Buick Park Avenue Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 1,366 consumer complaints across the 21 model years of the Buick Park Avenue (1985–2005) that have at least 5 complaints. 1998 has the most, with 246. Across all years, the part named most often is engine cooling (281 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
Best and worst Park Avenue years →
All Park Avenue model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 8 | 46,242 | 0 | 497 | — | Not enough data |
| 2004 | 12 | 90,000 | 0 | 374 | — | Not enough data |
| 2003 | 33 | 52,500 | 1 | 361 | Not compared (before 2008) | Rising |
| 2002 | 32 | 64,000 | 1 | 322 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 2001 | 57 | 65,434 | 2 | 278 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2000 | 81 | 56,480 | 3 | 240 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1999 | 140 | 60,000 | 3 | 33 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1998 | 246 | 72,000 | 2 | 27 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1997 | 219 | 91,525 | 3 | 23 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1996 | 59 | 99,000 | 3 | 16 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1995 | 117 | 108,000 | 1 | 16 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1994 | 48 | 97,000 | 0 | 4 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1993 | 64 | 156,510 | 1 | 1 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1992 | 77 | 123,048 | 1 | 1 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1991 | 92 | 96,688 | 1 | 1 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1990 | 12 | 200,000 | 1 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
| 1989 | 21 | 127,000 | 0 | 0 | — | Stable |
| 1988 | 19 | — | 0 | 0 | — | Stable |
| 1987 | 13 | — | 0 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
| 1986 | 6 | 55,000 | 0 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
| 1985 | 10 | 118,000 | 0 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Engine cooling281 23%
- Brakes232 19%
- Electrical system176 14%
- Seat belts132 11%
- Fuel system111 9.1%
- Steering106 8.6%
- Transmission and drivetrain98 8.0%
- Body and structure90 7.3%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2003: “My sister was the previous owner. The engine shuts down completely. This has occurred while at a stop light, while driving 40 MPH down a city street. Fortunately, I have been able to pull over or the miraculously the vehicle re-started quickly. These symptoms are identical to the symptoms of the other GM recalled vehicles.”
NHTSA complaint #10569212, filed 2014-03, 137,326 miles2004: “The afternoon of february 14 my wife and I were driving from indiana on I-70 east towards dayton, ohio. As we were driving we noticed how the snow storm we thought we were leaving behind in indiana seemed to be ever with us. About 3 p.m. In the afternoon I, the driver, smelled a faint electrical odor. Having had that experience before with no consequence I thought I might just be mistaken or smelled the odor from another car. …”
NHTSA complaint #10608583, filed 2014-07, 219,000 miles1997: “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, and I've been told by research and the mechanic that this is not a new problem and its been an occurring issue for the 1997-2005 Buick Park Avenue. . .updated 07/20/15”
NHTSA complaint #10725985, filed 2015-06, 89,494 milesOther Buick models
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About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology