Exact make, model and year evidence from official US sources. Recall campaigns, ODI investigations, complaint allegations and EPA estimates remain separate.
A campaign may cover only certain production dates, plants or equipment. A zero result here is not safety clearance. Use NHTSA’s official VIN tool for the individual vehicle.
Exact model-level NHTSA results for 1997 BUICK Park Avenue. Campaign records are official safety actions; applicability to a particular car still requires its VIN.
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.
Consequence
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.
02
NHTSA Recalls · US · received 1997-04-28
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
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.
Consequence
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.
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."
Consequence
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.
02 · Owner allegations
301 NHTSA complaints
Counts are not adjusted for sales, vehicle age, mileage, publicity or reporting behavior. They are allegations, not defect findings or a reliability score.
Crash mentions
5
Fire mentions
34
Injuries reported
11
Most-reported component labels
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING58
SEAT BELTS56
SERVICE BRAKES40
HYDRAULIC39
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM35
POWER TRAIN25
Complaints across nearby Buick Park Avenue model years
Totals for the same nameplate, scaled against its highest year here. They are not adjusted for how many were sold, how old they are, how far they are driven, or how much publicity a fault received — an older or better-selling year will usually carry more reports. This shows where the reporting sits, not which year is better.
An investigation means ODI reviewed a possible safety issue for this exact model-year identity. Opening one is not a defect finding; closing one does not by itself clear a vehicle.
SEAT BELTS · No associated recall campaign number was published in this investigation row.
04 · EPA configurations
Fuel economy & specifications
FuelEconomy.gov records are summarized as ranges where this model name has multiple engines, drivetrains or trims.
EPA configurations
2
Combined economy
19–20 mpg/MPGe
City / highway
16–17 / 24–26 mpg/MPGe
Engine displacement
3.8 L
Cylinders
6
Fuel type
Premium · Regular
Drive
Front-Wheel Drive
Vehicle class
Large Cars
Annual fuel-cost estimate
$3250–4200
05 · Evidence strength
Exact identity. Explicit limits.
No opaque score. Evidence strength is expressed through source availability, exact match method, jurisdiction and honest empty states.
exact match
Recall campaigns
3 exact US model-year records in this bounded view.
exact match
Complaints
301 exact US model-year allegations; narratives and VIN fragments are omitted.
exact match
ODI investigations
5 exact US model-year action numbers in the approved import snapshot.
canonical only
Model aliases
Only the exact NHTSA vPIC model name is published; unverified aliases are not merged.
not published
Manufacturer ownership
No rights-reviewed official ownership record is joined to this exact model-year.
PUBLIC EVIDENCE PASSPORT
Identity, freshness and provenance.
The canonical URL is this file’s permanent public identifier. Source IDs and timestamps show exactly what was matched and when; they do not turn the evidence into a verdict.
Only NHTSA vPIC, NHTSA ODI complaints and investigations, NHTSA recalls and FuelEconomy.gov contribute to this vehicle claim. CPSC equipment notices are searched separately and never joined to vehicle fitment. UK MOT, Canadian, New Zealand and European records are not merged into this US claim.
06 · Research paths
Diagnose first. Confirm fitment.
These are transparent searches, not diagnoses or endorsed parts. Recall remedies come before purchases; exact part fitment requires VIN, trim, powertrain, production date and OE number.
58 complaint labels
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Check recalls and diagnostic information before replacing anything.
Awin US and R2 affiliate inventory are not published until a US programme, merchant and exact-fitment projection are approved. No offer currently has both merchant approval and exact vehicle fitment, so commercial links never count as evidence.