1998 Buick Century: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 1998 Buick Century. The newest campaign is 99V356000. NHTSA received the report on 17 Dec 1999. The NHTSA record gives the component Exterior Lighting / Headlights. NHTSA has 205 complaints on file for this model year. 4 NHTSA investigations name 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, 99V356000, in the NHTSA record

Owners will be provided with an owner's manual insert containing instructions for optically aiming the headlamps.

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 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 29 Mar 2018. Recall file through 29 Sep 2026.

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

2 campaigns, newest first. 561,222 units in total.

99V356000Received 17 Dec 1999. 411,880 units.
Exterior Lighting / Headlights
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. These vehicles do not conform to the requirements of FMVSS no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." the vertical head lamp adjusting device may not be calibrated properly.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Driver visibility may be impaired increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Owners will be provided with an owner's manual insert containing instructions for optically aiming the headlamps.
Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 20 Jul 2000.
98V102000Received 15 May 1998. 149,342 units.
Exterior Lighting / Headlights
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The owner manuals do not contain the requirement information pertaining to the vehicle headlamp aiming device. This does not comply with requirements of FMVSS no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment."
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If the headlamp assemblies are replaced, customers may not be able to properly aim the headlights.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Owners will be mailed an owner manual's insert which contains the appropriate information.
Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 30 May 1998.

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

205 complaints, 262 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

1998 Buick Century
All 1998 vehicles

1998 Buick Century: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	1998 Century	All 1998 vehicles	Century, all years	Mentions
Power Train	103.1	94.3	73.3	27
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	103.1	114.6	119.1	27
Electrical System	91.6	79.1	83.2	24
Visibility	91.6	60.4	78.2	24
Engine and Engine Cooling	87.8	131.3	127	23
Steering	80.2	55.6	70.4	21
Exterior Lighting	76.3	27.8	61	20
Unknown or Other	61.1	20.3	26.1	16
Seat Belts	45.8	22.9	54.1	12
Structure	42	39.6	46.8	11

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 22.

Complaints that report a crash: 8
Complaints that report a fire: 0
Injuries in the complaints: 8
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 10 Jul 2010

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 1998 Buick Century, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 1999, with 47 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 1998 Buick Century
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
EA03019	Engineering analysis	POWER RACK AND PINION STEERING FAILURE	Steering	15 Sep 2003	18 Dec 2003	03V527000
RQ03001	Recall query	POWER RACK AND PINION STEERING FAILURE	Steering	2 Jan 2003	15 Sep 2003
EA99024	Engineering analysis	WINDSHIELD WIPER	Visibility	20 Aug 1999	13 Jan 2000
PE99028	Preliminary evaluation	WINDSHIELD WIPER	Visibility	16 Apr 1999	20 Aug 1999

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.

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

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 1998 Buick CenturyThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1998 Buick Century: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/buick/century/1998/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 29 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 29 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 29 Mar 2018
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 1998 Buick Century?: 561,222 units in 2 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. 2 of them name the 1998 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1998 Buick Century name most often?: Power Train: 27 of 262 component mentions, or 103.1 per 1,000. For all 1998 vehicles the figure is 94.3 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1998 Buick Century open?: No. Each of the 4 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.