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#BS-1997-BUISKY-4BF2

1997 Buick Skylark

Based on reports from 111 owners and 5 recalls for this exact model.

Complaints

111

Crashes

Fires

Recalls

TSBs

🟢

Preliminary Verdict

Proceed with Caution

Based on 111 complaints, 9 crashes, 0 fires, and 5 recalls.

See full verdict with buy/skip conditions

Preview: What's in your full report

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Mechanic Inspection Checklist

!Check the Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited SlipHIGH

11 owners reported service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip issues — failures commonly reported around 55K miles.

!Inspect the Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasolineMED

Look for symptoms of wear and premature failure

+ 6 more items in full checklistUnlock

Failure Timeline by Mileage

0–30K

30–60K

60–90K

90–120K

120–150K

150K+

Peak failure range: 30–60K miles (6 reports) • Median: 55K miles

Full report: which components fail at each mileageUnlock

30,000-Mile Cost Projection

Best Case

$X,XXX

Most Likely

$X,XXX

Worst Case

$X,XXX

Top cost driver: Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip (11 reports).

Includes fuel costs, common repairs, and recall riskUnlock

Also in your report

Owner Intelligence

AI-synthesized themes from real complaints

Buyer Lot Checklist

Questions, test drive checks, walk-away triggers

Negotiation Talking Points

Data-backed dollar deductions

Buy / Skip Verdict

Final recommendation with conditions

10 sections total in the full reportUnlock all

Where the complaints fall

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip11 (10%)

Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasoline8 (7%)

Air Bags:frontal7 (6%)

Electrical System:ignition:switch6 (5%)

Speed Control4 (4%)

Power Train:automatic Transmission:park/neutral Start Interlock Switch4 (4%)

Airbags4 (4%)

Seat Belts:front:anchorage3 (3%)

1997 Buick Skylark: Known Issues & Problem Areas

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip Issues

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip complaints account for 10% of all reports filed for the 1997 Buick Skylark, with 11 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. The median mileage at time of complaint is 55,033 miles, suggesting issues tend to surface around the 55K-mile mark.

Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasoline Issues

Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasoline complaints account for 7% of all reports filed for the 1997 Buick Skylark, with 8 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Air Bags:frontal Issues

Air Bags:frontal complaints account for 6% of all reports filed for the 1997 Buick Skylark, with 7 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to air bags:frontal-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Electrical System:ignition:switch Issues

Electrical System:ignition:switch complaints account for 5% of all reports filed for the 1997 Buick Skylark, with 6 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to electrical system:ignition:switch-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Data sourced from NHTSA owner complaints and community reports. The full report analyzes severity, repair costs, and failure patterns for each category.

Complaint trend by year

Complaints filed with NHTSA by year for the 1997 Buick Skylark. Recent trend: decreasing.

Don't negotiate blind — know what this car costs to own

Repair costs • Negotiation scripts • Mechanic checklist • Buy/skip verdict

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Recall History (5 recalls)

02V070000Mar 2002

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES. IF THE ENGINE FAILS TO START AND THE DRIVER HOLDS THE KEY IN THE "START" POSITION FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD, HIGH CURRENT FLOWS THROUGH THE IGNITION SWITCH, AND SOMETIMES PRODUCES ENOUGH HEAT TO MELT INTERNAL SWITCH PARTS.

07E015000Mar 2007

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

CERTAIN DELPHI AFTERMARKET FUEL PUMP MODULES / MODULE RESERVOIR ASSEMBLIES (MRA) THAT WERE SOLD FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED VEHICLES. DURING PRODUCTION THE MRAS VENT AND FUEL RETURN TUBES WERE REVERSED. THIS CONDITION CAN RESULT IN THE VEHICLE NOT RUNNING CORRECTLY (IDLE ROUGH AND/OR STALL) DUE TO AN OVERLY RICH FUEL BLEND OR THE VEHICLE'S EVAPORATIVE EMISSION CARBON CANISTER MAY LEAK FUEL.

