2002 Buick Century

2002 BUICK CENTURY CUSTOM, HAD TO REPLACE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET AT 69K AT A COST OF OVER $700. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, FRONT LEFT AND RIGHT WHEEL BEARINGS FAILED AND THEY WERE REPAIRED AT A COST OF $350 EACH. NOW AT 80K THE HEAD GASKET IS LEAKING COOLANT SO BADLY THE CAR CANNOT BE USED. THE APPROXIMATE COST OF THIS REPAIR IS $1400. CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW, FULLY MAINTAINED AND ADULT DRIVEN. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 BUICK CENTURY. WHEN THE CONTACT APPLIED PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM ENGAGED. THE TRACTION AND ENGINE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT CONTROL PANEL AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE BRAKE SYSTEM; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE STILL PERSISTS. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 130,000.

I NOTICED THAT THERE WAS SLUDGE IN THE COOLANT TANK AFTER I GOT A LOW COOLANT LIGHT WHEN THE COOLANT WAS NOT LOW AND THE TEMPERATURE WAS NORMAL. I BROUGHT THE CAR IN TO THE BUICK DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT OIL WAS LEAKING THROUGH THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET INTO THE COOLANT CHANNELS OF THE MANIFOLD. THE OIL WAS INTERFERING WITH THE COOLANTS SENSOR CAUSING THE INDICATOR LIGHT TO COME ON. THE DEALER TOLD ME THE SYSTEM WOULD NEED TO BE DRAINED, FLUSHED AND REFILLED AFTER THE MANIFOLD WAS REMOVED AND THE GASKET REPLACED. THIS WAS GOING TO COST OVER $800.00 THE DEALER INDICATED THAT THIS WAS A FAIRLY COMMON OCCURRENCE ON THE 3.1L ENGINE SO I ASKED WHY THIS WAS NOT A WARRANTY ISSUE TO WHICH HE RESPONDED THAT GM WOULD NOT COVER THIS PROBLEM. I ASKED WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF I DID NOT DO THE RECOMMENDED ACTIONS; RESPONSE, POSSIBLE WATER MIGRATING INTO THE CYLINDERS OR OIL/WATER MIXING, ALL VERY BAD FOR THE ENGINE. BECAUSE I LIKE THE CAR, I HAD THE WORK DONE AS I USE THIS CAR FOR EXTENDED TRIPS AND I DO NOT WANT TO FIND MYSELF WITH AN ENGINE FAILURE. SINCE THIS DOES APPEAR TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WHICH MAY BE AGGRAVATED BY THE USE OF DEXRON COOLING FLUID, I BELIEVE THAT GM SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR REPAIRS AND/OR REIMBURSEMENT FOR SUCH REPAIRS THAT HAVE BEEN DONE. *TR

2002 BUICK CENTURY WITH SEVERAL PROBLEMS. CONSUMER STATES THAT THE ELECTRIC WINDOW CONTROLS HAD TO BE REPLACED DUE TO FAILURE. HEADLIGHTS STARTED WORKING INTERMITTENTLY. MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH NEEDS REPLACEMENT. *KB THE CONSUMER STATED USING THE TURN SIGNAL INDICATOR OR THE HIGH BEAMS, APPARENTLY TRIGGERED ALL THE LIGHTS TO GO OUT. THE HEATER CONTROLS DID NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY. *JB

I PURCHASED A NEW 2002 BUICK CENTURY FROM AUTO MALL, PUTNEY, VT ON 0/06/01- ONLY HAVE 57,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE NOW. AIR CONDITIONER FIXED 3 TIMES; STILL NOT WORKING; BRAKES FIXED; STILL SQUEAK BEFORE MY CAR COULD BE INSPECTED THE LINE FOR THE BACK BRAKE LIGHTS WHICH WERE RUSTED NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED IN FEB 2008 [$300]. ON MARCH 1, 2008 MY BRAKES WENT; BROUGHT TO NEAREST GARAGE; BRAKE LINE RUSTED OUT AND WAS REPLACED [$200] I WAS INFORMED BY THE MECHANIC THAT THE ROCKER PANELS WERE RUSTED AND SHOULD NOT HAVE PASSED INSPECTION. INFORMED DEALERSHIP; BROUGHT VEHICLE FOR DIAGNOSIS AND ESTIMATE [$5,000]. WAS TOLD BY GMAC THAT VEHICLE'S WARRANTY ENDED ON 11/06/07. I AM AWAITING WORD WEATHER THEY WILL COVER SOME OF THE REPAIR WORK. *TR

