AI Damage1995 Buick Skylark: common problems
Owners of the 1995 Buick Skylark filed 85 complaints with NHTSA, most often about electrical system and service brakes. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 85
- involving a crash
- 7
What fails most often
- 1 Electrical system 36% of all complaints
- 2 Service brakes 20% of all complaints
- 3 Air bags 14% of all complaints
- 4 Engine and cooling 12% of all complaints
- 5 Exterior lighting 12% of all complaints
- 6 Vehicle speed control 6% of all complaints
- 7 Powertrain 5% of all complaints
- 8 Seat belts 4% of all complaints
- Electrical system: 31 complaints (36% of all).
- Service brakes: 17 complaints (20% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 12 complaints (14% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 10 complaints (12% of all).
- Exterior lighting: 10 complaints (12% of all).
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
- 3.1 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- automatic, 3-speed
- automatic, 4-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 85 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 31 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 17 | 3 | 0 |
| Air bags | 12 | 4 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Child seat | 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.
The seat belt would not release from the buckle. The occupant had the squeeze under the seat belt to get out.
Went to brake, pushed pedal to floor, nothing happened, policeman also concurred no brakes, been at dealership for 4 wks claim brakes are fine didn't replace anything.
While driving behind another vehicle, the other vehicle put on brakes and struck the other vehicle and the air bag did not deploy.
If this problem is left unchecked, it will cause rust-through in the firewall and floorboards. I would not even have considered buying this car had I known about this problem.
While traveling down the highway the steering column bolt dis-lodged causing the steering to be almost in-operable, this also resulted in the instrument lights and tail lights to go out and stop working.
In aug 2001 I had to have the turn signal lever on the steering column replaced due the headlights and turn signals becoming non operative. In feb 2002 I started to have random occurences of the headlights being nonfunctional while the switch was being operated, usually after turning the switch on and off for a few…
Also stated that the vehicle was total lost on a collision driving at 55 mph where the air bags did not deploy. Dealer or manufacture were not contacted at the time of this call. Ts
There was a split in sidewall of rear passenger's side tire which caused vehicle to vibrate while driving. Model sport master, glt, size p19570r14, dot # u9j9, not original tires. The tire rapidly lost air causing the vehicle to swerve, cooper tires.
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 3,931 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 11% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Skylark has 28 complaints (19 years in the data). This year has 85, above average.
What to check before buying
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- 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.
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 199232 sources
- Skylark 199346 sources
- Skylark 199468 sources
- Skylark 199685 sources
- Skylark 199779 sources
- Skylark 199824 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1995 Buick Skylark?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: electrical system, service brakes, air bags. Total complaints: 85. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: headlights and tail lights (8%), brake failure (5%), smoke, burning smell, fire (5%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1995 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 1995 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 1995 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.