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 plug, removed the rear panel, and noticed that the electrical feed and module were melted. The vehicle was taken to bay ridge chevrolet (1575 86th st, brooklyn, ny 11228, (833) 452-1829) where it was diagnosed that part number: 25623688 (red radio antenna module), the AC (delco pt1183), and the rear window all needed to be replaced due to the connection. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures and provided case number: 9-5585220430. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.
The worst 1997 Buick Park Avenue problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Seat belts53
- Engine47
- Brakes39
- Electrical24
- Transmission24
- Steering20
- Fuel system17
- Visibility15
- Body14
- Suspension11
- Acceleration6
- Seats5
- Lights4
- Airbags2
- Locks2
- Tires2
- Wheels1
Specific symptoms reported on the 1997 Buick Park Avenue
Seat belt 17Fire or smoke 16ABS 13Grinding brakes 6Engine failure 6Stalling 6Transmission failure 6Fuel gauge 5
Recalls 3
Seat belts: front: webbing
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect for the presence of updated front shoulder belt bezels and where necessary, install new front seat shoulder belt opening bezel kits.
Recall number 00V117000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the electronic brake control module or the electronic brake and traction control module.
Recall number 97V064000 · Recall details
Seats: mid/rear assembly
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Remedy
- Dealers will tighten the center rear seat belt anchor bolts to specification.
Recall number 97V036000 · Recall details
See all 3 recalls for the 1997 Buick Park Avenue
Defect investigations
Power rack and pinion steering failure
Gm conducted a safety recall (the federal safety agency # 02v286) to address a steering defect pertaining to a lower pinion bearing (lpb) within the rack and pinion steering gear (r&p). The recall covered 1,159,156 model year 1997-1998 pontiac grand prix vehicles built between march 1, 1996 and october 31, 1997, 1996-1998 pontiac trans sport, chevrolet lumina apv, chevrolet venture, oldsmobile silhouette minivans, and chevrolet cavalier and pontiac sunfire sedans built between january 1, 1996 and october 31, 1997.odi opened this rq after receiving reports that other vehicles were exhibiting the same symptoms as the recalled vehicles.based on odi's review of technical and complaint data collected during the rq, the w-cars are associated with either a higher steering complaint rate or a higher lpb failure rate than the other vehicles investigated under the rq and are above or near the rates for the recalled vehicles.thus, odi will further examine the w-cars (1996-1997 oldsmobile cutlass supreme, 1996-1998 buick regal, chevrolet lumina, chevrolet monte carlo, 1997-1998 buick century, and 1998 oldsmobile intrigue) under a new investigation, engineering analysis (ea)03-019.
RQ03001
Engine compartment fires
Ea02-030 is closed with gmea02-030 is closed with gm?s actions in 03v‑473 and 04v‑090 recalling approximately 529,000 my 1998-99 c- and h-body vehicles equipped with defective fuel pressure regulators.these vehicles were equipped with plastic intake manifolds that are unable to contain pressures that occur in some backfire events and defective fuel pressure regulators with leaking diaphragms that can provide a source of fuel to produce a combustible air-fuel mixture in the manifold.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by odi that no safety defect exists in the vehicles that are not included in gm?s recalls.odi will continue to monitor the incidence of manifold ruptures and related fires in other my 1995-2002 gm passenger cars equipped with the subject intake manifold.for additional information, see the attached closing report.
EA02030
Engine compartment fires
PE02050
Front shoulder belt malfunction
There is no summary currently available
EA00002
Front shoulder belt malfunction
There is no summary currently available
PE99056
Technical service bulletins for the 1997 Buick Park Avenue 76
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Fuel system, gasoline
- This informational bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Procedures to Unlock Delco...
- Equipment: electrical: anti-theft devices
- This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy...
- Equipment
- This warranty administration bulletin provides policy information with the field action courtesy...
- This technical bulletin provides a procedure to reprogram the media disc player with the latest...
- Equipment: electrical: anti-theft devices
- Vehicle Recalls
- This informational bulletin provides the technician with information on what E85 fuel may due to a non E85...
