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Buick CenturyModel year report

2000 Buick Century Problems

Complaints
193filed with NHTSA
Median mileage
60,935miles, 93 complaints with mileage
Recalls
5campaigns on record
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA crash rating
—overall rating starts with 2011 models
EPA fuel economy
21 mpgcombined, 3.1L 6-cyl FWD · 18 city / 27 hwy

Sources: NHTSA records for the 2000 Buick Century (complaints, recalls, investigations), NHTSA crash tests, EPA fuel economy. Report an error

What owners report

Owners of the 2000 Buick Century most often describe harsh or erratic automatic transmission shifting, typically traced by shops to the pressure control solenoid, and many say the same fix was needed more than once. Brake complaints center on corroded steel brake lines and sudden loss of brake fluid, while power window regulators, intake manifold gasket coolant leaks and dash/gear-indicator failures round out the sample.

  1. Transmission and drivetrain

    Harsh, erratic transmission shifting

    Mentioned in 19 of 60 sampled complaints

    Complaints describe hard, jerky shifts between first, second and third gear, sometimes accompanied by a lurch, a clunk, or a service engine light. Several owners say the transmission also slips, hesitates on downshift, or needs restarting before it behaves. Shops and dealers most often diagnosed the pressure control solenoid, and in some cases the transmission was rebuilt or replaced. Some owners report the same symptom returning after the solenoid was replaced. Mostly reported between roughly 20,000 and 80,000 miles, with several repeat repairs noted at higher mileage.

    3 related service bulletins

    What to check: Test drive from a stop through several upshifts and downshifts to feel for harsh engagements, and ask for transmission service records, especially whether the pressure control solenoid has been replaced.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “My car was experiencing an erratic, and harsh upshift when shifting from first, to second, and then to third gear.this problem was due to a faulty pressure control solenoid valve assembly. After investigating I found out that 17 different vehicles have this transmission with the same valve in it, that could have the same trouble.GM has a file on this problem, shtml file=901351”

    NHTSA complaint #10070962, filed 2004-01, 54,000 miles

    “I own a 2000 Buick Century with an automatic transmission. It has been repaired three times and is starting to do the same thing it has done the other three times. It was repaired all three times at the GM dealer where I purchased it. Each time it has cost over $600 to repair it. The transmission shifts hard between gears and sometimes the vehicle almost stops moving in traffic.”

    NHTSA complaint #10175710, filed 2006-12, 34,000 miles
  2. Brakes

    Brake lines corroded, pedal to floor

    • 20 complaints (10%)
    • median 71,336 mi at 9.7 yrs old (14 state mileage)
    • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • filed 2000–2013

    Complaints describe the brake pedal going to the floor, brake warning or ABS lights coming on, and loss of brake fluid, sometimes followed by a collision. Several owners link the problem to corroded brake lines, often at the bends, with one noting exposure to heavy winter road salt. Others describe grinding noises and repeated brake and rotor work without a lasting fix. Reported from about 29,000 miles upward, with several cases after long-term exposure to road salt in winter conditions.

    Recall 00V143000

    What to check: Have the steel brake lines inspected along their full length, particularly the bends and rear lines, and check brake fluid level and recent brake repair history.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “2000 Buick Century. Frequently I apply pressure to brakes and the car will not stop for several feet. I push pedal all the way down, it makes a grinding sound and sort of vibrates but car will not stop. Several times just missed hitting other cars/people. I am also a single parent with small children in my car. I have changed brakes, rotors, etc. Several times in last couple years. Have been to many different mechanics & dealer- none can find problem. Problem most often happens when it is cold outside. …”

    NHTSA complaint #10280180, filed 2009-08, 108,000 miles

    “Brake warning light came on after entering interstate highway. Lost all brake fluid. Had to repair brake line as it was corroded at the bends in the line.”

    NHTSA complaint #10175478, filed 2006-12, 29,170 miles
  3. Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)

    Power window regulators and motors fail

    • 15 complaints (8%)
    • median 48,223 mi at 8.8 yrs old (8 state mileage, few)
    • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • filed 2001–2017

    Owners report windows dropping down on their own and being unable to raise them, with several saying multiple windows failed within a short period and one reporting all four window motors replaced. A few also describe windshield wipers that would not park properly or a wiper motor that failed. Repairs were typically done at the dealer at the owner's cost. Mostly reported between about 29,000 and 50,000 miles, with several windows failing within a year of each other.

    2 related service bulletins

    What to check: Cycle every power window up and down several times and check that glass stays in its track, and test the wipers through a full cycle including their parked position.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “Windshield wipers work and go through their cycles but do not park and instead stick straight up. This is a visibility hazard and well known by the dealership mechanics in this model Century, yet as far as I know, there is no safety recall. I do not feel that I should have to pay for this repair.”

