1998 BUICK CENTURY Complaints

WHILE DRIVING LESS THAN 5 MPH AND TURNING LEFT INTO A PARKING SPACE, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER. THIS MADE IT HARD TO STEER AND TURN THE VEHICLE. ONCE THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED, THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THAT RACK AND PINION STEERING NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK *SC *JB

1998 BUICK CENTURY CUSTOM - THE ELECTRIC REAR WINDOW STOPPED WORKING AND DROPPED OPEN AND WON'T CLOSE. AN EXAMINATION OF THE WINDOW REVEALED THAT THE HARNESS IS MADE UP OF TWO STEEL CABLES ATTACHED TOGETHER BY A SMALL PIECE OF PLASTIC. SURPRISE, THE PLASTIC BROKE! IN DECEMBER 2003, THE SAME YEAR THAT THE BACK WINDOW BROKE, THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW BROKE AND IT IS THE EXACT SAME PIECE THAT BROKE IN THE BACK WINDOW. ONLY THIS TIME IT BROKE WHILE MY DAUGHTER WAS IN THE CENTER LANE OF I-75 AND WE'RE FORTUNE THAT SHE WASN'T IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. THE FALLING OF THE WINDOW AT HIGH SPEED CREATED A SCARY DISTRACTION THAT NARROWLY MISSED CAUSING A POTENTIONAL BAD ACCIDENT. IT HAVE BEEN TOLD TO ME BY A BODY SHOP AS WELL AS A BUICK SALEMAN THAT THIS IS A COMMON DEFECT. IT IS NOT ONLY DANGEROUS BUT CONVENIENTLY COSTLY TO REPAIR. THEY DON'T MAKE THE PLACTIC CONNECTOR, WHICH WOULD BE VERY EASY TO INSTALL, BUT ONLY SELL THE ENTIRE HARNESS FOR $375 + TAX. I HAVE WRITEN AND SPOKE WITH GM IN DETROIT. THEY HAVE OFFERED ME AN ADDITIONAL $1500 TOWARDS A NEW CAR OR THEY WILL PAY 50% OF REPAIRING THE WINDOW. THIS SOUNDS TO ME LIKE THEY ARE VERY WELL AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT IT IS GOING TO TAKE YOUR ORGANIZATION TO INSIST UPON A TOTAL RECALL.*AK

STEERING RACK SEPARATED WHEN TURNING LEFT. A RECALL WAS ISSUED, HOWEVER THIS WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO VIN. *AK INCIDENT ALMOST CAUSED A COLLISION WITH AN APPROACHING VEHICLE. *LA

IGNITION WOULD NOT TURN, CAUSING THE VEHICLE NOT TO START. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, WHERE THE IGNITION WAS REPLACED. CURRENTLY, POWER STEERING FLUID LEAKED. *AK

THE INTAKE GASKET LEAKED ANTIFREEZE. DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE GASKET, BUT PROBLEM RECURRED WITHIN 23,000 MILES. GMC CONSUMER REPRESENTATIVE INFORMED THE CONSUMER OF A RECALL ON THIS ISSUE, BUT CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO VIN. RECALL NOT FOUND IN ARTEMIS. *AK

DISSATISFACTION WITH NHTS'S RESPONSE TO HER COMPLAINT RE THE DASHBOARD DESIGN OF THE BUICK CENTURY, REF ES03-007553/S/ BRENNER 12/5/03, ENTIRE ENCLOSURES NOT IMAGED FWD TO NVS-200. *PH THE DASHBOARD WAS CONSTRUCTED IN SECTIONS WHICH CAUSED PERMANENT REFLECT LINES ONTO THE WINDSHIELD IN LINE WITH THE DRIVERS EYE LEVEL. *SC *JB

AFTER NOTICING A FEW DROPS OF DEXCOOL COOLANT ON THE GARAGE FLOOR, I CHECKED THE RESERVOIR. IT WAS EMPTY. I CHECKED FOR LEAKY HOSES OR CLAMPS, THEN NOTICED THAT AROUND SOME GASKET I COULD SEE WHERE COOLANT WAS OBVIOUSLY OOZING AND SOME HAD POOLED IN A RECESS IN THE ENGINE MOLD. ANYWAY, I REFILLED THE RESERVOIR WITH DEXCOOL AND TOOK THE CAR TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP BEFORE DOING ANY DAMAGE. THE REPAIR BILL CAME TO OVER $900. THE CAR IS ONLY 5 YEARS OLD AND IT NEEDS A NEW INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET, HOW ABSURD. AFTER SURFING THE WEB, I FIND THAT OTHERS HAVE HAD FIRES AND BLOWN ENGINES FROM THE SAME PROBLEM. WE WERE LUCKY, BUT MY WIFE AND DAUGHTER TRAVEL THE LOCAL HIGHWAYS ALOT, WHAT IF THEY RAN OUT OF COOLANT WHILE DRIVING AND THE ENGINE SIEZED, POSSIBLY CAUSING AN ACCIDENT OR AT LEAST STRANDING THEM. (3.1L V6)

SINCE I HAVE HAD THE CAR I HAVE HAD REPEATEDLY HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE FUEL INJECTORS. IN THE BEGINNING WHILE UNDER WARRANTY THE INJECTORS WERE REPLACED AFTER THE THIRD TIME I WAS TOLD THAT THEY JUST CLEAN INJECTORS NOW AND IT'S CAUSED BY BAD GASOLINE. IN ALL MY OTHER CARS I HAVE NOT HAD ANY PROBLEM USING STANDARD OIL GAS. EVEN THE DEALER BUYS THE SAME GAS AT THE SAME STATION FOR ALL THERE CARS. LATELY WHEN I HAD THE INJECTOR PROBLEM AGAIN THEY QUOTED ME $140 TO FIX THE PROBLEM WHEN I SAID I HAD IT DONE THE OTHER TIMES FOR LESS THEY AUTOMATICALLY REDUCED THE PRICE TO $64. THIS MAY SEEM FAIR TO SOME BUT WHY THE DIFFERENCE IN PRICE AND WHY CAN'T THEY SOLVE THIS PROBLEM? OTHER PEOPLE I KNOW HAVE THE SAME ENGINE AND DO NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM.

THE INDICATOR LIGHTS FOR THE DUAL COMFORTEMP CLIMATE CONTROL HAVE FAILED RENDERING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO DETERMINE THE TEMPERATURE AND AIRSPEED SETTINGS.

UPON STARTING ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONSUMER STARTED TO DRIVE 5 MPH AND VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE DID RESTART WITH NO PROBLEM. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT THE PROBLEM WAS NOT SOLVED.*AK ENGINE STALLED WHILE GOING AROUND A CORNER. VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AT A DIFFERENT DEALERSHIP AND PARTS ARE AVAILABLE. *PH