When to court on 11/12/13. Was told if I did not take the car I would get charged storage. Went to the garage were the car was. At the court house was told car needs rotors. They took the car out of the garage and parked it running. I got in it stepped on the pedal and it went down on the floor with the brake light on. Had to get the car out so I got it to my home. Beside structural damage from rocker panel filled with spray foam no brakes. You take corners and the car bangs from the frame moving. This car is suppose to have 39000 miles on it. The steering wheel is worn out and the struts bang and bounce. This car is now sitting in my yard. I would like a dot person check this car for true mileage. I ran my own garage and did state inspections and I really think some one altered the mileage. My inspection number was 1495 back in april 2000.. Updated 11-25-13
1999 Buick Century: brake failure
6 of the 235 complaints about the 1999 Buick Century describe brake failure.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 3%
- typical mileage
- 69,528
- recalls
- 1
Brake failure by model year
What owners say
Brake failure, front brake line corrosion (rust through) resulting in complete loss of brake fluid. Thankfully no accident resulted. Correction required new brake line replacement and replacement of lost fluid, etc this failure is the same type which occurred to our 2000 buick century. In that car first the front brake line failed (like the 1999 did), and about a year later the rear brake line failed with the same corrosion problem. The incident happened out of state and the repair shop manager stated "this has become a common problem and that he has replaced many failed brake lines.
The brake lines on my 1999 buick century corroded, fluid leaked and the brakes failed. Fortunately, I noticed the brakes beginning to fail (pedal went all the way to the floor), so I drove defensively and was not involved in an accident. I was only a short distance from my local garage and went there directly to have the lines replaced. They told me that the lines had rotted through. I assumed that this was something that happens in areas that use winter salt, but hearing of the recall of gm trucks, I now realize that this may not be a "normal" event. The parts in question are no longer available.
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.
Dt: the vehicles brakes went out just after getting the tires rotated. According to the mechanic that repaired the brakes, there was a recall on the brakes and headlights. The consumer didnt take the vehicle to the dealer because they previously didn't do work they were suppose to do.
On nov. 9th 2001, we were on our way to atlanta, the cruise control froze up at 70 miles per hour, I was unable to disengage it or turn it off and the brakes failed to respond , they were locked up also. Thinking that the accelerator might be stuck I tapped it lightly and the car sped up to 85 MPH. I was in atlanta traffic and finally after about 5 miles I was able to get it to disengage. There was no place to pull off and I decided to turn it off. It instead reengaged and would not disengage for awhile. We finally got onto I-285 looking for a place to get off. As we got up to speed it once again reengaged and it took me nearly 8 miles to get it off again. This happened three more times, each time I was not able to exit. We were fortunate that we were able to get off at the exit to our daughters house and I unplugged it under the hood. I had no further problems. I have never been so scared in a car in my life. 85 MPH in atlanta traffic & no brakes. I took the car to the local chevrolet/buick dealer (bennett chevrolet/buick) on monday the 12th. They told me that the cruse control module had gone out. I thought that you might need to know about this potential for a fatal crash. We were lucky, please see that this happens to no one else, they might not be so lucky.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
- What is wrong
- Some of these vehicles with the key in the "on" position, exhibit a condition in which the antilock brake system (ABS) motor shorts to its case and grounds through a flexible brake fluid pipe.
- Risk
- This short can cause extreme heating of the flexible brake pipe where it can melt a nearby flexible plastic fuel hose, which could result in an underhood fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a ground cable from the electronic brake control module (ebcm) to the engine compartment body rail.
Recall number 99V170000 · Recall details
Questions about the 1999 Buick Century brake failure
Is brake failure a common problem on the 1999 Buick Century?
6 of 235 owner complaints about the 1999 Buick Century (3%) mention brake failure. The model year with the most reports is 1999.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1999 Buick Century?
There is 1 recall and 4 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1999 Buick Century
Headlights 20Overheating 13Check engine light 9Power windows 9No deployment 8ABS 5Stalling 5Sudden acceleration 5
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 1999 Buick Century?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history