    NHTSA complaint #10238499, filed 2008-08, 89,000 miles

    “2000 Buick Century, power windows fell down.1st one, and could not get it back up. Next day another fell down when I wasn't in car. Took to dealer and they said a 3rd fell down by it's self. They charged me over $1,300.00,saying each window broke for no reason. A month later,the last window,which had no problem would not go down and still doesn't. No way did 4 windows break all at once.I think whatever controls the windows broke and they didn't fix it and cheated me. Now I have the window on driver's side that will not go down. …”

    NHTSA complaint #10261775, filed 2009-03, 46,446 miles
  4. Electrical system

    Dash odometer and gear indicator go dark

    • 9 complaints (5%)
    • median 110,000 mi at 13.7 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
    • filed 2000–2018

    Owners report that the odometer and the PRNDL gear indicator in the instrument cluster stop displaying, leaving no way to confirm the gear selected or the mileage. Some also mention warning lights staying on and anti-theft system faults. In one case a shop quoted a repair rate for the display. Usually reported at higher mileage, from about 55,000 to over 100,000 miles.

    2 related service bulletins

    What to check: Turn the key and confirm the odometer and gear indicator illuminate and change correctly, and treat an unreadable odometer as a reason to verify actual mileage.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “I keep getting my air bag warning light coming on, the ABS, and the check engine soon light, they wont go off. The fuel line that goes into the gas tank /neck leaks when gas gets pumped into it. The odometer mileage display p.r.n.d.l. Wont work and neither will the temperature gauge indicator for the climate control gauge.”

    NHTSA complaint #10860618, filed 2016-04, 178,000 miles

    “The electronic odometer and automatic transmission display has gone completely dark. With indicator dark, the following are impossible to determine on the vehicle. A) automatic transmission indicator - for vehicles where the transmission shift lever is mounted on the steering column (like mine), other than counting the number of clicks of the transmission lever up or down, the vehicle operator has no idea if the vehicle is in drive, neutral or reverse. …”

    NHTSA complaint #10427984, filed 2011-09, 101,000 miles

Buying note. Because transmission shifting complaints are the most frequent item in this sample, a long test drive worth of gear changes and a look at service records is time well spent. Also have the brake lines, intake area and instrument cluster checked, since these come up repeatedly in owner 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.

NHTSA recorded 193 consumer complaints for the 2000 Buick Century. 93 of the complaints include a mileage, and 32% of those were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the median is 60,935 miles. Of all complaints, 11 involved a crash, 1 a fire, 11 an injury, according to the filers. NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns and 236 technical service bulletins for this model year.

Not compared (before 2008). Model years 2008–2023 of the same vehicle that have at least 25 complaints are compared, and a model needs at least 3 of them.

Which parts are reported most

Complaints can name more than one part, so the counts add up to more than the total. Select a part to see its complaints, recalls and bulletins.

Also reported: Suspension (8), Other or unknown (7), Engine (6), Body and structure (4), Vehicle speed control (4), Seats (3), Tires (3), Equipment (2), Interior lighting (2), Electronic stability control (1), Latches, locks and linkages (1), Wheels (1).

Example complaints

Transmission and drivetrain: “Bought 2000 Buick Century and like many other complaints on the list I have repaired the manifold, water pump, fuel filter at 83,000. I have experienced the whinning and hard shifting the entire time I owned the car. I had intermittent dash light failure which is real dangerous since you can't see the speedometer or anything on the dash. My brakes have failed to brake and I went out into traffic - luckily no accident and there was a median I could steer into! I haven't had a working gas gauge for years. Last night going 70 MPH I felt 3 chugs and lost power. …”

NHTSA complaint #10373760, filed 2011-01, 131,000 miles

Brakes: “Brake lines that run from master cylinder to rear brakes rusted through. Fuel lines also show extensive rust damage. I had to replace brake lines on rear of this car two years ago for this same problem.”

NHTSA complaint #10551684, filed 2013-11, 130,000 miles

Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors): “Wife went to work and window was up. When she returned the window had fallen inside the door. All windows regulators have failed once for each window. Car only has 70,000 miles on it. Drivers window failed twice. This last time was not under warranty and total was $622. The regulator has$1.00 thin plastic piece holding the cable ends that pull the window up and down. Service manager explained the regulator was only good for about 6 years.”

NHTSA complaint #10242357, filed 2008-09, 70,000 miles

Engine cooling: “Service engine light came on and have been experiencing a clunking hesitation when accelerating anywhere from 10 to 45 MPH. Took car to dealer on 4/5/04 and service manager went for a test drive with me and he definitely felt the problem. When tech ran computer check he said two codes came back and that the fuel sensor had to be replaced and it was not covered by my extended warranty or the emissions warranty. I had the work done and the service manager said that may have been what was causing the problem and to call if it did not resolve. …”

NHTSA complaint #10066165, filed 2004-04, 36,200 miles

Mileage when problems were reported

32% of the 93 complaints with a mileage were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the middle half falls between 38,497 and 80,000 miles.

3%0–105%10–2524%25–5034%50–7517%75–10010%100–1506%150+
Share of complaints by mileage when the problem was reported, in thousands of miles (93 complaints with mileage). Red bars: under 50,000 miles. Bucket widths differ. Median: 60,935 miles.

Complaints by year filed

Trend: falling. Complaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

’0129’04’07’10’13’17’20
Complaints by year the complaint was filed with NHTSA. Red bars: the last 3 full calendar years used for the trend. The current year (2026) is partial.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2000 Buick Century. Frontal results are shown driver / passenger; rollover shows the star rating and NHTSA's estimated risk of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

VersionOverallFrontalSideSide poleRollover
Century · sedan not rated4 / 3———

Ratings before the 2011 model year come from an older, less demanding test and are not comparable with ratings for 2011 and later.

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), nhtsa.gov/ratings.

Fuel economy and running cost

EPA ratings for each 2000 Buick Century version. Annual fuel cost is the EPA's estimate at its current fuel prices for 15,000 miles a year (55% city driving).

VersionEngineTransmissionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yr
Century FWD3.1L 6-cyl4-speed automatic182721$3,200

Source: U.S. EPA and Department of Energy, fueleconomy.gov. Ratings are for comparing vehicles; real-world mileage varies with driving and conditions.

Recalls and investigations

Recall details for the 2000 Buick Century → · Check a VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls

NHTSA investigations

Technical service bulletins

TSBs are manufacturer notes to dealers about known repair procedures. They are not recalls and do not by themselves mean a vehicle has a fault. 236 on record; the latest 10 are shown.

See all 236 bulletins →

Other model years of the Buick Century

YearComplaintsMedian miRecallsCrash ★MPGScore (50 = typical)Trend
20051968,9770—21—Rising
20043973,0000—21Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200312763,5460—21Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200215462,0000—21Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200114554,8003—21Not compared (before 2008)Rising
200019360,9355—21Not compared (before 2008)Falling
199923556,5003—21Not compared (before 2008)Stable
199821857,9722—21Not compared (before 2008)Falling
199710694,9442——Not compared (before 2008)Stable
19968075,5501—21Not compared (before 2008)Falling
19959992,5001—20Not compared (before 2008)Falling
199410688,5006—22Not compared (before 2008)Stable
199354123,0002—21Not compared (before 2008)Stable
19924594,5003—20Not compared (before 2008)Stable
19913845,0822—20Not compared (before 2008)Stable
199033—2—21Not compared (before 2008)Stable
198940110,0001—21Not compared (before 2008)Stable
198816—3—21—Stable
19872890,0000—20Not compared (before 2008)Stable
198622100,0002—20—Stable
19857—0—19—Not enough data
19848—3—20—Not enough data

All Buick Century model years · Best and worst years by complaints

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2000 Buick Century?

Owners of the 2000 Buick Century most often describe harsh or erratic automatic transmission shifting, typically traced by shops to the pressure control solenoid, and many say the same fix was needed more than once. The issues reported most often: Harsh, erratic transmission shifting; Brake lines corroded, pedal to floor; Power window regulators and motors fail.

How many NHTSA complaints does the 2000 Buick Century have?

NHTSA recorded 193 consumer complaints for the 2000 Buick Century as of Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

What part of the 2000 Buick Century is reported most often?

Transmission and drivetrain is named most often, in 48 complaints (25% of the total), followed by brakes with 31.

Has the 2000 Buick Century been recalled?

NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for this model year. To check a specific vehicle, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What gas mileage does the 2000 Buick Century get?

The EPA rates the 2000 Buick Century (Century, 3.1L 6-cyl) at 21 mpg combined, 18 city and 27 highway, with an estimated annual fuel cost of $3,200 at 15,000 miles a year. Other engine and drive versions are rated differently.

At what mileage are problems with the 2000 Buick Century reported?

Among the 93 complaints that include a mileage, the median is 60,935 miles and the middle half falls between 38,497 and 80,000 miles; 32% were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles.

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Crash ratings are from NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program. Fuel economy is from the EPA and DOE (fueleconomy.gov).

Complaint counts come from NHTSA’s public complaint database; we count each complaint once. The source records for this vehicle are on nhtsa.gov. Scores and trends are our own summaries of that data, described in the methodology. This page is not legal, safety or repair advice: for a specific vehicle, check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and ask a qualified mechanic. See an error? Tell us.