1999 Buick Century

AS THE 3RD OWNER OF A 1999 BUICK CENTURY LIMITED I DID A THOROUGH SEARCH OF CARS HISTORY AND FOUND NO PROBLEMS UNTIL TODAY 8 9 2013 WHEN I TOOK IT IN FOR RADIATOR HOSE CHANGE COOLING SYSTEM FLUSH AND OIL CHANGE WHICH LATER WAS TOLD ALLTHEY COULD DO WAS THE TRANNY FLUSH BECAUSE OF THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAK WHICH IM HEARING IS A HUGE 3.1 GM ENGINE PROBLEM. UPPON CALLING THE FORMER OWNER SHE INFORMED ME THAT AT 50,000 IT WAS REPLACED AND AGAIN AT 108,765 MILES. IT NOW HAS 137549 MILES AND IY HAS AGAIN TAKEN A DUMP I HEAR A COOLANT TYPE CONVERSION CAN HELP MY $700.00 PROBLEM. IM OUTRAGED THAT A CAR IN THIS GOOD OF CARE IS A BIG DISASTER. RECALL IS NEEDED & I SHOULDA KEPT MY 92 CENTURY WITH THE 3.3 V6 IT HAD 374,988 MILES AT TRADE IN & STILL RAN AWESOME:{ IM SO UNHAPPY WITH THIS CAR I AM READY TO FIX IT AND TRADE IT OFF FOR A FORD LOL. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 BUICK CENTURY. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH WHEN THE CHECK ENGINE AND TRACK OFF WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS LATER TOWED TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHERE THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT THE ABS SENSOR AND OTHER WIRES WERE BOUND BY ELECTRICAL TAPE AND THE FUEL AND BRAKE LINES WERE CORRODED. IN ADDITION, THERE WERE MISSING PLUGS WHICH PREVENTED WATER FROM ENTERING THE VEHICLE ON BOTH THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDES. BOTH THE BRAKE LINE AND THE TRANSMISSION WERE LEAKING FLUIDS. THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE FRONT SUB FRAME AND THE FUEL FILLER NECK WAS CORRODED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT PART OF THE EXHAUST HANGER WAS MISSING AND THE REMAINING PARTS WERE CORRODED. THE MECHANIC ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD BE FAR TOO COSTLY TO PERFORM ANY REPAIRS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED USED MARCH 17, 2010. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 56,500 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 56,528.

I PULLED INTO A PARKING SPACE ON A SLIGHT INCLINE AND WAS JUST RELEASING THE BRAKE PEDAL TO MOVE FORWARD WHEN THE CAR LUNGED VIOLENTLY FORWARD AS IF THE GAS PEDAL WAS TO THE FLOOR. THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH TIME TO DO ANY THING EXPECT A REFLEX TO TURN THE WHEEL TO AVOID HITTING THE BUILDING HEAD-ON. THE CAR SCRAPED THE SIDE OF THE BUILDING ONLY STOPPING WHEN IT HIT A VAN. AFTER THE CAR STOPPED MOVING, I PUT IT IN PARK AND TURNED OFF THE IGINITION. THE IMPACT WAS NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO DEPLOY THE AIR BAGS. MY FEET WERE NOT ON THE BRAKE OR GAS WHEN THIS OCCURRED. MY SON-IN-LAW WENT TO YOUR SITE TO SEE IF THERE WAS A RECORD OF THIS HAPPENING BEFORE AND THERE WAS ALMOST AN EXACT DESCRIPTION ON A PREVIOUS INCIDENT. *LA

UNSURE IF THIS IS AN ACTUAL SAFETY PROBLEM BUT IT RELATES TO TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS FOR OUR 1999 BUICK CENTURY. SINCE THE PROBLEM COULD RENDER THE CAR UNABLE TO MOVE AT ANY TIME, I WOULD CLASSIFY IT AS A SAFETY PROBLEM. OUR SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON A FEW MILES BACK. WE CHECKED EVERYTHING WE COULD AND FINALLY HAD THE PROBLEM DIAGNOSED. WE WERE TOLD THAT THE SERVICE CODE MEANT THAT A TRANSMISSION COMPONENT WAS SLIPPING. I FIND THAT VERY TROUBLING SINCE THE CAR HAS ONLY 44,011 MILES. WE WERE ALSO TOLD BY THE SAME SERVICE CENTER THAT A 2000 BUICK CENTURY THAT HAD 45,000 MILES HAD THE SAME PROBLEM ONLY THE DAY BEFORE. IS THERE AN ON-GOING INVESTIGATION INTO THIS PROBLEM? SHOULD THERE BE?

WHEN THE VEHICLE IS ON AN INCLINE AND THE TRANSMISSION IS IN "DRIVE" THE VEHICLE WILL RAPIDLY ROLL BACKWARD IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE BRAKE IS RELEASED. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT INDICATED THAT ALL OF THE NEW BUICKS WILL ROLL BACK WHILE IN DRIVE AND ON AN INCLINE WHEN THE DRIVER RELEASES THE BRAKE AND DOES NOT SIMULTANEOUSLY ACCELERATE. THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN DEMONSTRATED WITH A VEHICLE OFF OF THE LOT THAT OTHER BUICK CENTURY VEHICLES ALSO RAPIDLY ROLL BACKWARD. THIS ROLL BACK HAS ALSO OCCURRED AT A RISE FOR A RAILROAD CROSSING AND IN THE PARKING LOT NEAR MY PLACE OF BUSINESS. THE DEALERSHIP CHECKED THE TRANSMISSION AND TOLD ME THAT THE CAR WAS OPERATING ACCORDING TO SPECIFICATIONS. NO WARNING OF THE RAPID ROLL BACK PROBLEM IS PRESENT IN THE LITERATURE CONCERNING THE VEHICLE. A SAFETY WARNING NEEDS TO BE INCLUDED IN THE MANUFACTURER'S INFORMATION. ADDITIONALLY, THE GRADENT LEVEL AT WHICH THE CONSUMER WILL EXPERIENCE THE ROLL BACK SHOULD BE STATED IN THE PRODUCT INFORMATION.