Buick Century Steering Problems
Owners have filed 113 complaints with NHTSA about steering problems on the Buick Century across 10 model years. The 1998 model year has the most (24). The words owners use most often: “rack pinion” (13% of reports).
- 113steering complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 7mention a crash
- 4mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 18%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Rack pinion: mentioned in 15 of 113 complaints (13%)
- Tie rod: mentioned in 13 of 113 complaints (12%)
- Making turn: mentioned in 9 of 113 complaints (8%)
- Steering column: mentioned in 8 of 113 complaints (7%)
At what mileage do steering problems happen?
Based on 57 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 113 complaints, 7 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 4 an injury.
Buick Century steering complaints by model year
| Model year | Steering complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 Century | 2 | 5% | 47,500 |
| 2003 Century | 7 | 6% | 40,000 |
| 2002 Century | 11 | 7% | 41,000 |
| 2001 Century | 11 | 8% | 38,100 |
| 2000 Century | 11 | 6% | 51,305 |
| 1999 Century | 13 | 6% | 38,000 |
| 1998 Century | 24 | 11% | 72,000 |
| 1997 Century | 15 | 14% | 102,000 |
| 1996 Century | 10 | 13% | 88,000 |
| 1995 Century | 9 | 9% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists steering for the Buick Century. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
UNKNOWN; The issues started around 6 months ago. Just casually driving like usual, and my steering wheel would lock up and be ridiculously hard to turn, which is scary because its happened while turning through lights and intersections and trying to even just park my car. And on some of those…
My vehicle was receiving a PA state required annual mechanical safety inspection by an ASE certified mechanic. I was informed that the "sway bar" which stabilizes the steering system had failed, and as a critical part of the steering operation, the vehicle could not pass a PA state mechanical…
I went to turn my wheel and it wouldn't turn left then the rack and pinion broke the wheel just turns 360 to the left but no movement in turning lost all steering
Steering locked while driving on highway. Car would speed up on its own without touching the gas peddle. This occurred as soon as the car was taken out of park.
Steering wheel locks up while making a turn
Frequently asked questions
Do all Buick Centurys have steering problems?
No. NHTSA has 113 owner complaints about steering for the Buick Century. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Buick Century steering?
No recall currently lists steering for this vehicle.
What do owners say about steering problems on the Buick Century?
The most frequent phrase is “rack pinion”, in 15 of 113 complaints, followed by “tie rod” (13).
Other Buick Century problems
See all Buick Century problems.