Engine complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Buick Century. The contact stated that while an independent mechanic was test driving the vehicle at 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The technician was able to restart the vehicle. However, the failure recurred. The technician was unable to diagnose or repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 26,900. The VIN was unavailable. Updated 04/21/2016 updated 9/18/2017
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Buick Century. The contact stated that the vehicle suddenly stalled. The contact was able to restart the engine and the vehicle operated normally. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic but the defect could not be duplicated and no repairs was performed. The failure recurred approximately two years later. The manufacturer was not notified of the defect. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000. Updated 05/28/14 the consumer stated the keys were too heavy in the ignition. Since removing the added weight, there hasn't been any other failure occurrence. Updated 05/29/2014
Tl contact owned a 2003 Buick Century. An hour and fifteen minutes after parking the vehicle at his residence, the contact was informed that it was on fire. He noticed flames coming from the engine compartment. The fire department was called and a report was filed. The fire quickly spread throughout the contact's home before the fire department could arrive. It took approximately one and a half hours to extinguish the fire. The home and carport were severely damaged. The vehicle was destroyed and the home was condemned due to the fire. There were no injuries. The fire department stated that the origin of the fire was the engine compartment. The failure and current mileages were 48,000. Updated 01/08/09
Vechicle shuts off when at a stop light/sign after taking it 3 times to multiple mechanics including the dealer- king Pontiac, md, no one is able to identify and fix the problem, I am told that they can't identify duplicate the problem and identify the code to fix the car
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 ????
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.
5/15/2017, $1,197.66 repair for intake manifold gasket. On October 23, 2008, the california superior court granted final approval to the class action lawsuit, but nothing is available to those of use that did not have a problem until after that suit. Https://www.girardgibbs.com/dexcool/
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. …
Frequently asked questions
Which Buick Century years have engine problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 1999 (61), 2002 (33), 2001 (31), 2000 (27) and 1998 (22) model years. Engine complaints make up 26% of all complaints for the 1999.
Is there a recall for Buick Century engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling 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 engine problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 63,000 miles; 37% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the engine (41 mentions), followed by the engine › gasoline (35).
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.