Auto Recall Watch
U.S. public vehicle records

Buick SOMERSET problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

10 owner complaints analyzed

0 distinct recall campaigns

Not available median reported failure mileage

Scope: 1985 to 1986 model years. Data updated: . 0 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.

This selection has limited data. It remains available for lookup but is excluded from search indexing.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Electrical System:Ignition is the most frequently named component, appearing in 2 of 10 complaints (20.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
TopicMatching reportsShare of complaints
Engine operation220.0%
Braking behavior110.0%
Steering behavior110.0%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Electrical System:Ignition
2
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline
2
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine
1
Seat Belts
1
Seat Belts:Front:Retractor
1
Steering:Rack And Pinion
1
Structure:Body
1
Tires
1
Component breakdown data
CategoryCount
Electrical System:Ignition2
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline2
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine1
Seat Belts1
Seat Belts:Front:Retractor1
Steering:Rack And Pinion1
Structure:Body1
Tires1

Electrical System:Ignition: 2; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline: 2; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine: 1; Seat Belts: 1; Seat Belts:Front:Retractor: 1; Steering:Rack And Pinion: 1; Structure:Body: 1; Tires: 1

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000
0
25,000 to 49,999
0
50,000 to 74,999
0
75,000 to 99,999
0
100,000 to 149,999
0
150,000 and above
0
Reported problems by failure mileage data
CategoryCount
Under 25,0000
25,000 to 49,9990
50,000 to 74,9990
75,000 to 99,9990
100,000 to 149,9990
150,000 and above0

Under 25,000: 0; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0

No usable failure mileage is recorded. 10 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

1995
4
1996
1
1997
2
1998
1
1999
1
2000
1
Complaints over time data
CategoryCount
19954
19961
19972
19981
19991
20001

1995: 4; 1996: 1; 1997: 2; 1998: 1; 1999: 1; 2000: 1

Pattern summary

Electrical System:Ignition leads the component reports. Engine operation appears in 2 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 1 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 1 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 482811 · 1995-03-28 (March 28, 1995)

INTERMITTENT STALLING WHEN VEHICLE AT OPERATING TEMPERATURE, RESTARTS AFTER COOLING. *SKD

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 482811 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 605623 · 1997-10-26 (October 26, 1997)

WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED THE VEHICLE JERKS AND STALL, UNABLE TO LOCATE PROBLEM. NLM

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 605623 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 975948 · 1995-12-04 (December 4, 1995)

RACK AND PINION STEERING STICKS. PLEASE DESCRIBE. TT

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 975948 at NHTSA ↗

Compare model years

Recalls by model year

All campaigns in the snapshot affecting each model year, including recalls announced years later.

Recall campaigns

Shared campaigns appear once in each affected model year.

1985
0
1986
0
Recall campaigns data
CategoryCount
19850
19860

1985: 0; 1986: 0

Year-by-year records

Buick SOMERSET model-year comparison
Model yearComplaintsRecallsChange in recalls
198530Not available
1986700
Explore the data

Vehicle analysis explorer

Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.

Data completeness

10 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.

0.0%Usable mileage0 / 10 records
60.0%Valid incident date6 / 10 records
100.0%Valid filing date10 / 10 records
60.0%Ordered incident and filing dates6 / 10 records

Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.

Problems by model year

Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.

Component complaint heatmap
Component19851986
Electrical System:Ignition
133.3%
ODI 482811

INTERMITTENT STALLING WHEN VEHICLE AT OPERATING TEMPERATURE, RESTARTS AFTER COOLING. *SKD

Look up ODI 482811 at NHTSA ↗

114.3%
ODI 802353

THE ELECTRIC IGNITION MODULE KEEPS GOING OUT. REPLACED (4) TIMES IN THE LAST (5) YEARS.*AK

Look up ODI 802353 at NHTSA ↗

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline
266.7%
ODI 515875

VEHICLE FIRE. (OHIO STATE POLICE REPORT)

Look up ODI 515875 at NHTSA ↗

00.0%

No examples available for this selection.

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine
00.0%

No examples available for this selection.

114.3%
ODI 535235

ENGINE FROZE DUE TO A PUNCTURED OIL FILTER CAUSED BY A DESIGN FLAW. THE OIL FILTER IS ON THE BOTTOM OF ENGINE AND HANGS 2-3 INCHES BELOW THE FRAME.

