2002 BUICK CENTURY Complaints

ON THREE GM VEHICLES THAT I KNOW OF (02 CENTURY, 05 CENTURY, 06 GRAND PRIX) THE HEADLIGHTS WILL GO OUT ON HIGH BEAM UNEXPECTEDLY. REPLACING THE HEADLIGHT HIGH BEAM SWITCH FIXES THE PROBLEM. THE 06 GRAND PRIX WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY BUT THE DEALER REFUSED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THEY SAID THAT UNTIL THE SWITCH FAILS COMPLETELY THEY WILL NOT REPLACE IT. GOING 70 DOWN THE INTERSTATE AT NIGHT AND SUDDENLY NO LIGHTS IS NOT VERY SAFE. I KNOW MY VEHICLE (02 CENTURY) WAS HIGH MILEAGE BUT THE OTHER TWO ARE NOT. THE DEALER NOT FIXING THE GRAND PRIX THAT BELONGS TO A FRIEND OF MINE KIND OF TICKED ME OFF. *TR

I CURRENTLY HAVE A 2002 BUICK CENTURY CUSTOM WITH 107000 MILES ON IT. I HAD A STARTER CATCH FIRE CAUSE OF A LARGE BUILDUP OF OIL COMING FROM EITHER THE HEAD GASKET OR THE MANIFOLD GASKET. THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. DRIVING AT HIGH ENGINE TEMPERATURE WITH CAUSE A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE FOR ANYONE DRIVING SHORT OR LONG DISTANT. *TR

LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR ON A WET ROAD AND HIT A TREE. TOTALED CAR WITH MOST OF THE DAMAGE AND IMPACT BEING THE FRONT OF THE CAR. THE PROBLEM IS NEITHER OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED TO PREVENT STERNUM AND BROKEN BACK.. *TR

WHILE PERFORMING MAINTENANCE (WHEEL BEARING REPLACEMENT) I DISCOVERED A THROUGH AND THROUGH CRACK IN THE STEERING KNUCKLE AT THE POINT OF ATTACHMENT OF THE TIE ROD END ON THE DRIVERS SIDE, THE CASTING WAS SPLIT WHICH WOULD HAVE ALLOWED THE TIE ROD TO DISCONNECT AND POTENTIALLY FATAL CONSEQUENCES. THE CAR IS A 2002 BUICK CENTURY CUSTOM WITH 138,000 MILES. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 BUICK CENTURY. WHILE DRIVING 50-55 MPH AT NIGHT, THE HEADLIGHTS AUTOMATICALLY ILLUMINATED. WHEN THE CONTACT ACTIVATED THE HIGH BEAMS, THE HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT COMPLETELY. SHE HAD TO ACTIVATE THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH AGAIN IN ORDER FOR THEM TO OPERATE. OCCASIONALLY, THE HIGH BEAMS WILL TURN ON, BUT OTHER TIMES, THEY WILL NOT. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE ENTIRE MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE SWITCH WAS REPLACED, BUT THE CONTACT BELIEVES THAT A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 67,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 72,000. UPDATED 05/08/09 *BF UPDATED 05/12/09.*JB UPDATED 06/09/09.*JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 BUICK CENTURY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WINDSHIELD SPARKLES IN THE SUNLIGHT DUE TO FROST. THE GLARE IMPAIRS HIS VISIBILITY WHEN DRIVING. THE DEALER RECOMMENDED THAT HE BUY A NEW WINDSHIELD. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 95,000. UPDATED 12/08/08. *LJ

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

MOST OF THE COMPLAINTS ON THE BUICK CENTURY 2002, MY CAR HAS THEM: 1. WINDOWS NOT WORKING, ONLY PASSENGERS' UP TO NOW 2. HARD UPSHIFTS ON TRANSMISSION 3. MILEAGE ON THE DIGITAL ODOMETER WON'T SHOW 4. VOLUME ON STEERING WHEEL NEVER CORRECTED SO, WHAT'S BEING DONE ABOUT IT? *TR