION

TIRES

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

AIR BAGS

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

STEERING

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHILE COMING DOWN A STEEP HILL THE BRAKES FAILED, CAUSING CONSUMER VEHICLE TO RUN OFF INTO SOMEONES YARD, CONSUMER STATES SHE PUSHED THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR, BUT THERE WAERE NO BRAKES. NO INJURIES. *AK"

"CONSUMER HAS A CONSTANT REFLECTION OF CURVED DASHBOARD IN WINDSHIELD WITH OR WITHOUT SUNLIGHT. *AK"

"CONSUMER COMPLAINS THAT THE FUEL WARNING SYSTEM ACTIVATES PREMATURELY."

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

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