2004 BUICK CENTURY Complaints

THERE IS A PART MISSING ON THE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT THAT MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO USE. I FIND THAT DRIVERS ARE UNWILLING TO FISH THE BUCKLE OFF OF THE FLOOR, AND THE BUCKLE OFTENTIMES WEDGES ITSELF BETWEEN A SEAT LEVER AND THE DOOR. A DRIVER SOMETIMES HAS TO OPEN THE DOOR, EXIT THE CAR, AND RETRIEVE THE BUCKLE FROM ITS HIDING PLACE. DRIVERS (I.E., MY KIDS) ARE VERY DISCOURAGED FROM USING THE BELT. ALL CARS I'VE EVER OWNED HAD LIFETIME WARRANTIES ON SEAT BELTS, AND WERE FIXED PROMPTLY BY DEALERSHIPS WHEN PROBLEMS OCCURRED. MY LOCAL GM DEALER SAYS NOT SO WITH GM CARS. BUICK IGNORES MY EMAIL QUERIES, AND CALLS TO BUICK ARE MET BY CALL CENTER EMPLOYEES WHO ARE PROGRAMMED TO ASK ENDLESS QUESTIONS ABOUT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION (PII) ON ME. NO HELP. *TR

RECENTLY, IN DEC. 2008 MY CAR HAD A SUSPENSION COMPONENT PART REPLACED. MY 2004 BUICK CENTURY JUST 4 YRS. OLD AND 60,000 MILES NEEDED TO HAVE THE FRONT STABILIZER BAR REPLACED. IT APPEARS THAT A DESIGN DEFECT MAY BE THE PROBLEM RESULTING IN PREMATURE FAILURE. THE STABILIZER BAR ACTUALLY CRACKED AT BOTH ENDS OF THE MOUNTING PLATE. I DID ASK FOR THE ORIGINAL PART FOR FUTURE REFERENCES. MOST OF US WOULD AGREE THAT THIS SUSPENSION COMPONENT SHOULD NOT HAVE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT THIS POINT. MY MECHANIC SAID "HE HAS SEEN THIS BEFORE ON THESE MODELS" AND IS CHECKING THEM DURING THE SAFETY INSPECTION WHICH IS HOW MINE WAS DISCOVERED. I DO BELIEVE THAT GENERAL MOTORS SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL AND THAT I SHOULD BE REIMBURSED. THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BE REPLACED, AT LEAST NOT AT SUCH AN EARLY STAGE. MOREOVER, LET ME SAY THIS - WITH OVER 35 YEARS OF DRIVING AND OWNING MANY CARS, I HAVE NEVER HAD TO REPLACE A STABILIZER BAR EITHER AT THE FRONT OR REAR OF THE CAR. AND MY LAST CAR HAD 180,000 MILES BEFORE WE TRADED IT IN. THIS BUICK TUBULAR STABILIZER BAR IS INSUFFICIENT AND APPARENTLY WILL NOT HOLD UP DURING REGULAR DRIVING BY A 55 YR. OLD DRIVER. IT IS MY HOPE THAT YOU WILL INVESTIGATE THIS MATTER (YOU MAY CALL ME) AND DETERMINE WHY IS THIS PART PRONE TO FAILURE. I HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU SOON. *TR

NO CRASH/INCIDENT. RECEIVED INCREASE IN INSURANCE PREMIUM FOR 2004 BUICK CENTURY. CALLED INSURANCE COMPANY WHICH STATED THE INCREASE WAS A RESULT OF COMPANY HAVING INCREASED PERSONAL INJURY CLAIMS FOR FAILURE OF AIRBAGS TO DEPLOY DURING ACCIDENTS. ALTHOUGH I AM NOT REPORTING ANY ACCIDENT, I INDICATE TODAY'S DATE OF T HIS REPORT AS 12/15/2008 BELOW. NUMBER OF DEATHS & PERSONS INJURED ARE UNKNOWN; HOWEVER, I PLACED THE NUMBER 1 IN EACH CATEGORY TO "PROCEED" TO THE NEXT WINDOW. FURTHER, I DO NOT KNOW ANY DETAILS OF THOSE ACCIDENTS AS REPORTED BY MY INSURANCE COMPANY; THEREFORE, THE "NO" CATEGORIES ARE LEFT IN THE DEFAULT INDICATION. *TR

