Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||||
| 709 | 09/01/2005 | 10018126 | Oil life system reset procedures - cars. gm tech link. *tt | 12/15/2005 | |
| 040604024 | 04/01/2004 | 10012634 | Powertrain control module will not properly communicate on board diagnostic freeze frame information to nontech2 service or test equipment. *eh | 03/09/2005 | |
| 030601010 | 03/01/2003 | 10001282 | Engine oil or coolant leak. *tt | 04/25/2003 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| 3157A | 10017172 | Engine whine or buzz noise sounds like a generator type noise on 3.1l or 3.8l engines. *tt | 10/26/2005 | ||
| 0804 | 08/01/2004 | 10014346 | Oil life system reset procedures - cars. *nm | 04/29/2005 | |
| 040602007 | 08/01/2004 | 10011207 | Low engine coolant level indicator always on. *tt | 01/10/2005 | |
| 01353 | 01/01/2004 | 01353A | 10007937 | Engine misfire due to injector fretting corrosion. *tt | 07/16/2004 |
| 01876 | 01/01/2004 | 10006470 | Change engine oil soon indicator does not come on. *tt | 05/03/2004 | |
| 00612A | 01/01/2004 | 10005498 | Intermittent crank no start. sit bulletin 1400565. *tt | 03/01/2004 | |
| 01533 | 01/01/2004 | 10005449 | Engine start and stall after fueling with no diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs). sit bulletin 1408781. *tt | 02/27/2004 | |
| 01527 | 01/01/2004 | 10005464 | A whistle type noise coming from the engine. sit bulletin 1406534. *tt | 02/27/2004 | |
| 01584 | 01/01/2004 | 10005424 | Diagnostic trouble code (dtc) p0650 set after powertrain control module (pcm) replacement. sit bulletin 1413730. *tt | 02/25/2004 | |
| 01556 | 01/01/2004 | 01556A | 10005396 | Engine cranks but does not run. *tt | 02/24/2004 |
| 000604049B | 12/01/2003 | 000604049A | 10005145 | Some vehicles built prior to vin breakpoint 1f136536 may exhibit intermittent malfunction indicator lamp / service engine soon indicator illumination; anti-lock brake system warning light illumination; stall / no start condition; various el | 02/09/2004 |
| 03-06-01-010 | 04/01/2008 | 030601010C | 10004768 | Engine oil or coolant leak. *tt gm reminder. *tt install new lower intake manifold gasket. updated 7/18/08 *pe | 01/06/2004 |
| 030604030 | 03/01/2007 | 030604030C | 10002166 | Multiple driveability symptoms of long or hard starts, chuggle, rough idle and light or intermittent misfire due to clogged fuel injectors. *tt | 08/14/2003 |
| 01130 | 08/31/2001 | 625447 | Subject regarding customer satisfaction campaign bulletin #01060 - valve springs replacement. *tt | 11/28/2001 | |
| 01060 | 01/01/2001 | 625021 | Subject regarding replacement valve springs. *jg | 11/16/2001 | |
| 01060 | 08/22/2001 | 625083 | Subject regarding customer satisfaction campaign valve spring replacement. *jg | 11/16/2001 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||||
| 041502 | 04/15/2002 | 636532 | The engine cranks with the ignition key in the wrong position or instrument panel cluster engine functions are inoperatore or the service engine soon light is illuminated. *tt | 11/09/2002 | |
| 020601014 | 04/01/2002 | 634708 | Subject regarding revised lower intake manifold installation. *tt | 10/07/2002 | |
| 250901 | 09/25/2001 | 626398 | Vehicles may experience intermittent engine stalling or diagnostic trouble code p0141. *slc | 12/14/2001 | |
| 01060A | 08/28/2001 | 624842 | Information regarding customer satisfaction campaign valve springs . *yd. | 11/15/2001 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||||
| 020605001 | 02/01/2002 | 629447 | Some owners may comment on an exhaust system ping/crackle/snap type noise that is audible for a short period of time after the engine is turned off. *tt | 04/02/2002 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 06/05/2010 | 70000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2002 buick century. while driving approximately 60 mph the abs breaking system light illuminated and the track off light illuminated. the contact stated once the vehicle was turned off and turned back on the light did not illuminate instantly but came back on after driving a few miles. the vehicle was taken to the dealer .the technicians diagnosed the failure to be the speed censor and the left front wheel hub that needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 70,000. ds | |||
| 06/15/2010 | |||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2002 buick century. while the vehicle was parked he noticed the vehicle was leaking anti freeze. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the dealer advised him that it was a leaking casket in the back of the engine and he was advised to monitor it. the vehicle was taken to the dealer on 11/29/2010 and he was advised that the head casket needs to be replaced. the vehicle was in the process of being repaired at the dealer. the vin was unavailable. the contact has not contacted the manufacture. the failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 115,000. vwb | |||
| 12/31/2009 | 106000 | 1 | |
| 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 | |||
| 08/15/2008 | 69 | 1 | |
| 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 | |||
| 02/27/2008 | 62000 | 1 | 01/23/2004 |
