1996 Buick Park Avenue Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Park Avenue years
- About as many complaints as other years 6th of 11 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 59 complaints with NHTSA about the 1996 Buick Park Avenue. That ranks 6th out of 11 Park Avenue model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (10 complaints, 17%), typically at around 122,514 miles. Complaints mention 2 crashes, 4 fires, 7 injuries. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 3 defect investigations involving it.
- 59owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 3NHTSA investigations
- 2complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1996 Buick Park Avenue problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 10 | 17% | 122,514 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 9 | 15% | 99,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 9 | 15% | 99,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 6 | 10% | 200,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 5 | 8% | 146,271 | — | — |
| Power Train | 4 | 7% | — | — | — |
| Tires | 4 | 7% | 99,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 3 | 5% | — | — | — |
| Suspension | 3 | 5% | 190,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 3 | 5% | — | — | — |
| Steering | 2 | 3% | 139,500 | — | — |
| Structure | 2 | 3% | 180,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 2 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 1 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 2% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1996 Buick Park Avenue recalls (3)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Fuel system, gasoline:fuel injection system
Problem: A backfire during engine starting can cause breakage of the upper intake manifold.
Risk: This condition can cause a no-start condition and possibly an engine compartment fire.
Fix: Dealers will update the powertrain control module programming. Until the campaign repair is made, the vehicle hood should be shut whenever starting the vehicle to reduce the chance of personal injury.
Seat belts:front:buckle assembly
Problem: These vehicles were assembled with one or more incorrect safety belt and/or safety belt buckle ends. This does not conform with the requirements of fmvss no. 209, "seat belt assemblies."
Risk: Consequence of non-compliance: if an incorrect part is used, the belt may not latch properly, increasing the risk of injury to the occupant should a vehicle crash occur.
Fix: Dealers will inspect all front and rear safety belt latch ends and safety belt buckles for correct parts and replace any incorrect parts.
Electrical system:ignition:anti-theft:control module
Problem: These vehicles were assembled with a malfunction alarm, lighting and locking (mall) module that can contain a damaged capacitor. If the capacitor is damaged, the "key in the ignition" warning chime and the driver seat belt unbuckled warning chime and indicator lamp may not work. This does not meet the requirements of fmvss no. 114, "theft protection" and fmvss no. 208, "occupant crash protection." in addition, other chime reminder functions, interior lighting controls, and power door locking features are also affected.
Risk: Consequence of non-compliance; the driver may not be aware that the key was left in the ignition or that the safety belt was not buckled.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and, if required, replace the mall module.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Power rack and pinion steering failure (RQ03001) — opened Jan 2, 2003, closed Sep 15, 2003.
- Engine compartment fires (EA02030) — opened Oct 22, 2002, closed Mar 9, 2004, led to recall 04V090000.
- Engine compartment fires (PE02050) — opened Jun 13, 2002, closed Oct 22, 2002.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Sub-frame rust is severe where 2 at front of the engine mounting bushings all have rust, but the worst are the ones supporting the transmission -under the transmission, 2 have almost no metal frame and engine/transmission could drop down, as seen on some of the You tube videos. Inspected and find…
The driver seat belt unbuckled warning chime doesn't work. The "key in the ignition" warning chime usually doesn't work. The mall module has been diagnosed as the cause by a local buick dealership. This same issue is a recall on some of this model and make of car, but not currently on this vin#. Gm…
Slowed to turn corner, passenger air bag deployed. Airbag light on. No contact with anything outside the car.
Ignition switch will not turn off key can be removed with car running. *tr
Large bubble on sidewall pulling bead loose from rim, after driving only about 140 miles these tires are kelly explorer 205/70r15 dot pjmo jd1r. *tr
Other Buick Park Avenue years
← 1995 Park Avenue · 1997 Park Avenue →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 Park Avenue | 8 | 0 |
| 2004 Park Avenue | 12 | 0 |
| 2003 Park Avenue | 33 | 1 |
| 2002 Park Avenue | 32 | 1 |
| 2001 Park Avenue | 57 | 2 |
| 2000 Park Avenue | 81 | 3 |
| 1999 Park Avenue | 140 | 3 |
| 1998 Park Avenue | 246 | 2 |
| 1997 Park Avenue | 219 | 3 |
| 1996 | 59 | 3 |
| 1995 Park Avenue | 117 | 1 |
See all Buick Park Avenue problems by year, every Buick model, or the Buick VIN decoder.
Similar Buick models
Embed this 1996 Buick Park Avenue badge on your site
Copy this code into your blog or forum post. It shows live complaint and recall counts and links back here.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1996 Buick Park Avenue?
Owners most often report air bags, electrical system, engine and engine cooling problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 10 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1996 Buick Park Avenue?
Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1996 Buick Park Avenue a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Park Avenue model years, the 1996 has about as many complaints as a typical year. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.