Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (headlights, tail lights, turn signals, interior lights).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1998 Buick Century owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
My vehicle's window controls and lock controls are no longer working, when locking the door or the window will go down but will not come up. The rest of the windows control throughout the car will not work as well. The lighting in the car flickers if you would push the lot or the window control. Anterior light is no longer working. None of this works even when parked or driving down the road.
Tl* - the contact owns a 1998 Buick Century. During January 2007 the contact noticed that the head lights were not on while driving. The contact tried to turn them on with the on off switch but that did not work. The high beams would turn on while holding the lever, but the normal head beams lights did not. The contact explained that after moving the light lever the normal headlight beams turned on. A month after the failure began the head lights completely stopped working on 2/25/07. The contact was going to take the vehicle to the dealer and have it inspected. The contact believed that this failure was too soon for a vehicle with an odometer reading of 119,000 miles and about 9 years old. The failure mileage was 118500.
Headlight lens developed a cloudy film. This reduced the light illumination, and resulted in poor visibility. The lens could not be cleaned. The consumer believes the design of the lens is poor because it does not allow the consumer to clean the inside of the lens.
Water condensation always builds up on the inside of the headlight assembly after it rains, the dealership cliams that this is a normal occurrence and is not a problem. The problem is that this degrades the lighting intensity at night. This is a defective design because it also happens to my friends 2000 Buick Century. It can be vaildated by looking for watermarks on the inside of the headlight assembly.
Had shifted vehicle into reverse when the dashboard lights came on. Was unable to steer forward or reverse. Turned vehicle off after shifting into park. Vehicle reset itself. It's was intermitten problem. Would hesitate at 50-55mph. At an intersection vehicle would stop running. Took to dealership & mechanic suspected electrical problem. On diagnostic machine & nothing found.
The headlamp assembly has water condensation (water droplets) forming on the inside of the headlight assembly (if it rains for consecutive days) causing lower visabilty at night. It looks like it is a chronic problem, because my friends 2000 Buick Century has water residue marks on the inside of the headlight assembly.
Low beam head lights being used at 30 MPH in a unlighted road or street are unsafe. Dealer / manufacturer notified, and informed consume rthat nothing could be done and they meet the FMVSS. Can NHTSA help or provide additional information in this matter.
Headlights fail to luminate in the dark while driving. Driver would have poor visibility due to a lack of lighting. Took vehicle to two different dealers, and parts were replaced. Headlights were reaimed. Problem of poor visibility still exists.
Consumer was waiting on an insert to be sent to her per the recall notice, dealer refuses to perform recall 98v-102 because vehicle is no longer under warranty and they want the consumer to pay for inspection and adjustment. Nlm
There was insufficient light when low beam light was on, causing poor visibility which amost resulted in 2 accidents. Dealer has adjusted low beam light twice, but defect still exists.
Related recalls
Exterior lighting › Headlights
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. These vehicles do not conform to the requirements of FMVSS no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." the vertical head lamp adjusting device May not be calibrated properly.
Remedy: Owners will be provided with an owner's manual insert containing instructions for optically aiming the headlamps.
Exterior lighting › Headlights
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The owner manuals do not contain the requirement information pertaining to the vehicle headlamp aiming device. This does not comply with requirements of FMVSS no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment."
Remedy: Owners will be mailed an owner manual's insert which contains the appropriate information.
Headlight complaints in other Century years
Frequently asked questions
How common are headlight problems on the 1998 Buick Century?
NHTSA has 23 complaints about the lights of the 1998 Buick Century, 11% of the model year's 218 complaints. The component named most often is headlights (14 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Buick Century headlight problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 99V-356 (headlights, Dec 17, 1999); NHTSA recall 98V-102 (headlights, May 15, 1998). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1998 Buick Century headlight problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 78,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.