Recall Register

1979 Buick Century: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 1979 Buick Century. The newest campaign is 84V149000. NHTSA received the report on 24 Nov 1984. The NHTSA record gives the component Power Train / Axle Assembly / Axle Shaft. NHTSA has no complaint on file for this model year. 1 NHTSA investigation names this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 84V149000, in the NHTSA record

The dealer will inspect the rear axle to determine whether it was manufactured at the buffalo plant. If so, they will make axle measurements and if necessary replace or modify affected axle components without charge.
NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.

NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on . Complaint file through . Recall file through .

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

5 campaigns, newest first. 9,003,893 units in total.

  • 84V149000Power Train / Axle Assembly / Axle Shaft
  • 81V025000Suspension / Rear
  • 81V022000Visibility / Glass, Side/Rear
  • 79V214000Power Train / Automatic Transmission / Lever and Linkage / Floor Shift
  • 79V142000Exterior Lighting / Brake Lights / Switch

  1. 84V149000Received . 3,100,000 units.

    Power Train / Axle Assembly / Axle Shaft

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Rear axle assembly may have axles that were improperly manufactured. This condition may result in separation of the axle shaft and wheel assembly from the vehicle.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    The dealer will inspect the rear axle to determine whether it was manufactured at the buffalo plant. If so, they will make axle measurements and if necessary replace or modify affected axle components without charge.

    Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  2. 81V025000Received . 5,821,160 units.

    Suspension / Rear

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    The bolts that attach the lower rear control arm to the frame may fracture. The rear control arm supports and positions the rear axle. Fracture of the bolts would allow the control arm to drop free.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Both rear control arm attachment bolts will be replaced without charge.

    Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  3. 81V022000Received . 67,350 units.

    Visibility / Glass, Side/Rear

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    The electro-clear rear window defoggers contain a defect which causes the glass to shatter without impact during or some time after use of the defogger. Vertical electrical strips may deteriorate and cause hot spots that can result in breakage of the rear glass.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Vehicles will be inspected for presence of a particular weatherstrip. If present, a layer of a special conductive epoxy will be added to the vertical bar on the rear window glass. This epoxy is a new conductive material which will not react with the weatherstrip.

    Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  4. 79V214000Received . 55 units.

    Power Train / Automatic Transmission / Lever and Linkage / Floor Shift

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    The shift cable retaining clip may have been installed backwards or not at all. The purpose of this spring clip is to secure the lower end of the shift cable housing to the transmission. If the clip is backward or missing, the console shift lever may not shift the transmission and/or the transmission range indicator may indicate that the transmission is in the "park" or "p" position when it is not.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    The dealer will inspect and if necessary correct the shift cable retaining clip installation at no charge.

    Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  5. 79V142000Received . 15,328 units.

    Exterior Lighting / Brake Lights / Switch

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    On the involved vehicles the brake stoplight and cruise control switch which is operated by the brake pedal may have been assembled with an incorrect lubricant on the actuating plunger. This can cause the rear brake stoplights to become inoperative and the cruise control, if activated, to stay electrically engaged.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Dealer will inspect and, if necessary, replace the brake stoplight and cruise control switch at no cost to owner.

    Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP..

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

The NHTSA complaint file has no complaint for this model year.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 1979 Buick Century
NumberTypeSubjectComponentOpenedClosedCampaign
EA86006Engineering analysisBRAKE BACKING PLATEService Brakes, Hydraulic27 Nov 198528 Nov 1988

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

  1. 19733
  2. 19742
  3. 19752
  4. 19762
  5. 19773
  6. 19786
  7. 19795
  8. 19805
  9. 19813
  10. 19822
  11. 19831
  12. 19843
  13. 19850
  14. 19862
  15. 19870
  16. 19883
  17. 19891
  18. 19902
  19. 19912
  20. 19923
  21. 19932
  22. 19946
  23. 19951
  24. 19961
  25. 19972
  26. 19982
  27. 19993
  28. 20005
  29. 20013
  30. 20020
  31. 20030
  32. 20040
  33. 20050

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

Official channels

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1979 Buick Century: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/buick/century/1979/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through .

Sources

Source
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence
US government work, public domain
Recall file through
30 Sep 2026
Complaint file through
30 Sep 2026
First complaint in the file
1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file
GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 1979 Buick Century?
9,003,893 units in 5 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Buick Century have for all model years?
NHTSA lists 55 recall campaigns for the Buick Century, model years 1973 to 2005. 5 of them name the 1979 model year.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1979 Buick Century open?
No. The 1 investigation that names this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.