AI Damage1992 Buick Century: common problems
Owners of the 1992 Buick Century filed 45 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 45
- involving a crash
- 10
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 27% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 18% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 13% of all complaints
- 4 Seat belts 13% of all complaints
- 5 Vehicle speed control 11% of all complaints
- 6 Engine and cooling 9% of all complaints
- 7 Steering 7% of all complaints
- 8 Structure 7% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 12 complaints (27% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 8 complaints (18% of all).
- Powertrain: 6 complaints (13% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Seat belts: 6 complaints (13% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Vehicle speed control: 5 complaints (11% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 2.5 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- 3.3 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- automatic, 3-speed
- automatic, 4-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 45 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | 12 | 2 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 1 | 1 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
On april 10th the right front tire blew out while driving at 45 mph. This resulted in damage to other parts of the vehicle. There was damage to wheel well, the passenger door, tire axle and the underbody of the vehicle. There has been no inspection made of the tire at this time.
Auto accellerated on its own -throttle went from 0 to wide open.
The vehicle was accelerating on its own, but the mechanic could not find the cause.
Driving at 55 mph consumer went to apply brakes, experienced total brake failure, resulting in a rear end collision. Consumer sustained severe head injuries, and vehicle was totaled.
Driving about 35mph; started to apply the brakes (abs); the brake pedal continues to the floor; had rearended another vehicle due to the failure of abs brakes. Was informed master cylinder was defective.
Vehicle accelerated uncontrollably when shifted into drive, causing accident.
Vehicle was stopped at light, impact 6:00 position, rear right seatbelt anchor/attachments failed, causing head injuries prior to recall (95v-173).
The car was in an accident the seatbelts failed and killed the driver and broke the passengers neck. Please describe. Tt
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 5,630 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 15% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Century has 70 complaints (26 years in the data). This year has 45, below average.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
Other years of this model
- Century 19823 sources
- Century 19848 sources
- Century 19857 sources
- Century 198622 sources
- Century 198728 sources
- Century 198816 sources
- Century 198940 sources
- Century 199033 sources
- Century 199138 sources
- Century 199354 sources
- Century 1994106 sources
- Century 199599 sources
- Century 199680 sources
- Century 1997106 sources
- Century 1998218 sources
- Century 1999235 sources
- Century 2000193 sources
- Century 2001145 sources
- Century 2002154 sources
- Century 2003127 sources
- Century 200439 sources
- Century 200519 sources
- Century 99993 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1992 Buick Century?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, electrical system, powertrain. Total complaints: 45. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: seat belts (11%), smoke, burning smell, fire (7%), stalls while driving (7%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1992 Buick Century?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1992 Buick Century from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1992 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.