Look up ODI 535235 at NHTSA ↗

Seat Belts
00.0%

No examples available for this selection.

114.3%
ODI 974619

DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE AUTO RESTRAINT SYSTEM FAILURE EA94-039. TT

Look up ODI 974619 at NHTSA ↗

Seat Belts:Front:Retractor
00.0%

No examples available for this selection.

114.3%
ODI 484252

DRIVER'S SEAT BELT RETRACTOR FAILED, CAUSING BELT TO BECOME STUCK IN CASE. *SKD

Look up ODI 484252 at NHTSA ↗

Steering:Rack And Pinion
00.0%

No examples available for this selection.

114.3%
ODI 975948

RACK AND PINION STEERING STICKS. PLEASE DESCRIBE. TT

Look up ODI 975948 at NHTSA ↗

Structure:Body
00.0%

No examples available for this selection.

114.3%
ODI 784615

THE PAINT IS RUSTING BEHIND THE SURFACE, CONSUMER BELIEVES THIS VEHICLE SHOULD BE RECALLED. NLM

Look up ODI 784615 at NHTSA ↗

Tires
00.0%

No examples available for this selection.

114.3%
ODI 547183

TIRE'S ON VEHICLE (UNIROYAL RALLYE HP 205/70R 13MS), HAVE ALL SHOWN SIGNS OF FLAWS, BULGE AND SEPARATION CAUSING FAILURE. MJS

Look up ODI 547183 at NHTSA ↗

Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.

Failure mileage by component

Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.

Component failure mileage distribution
ComponentMileage range (25th–75th percentile)MedianUsable recordsExamples
No usable records for this analysis.

Complaint and recall timeline

Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.

1 reports2024-112026-10

Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.

Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples
Monthly complaint and recall timeline
MonthComplaintsCampaigns announcedExamples
2024-110None

No examples available for this selection.

2024-120None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-010None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-020None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-030None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-040None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-050None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-060None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-070None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-080None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-090None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-100None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-110None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-120None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-010None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-020None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-030None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-040None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-050None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-060None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-070None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-080None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-090None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-10 (partial)0None

No examples available for this selection.

Emerging complaint spikes

Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.

This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.

No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.

Equal-age model-year comparison

Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.

Age 0Age 1Age 21 reports

1985: 0 complaints · 1986: 0 complaints

Equal observation windows
Model yearThrough age 0Through age 1Through age 2
1985000
1986000
Date coverage across each selected cohort
Date basis for all complaints in selected model years
YearIncident dates usedFiling date fallbacksExcluded dates
1985210
1986430

Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.

Components reported together

Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.

Component co-occurrence matrix
ComponentElectrical System:IgnitionEngine And Engine Cooling:Engine:GasolineEngine And Engine Cooling:EngineSeat BeltsSeat Belts:Front:RetractorSteering:Rack And PinionStructure:BodyTires
Electrical System:Ignition—0000000
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline0—000000
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine00—00000
Seat Belts000—0000
Seat Belts:Front:Retractor0000—000
Steering:Rack And Pinion00000—00
Structure:Body000000—0
Tires0000000—

Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.

Recurring narrative patterns

Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.

2 patterns with matching reports.

Stalling or loss of power

2 mentions · 20.0% of complaints

Median mileage: Unavailable (0 usable records).

ODI 482811

INTERMITTENT STALLING WHEN VEHICLE AT OPERATING TEMPERATURE, RESTARTS AFTER COOLING. *SKD

Look up ODI 482811 at NHTSA ↗

ODI 605623

WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED THE VEHICLE JERKS AND STALL, UNABLE TO LOCATE PROBLEM. NLM

Look up ODI 605623 at NHTSA ↗

Matching rule\b(stall\w*|loss of power|lost power|engine shut\w* off)\b

Hard or delayed shifting

1 mentions · 10.0% of complaints

Median mileage: Unavailable (0 usable records).

ODI 605623

WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED THE VEHICLE JERKS AND STALL, UNABLE TO LOCATE PROBLEM. NLM

Look up ODI 605623 at NHTSA ↗

Matching rule\b(hard shift\w*|rough shift\w*|delay\w* shift\w*|shift\w* hard|jerk\w*|lurch\w*)\b