| Had coolant light coming on periodically and was loosing coolant, but could not find any leaks, was told it was probably faulty light, or leak in tank. took car for oil change and ask to look for any leaks, found coolant in oil. intake manifold gasket failed and had to be replaced. was told due to coolant being dexcool and eats the gaskets. *tr | |||
| 08/10/2007 | 61233 | 1 | 08/05/2007 |
| Intake manifold gasket leak at 61,233 miles,719 dollar repair. *jb updated 12-12-07. *kb the lower intake maifold gasket, thermostat were replaced as well. updated . | |||
| 04/30/2007 | 34000 | 3 | 08/28/2002 |
| When i had an oil change at about 32,000 miles the mechanic indicated the oil was a quart low. i had the cooling system flushed at about 50,000 miles and the mechanic noted oil in the antifreeze. at 55,000 miles the car now needs a new intake manifold gasket at a cost of $800 to $900. gm faces a class action lawsuit in canada for this same problem and many u.s. blogs indicate this is a common problem. service stations are reporting that this failure is common and due to a design defect. the warranty expired at 36,000 miles. because of this, buick says it has no responsibility for this problem. in addition to the gasket problem, i had to replace the wipe blade mechanism and leaking wheel bearings. these, too, were premature problems and not due to any abuse or neglect of car maintenance. gm will not recognize a history of problems due to the fact i went to a local precision tune for maintenance. the dealership i purchased the car from moved about 45 minutes away from my home making it very inconvenient to go there for maintenance. *ak | |||
| 03/26/2007 | 59263 | 1 | 10/24/2002 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 buick century. the contact stated a piece of fuel injection detached and blew off the valve. the check engine light illuminated and the vehicle was taken to a mechanic. the repair cost $1,200. the technician stated that he had never seen anything like this and it should not have happened to her vehicle. the contact has not notified an authorized dealer or the manufacturer. the current and failure mileages were 59,263. updated 02/01/08. *lj | |||
| 01/30/2007 | 45000 | 1 | 02/05/2002 |
| Tl*- the contact stated that after starting the 2002 buick century the coolant light came on, after driving a couple of miles the light went off. the contact took the vehicle to the garage which performed a pressure test and found a hole in the manifold. the failure could result in a fire. the vehicle has been repaired. *ak the lower intake gasket manifold was leaking coolant. updated 02/22/07. *jb | |||
| 10/01/2006 | 64280 | 1 | 12/21/2002 |
| Lower intake gasket leaking coolant heavily. hopefully caught problem in time. $900 repair. this is a known gm problem that they will not address! this car should be recalled, or gm should provide help with repair costs!. *jb | |||
| 07/14/2006 | 47372 | 1 | 08/13/2002 |
| Intake gasket failure, oil in the radiator. *jb | |||
| 11/25/2005 | 47600 | 1 | 05/29/2002 |
| Oil/coolant leak from defective manifold gasket on 2002 buick century special. *nm | |||
| 08/16/2002 | 2900 | 1 | |
| Vehicle shakes very violently. consumer believes its an engine problem. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||
| 12/10/2010 | 1 | ||
| 2002 buick century. consumer states design defect *tgw the consumer stated his wife took the vehicle to a repair shop because the windshield wiper blade was stuck. however, it was discovered the radiator was almost on the ground and in the process of becoming detached. she was referred to an auto body shop. the body shop stated the radiator mount was dry rotted beyond repair and should have never occurred in an 8 year old vehicle. **jb | |||
| 12/09/2010 | 31939 | ||
| 2002 buick century intake manifold/gasket fails at 31k miles. coolant in the engine and mixed with the oil. all of the prior service and maintenance were performed at gm dealerships (where this should have been discovered prior to failure). oil, lube, rotations done without waiting for indicator lights (2-4 times per year), all recommended procedures completed (including new brakes, throttle body and fuel injector svcs). this was a known issue regarding dexcool eating away the gaskets but gm filed bankruptcy to avoid full settlement and now dealerships claim ignorance to the issue. now i have to pay $1500 to have the engine & radiator disassembled for cleaning. i was informed that labor is the bulk of the cost. why won't gm charge the customer for the part and not the labor. i was told by the service advisor that the parts involved only cost $200-250, but i have to pay $1500 for a known issue/failure the manufacture was/is well aware of and is a safety issue that causes abrupt engine failure! i am so upset that my vehicle was so well taken care of and would fail with so few miles on it. my chevy corsica also failed due to dexcool (water pump replacement at 60k miles) and i did not receive a penny from the dexcool settlement (even though i filed and was eligible). gm should be held accountable for these failures that are still an issue. an engine failure in traffic is a serious defect. | |||
| 12/31/2009 | 106000 | 1 | |
| 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 | |||
| 03/15/2008 | 90000 | 1 | |
| 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 | |||
| 01/15/2005 | 79000 | 1 | |
| Intake manifold gasket failure. replaced gasket. | |||
| 01/14/2003 | 2 | ||