07E021000Apr 2007

FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY:PRESSURE RELIEF DEVICES

CERTAIN DELPHI FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS, P/NOS. FP10020-11B1, FP10026-11B1, AND FP10027-11B1, SOLD AFTER JANUARY 9, 2007, AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. THE UNIVERSAL PRESSURE REGULATORS (UPR) WERE PRODUCED WITHOUT AN O'RING AND RETAINER.

96V212000Nov 1996

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

DURING ASSEMBLY OF THE LEFT REAR QUARTER PANEL, SOME WELDS WERE MISSED. THIS DOES NOT COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 301, "FUEL SYSTEM INTEGRITY."

97V059000Apr 1997

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD

THE PROTECTIVE COVER FOR THE UNDERHOOD FUSE CENTER WAS OMITTED. WITHOUT THIS COVER, THE POSITIVE TERMINAL BOLT ON THE FUSE BLOCK IS EXPOSED AND CAN CONTACT THE INSULATED NEGATIVE BATTERY CABLE. IF THE INSULATION ON THE NEGATIVE CABLE BECOMES SUFFICIENTLY WORN, AN ELECTRICAL SHORT CIRCUIT CAN OCCUR BETWEEN THE POSITIVE TERMINAL AND NEGATIVE CABLE RESULTING IN EXTREMELY HIGH CURRENT FLOW.

Recall severity analysis & seller scripts

The full report rates each recall's severity and gives you scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.

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The worst model year for the Buick Skylark is the 1995 — worth knowing if you're cross-shopping years. The biggest problem area is engine.

1997 Buick Skylark vs. Class Average (Compact Cars)

This vehicle

111

Class avg

198

Below the class average — fewer complaints than typical compact cars vehicles. A good sign.

Complaint counts correlate with sales volume — popular vehicles naturally generate more reports. The full report normalizes for this.

About this data

NHTSA Complaints

Federal database of owner-filed safety complaints. 111 records for this vehicle.

NHTSA Recalls

Manufacturer-issued safety recalls. 5 recalls found for this vehicle.

Repair Cost Data

Real-world repair costs from owner reports and independent databases.

Other Buick Skylark Model Years

2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 1967 1966

View all Buick Skylark years →

1997 Buick Skylark: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common problem with the 1997 Buick Skylark?

The most commonly reported issue with the 1997 Buick Skylark is related to the service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, with 11 complaints filed with NHTSA.

Is the 1997 Buick Skylark reliable?

The 1997 Buick Skylark has 111 complaints, 9 crash reports, and 0 fire reports filed with NHTSA. This is below the class average — a positive sign for reliability.

How much does it cost to fix 1997 Buick Skylark problems?

Repair costs vary by issue. The full BumperScan report includes detailed repair cost estimates (low/median/high) for every major issue, plus a 30,000-mile total cost of ownership projection.

Does the 1997 Buick Skylark have any recalls?

Yes, the 1997 Buick Skylark has 5 recalls on record. The full report includes recall severity analysis and scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.

What mileage do Buick Skylark problems start?

Based on 16 complaints with mileage data, the median mileage at time of complaint is 55,033 miles. The highest concentration of reported issues occurs in the 30–60K mile range. The full report breaks down exactly which components fail at each mileage bracket.

What’s in the full report?

10 sections of AI analysis: severity-ranked issues, component scores (0-100), 30K-mile cost projection, failure timeline by mileage, recall details with seller scripts, owner sentiment analysis, mechanic checklist, buyer lot checklist, negotiation ammo with dollar figures, and a buy/skip verdict.

How is this different from free NHTSA data?

NHTSA gives you raw complaint text. BumperScan cross-references 2.1M+ complaints with community repair cost data, EPA fuel data, and recall records — then uses AI to synthesize it into actionable advice with dollar figures.

How is this different from Carfax?

Carfax is VIN-specific history ($45/report). BumperScan is model-level reliability intelligence — what problems this car is known for, what they cost, and whether you should buy it. Complementary, not competing.

What if the report isn’t useful?

100% money-back guarantee. If the report doesn’t help you make a more informed decision, we’ll refund you — no questions asked.