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1983 problems

FaultScore report

1983 Buick Century problems

Owners have filed 10 complaints about the 1983 Buick Century with NHTSA between 1999 and 1999. The largest single group is the brakes.

Read the complaints What breaks Worst years for the Buick Century

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Not graded

Too few complaints, or too short a model run, to compare fairly.

How this is worked out

The numbers

Complaints

Crashes reported

Fires reported

Injuries reported

How 1983 compares with every other Buick Century

Click any bar to open that year's report.

1 4 10 11 9 43 32 26 46 49 50 64 71 144 127 110 132 278 287 249 190 204 170 51 35

81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks on a 1983 Buick Century

Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.

Brakes 2 20.0%

Seats 1 10.0%

Seat Belts 1 10.0%

Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 1 10.0%

Lights 1 10.0%

Body & Structure 1 10.0%

Steering 1 10.0%

Electrical System 1 10.0%

Transmission & Drivetrain 1 10.0%

NHTSA investigations into the 1983 Buick Century

An investigation is the step before a recall: the agency has seen enough complaints to look into a pattern itself. An open one means it thinks something may be wrong and nothing has been fixed yet.

EA87006 Opened 16 Dec 1986 Closed 19 Sep 1988 STEERING

POWER ST. ASSIST

SUMMARY OF INFORMATION FROM THE MANUFACTURER:GM HAS DEVELOPED A SPLITRING FIELD REPAIR KIT AND IS EXTENDING THE WARRANRY ON ALL 1982-84 A,J, AND X, BODY CARS AND 1985 C,BODY CARS.THE WARRANTY APPLIES TO CARSTHAT ARE FOR 50,000 MILES OR 5 YRS.IT INCLUDES REIMBURSEMENT FOR PREVIOUSREPAIRS.ANALYSIS:WEARING OF THE RACK AND PINION HOUSING AND LOW AMBIENT TEMPCAN CAUSE TEMPORARY LOSS OF POWER ASSIST.TEFLON O RINGS FAIL TO SEALOFF INTERNAL PRESSURE.STATUS:EVALUATING THE EXTENDED WARRANTY OFFER BY GM.======

DP86018 Opened 5 Sep 1986 Closed 19 Dec 1986 UNKNOWN OR OTHER

POWER STEERING FAILURE

EA85046 Opened 30 Aug 1985 Closed 24 Jul 1987 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

POWER BRAKE ASSIST

SUMMARY OF INFORMATION FROM MANUFACTURER: IN ANALYZING THIS MATTER GMIDENTIFIED THREE PRIMARY SOURCES FOR THE COMPLAINTS.THE FIRST INVOLVESA GRADUAL DETERIORATION IN PERFORMANCE OF BELT DRIVEN VACUUM PUMPS.AC-CORDING TO GM, VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH VACUUM PUMPS ARE ALSO EQUIPPED WITHA LOW VACUUM WARNING LIGHT, WHICH IS ILLUMINATED WHEN BOOSTER VACUUMFALLS BELOW 10 IN. HG.THIS SIGNALS THE DRIVER THAT MAINTENANCE IS NEED-ED.THE SECOND SOURCE OF COMPLAINTS WAS TRACED TO A QUALITY CONTROL PROB-LEM ASSOCIATED WITH ONE OF THE BRAKE BOOSTER DIAPHRAGM SUPPLIERS. USE OFPARTS FROM THIS SUPPLIER WAS DISCON...

C85007 Opened 19 Jun 1985 Closed 18 May 1989 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

REAR BRAKE LOCKUP

PE85016 Opened 3 Dec 1984 Closed 22 Mar 1985 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES

Recalls on the 1983 Buick Century

A complaint is one owner's allegation. A recall is the point at which the manufacturer or a regulator agreed the defect is real and dangerous enough to fix for free — however old the car is.

Canada — Transport Canada

Canada runs its own recall programme, and its campaigns do not always mirror the American ones.

Recall 1986056 28 May 1986 251,424 units in Canada

Brakes

On certain vehicles, excessive enlargement of a pilot hole in the rear brake backing plate could allow the wheel cylinder to rotate possibly leading to loss of brake fluid in the rear brakes and loss of rear braking capability.this Would result in increased stopping distances and possible crash. note: vehicles in ontario and quebec only.

Recall 1985007 10 Jan 1985 68,350 units in Canada

Brakes

On certain vehicles, the rear brake backing plates may develop a corrosion condition which could result in loss of rear brake fluid and loss of rear braking capabilities. This recall affects vehicles sold in the Maritime provinces only.

Recall 1983084 7 Oct 1984 27,478 units in Canada

THE BRAKE PROPORTIONER VALVES MAY BREAK AND SEPARATE FROM THE MASTER CYLINDER DURING BRAKING. THIS WILL RESULT IN A LOSS OF BRAKE FLUID AND A PARTIAL LOSS OF BRAKING ACTION

Recall 1983103 2 Dec 1983 59 units in Canada

THESE VEHICLES MAY NOT COMPLY WITH CMVSS 1103 - EXHAUST EMISSIONS.

Recalls cover specific build ranges, so check your own vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or, in Canada, Transport Canada.

The most recent complaints

In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.

Filed 30 Jul 1999 Unknown, UN

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

GEAR SHIFT SLIPS WHEN DRIVING ON BUMPY SURFACES.