| The coolant light never illuminated warning the consumer of a problem, subsequently the water pump in the consumer's 2002 buick century failed. *nm for the second time the coolant sensor is not working. *jb | |||
| 11/17/2004 | 31000 | 1 | 03/10/2002 |
| I brought my car to my buick dealer for service and was informed that the coolant had become sludgy. they told me that the system needed to be drained, cleaned and refilled and would cost me $129.00. i was very concerned about what could possibly cause this, and the representative couldn't tell me why, but that they caught it early and wouldn't be a problem. i then took a look on the internet for information on this problem and found out about the class action lawsuits against gm for their dexcool coolant problems in their cars, especially the v6's. i called the dealer to tell them that i had a problem with having to pay for this repair and that i was also concerned with possible damage to my system, intake manifold gasket problems and the effect that would have in the future. they told me they would call me back. this is a widespread problem that needs to be addressed by an outside agency because gm is not stepping up to the plate to handle it. while not causing an immediate physical danger, it does certainly cause a secondary danger to motorists who break down on the road and the other motorists around them. please step in and do something about this. thank you.*ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 12/09/2010 | 31939 | ||
| 2002 buick century intake manifold/gasket fails at 31k miles. coolant in the engine and mixed with the oil. all of the prior service and maintenance were performed at gm dealerships (where this should have been discovered prior to failure). oil, lube, rotations done without waiting for indicator lights (2-4 times per year), all recommended procedures completed (including new brakes, throttle body and fuel injector svcs). this was a known issue regarding dexcool eating away the gaskets but gm filed bankruptcy to avoid full settlement and now dealerships claim ignorance to the issue. now i have to pay $1500 to have the engine & radiator disassembled for cleaning. i was informed that labor is the bulk of the cost. why won't gm charge the customer for the part and not the labor. i was told by the service advisor that the parts involved only cost $200-250, but i have to pay $1500 for a known issue/failure the manufacture was/is well aware of and is a safety issue that causes abrupt engine failure! i am so upset that my vehicle was so well taken care of and would fail with so few miles on it. my chevy corsica also failed due to dexcool (water pump replacement at 60k miles) and i did not receive a penny from the dexcool settlement (even though i filed and was eligible). gm should be held accountable for these failures that are still an issue. an engine failure in traffic is a serious defect. | |||
| 04/15/2010 | 110000 | ||
| Failure of intake engine gasket on 2002 buick centry with 110,000 miles. | |||
| 07/15/2007 | 62000 | 1 | 01/21/2007 |
| Bought vehicle in 01.20.07 with 56,943 miles (2002 buick century custom). sometime (around 62,000 miles) notice engine hesitates, after warming up, hesitation disappears. asked my mechanic and his first question was if white smoke was coming off the tail pipe, i said no. a couple weeks later, at startup (early in the morning) the tail pipe smoked for a good 2 to 3 minutes, again, once warmed, stopped, and engine run well. this went on for another 2 weeks, during this period i asked again my mechanic, but this time i mentioned the white smoke, no oil smell, his response was i was burning antifreeze. went back to dealer to see what they could do to help me, left the vehicle for diagnosis, then they offer me a 15% discount on parts of and estimated $1500.00 work. since this was unacceptable, i called buick, explain situation, and also mentioned fact that an engine this age - mileage - this kind of failure was not acceptable. after 4 calls from buick, it took buick 2 weeks to come back with ha resolution: that the best they could do was 15% discount on parts and 15% on labor. at some point i wanted to pickup the car and i was told it was not safe to drive. meantime, i did some research and found out that nhtsa did handle this type of issues. further research in the nhtsa web site showed that (like my mechanic told me) this was a recurrent problem with this model. i picked up the car on 10.25.07 at a final cost of $1,157.00. *tr | |||
| 04/07/2003 | 32040 | 1 | 10/18/2002 |
| I have three lights coming on {check engine soon}{anti lock &trac off} this has been going on for over two years and several trips to the garage is not getting it repaired. i am told when these lights are on i lose antilock breaks and traction control. *nm ] ] | |||
| 07/30/2004 | 41254 | 1 | |
| Continue to have a rough idling engine. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | |||
| 08/10/2007 | 61233 | 1 | 08/05/2007 |
| Intake manifold gasket leak at 61,233 miles,719 dollar repair. *jb updated 12-12-07. *kb the lower intake maifold gasket, thermostat were replaced as well. updated . | |||
| 12/21/2004 | 61000 | 1 | 12/10/2003 |
| Manifold intake gasket failure (leaking massive amounts of coolant/water into crankcase) with only 60,000 miles on the engine!*ak | |||