1999 Buick Century

DRIVING TO WORK, MY BRAKE PEDAL BEGAN TO GET SOFT BUT I MADE IT TO WORK SAFELY. AT WORK, I POPPED THE HOOD A FOUND THE BRAKE RESERVOIR WAS EMPTY. I HAD NOT NOTICED ANY LEAKS ON MY DRIVEWAY BEFORE SO I WAS CONFUSED AT THIS LEAKAGE. I WAS ABLE TO REFILL THE RESERVIOR AND TESTED MY BRAKES AT LUNCH AND THEY SEEMED BETTER. BUT BEFORE DRIVING HOME I NOTICED THERE WAS A PUDDLE UNDER THE CAR. I DROVE HOME, WITH MY BRAKES GETTING SOFTER AT EACH BRAKE APPLICATION. ONCE HOME THE LEAKING CONTINUED. THE SOURCE OF THE LEAKS IS THE BRAKE LINES RUSTING. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, THE FUEL VAPOR LINES ARE ALSO RUSTING THROUGH AND LEAKING. RUSTING BRAKE AND FUEL LINES SHOULD NOT HAPPEN. I THINK THERE IS A MANUFACTURED PART DEFECT IN THESE LINES THAT IS ALLOWING THEM TO RUST. *JB

TL*- THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 BUICK CENTURY. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 75 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY THE CONTACT HEARD A LOUD GRINDING NOISE. THE CONTACT PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND NOTICED THE TIRE BLEW OUT. THE ROAD CONDITIONS WERE CLEAR. THERE WERE NO POT HOLES OR OTHER ROAD HAZARDS VISIBLE ON THE HIGHWAY. THERE WAS APPROXIMATELY 6000 MILES ON THE TIRE AT THE TIME OF THE BLOWOUT. THE TIRE WAS A DOUGLAS TOURING P205/70R15 BW. THE VEHICLE CURRENTLY HAD AN ODOMETER READING OF 43000 MILES. *AK

WINDOW REGULATOR FAILURE. THIS IS MY SECOND COMPLAINT ABOUT THIS ISSUE. THE LAST OF FOUR WINDOWS REGULATORS HAS FAILED IN A YEAR''S TIME. A PLASTIC OR NYLON CLIP THAT HOLDS THE TWO CABLE ENDS BECOMES BRITTLE AND GIVES WAY. THE WINDOW THEN IS UNSUPPORTED AND FALLS TO THE BOTTOM OF THE TRACK. FIRST THE DRIVE WINDOW FAILED. THIS IN MY OPINION IS A SAFETY AND SECURITY HAZARD AND THE DRIVER IS THEN EXPOSED TO THE ELEMENTS, COLD, RAIN, ETC. THE SAME GOES FOR PASSENGERS. THE PASSENGER WINDOW FAILED WITHIN MONTHS AFTER, FOLLOWED BY THE REAR LEFT WINDOW AND NOW THE REAR RIGHT WINDOW. THIS WINDOW REGULATOR IS COMMON ACROSS ALL GM MODELS IN THIS CHASSIS TYPE. *JB

SECOND FAILURE OF INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET ON 1999 BUICK CENTURY 3.1 M ENGINE. CAUSES ANTI FREEZE TO LEAK FROM MANIFOLD WHICH COULD CAUSE A FIRE (AS STATED IN OWNERS MANUAL, WARNING NOT TO SPILL ANTI-FREEZE ON A HOT ENGINE WHEN FILLING RADIATOR AS IT COULD CAUSE A FIRE). FIRST FAILURE OCCURRED AT 72,000 MILES. SECOND FAILURE AT 115,000 MILES. *JB

NOTICE COOLANT IS LEAKING AROUND THE INTAKE MANIFOLD AREA ON 3.1L V6 ENGINE OF MY 1999 BUICK CENTURY. LOCAL MECHANIC SAID IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS ENGINE. DEALER IS ASKING APPROXIMATELY $900.00 TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THIS ENGINE IF THIS IS A FREQUENT PROBLEM. A GOOD ENGINE SHOULD NOT FAILED LIKE THIS IN MY OPINION. THIS IS NOT A NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR OF THE ENGINE, BUT POOR ENGINEERING OF THE ENGINE. DEALER SHOULD PAY FOR THIS PROBLEM. *JB

REAR POWER WINDOW FAILED WHILE IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. WINDOW CONTROL WAS PUSHED BY ACCIDENT AND WHEN PUSHED AGAIN TO BRING WINDOW BACK UP, A LOUD "POPPING" NOISE WAS HEARD AND WINDOW REFUSED TO STAY UP. SERVICE DEPT. AT DEALER DETERMINED A NEW REGULATOR WAS NEEDED. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME POWER WINDOWS HAVE BEEN REPLACED ON THIS VEHICLE, AS BOTH REAR WINDOWS FAILED WHILE CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. VEHICLE VERY RARELY HAS ANY BACKSEAT PASSENGERS, SO THESE WINDOWS GET VERY LITTLE TO NO ROUTINE USE. *NM

WINDOW REGULATORS, IN THIS LAST TWELVE MONTHS, THE DRIVER, PASSENGER AND TODAY REAR PASSENGER WINDOW REGULATORS HAVE FAILED. A NYLON CLIP HOLDS THE TWO ENDS OF THE CABLING. THE PART BREAKS, THEN WINDOW DROP TO THE DOWN POSITION. THE ENTIRE WINDOW REGULATOR ASSEMBLY MUST BE REPLACED. IN MY OPINION, THIS IS A SAFETY & SECURITY RELATED ISSUES AS THE DRIVER IS THEN EXPOSED TO THE ELEMENTS OR DISTRACTED BY THE PASSENGERS WHO ARE EXPOSED. THE ELEMENTS BEING COLD, RAINS, SLEET, WIND, ETC. THE VEHICLE CAN NOT BE SECURED WITH THE WINDOW DOWN. THE PART THAT FAILS NEEDS TO BE STRENGTHENED AND OF MADE OF METAL. *JB