HAD COOLANT LIGHT COMING ON PERIODICALLY AND WAS LOOSING COOLANT, BUT COULD NOT FIND ANY LEAKS, WAS TOLD IT WAS PROBABLY FAULTY LIGHT, OR LEAK IN TANK. TOOK CAR FOR OIL CHANGE AND ASK TO LOOK FOR ANY LEAKS, FOUND COOLANT IN OIL. INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET FAILED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. WAS TOLD DUE TO COOLANT BEING DEXCOOL AND EATS THE GASKETS. *TR

HEADLIGHTS ON MY 65,000MI 2002 BUICK CENTURY JUST QUIT AND THEN COME BACK ON. THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED 4 FOUR TIMES. THE OTHER TIMES IT APPEARED AS THOUGH I MISCLICKED, BUT THE LAST TIME I HAD TO PULL OVER AND CLICK THE DIMMER SWITCH 30+ TIMES. THIS IS A REAL SAFETY ISSUE AND I BARELY WAS ABLE TO STOP IN TIME FROM 55 MPH. THE OUTER HEADLIGHTS ARE ONLY ON IN LOW BEAM AND THE INNER ONLY ON HIGH BEAM. THERE ARE 4 HEADLIGHTS THIS CAN'T BE RIGHT ALL 4 SHOULD BE ON IN HIGH BEAM SETTING ON. NEED TO CHECK ON THIS HEADLIGHT OPERATION ISSUE, BUT FELT I SHOULD PASS THIS ON THAT THESE GM MODELS DO THIS. *TR

AT 44,9XX MILES THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW IN MY 2002 BUICK CENTURY FAILED. THE REGULATOR FAILED AND THE WINDOW DROPPED OF IT'S OWN ACCORD. I WAS ON A TRIP AND HAD TO LEAVE MY WINDOW OPEN FOR 2 DAYS UNTIL I RETURNED AND WAS ABLE TO GET IT TO A DEALER FOR REPAIRS. IT COST ME A $100.00, (EXTENDED WARRANTY), BUT THE BS WITH HAVING IT FAIL FOR NO REASON, JUST PISSES ME OFF. *TR

BOUGHT VEHICLE IN 01.20.07 WITH 56,943 MILES (2002 BUICK CENTURY CUSTOM). SOMETIME (AROUND 62,000 MILES) NOTICE ENGINE HESITATES, AFTER WARMING UP, HESITATION DISAPPEARS. ASKED MY MECHANIC AND HIS FIRST QUESTION WAS IF WHITE SMOKE WAS COMING OFF THE TAIL PIPE, I SAID NO. A COUPLE WEEKS LATER, AT STARTUP (EARLY IN THE MORNING) THE TAIL PIPE SMOKED FOR A GOOD 2 TO 3 MINUTES, AGAIN, ONCE WARMED, STOPPED, AND ENGINE RUN WELL. THIS WENT ON FOR ANOTHER 2 WEEKS, DURING THIS PERIOD I ASKED AGAIN MY MECHANIC, BUT THIS TIME I MENTIONED THE WHITE SMOKE, NO OIL SMELL, HIS RESPONSE WAS I WAS BURNING ANTIFREEZE. WENT BACK TO DEALER TO SEE WHAT THEY COULD DO TO HELP ME, LEFT THE VEHICLE FOR DIAGNOSIS, THEN THEY OFFER ME A 15% DISCOUNT ON PARTS OF AND ESTIMATED $1500.00 WORK. SINCE THIS WAS UNACCEPTABLE, I CALLED BUICK, EXPLAIN SITUATION, AND ALSO MENTIONED FACT THAT AN ENGINE THIS AGE - MILEAGE - THIS KIND OF FAILURE WAS NOT ACCEPTABLE. AFTER 4 CALLS FROM BUICK, IT TOOK BUICK 2 WEEKS TO COME BACK WITH HA RESOLUTION: THAT THE BEST THEY COULD DO WAS 15% DISCOUNT ON PARTS AND 15% ON LABOR. AT SOME POINT I WANTED TO PICKUP THE CAR AND I WAS TOLD IT WAS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE. MEANTIME, I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND OUT THAT NHTSA DID HANDLE THIS TYPE OF ISSUES. FURTHER RESEARCH IN THE NHTSA WEB SITE SHOWED THAT (LIKE MY MECHANIC TOLD ME) THIS WAS A RECURRENT PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL. I PICKED UP THE CAR ON 10.25.07 AT A FINAL COST OF $1,157.00. *TR