1997 Buick Park Avenue fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.8L 6‑cyl | FWD | 16-17 | 24-26 | 19-20 |
What 1997 Buick Park Avenue owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
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, 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
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 the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000 and the current mileage was 121,000.
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 the pilot bearing if it has one on the side of the transmission. Maybe the rack pinion system. I don't really know what to do to fix it. Please help...?
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 buick park avenue. The contact stated that the vehicle began to smoke when starting the vehicle. The engine then caught on fire. The fire department was called and came to extinguish the blaze. The fire department stated that the fire was caused by an engine compartment failure. The contact did not call the manufacturer. The vehicle was neither repaired nor diagnosed. The failure mileage was 150,000.
Passenger shoulder belt will not retract.
I own a 1997 park ave ultra with several recall repair issues the following were addressed by gm but not properly repaired: (faulty) ABS system (with campaign code sticker) replaced ABS system cuts out randomly causing changes in stopping distance (in severe braking situations the ABS system has cut out on me getting off of the highway causing me to have to apply excessive pressure to the brakes just to come to a normal stop) front passenger seat belt replacement(no campaign sticker) middle rear seat belt anchor was never fixed or torqued to proper specified standards while in for repairs let alone addressed at all rack and pinion has multiple issues some due to age and miles but regardless the entire assembly is loose and bearings are shot the faulty recall repairs on my vehicle don't instill trust in gm's ability to repair my vehicle a second time.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 buick park avenue. The contact stated before entering his vehicle he noticed there was a puddle underneath his vehicle. After inspecting the spill he noticed that it was coming from the fuel tank. The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer nor had it been repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure and current mileage was approximately 155,000. Updated 03/23/12*lj updated 03/30/12
Started to have strong odor of gasoline inside of car when engine was running. I checked to see if there was gasoline leaking from motor when I had the engine turned off without any luck. Had to keep windows rolled down because odor was so strong from the gasoline fumes. This all happened one week before I was admitted to the hospital for respiratory issues. On june 4th was admitted to hospital with respiratory problems for three days in the telemetry unit for respiratory distress. On june 10, 2011, I took the car to my mechanic and he discovered a pin hole leak in the plastic fuel rail on this car. My mechanic said this is a high pressure fuel rail and gm made this out of plastic that failed. He said the car is can not be driven that way it is and that the part need to fix the problem is not available per the gm dealers. He also told me this part may be under a recall notice and that I should check it out. He said it was a wonder the car had not caught on fire since the entire engine was covered in gasoline from the leak from the fuel rail. I contacted a buick dealership called grand auto, inc. In thornton, co and talked with the parts department and the service department. I talked with the service department manager named brian vaughn and he and the parts department said there was not a problem with this part and they refused to even listen to me concerning the issue. I looked on the federal safety agency web site and found many other people having the same problem with this same part that I have. There have been other recalls on this year and model car but gm never notified the owners about the recalls until they had class action law suits against them. I now respiratory problems issues because of this defective part.
Compare the 1997 Buick Park Avenue
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Questions about the 1997 Buick Park Avenue
Is the 1997 Buick Park Avenue reliable?
Owners have filed 219 complaints about the 1997 Buick Park Avenue, 6.8 times a typical Park Avenue model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1997 Buick Park Avenue?
Seat belts, with 53 complaints, typically around 97,000 miles. Next is engine (47).
How many recalls does the 1997 Buick Park Avenue have?
3 recalls, covering seat belts, service brakes, hydraulic and seats.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Buick Park Avenue seat belts?
Yes, 1 recall: 00V117000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Buick Park Avenue have the most seat belts problems?
The Buick Park Avenue model years with the most seat belts complaints are 1997 (53 complaints), 1998 (32 complaints) and 1999 (17 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 1997 Buick Park Avenue get?
Official estimates for the 1997 Buick Park Avenue range from 19 to 20 mpg combined. The most efficient version (3.8L 6-cyl, FWD) gets 16-17 city and 24-26 highway.
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