DRIVING ON A COUNTRY ROAD THE HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT. HIT THE DIMMER SWITCH AND THEY CAME BACK ON. IT DID THIS ABOUT THREE TIMES. FOUND OUT THAT IF WE TRIED TO USE THE DIMMER SWITCH THAT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT. THEN IT GOT TO THE POINT THAT THE ONLY WAY THAT YOU COULD USE THE BRIGHT LIGHTS WAS TO HOLD THE SWITCH. TWO WEEKS LATER WENT TO THE GROCERY STORE TURNED ON THE BLINKER TO TURN AND THE LIGHTS WENT OUT AGAIN. HAD TO PULL THE LIGHT SWITCH ON AND LUCKILY THEY CAME BACK ON. TONIGHT WE TOOK THE CAR OUT AND THE LIGHTS KEPT GOING OUT. THIS IS ON A 2004 BUICK CENTURY. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BUICK CENTURY. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE FUEL GAUGES WERE INOPERATIVE AND DISPLAYED INACCURATE READINGS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE DIAL CONSTANTLY DISPLAYS THAT THE FUEL SYSTEM DOES NOT HAVE ANY GASOLINE. SHE IS IN THE PROCESS OF HAVING THE VEHICLE DIAGNOSED TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 78,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 116,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BUICK CENTURY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SEALS WITH THE VEHICLE FRAME FAILED. AS A RESULT, THE FLOOR OF THE VEHICLE WOULD FLOOD WHEN IT RAINS. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 70,000.

SOMETIMES WHEN YOU TURN HIGH BEAMS ON HEAD LIGHTS WILL GO OFF AND YOU WILL HAVE TO PLAY WITH DIMMER SWITCH TO GET THE LIGHTS TO COME BACK ON. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 BUICK CENTURY. WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH AND MERGING TO THE LEFT, THE VEHICLE VEERED TO THE RIGHT AND CRASHED INTO A WALL. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE TIE ROD FAILED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE CONTACT MAY HAVE DRIVEN OVER SOMETHING TO CAUSE THE FAILURE. AS OF OCTOBER 23, 2007, THE DEALER HAD NOT REPAIRED THE VEHICLE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 31,000.

TL*- THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE 2004 BUICK CENTURY HEADLIGHTS TURNED OFF WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. ON 02/15/07 AT 30 MPH ON A RURAL HIGHWAY THE HEADLIGHTS BLINKED OFF AND ON, AND THEN THEY WENT OUT AGAIN AND STAYED OFF FOR ABOUT 1/2 MILE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CURRENT ODOMETER READING WAS 33,800 MILES. ON THE NEXT DAY HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE BUICK DEALERSHIP AND THEY REPLACED THE DUSK DAWN SENSOR. AFTER THE REPAIRS HE DROVE THE VEHICLE, AND THE NEXT NIGHT THE HEADLIGHTS TURNED OFF AGAIN. THE CONTACT HASN'T DRIVEN THE VEHICLE SINCE THE LAST EVENT WITH THE LIGHTS TURNING OFF. THE CONTACT FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE MANUFACTURER, AND WAS GIVEN CASE# 71-495164830. *AK

MY PARENT'S VEHICLE, A 2004 BUICK CENTURY, COLLIDED WITH A GUARD RAIL ON AN ENTRANCE RAMP TO I-81 IN CHRISTIANSBURG, VA. THEY WERE WEARING SEAT BELTS/SHOULDER HARNESS. MAIN IMPACT WAS FRONT LEFT BUMPER, WHICH WAS PUSHED IN ~ 3 FEET IN A NARROW INDENTATION; HOOD WAS CRUMPLED. THERE WAS DAMAGE TO LEFT SIDE OF VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. BOTH PASSENGERS SUSTAINED INJURIES AND WERE TAKEN TO LOCAL HOSPITAL'S EMERGENCY ROOM. I SUSPECT THEIR INJURIES WOULD HAVE BEEN LESS SEVER HAD THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. DAMAGE TO VEHICLE IS VERY EXTENSIVE. *NM UPDATED 12/05/06. *JB