AI Damage1992 Buick Skylark: common problems
Owners of the 1992 Buick Skylark filed 32 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 32
- involving a crash
- 4
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 22% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 19% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 16% of all complaints
- 4 Engine and cooling 13% of all complaints
- 5 Vehicle speed control 13% of all complaints
- 6 Visibility 9% of all complaints
- 7 Fuel system 6% of all complaints
- 8 Steering 6% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 7 complaints (22% of all).
- Electrical system: 6 complaints (19% of all).
- Powertrain: 5 complaints (16% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 4 complaints (13% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 4 complaints (13% of all), 3 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.
- 2.3 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- 3.3 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- automatic, 3-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 32 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 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Visibility | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 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.
While car was parked and shut off, vehicle someway jumped out of of park and rolled across the lot, hitting another parked car. Consumer feels this is unsafe.
Driver got into vehicle, put key into ignition, backed out of garage, had foot on the brake, put vehicle in drive, vehicle shot forward, hit the fence knocking a well top off-pushing a large rock-ban into house.
Accelerator pedal made a noise, then car speed up and crashed. Tt
Vehicle 330 engine would intermittently stall at any given speed. Vehicle been into dealer shop on several occasions, and they were unable to duplicate the problem. Feel free to provide any further information.
Intermittently, when in park, the transmission selector will not move out of park. I have worked around it by tilting the steering wheel up and down sharply several times when this occurs and it will then allow the shift. Sometimes this happens frequently, sometimes it is several months in between failures.
Vehicle stalls at slow speeds. This has happened numerous times.
When raining, water leaks and settles on the right front floor.
I replaced the ignition switch, fusible link, and starter when the ignition started to smoke/burn when starting in the parking lot. The replacement starter failed 3 months later and the replacement fusible link 4 months later.
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 6,635 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 18% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Skylark has 28 complaints (19 years in the data). This year has 32, above 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.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Other years of this model
- Skylark 19823 sources
- Skylark 19848 sources
- Skylark 19856 sources
- Skylark 19868 sources
- Skylark 198814 sources
- Skylark 19894 sources
- Skylark 199019 sources
- Skylark 199138 sources
- Skylark 199346 sources
- Skylark 199468 sources
- Skylark 199585 sources
- Skylark 199685 sources
- Skylark 199779 sources
- Skylark 199824 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1992 Buick Skylark?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, electrical system, powertrain. Total complaints: 32. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: stalls while driving (16%), smoke, burning smell, fire (6%), warning lights, check engine (6%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1992 Buick Skylark?
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 Skylark 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.