1990 Buick Century problems & reliability
33 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1990 Buick Century. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
3 complaints report injuries (3 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1990 Buick Century vehicles were involved in 1 fatal crash with 1 occupant death. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Seat Belts | 8 | 24% |
| Electrical System | 6 | 18% |
| Structure | 6 | 18% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 5 | 15% |
| Seats | 5 | 15% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | 6% |
| Steering | 2 | 6% |
| Tires | 2 | 6% |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 3% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Problems with vehicle's steering.*mr stiffness in steering, sometimes consumer have to steer in neutral as it doesn't come back by itself. Sometimes it squeak while turning, no lock up has occurred yet. *ph”
Steering · filed Dec 3, 2003
“Consumer states that while driving and without warning the engine blew and the vehicle started to smoke under the hood causing the consumer to pull over. Dealer notified. Mr”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Oct 11, 2002
“On wednesday 6/13/2002 my 1990 buick century lost steering control due to a failure in the cradle bolts.I could have been seriously injured.I have found the following recall which includes the 1990 buick regal, nhtsa recall no. 97v058/gm recall no. 97016. My vehicle is a 1990 buick century with 3300 v6 and is not…”
Structure · filed Aug 12, 2002
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- STICKING THROTTLE
Engineering Analysis EA92024 · opened Jun 26, 1992 · closed Jan 31, 1994
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1990 Buick Century in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1990 Buick Century?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.