AI Damage1993 Buick Park Avenue: common problems
Owners of the 1993 Buick Park Avenue filed 64 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and engine and cooling. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 64
- involving a crash
- 7
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 33% of all complaints
- 2 Engine and cooling 19% of all complaints
- 3 Electrical system 17% of all complaints
- 4 Powertrain 16% of all complaints
- 5 Structure 13% of all complaints
- 6 Equipment 9% of all complaints
- 7 Fuel system 8% of all complaints
- 8 Steering 8% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 21 complaints (33% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 12 complaints (19% of all).
- Electrical system: 11 complaints (17% of all).
- Powertrain: 10 complaints (16% of all).
- Structure: 8 complaints (13% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 3.8 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- 3.8 L · petrol · turbo · 6 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 64 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 | 21 | 4 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Visibility | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 1 | 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.
No deployment of driver's air bag upon impact, during a frontal collision at approx. 40 mph, 12:00 on front bumper.
Vehicle was stopped for light, tour bus did not stop & rearended vehicle, front passenger seat collapsed backwards, passenger injured by seat belt,
Impact speed estimated w/dollar value over $5,400.00. Drivers air bag failed to deploy. Please describe details. Tt
Anti-lock brakes failed, causing loss of control/accident.
Abs brakes failed, causing extended stopping distance, resulting in an accident.
Major transmission leak-possible fire hazard possible manufacture recall.
Tl contact owns a 1993 buick park avenue. While driving 15 mph, the engine mount fell underneath the vehicle, which caused the engine to drop halfway out of the vehicle. The steering wheel detached and was unable to be used. The contact is sending the vehicle to a welding shop. The failure mileage was 130,000.
The washers for the cradle bolts rusted and broke off. The sub frame(cradle) then dropped and disconnected steering shaft. Luckily this happened leaving a parking lot @ 5mph.
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 4,654 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 13% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Park Avenue has 60 complaints (23 years in the data). This year has 64, about average.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- 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.
Other years of this model
- Park Avenue 198510 sources
- Park Avenue 19866 sources
- Park Avenue 198713 sources
- Park Avenue 198819 sources
- Park Avenue 198921 sources
- Park Avenue 199012 sources
- Park Avenue 199192 sources
- Park Avenue 199277 sources
- Park Avenue 199448 sources
- Park Avenue 1995117 sources
- Park Avenue 199659 sources
- Park Avenue 1997219 sources
- Park Avenue 1998246 sources
- Park Avenue 1999140 sources
- Park Avenue 200081 sources
- Park Avenue 200157 sources
- Park Avenue 200232 sources
- Park Avenue 200333 sources
- Park Avenue 200412 sources
- Park Avenue 20058 sources
- Park Avenue 99995 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1993 Buick Park Avenue?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, engine and cooling, electrical system. Total complaints: 64. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (20%), rust, corrosion (8%), brake failure (6%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1993 Buick Park Avenue?
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 1993 Buick Park Avenue 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 1993 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.