Electrical complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Buick Century. While driving approximately 60 MPH, the low beams stopped working and hindered the contact's visibility while the vehicle was in motion. The contact had to hold the switch to get the high beams to remain illuminated due to the failure. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the multi-function switch on the column for the lights needed to be replaced, including prematurely deteriorated ground wires. The dealer stated that the parts were to be ordered, but were not yet available for them to provide a specific date of when the part would be available to complete the repair. The contact left the vehicle at the dealer until the part was available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 118,000.
The multi function switch does not work properly. When going around curves and corners you can't dim the headlights. Because the steering wheel doesn't allow the lever to go far enough to catch. Now my headlights will not turn on when the they are suppose to. My cruise control doesn't work. My A/C stops cooling when the speed reaches 60 MPH but if I move the m.f.s. (aka turn signal) it gets cool again for a few minutes. The other night my lights went off when I was meeting a car with its headlights on bright. It was a dark stretch of road. I almost ran in the ditch.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Buick Century. The contact stated that when switching from high beams to low beams, all of the headlights would fail. The failure would occur on an intermittent basis. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they advised him that he needed to have the high and low beam switch replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 38,700. The consumer stated the vehicle has serious electrical issues. The consumer stated every time he started the vehicle, another component failed. Updated 01/10/12
I had driven my 2003 Buick Century at least halfway into a parking space in a parking lot when it suddenly lurched forward like a bat out of hell, leaping up over a curb on an upward slope, swiping a cement lightpost on the left, crashing into another car across its left front, bumping down over a curb, then crashing up and over two more curbs. With divine help I was able to avoid other cars and steer it to a stop, then drive gingerly into the original parking space. Since I was originally in the process of slowing to a stop, my right foot was on the brake at all times. I had never heard of many automakers' infamous "sudden unintended acceleration" manufacturing defect and had no idea what was happening as the car went from 1 or 2 MPH to full throttle instantly. …
Horn button is part of air bag. The horn button shorts out and the horn blows all the time. Have to remove fuse to stop horn blowing. Had to replace air bag to fix. In a few months the problem reoccurred. Its too expensive to replace air bags so I am left without a horn this is a safety issue. Can the manufacturer provide a fix? The internet shows this is a very common problem for a lot of GM cars.
Intake leaking antifreeze - cost too much to repair for me. My only car to get to work. Replacing bearings today for sticking back brakes. All interior accessories are broken; cosmetic mirror, ashtray, center console, passenger windshield wiper stripped motor, 1 window working. Still owe on car but cannot fix everything. Any help ????
This is an addendum to complaint/odi #10499646...this was the scariest experience of my life, driving alone in darkness, at 55mph, and without warning, headlights & dash just shut-off !! No other vehicles on road to help light my way, couldn't see anything, almost ran off the road & got killed, only had this car 10days!! Thought I got a good deal too, but now I'm stuck with a car I can't drive at night. Spoke directly with GM customer relations specialist on 3 separate occasions, who sent me to their GM dealership for inspection. After GM rep spoke with their dealership, they decided due to the age of the vehicle, and mileage, they're not responsible to assist!! I cannot understand, nor will I accept, how this situation could be anything other than a "safety issue"!! …
Dt: consumer owns a 2001 Buick Century custom. Consumer complained about several problems. One of the problems concerned the ABS light coming on. This has been going on for a couple of years. The ABS light will come on and then go back off. Had taken vehicle to dealer to see what problem was on August 1, 2005 when the light stayed on. Also, service vehicle light/trac light came on in conjunction with the ABS light. Another problem concerned the low tire light coming on . This happened when the wheel was removed from vehicle. Another problem concerned the power window. Consumer went to dealer, and told him that the passenger's rear window was falling down by itself, the dealer said that the register broke. Consumer did not want power windows. He wanted roll up windows which were trouble free. …
Frequently asked questions
Which Buick Century years have electrical problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 1998 (26), 2002 (24), 2003 (23), 1997 (20) and 2000 (20) model years. Electrical complaints make up 12% of all complaints for the 1998.
Is there a recall for Buick Century electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for any Buick Century model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do Buick Century electrical problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 89,000 miles; 26% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the horn (39 mentions), followed by the ignition (8).
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.