1997 Buick Park Avenue Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Park Avenue years
- Far more complaints than other years 2nd of 11 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 219 complaints with NHTSA about the 1997 Buick Park Avenue. That ranks 2nd out of 11 Park Avenue model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is seat belts (52 complaints, 24%), typically at around 93,500 miles. Complaints mention 5 crashes, 21 fires, 9 injuries. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 5 defect investigations involving it.
- 219owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 5NHTSA investigations
- 5complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1997 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat Belts problems | 52 | 24% | 93,500 | “seat belt” (42%) | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 44 | 20% | 94,500 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 38 | 17% | 67,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 24 | 11% | 91,050 | — | — |
| Power Train | 24 | 11% | 72,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 20 | 9% | 80,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 15 | 7% | 118,701 | — | — |
| Structure | 14 | 6% | 106,113 | — | — |
| Visibility | 14 | 6% | 78,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 11 | 5% | — | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 6 | 3% | 155,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 5 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 5 | 2% | 78,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 4 | 2% | 84,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 4 | 2% | 104,747 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 2 | 1% | 76,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 2 | 1% | 150,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 0% | 110,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Tires | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Wheels | 1 | 0% | 80,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1997 Buick Park Avenue recalls (3)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Seat belts:front:webbing
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Some of these vehicles have front seat shoulder belts that may twist, allowing the webbing to become jammed in the retractor.
Risk: When the shoulder belt webbing becomes jammed in the retractor, the belt may be unusable.
Fix: Dealers will inspect for the presence of updated front shoulder belt bezels and where necessary, install new front seat shoulder belt opening bezel kits.
Service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
Problem: The electronic brake control module or the electronic brake and traction control module can cause the antilock brake system (abs) to cycle during a non-abs brake application.
Risk: This condition can result in an increase in vehicle stopping distance increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the electronic brake control module or the electronic brake and traction control module.
Seats:mid/rear assembly
Problem: These vehicles were assembled with center rear seat belt anchor bolts not properly installed. This does not meet the requirements of fmvss no. 210, "seat belt assembly anchorages."
Risk: In the event of a vehicle crash, the seat belt system would not withstand the required load and injury to the seat occupant could occur.
Fix: Dealers will tighten the center rear seat belt anchor bolts to specification.
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.
- Front shoulder belt malfunction (EA00002) — opened Jan 6, 2000, closed May 2, 2000, led to recall 00V117000.
- Front shoulder belt malfunction (PE99056) — opened Sep 2, 1999, closed Jan 6, 2000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 BUICK PARK AVENUE. WHILE DRIVING, THE CONTACT NOTICED AN ODOR OF BURNING PLASTIC. THE CONTACT NOTICED A LITTLE SMOKE COMING FROM THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE PANEL. THE CONTACT COASTED THE VEHICLE OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, TURNED OFF THE REAR DEFROSTER, DISCONNECTED THE…
Why was this car not recalled with other gm products with the 3800 v6 engines for the oil leaks? These cars have the same 3800 v6 as all of the recalled cars!
My problem is, the left blinker of the front, back and headboard is not working. But if i put on my flashers, all my lights are working, including the left blinker. I took it in and they told me that its not the light bulb, and its not the fuses from both the front and the headboard fuses boxes…
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 buick park avenue. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle began to jerk without warning. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was diagnosed that the fuel sending unit needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of…
I have a 1997 buick park avenue, when i turn to the right only even the slightest bit i hear a grinding sound coming from the front suspension area. I had the wheel bearings checked and replaced the driver side bearing and still had the same noise. I do not know if its part of the steering or maybe…
Other Buick Park Avenue years
← 1996 Park Avenue · 1998 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 | 219 | 3 |
| 1996 Park Avenue | 59 | 3 |
| 1995 Park Avenue | 117 | 1 |
See all Buick Park Avenue problems by year, every Buick model, or the Buick VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1997 Buick Park Avenue?
Owners most often report seat belts, engine and engine cooling, service brakes, hydraulic problems. The top one, seat belts, accounts for 52 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1997 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 1997 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 1997 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.