1996 Buick Skylark: recalls and complaints
NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 1996 Buick Skylark. The newest campaign is 02V070000. NHTSA received the report on 6 Mar 2002. The NHTSA record gives the component Electrical System / Ignition / Switch. NHTSA has 85 complaints on file for 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, 02V070000, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will install a relay kit in these vehicles to prevent high current from flowing through the ignition switch. Owner notification began march 27, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020, pontiac at 1-800-762-2737, buick at 1-800-521-7300, or oldsmobile at 1-800-442-6537.
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
Recall campaigns
4 campaigns, newest first. 1,888,481 units in total.
- 02V070000Electrical System / Ignition / Switch
- 98V027000Interior Lighting
- 96V249000Steering / Steering Wheel/Handle Bar
- 96V211000Air Bags / Frontal
02V070000Received . 1,589,948 units.
Electrical System / Ignition / Switch
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain passenger vehicles. If the engine fails to start and the driver holds the key in the "start" position for an extended period, high current flows through the ignition switch, and sometimes produces enough heat to melt internal switch parts.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If the switch is damaged, a fire could occur in the steering column, even with the engine off and the key removed.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will install a relay kit in these vehicles to prevent high current from flowing through the ignition switch. Owner notification began march 27, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020, pontiac at 1-800-762-2737, buick at 1-800-521-7300, or oldsmobile at 1-800-442-6537.
Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Manufacturer campaign number 02008. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
98V027000Received . 249,420 units.
Interior Lighting
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. These vehicles were built with the potential for the interior lamps to come on unexpectedly while the vehicles are being driven. This does not meet the requirements of FMVSS no. 101, "controls and displays."
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
The interior lamps coming on unexpectedly could startle a driver causing a momentary loss of control increasing the risk of a vehicle accident.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will run a diagnostic test on the lamp control module and, if necessary, replace it.
Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
96V249000Received . 424 units.
Steering / Steering Wheel/Handle Bar
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
The steering column lower pinch bolt was not properly tightened during assembly.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
An undertorqued pinch bolt can rattle and cause looseness in the steering system. If the pinch bolt backed out of the joint completely, rotation of the steering shaft against the connector could cause increasing looseness in the steering system and result in loss of steering and an accident.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will inspect the steering column pinch bolt for correct torque and, if necessary, tighten the bolt to the specified torque.
Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
96V211000Received . 48,689 units.
Air Bags / Frontal
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
During deployment of the passenger air bag, the air bag fabric can snag on a reinforcement inside the instrument panel, causing the expanding air bag to lift the instrument panel pad and then deploy under the instrument panel instead of through the door in the instrument panel.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
In a crash, the front seat passenger could receive more severe injuries if he or she contacts a broken reinforcement or if the snagging affects the deployment of the air bag.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will inspect the instrument panel pads and, if necessary, install a plastic edge protector to the instrument panel pad reinforcement. On certain early-production vehicles, the instrument panel pad will be replaced.
Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
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
85 complaints, 116 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.
- 1996 Buick Skylark
- All 1996 vehicles
| Component | 1996 Skylark | All 1996 vehicles | Skylark, all years | Mentions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 155.2 | 66.9 | 70.4 | 18 |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 146.6 | 140.9 | 151.4 | 17 |
| Electrical System | 137.9 | 84 | 160.7 | 16 |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 129.3 | 120.9 | 148.7 | 15 |
| Seat Belts | 69 | 23.1 | 42.5 | 8 |
| Wheels | 43.1 | 8.7 | 9.3 | 5 |
| Visibility | 43.1 | 59 | 27.9 | 5 |
| Unknown or Other | 43.1 | 22.4 | 17.3 | 5 |
| Equipment | 34.5 | 21.9 | 19.9 | 4 |
| Exterior Lighting | 25.9 | 22.9 | 31.9 | 3 |
The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 19.
- Complaints that report a crash
- 7
- Complaints that report a fire
- 1
- Injuries in the complaints
- 9
- Deaths in the complaints
- 0
- Date of the newest complaint
- 7 Jul 2016
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.
Investigations
The NHTSA investigation file has no investigation that names this model year.
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.
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 1996 Buick SkylarkThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.
Cite this page
Recall Register. 1996 Buick Skylark: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/buick/skylark/1996/. 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 1996 Buick Skylark?
- 1,888,481 units in 4 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
- How many recall campaigns does the Buick Skylark have for all model years?
- NHTSA lists 50 recall campaigns for the Buick Skylark, model years 1966 to 2000. 4 of them name the 1996 model year.
- Which component do the complaints about the 1996 Buick Skylark name most often?
- Air Bags: 18 of 116 component mentions, or 155.2 per 1,000. For all 1996 vehicles the figure is 66.9 per 1,000.
- Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1996 Buick Skylark open?
- The NHTSA investigation file has no investigation that names this model year.