With the rapid development of in-car information systems, entertainment has become a critical component of the user experience, particularly with advancements in autonomous driving technology. However, unstable in-car network environments often lead to initial loading and stuttering buffering issues, negatively affecting viewing experiences. Existing studies focus primarily on typical environments, leaving a gap in understanding video buffering impacts in in-car scenarios. This study investigates how informational prompts can mitigate negative emotions and enhance user experience in this context. Based on information framework theory, this study designs two types of buffering (initial loading and stuttering) and two types of informational content (subjective and objective) using gain and loss framing strategies. A 2 × 2 experimental design was conducted with four conditions: gain-subjective, gain-objective, loss-subjective, and loss-objective, alongside a control group. Forty participants (20 males, 20 females) completed two tasks involving buffering scenarios, with emotional responses (pleasure, arousal, dominance) measured using the Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) scale and viewing behavior assessed through eye-tracking and viewing duration. Results show that gain framing and objective messages significantly improved users’ emotional responses and viewing behaviors. Objective messages (e.g., “Loading… 80.00 KB/s”) enhanced pleasure, arousal, and dominance, while the control group exhibited the lowest emotional scores. Eye-tracking revealed higher visual engagement with objective prompts. These findings suggest that gain-framed, objective informational prompts can alleviate negative emotions caused by buffering and enhance the viewing experience. Future research should explore optimization strategies for various in-car entertainment scenarios and challenging network conditions.