1996 Buick Skylark problems & reliability
85 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1996 Buick Skylark, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. 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.
8 complaints report injuries (9 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1996 Buick Skylark 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 18 | 21% |
| Electrical System | 15 | 18% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 15 | 18% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 13 | 15% |
| Seat Belts | 8 | 9% |
| Unknown OR Other | 5 | 6% |
| Equipment | 4 | 5% |
| Visibility | 4 | 5% |
| Wheels | 4 | 5% |
| Exterior Lighting | 3 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl* the contact owns a 1996 buick skylark. When the contact started the vehicle, the driver's side air bag deployed. The driver sustained injuries to the face, neck, chest, right shoulder, and mouth. Medical attention was required. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the…”
Air Bags · filed Jul 7, 2016
“Airbag deployment, on may 5 2016, 10 pm, went out to put windows up in car, vehicle was stationary,opened door, leaned in to turn on key, when I turned on key, heard loud explosion, two thoughts before I blacked out, thought I had been shot & what the hell was pulling me backwards so fast, came to in a few seconds…”
Air Bags · filed May 31, 2016
“The airbag exploded while I was driving the car and then caused the horn to continuously go off. Not five minutes into my drive it went off while I was accelerating from being stopped at a red light. I was pulled over on a side street when the horn started going off. The air bag bruised and burned my left arm, however…”
Air Bags · filed May 21, 2015
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
56 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1996 Buick Skylark. The 10 most recent:
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 14, 2022
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 31, 2020
This informational bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Procedures to Unlock Delco Radio with Theftlock.
19NA273 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 2, 2019
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco TheftLock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696E · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 22, 2019
This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy transportation policy.
17NA073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 18, 2019
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco TheftLock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 5, 2019
This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy transportation policy.
17NA073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 15, 2019
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco Theft Lock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 31, 2018
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 20, 2017
This warranty administration bulletin provides policy information with the field action courtesy transportation policy.
17-NA-073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 15, 2017
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 1996 Buick Skylark has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
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 1996 Buick Skylark?
- · 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.