1999 Buick Century Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 1999 Buick Century most often report cooling-system trouble traced to the intake manifold gasket, and power-window regulator failures on all four doors. Both show up well before 100,000 miles, and brake-line corrosion and headlight complaints round out the list as these cars age.

1. 1
   Engine cooling

   Intake manifold gasket coolant leak

   • 39 complaints (17%)
   • median 53,544 mi at 6.2 yrs old (28 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $700 (median of 9 quotes)
   • filed 1999–2015

   Complaints describe coolant disappearing, a sweet or burning antifreeze smell, an overheating gauge, and sometimes an oily or brown substance in the radiator. Owners say mechanics traced the problem to the upper or lower intake manifold gasket on the 3.1L engine, and several report the same repair being done more than once. Some were told by the dealer the repair was a normal wear item rather than a defect. In a few cases the leak progressed to a locked or failed engine. Mostly reported between roughly 25,000 and 75,000 miles, with a few owners reporting repeat failures past 100,000 miles.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Check the coolant level and look for a milky or oily film in the radiator or overflow bottle, and ask whether the intake manifold gasket has been replaced and at what mileage.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “As the 3rd owner of a 1999 Buick Century limited I did a thorough search of cars history and found no problems until today 8 9 2013 when I took it in for radiator hose change cooling system flush and oil change which later was told allthey could do was the tranny flush because of the intake manifold gasket leak which im hearing is a huge 3.1 GM engine problem. Uppon calling the former owner she informed me that at 50,000 it was replaced and again at 108,765 miles. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10534572, filed 2013-08, 137,549 miles

   “1999 Buick Century began using dex-cool and overheating. Also heater would blow cold indicating coolant was low. Car taken to dealer who said it was a leak in upper and lower intake gaskets. When asked why this happened they said that GM has had bad batches of gaskets and they are having to replace a lot of gaskets, even on 2003 models. I asked why they were charging me $403.66 to repair, since it is happening so much. They said that GM considers this gasket problem a normal wear and tear item just like belts, oil changes, ect! …”

   NHTSA complaint #10054231, filed 2004-01, 34,750 miles
2. 2
   Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)

   Power window regulator and motor failure

   • 23 complaints (10%)
   • median 63,766 mi at 8.1 yrs old (16 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $432 (median of 6 quotes)
   • filed 1999–2017

   Owners describe windows that stop moving or drop suddenly into the door, often after a nylon clip or cable in the regulator breaks; several report the same failure on multiple doors within a short span. Complaints say the whole regulator or motor assembly has to be replaced, and some note the dealer treated it as a routine repair. A few owners mention rust or moisture inside the door as a possible factor. Reported from well under 50,000 miles up into the 100,000-plus range, often on several windows within a year.

   What to check: Operate every window fully up and down, listen for grinding or slow travel, and ask which regulators or motors have already been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “All the power windows will not work. I had the driver's window repaired at a cost of $325.00. It worked for about one year, and now sometimes it will roll down. Most certainly there was a problem with these windows. The other windows were occasionally used, so I know that they were not worn out. I am not going to pay to get them fixed because I don't use them. Why has this not been recalled?”

   NHTSA complaint #10191191, filed 2007-05, 50,000 miles

   “Window regulator failure. This is my second complaint about this issue. The last of four windows regulators has failed in a year''s time. A plastic or nylon clip that holds the two cable ends becomes brittle and gives way. The window then is unsupported and falls to the bottom of the track. First the drive window failed. This in my opinion is a safety and security hazard and the driver is then exposed to the elements, cold, rain, etc. The same goes for passengers. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10183080, filed 2007-02, 90,000 miles
3. 3
   Brakes

   Brake line rust-through and fluid loss

   • 23 complaints (10%)
   • median 54,000 mi at 10.5 yrs old (13 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1999–2014

   Complaints describe a spongy or low brake pedal, brake fluid on the ground, and inspect-a-find of severely rusted metal brake lines, in some cases with a complete loss of braking. Owners say shops replaced the corroded line and refilled the fluid, and several note the same rust on the fuel filler pipe. Some also mention the ABS light staying on and a wiring harness that chafes until the ABS stops working. Mostly reported between about 53,000 and 115,000 miles, often on cars kept in areas with road salt.

   Recall 99V1700003 related service bulletins

   What to check: Have a mechanic inspect the metal brake lines and fuel filler pipe underneath for rust before buying, and check whether the ABS warning light comes on.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Brake lines on 1999 Buick Century rusted out, resulting in complete loss of braking. Brake lines are severely rusted in most locations in the rear of the car. Fuel filler line is heavily rusted, as of yet there is no leaking from this defect. Location on long island new york is not a heavily salted area.”

   NHTSA complaint #10287294, filed 2009-10, 113,500 miles

   “Service vehicle, ABS and traction control light came on. The light would go out at first but now is steady. Took car to dealer who said it was broken wire under hood. They have found many with same problem. A wire harness is to short and the wire eventually fails. Abs does not work during this failure.”

   NHTSA complaint #10096140, filed 2004-10, 54,000 miles
4. 4
   Exterior lighting

   Headlights dim, clouded or out of aim

   • 21 complaints (9%)
   • median 70,000 mi at 7.8 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • filed 1999–2017

   Owners report weak or uneven low-beam output, moisture inside the headlamp housings that clears and then leaves the lights dim, and aiming devices that will not hold adjustment even after recall work was performed. Some describe bulbs blowing repeatedly and sockets melting, along with turn signals that stop working until the bulb or socket is disturbed. Spread across the sample from about 24,000 to 122,000 miles, with several reports on cars over 55,000 miles.

   Recall 99V356000Recall 04V3750001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Check both headlamps at night for brightness and aim, look for condensation inside the lenses, and ask whether the headlight aiming recalls were completed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Bulbs keep blowing, sockets keep melting, turn signals that don't work, sloppy steering. Dewey griffith in bellingham wa. Has never told us of a recall or widespread problems. ! Want some sort of compensation. The worst incident was in july 6, 2006 when 6 lights had to be fixed. As of 11-18-2010 we have more and another socket that is melted.”

   NHTSA complaint #10366877, filed 2010-11, 60,000 miles

   “Problem with exterior lighting on passenger side of car. Turn signal blinks rapidly sometimes even after changing out bulb. Headlight is starting to do the same trick. If you get out and play with either you can usually get it working again, but this is not always safe, and certainly is not convenient.”

   NHTSA complaint #10355449, filed 2010-09, 100,000 miles

Buying note. On a 1999 Century, the intake manifold gasket and the window regulators are the two things to verify first, since both commonly need repeat repairs. A pre-purchase inspection that includes the brake lines and fuel filler pipe underneath is worthwhile given the corrosion reports.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.