AI Damage1994 Buick Century: common problems
Owners of the 1994 Buick Century filed 106 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and air bags. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 106
- involving a crash
- 25
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 19% of all complaints
- 2 Air bags 13% of all complaints
- 3 Engine and cooling 13% of all complaints
- 4 Vehicle speed control 12% of all complaints
- 5 Electrical system 9% of all complaints
- 6 Seat belts 8% of all complaints
- 7 Steering 8% of all complaints
- 8 Fuel system 7% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 20 complaints (19% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 14 complaints (13% of all), 13 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 14 complaints (13% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 13 complaints (12% of all), 6 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 10 complaints (9% of all), 1 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.
- 2.2 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- 3.1 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- automatic, 3-speed
- automatic, 4-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 106 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 | 20 | 1 | 0 |
| Air bags | 14 | 13 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 13 | 6 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 9 | 3 | 0 |
| Steering | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Seats | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Wheels | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 3 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Vehicle was travels along 113 in kankakee il at approx 55 mph, as vehicle entered a bend the right front tire tread separated from the vehicles right front tire causing the vehicle to go into a left side spin over the embankment and into a fence poll. Vehicle did roll possibly two time.
First crash---vehicle acelerated uncontrollably with foot on brake / second crash---vehicle accelerated in reverse extremeley fast with gear shift in the park position upon turning key in ignition.
Upon impact, driver's airbag did not deploy, which did not protect the occupant in this crash. No previous problem with airbag system.
Rear axle broke while driving at approx. 30 mph, causing vehicle to hit guardrai.; no injury received. Dealer notified and informed consumer that no recall on vehicle. Can nhtsa help in this matter.
Consumer was driving at 45 mph and another vehicle hit consumer's vehicle head-on. Upon impact, driver's side and passenger's side air bags didn't deploy.
At a stop sign and proceeded forward, had a direct frontal impact in which the driver's airbag did not deploy, and did not protect the occupant. Dealer said frontal impact was suppose to be higher in order to activate the airbag. Please provide further information.
The drivers seatbelt buckle came apart and caused the occupant to get hurt. Please describe. Tt
Turned on ignition, engine roared as slightly applied accelerator; engine went into high speed; lurched forward with brakes applied; vehicle hit garage. 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 3,431 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 9% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Century has 70 complaints (26 years in the data). This year has 106, above average.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle 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 199245 sources
- Century 199354 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 1994 Buick Century?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, air bags, engine and cooling. Total complaints: 106. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: airbags did not deploy (8%), seat belts (7%), vibration (6%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1994 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 1994 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 1994 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.