2001 BUICK CENTURY Complaints

ABOUT A MONTH AGO THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. BECAUSE OF THE COST TO HAVE A MECHANIC HOOK UP THE OBDII MONITOR I DIDN'T TAKE THE VEHICLE IN RIGHT AWAY, HOPING IT WAS SIMPLY DUE TO A DIRTY SENSOR OR LOOSE GAS CAP (WHICH HAS BEEN THE ROOT CAUSE BEFORE IN OTHER VEHICLES). SHORTLY AFTER THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT INCIDENT THE TEMP GAGE AND HEATER STARTED ACTING FUNNY. STARTING IN THE MORNING THE HEATER ONLY PROVIDED LUKEWARM AIR AT BEST. THEN THE TEMP GAUGE WOULD SPIKE REALLY FAST AND THE COOLANT ALARM WOULD COME ON. THEN RIGHT AWAY THE GAGE WOULD NORMALIZE AND THERE WOULD BE NO PROBLEMS THE REST OF THE TRIP. THE TEMP GAGE WOULD BE IN THE NORMAL RANGE. THE PROBLEM ONLY HAPPENED A COUPLE OF TIMES THEN APPEARED TO GO AWAY. YESTERDAY THE PROBLEM RE-SURFACED EXCEPT THE TEMP GAUGE DIDN'T NORMALIZE AND THERE WAS A SMELL OF ANTIFREEZE COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. AFTER CALLING AROUND TO MECHANICS IT SOUNDS LIKE IT COULD BE THE INTAKE GASKET. SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THESE PROBLEMS I'VE BEEN CHECKING THE COOLANT. I OWN OTHER GM VEHICLES SO I'M FAMILIAR WITH INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET FAILURES. IN FACT, I HAD TO REPLACE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET ON OUR BLAZER ABOUT 1 MONTH AGO. THIS BUICK ONLY HAS ABOUT 40K MILES ON IT. I THOUGHT BUICK WAS GM'S "QUALITY" DIVISION????*AK

THE 2001 BUICK CENTURY WAS NOT SHIFTING WELL AND RAN OUT OF TRANSMISSION FLUID. WHEN THE RESERVOIR FOR TRANSMISSION FLUID WAS REFILLED THE FLUID RAN OUT QUICKLY AND I TOOK THE CAR INTO THE LOCAL DEALER TO BE REPAIRED. THEY TOLD ME ALL THE FLUIDS WERE MIXING AND THAT IF IT WAS NOT FIXED THE ANTIFREZE AND WATER WOULD HAVE LEAKED INTO THE OIL AND BLEW THE MOTOR BECAUSE THE LOWER INTAKE MANIFORLD GASKET WAS BAD. THE BILL FROM THE DEALER ACCOUNTS FOR LEAKING TRANSMISSION FLUID LINES AND THE LI MANIFOLD GASKET. THESE WERE EXPENSIVE REPAIRS AND THE REASON I DECIDED TO REPORT THEM WAS THAT MY SON AND DAUGHTER-INLAW BOTH HAVE NEW GM VEHICLES AND HAVE REPLACED THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKETS ON ONE OF THEM 2 TIMES AND THE OTHER 1 TIME FOR A TOTAL OF 4 INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKETS FOR OUT FAMILY. THEY HAVE A 2001 AND A 2002 ALERO. NOW MY DAUGHTER IS ALSO DESCRIBING WHAT MAY BE THE SAME PROBLEM.*AK

IN STOP & GO TRAFFIC ON HIGHWAY WENT TO STOP FOR 8TH OR 9TH TIME THAT MORNING AND BRAKES FAILED AND CAUSED ME TO REAREND ANOTHER VEHICLE. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, THERE IS ABOUT A 6" SECTION OF BRAKE LINE THAT IS COMPLETELY RUSTED THROUGH. SAME PLACE ON BOTH SIDES AT A BEND. REST OF THE LINES ARE PEFECTLY FINE. THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN ON A CARR THAT IS ONLY 3 EARS OLD AND HAS 9000 MILES ON IT. THE DEFECTIVE PART OF THE LINE IS NOT IN A PLACE WHERE IT CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO ANY CAUSE OTHER THAN DEFECTIVE MATERIAL.(IE: NO RUBBING, NO SITTING IN DIRT OR SALT, CAN'T BE HIT BY FLYING DEBRIS, ETC)

THE OUTER TIE RODS OF THE CONSUMER'S 2001 BUICK CENTURY WERE VERY LOOSE. *NM THERE WERE NO GREASE COUPLINGS FOR THE TIE RODS. THE MANUFACTURER REFUSED TO REPAIR THE DAMAGE. *NM

WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH THE LOW COOLANT SENSOR LIGHT CAME ON. THE CONSUMER BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO THE REPAIR SHOP WHERE THEY STATES THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET HAD MALFUNCTIONED. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *NM *TC

TRANSMISSION SLIPPING. HARD SHIFTS IN ALL GEARS. TRANSMISSION HAD BEEN REBUILT AT DEALERSHIP IN NOVEMBER 2002 AFTER IT HAD TOTALLY WENT OUT AT 46000 MILE AND GOING OUT AGAIN AT 83000. *AK

WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE CONSUMER ENGAGED THE CRUISE CONTROL AND THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED UNCONTROLLABLY. THE DRIVER WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND PULLED OVER. THE CAUSE HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED AT THIS TIME. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *JB

BRAKES FAILED WHEN DEPRESSED AT 40 MPH. THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. THIS RESULTED IN THE VEHICLE SKIDDING ON DRY PAVEMENT. CONSUMER PUMPED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND VEHICLE STOPPED AN ONE FOOT SHORT OF REAR ENDING ANOTHER VEHICLE. ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON FOUR DAYS PRIOR TO BRAKE FAILURE. VEHICLE WILL BE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THE BRAKES INSPECTED.*AK. WILKINS BUICK-MAZDA PROVIDED CONSUMER WITH ONE COMPLIMENTARY BRAKE INSPECTION NOT TO EXCEED $200.00. DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE BRAKE PROBLEM.*AK

WHILE PULLING OUT OF A DRIVEWAY A LOUD CLANKING NOISE WAS HEARD COMING FROM THE FRONT. ALSO, DASHBOARD LIGHT FLASHED ON AND OFF INTERMITTENTLY . CONSUMER HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE BEARING SHEARED OFF THE TRANSMISSION. BATTERY AND TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK

BUICK CENTURY 2001 DEALER/REPAIR TOLD ME THAT I NEEDED TO REPLACE THE EBCM AND CONTROL ARMS AFTER I COMPLAINED ABOUT THE SLIGHT SHIMMY ON THE RIGHT SIDE AT 55. THEY ALSO SAID THAT THEY HAD RECEIVED NOTICE ABOUT THIS DEFECT FROM THE COMPANY, BUT NO RECALL. I'M NOT CLEAR WHY I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY A BILL OF $1222. FOR A DEFECT REPAIR.*AK