2004 Buick Century: problems, recalls and reliability
2 recalls and 39 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is exterior lighting (24% of complaints); the 2005 model year looks more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Feb 2009
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 39 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Tl* the contact owns a 2004 buick century. The contact stated that the air bag warning light illuminated, while driving approximately 10 mph. The contact stated that the air bag warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 152,000.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jan 2020
“Front and rear brake lines failed leaving me with no brakes. I was driving at low speed. The rear brake line was the first to go. The front burst and about 4 weeks later the cause was rust and corrosion. Both times the pedal went to the floor.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Aug 2019
“When driving my car over 5 miles it will choke and not let me accelerate and the speedometer goes to 0. Can you tell me what the problem could be?”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Jul 2018
Show 7 more owner reports
“The multi function switch does not work properly. When going around curves and corners you can't dim the headlights. Because the steering wheel doesn't allow the lever to go far enough to catch. Now my headlights will not turn on when the they are suppose to. My cruise control doesn't work. My a/c stops cooling when the speed reaches 60 mph but if I move the m.f.s. (aka turn signal) it gets cool again for a few minutes. The other night my lights went off when I was meeting a car with its headlights on bright. It was a dark stretch of road. I almost ran in the ditch.”Owner report · Electrical System · Jun 2018
“Headlights went off while driving on interstate at night. ( I may have flashed my high beams to signal a truck that it was safe to change lanes before this happened. Interior lights still working when this happened. Nothing I did would bring headlights back on. Very dangerous problem!! Car mileage approximately 62,000. 12/21/2017 date.”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Dec 2017
“While in motion the high beam will go out and low beam with it - no lights at all. You must push or pull the turn signal lever to turn the lights on again.”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Nov 2015
“We were driving at night and headlights went out randomly, this is happened several times. It did not seem to matter if the light switch was on or in the automatic position.”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Jan 2015
“The "swaybar" for steering broke. I brought it to my mechanic and he says he has seen this issue with buick centurys before. It cost approximately $825.00 to fix.”Owner report · Steering · Nov 2014
“Tl* the contact owns a 2004 buick century. The contact stated that while driving 10 mph, the vehicle became involved in a crash and the air bags failed to deploy. The contact mentioned that no warning lights illuminated. A police report was filed. The contact sustained laceration to the to face and mouth which required medical attention. The vehicle was towed to a lot where it was deemed destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000. Updated 12/09/14*lj the consumer stated the vehicle was repaired. Updated 05/19/2015*js”Owner report · Air Bags · Oct 2014
“You could smell gas inside and outside the car. I took it to my garage and they went all over it and could not find any reason for the smell. It didn't matter if the gas tank was full or half full. When the weather was warm it was much worse. I am wondering if there have been any other complaints about this problem. I am afraid the car will catch on file. *tr”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Sep 2014
When filing, owners marked a crash in 4 of these complaints and injuries in 5 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 2 campaigns
CERTAIN DELPHI FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS, P/NOS. FP10020-11B1, FP10026-11B1, AND FP10027-11B1, SOLD AFTER JANUARY 9, 2007, AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. THE UNIVERSAL PRESSURE REGULATORS (UPR) WERE PRODUCED WITHOUT AN O'RING AND RETAINER.
Remedy: DELPHI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE UPR FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 23, 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT DELPHI AT 877-411-8770.
DORMAN IS RECALLING 979 STEERING KNUCKLES, DORMAN P/NOS. 697-902 AND 697-903, SOLD UNDER DORMAN'S "OE SOLUTIONS<SUP>TM</SUP>" BRAND NAME, AND NAPA P/NOS. 7-8502 AND 7-8503 WHICH WERE SOLD FOR REPLACEMENT USE ON THE VARIOUS VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. A POTENTIAL MATERIAL OR DESIGN DEFECT COULD RESULT IN THE STEERING KNUCKLE BREAKING IN THE HUB AREA.
Remedy: DORMAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE STEERING KNUCKLES FREE OF CHARGE AND REIMBURSE THE REPAIR FACILITY OR OWNER FOR LABOR. THE RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 23, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DORMAN'S TOLL-FREE HOTLINE AT 1-800-523-2492 AND PRESS 5.
How other years compare
Check your exact Century by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2004 Buick Century reliable?
NHTSA has 39 owner complaints and 2 recall campaigns on record for the 2004 Buick Century. The most complained-about area is exterior lighting (24% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2004 Buick Century problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 76,000 miles or less.
Does the 2004 Buick Century have open recalls?
2 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning fuel system, other:storage:tank assembly:pressure relief devices. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.