Skip to content
Air bagsPart report

1998 Buick Skylark Air bags Problems

Complaints
4about this part
Share
17%of 24 total for the year
Median mileage
144,500miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 4 complaints about the air bags of the 1998 Buick Skylark, 17% of the 24 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 144,500 miles. 2 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“I was injured when the airbag of a 1998 Buick Skylark (n body) deployed when I started the vehicle. There was no impact, in fact the vehicle was sitting in a building and not even in motion. I sustained a brain shear injury and I am still recovering. I know of two other incidents where this occurred in n body GM vehicles. General motors paid for the repair of the vehicle but has not contacted me in regard to my injuries or lost wages.(I was out of work 2 months and recently returned on a limited basis. General motors blames the deployment on moisture on the floor of the vehicle. …”

NHTSA complaint #10115975, filed 2005-03

“The contact owns a 1998 Buick Skylark. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the front drivers side air bags deployed. No crash occurred and no injuries were reported. Neither the manufacturer, nor the dealer were made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 193,000.”

NHTSA complaint #10410566, filed 2011-07, 193,000 miles

“The contact was a passenger in a 1998 Buick Skylark. While driving approximately 50 MPH, another vehicle ran a red light and crashed into the vehicle. The air bags deployed and a police report was filed. Due to the air bag deployment, the passenger sustained injuries to the eyes and the driver sustained injuries to the back that required medical attention. The vehicle was destroyed and towed by the police department. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The VIN was not included. The approximate failure mileage was 96,000.”

NHTSA complaint #10734483, filed 2015-07, 96,000 miles

Air bags: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
1998417%
19971215%
19961821%
19951214%
199469%
199312%

Other parts of the 1998 Buick Skylark

Electrical system
5 complaints
Vehicle speed control
5 complaints
Brakes
3 complaints
Engine cooling
3 complaints
Seat belts
2 complaints
Body and structure
2 complaints
Equipment
1 complaints
Fuel system
1 complaints
Seats
1 complaints
Steering
1 complaints
Suspension
1 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
1 complaints

← All problems reported for the 1998 Buick Skylark

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology