Owner-reported complaints naming the steering system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2002 Buick Century submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 11 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
UNKNOWN; The issues started around 6 months ago. Just casually driving like usual, and my steering wheel would lock up and be ridiculously hard to turn, which is scary because its happened while turning through lights and intersections and trying to even just park my car. And on some of those occations the trac and abs sensors would come on, but not all the time.
MY LIGHTS ARE ON THE DASHBOARD AND IT'S SAYING ANIT-LOCK BRAKES AND TRAC-OFF. THERE'S A NOISE IN THE STEERING COLUMN.
DRIVING THUR OHIO FROM MICH ,HIT LARGE POT HOLE, DID OVER ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS DAMAGE TO THE STEERING, COULD HAVE BEEN A LOT WORSE, CAR MUST NOT BE MADE PROPERLY TO WITHSTAND HITTING POT HOLES, THIS SHOULD BE A SAFETY ISSUE THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF POT HOLES IN ALL STATES . THE STATE OF OHIO DOES NOT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THERE POT HOLES THEY ARE A DRIVE AT YOUR RISK STATE.... *TR
I PURCHASED THE CAR FROM FAMILY AUTO EASLEY SC, IVE HAD SEVERAL REPAIRS ON THIS CAR THAT DIDNT HELP, RADIATORS, THERMASTAT, WATER PUMP, HOSES REPLACE, ALTERNATOR, COOLANT RECOVERY TANK HAS BROWN SLUDGE INSIDE, THE WINDOWS DIDNT WORK, ITS MOIST INSIDE FROM THE FLOOR BEING WET HAD A HEATING CORE PUT IN DIDNT HELP, THE CARPET ON THE INSIDE IS DAMAGED, THE PAINT IS COMING OFF, HAD A ALTERNATOR PUT IN , RUN HOT ALL THE TIME, DOSNT MATTER, BUY COOLANT, OIL PUT WATER IN IT, MANIFOLD GASKET IS BAD IN IT IVE LOST POWER SEVERAL TIMES, THE LAST TIME I DID IT WAS ON NOV 6 THIS YEAR ON THE WAY TO WORK LOST POWER WHILE DRIVING RAN INTO A GURAD GATE RIGHT BESIDE A DUMPSTER, I HAD TO GET IT TOWED, ITS IN THE SHOP GETTING THE BUMPER FIXED, I HAD TO GET A RENTAL CAR, I HAD TO GET MY CAR REFINANCE WITH DILCO OF GREENVILLE SC HE COULDNT BELIEVE HOW MUCH I WAS CHARGE FOR THIS CAR OVER 13,000.00 DOLLARS, SO I WAS OVER CHARGED AND SOLD A LEMON AND ITS NOT FAIR TO ME AND THIS CAR IS NOT SAFE FOR ME OR ANYONE TO DRIVE, I WANT TO BE ABLE TO DRIVE A CAR WITHOUT BEING AFRIAD IF IM GOING TO MAKE IT OR NOT OR GET STRANDED
WHILE PERFORMING MAINTENANCE (WHEEL BEARING REPLACEMENT) I DISCOVERED A THROUGH AND THROUGH CRACK IN THE STEERING KNUCKLE AT THE POINT OF ATTACHMENT OF THE TIE ROD END ON THE DRIVERS SIDE, THE CASTING WAS SPLIT WHICH WOULD HAVE ALLOWED THE TIE ROD TO DISCONNECT AND POTENTIALLY FATAL CONSEQUENCES. THE CAR IS A 2002 BUICK CENTURY CUSTOM WITH 138,000 MILES. *TR
MOST OF THE COMPLAINTS ON THE BUICK CENTURY 2002, MY CAR HAS THEM: 1. WINDOWS NOT WORKING, ONLY PASSENGERS' UP TO NOW 2. HARD UPSHIFTS ON TRANSMISSION 3. MILEAGE ON THE DIGITAL ODOMETER WON'T SHOW 4. VOLUME ON STEERING WHEEL NEVER CORRECTED SO, WHAT'S BEING DONE ABOUT IT? *TR
TL* - THE CONTACT PURCHASED A PRE-OWNED 2002 BUICK CENTURY, FROM BUICK LANDMARK AUTOMOBILE OF TUSCALOOSA ON 10/22/2002 WITH 24733 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. IN JUNE 2006 THE CONTACT SAID THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO MAKE CLICKING NOISES WHEN TURNING RIGHT. IN 6/7/2006 A GOODYEAR STORE REPLACED THE RF HUB ASSEMBLY AND THE RF OUTLET TIE ROD AT A COST OF $542.91. THE CONTACT WAS TOLD THAT THE ABS WAS VIBRATING CAUSING THE ABS LIGHT TO COME ON WHEN IN SLOW SPEED LEFT TURNING. TWO DAYS AFTER THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED THE SAME NOISES. THE ABS LIGHT TURNED ON. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO LEIGH BUICK OF TUSCALOOSA ON 7/6/2006 LOCATED AT 3200 SKYLAND BLVD TUSCALOOSA AL 35405 TEL.205-556-1111. THE DEALER REPLACED THE LEFT FRONT HUB, AT A COST OF $456.92. TWO DAYS LATER THE CONTACT BEGAN TO HEAR THE SAME NOISE AGAIN. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER WHERE THE LEFT FRONT HUB WAS REPLACED AT NO CHARGE. THE CONTACT DROVE THE VEHICLE A FEW DAYS AFTER, BUT NOTICED THE STEERING WHEEL WAS VERY LOOSE AND BEGAN TO VIBRATE VERY HARD MAKING THE CAR UN-DRIVABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER ON A FLATBED TRUCK ON 8/21/06. ON 8/23/06 THE DEALER REPLACED 2 BULBS AND THE THIRD BRAKE, THE VEHICLE DROVE NORMALLY. SHORTLY AFTER, WHEN MAKING A LEFT OR RIGHT TURN THE CONTACT COULD NOT APPLY THE BRAKE AT ALL WHILE TURNING. THE ANTI LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM LIGHT TURNED ON, BUT IT TURNED OFF WHEN COMPLETING THE TURN. THE CONTACT ALSO SENSED A BURNING SMELL. THE DEALER SAID THE VEHICLE NEEDED THE PUMP VALVE BLOCK REPLACED AND THE ABS PUMP MOUNT FLUID. THE TWO REAR POWER WINDOWS DO NOT CLOSE, THE DIGITAL ODOMETER AND DIGITAL PANELS ARE NOT WORKING. THE CONTACT CAN NOT TELL THE MILEAGE, SPEED OR GEAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT WANTS TO MAKE A COMPLAINT SINCE THERE ARE SO MANY ISSUES. *NM UPDATED 2/21/2007 - *NM
DT: CONTACT STATED THERE WAS SMALL LEVER ON THE SIDE OF THE STEERING WHEEL THAT WAS USED TO RAISE THE STEERING WHEEL UP OR DOWN. CONTACT'S HUSBAND RAISED IT UP ON 7-28-05, AND COULD NOT GET IT TO COME DOWN. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD CONTACT THAT WARRANTY WOULD EXPIRE ON 7-5-05 AND SHE WILL HAVE TO PAY TO HAVE THEM LOOK AT. HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING WHEEL EVER SINCE THE DAY AFTER THEY BOUGHT THE CAR,AROUND 7-2002. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED WAS ON 7-5-202. TO FIX IT THE DEALER JERKED IT INTO POSITION. SINCE THEN HER HUSBAND HAS TAKEN VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR THE SAME THING, AND EACH TIME, THE DEALER JUST JERKED IT INTO PLACE. THE CAR HAS ONLY 14,000 MILES ON IT.*AK
THE DEALERSHIP WAS UNABLE TO PERFORM A FRONT END ALIGNMENT BECAUSE THE FRONT TIE RODS WERE WORN AND ABOUT TO FALL OFF. THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED BECAUSE THE TIE ROD COULD NOT BE GREASED. *NM *MR
THE STEERING WHEEL IS STARTING TO FLAKE OFF. *AK
THE CONSUMER STATES THAT THE VEHICLE IS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE STEERING. THE STEERING WAS REPLACED AND THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED. TS THE CONSUMER STATES THAT WHEN PARKING, THE VEHICLE IS HARD TO STEER-REPLACED THE POWER STEERING PRESSURE HOSES. (INTERNAL GEAR FAILURE-REPLACED) *SCC
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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