1998 BUICK CENTURY Power Trainautomatic Transmission Problems

TRANSMISSION FELL APART AT 41,600 MILES. (NAR) *PH *CB

ENGINE IS STARTED AND TRANSMISSION IS PLACED IN DRIVE OR REVERSE THE VEHICLE DOESN'T MOVE. AS IF THE VEHICLE WAS PLACED IN NEUTRAL.

I ATTEMPTED TO BACK UP OUT OF THE GARAGE TO GO TO AN EVENING FUNCTION. THE CAR SEEMED TO RESIST THE REVERSE PROCEDURE. AFTER EXITING THE CAR AND CONTINUING TO RECEIVE CONTINUING RESISTANCE TO REVERSE OR IN DRIVE I EXITED THE CAR. I COULD SEE NO PROBLEM WITH OBSTACLES. MY NEIGHBOR, WHO WAS WALKING HER DOG, SAID THAT THE REAR WHEELS WERE NOT TURNING. I ATTEMPTED SEVERAL TIMES TO GO FORWARD BUT COULD NOT. THEREFORE, I FORCED THE CAR BACK INTO THE GARAGE WITH THE REAR WHEELS SCREECHING AT THE FORWARD MOVEMENT INTO THE GARAGE. THIS IS WHERE THE CAR IS AT PRESENT. IN THE GARAGE SUNDAY MORNING 1/20/02.*AK

INITITIALLY THE PROBLEM WAS THOUGHT TO BE THE TRANSMISSION AND THE TRANSMISSION WAS REBUILT, ALONG WITH CLUTCHES THAT WERE BURNED UP. I PICKED THE CAR UP AND DROVE IT FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES AND AT 30 MILES PER HOUR THE CAR WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO THE NEXT GEAR. I IMMEDIATELY RETURNED THE CAR TO THE TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST, BRACEY'S AUTO REPAIR WHO DOES THE WORK FOR R.E. DAVIS AND MR. BRACEY CHECKED THE PRESSURE ON THE MODULATOR AND REPLACED THE MODULATOR. HE THEN DID A TEST WHILE DRIVING THE CAR AND DISCOVERED THAT THE PRESSURE WASN'T WHERE IT SHOULD BE. HE KEPT THE CAR ANOTHER DAY BECAUSE HE NEEDED TO MAYBE REPLACE A PISTON. WHEN I PICKED THE CAR UP HE DISCOVERED A PIN HOLE IN THE DRUM THAT WAS FROM A POOR WELD DURING ASSEMBLY. MR. BRACEY GAVE ME THE PART WITH THE POOR WELD AND IS WRITING A DESCRIPTION...

HAD SHIFTED VEHICLE INTO REVERSE WHEN THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS CAME ON. WAS UNABLE TO STEER FORWARD OR REVERSE. TURNED VEHICLE OFF AFTER SHIFTING INTO PARK. VEHICLE RESET ITSELF. IT'S WAS INTERMITTEN PROBLEM. WOULD HESITATE AT 50-55MPH. AT AN INTERSECTION VEHICLE WOULD STOP RUNNING. TOOK TO DEALERSHIP & MECHANIC SUSPECTED ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. ON DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE & NOTHING FOUND. *AK

TRANSMISSION FAILED CAUSING, THE VEHICLE NOT TO MOVE WHILE SHIFTING INTO REVERSE.

AGAIN NEARLY 20 TIMES WHEN REVERSE WHEN ACTIVATED, THE CAR DID NOT GO INTO REVERSE BUT THE ENGINE ROARED LOUDER. UNTIL THE GEARS WERE TAKEN OUT OF REVERSE AND THEN PUT BACK DID IT FINALLY ENGAGED. THIS HAS HAPPENED NEARLY 20 TIMES SINCE AUG 1999. TWICE ON DEC 25,1999, WHEN REVERSE DID NOT ENGAGE, CAR STALLED WHEN TAKING OUT OF REVERSE GEAR. IT HAS NOT REOCCURRED WITH THE STALLING OUT. *AK

STARTED CAR, PUT IN REVERSE AND VEHICLE DIDN'T MOVE. ALSO, WHEN PUTTING INTO REVERSE THE GEAR INDICATOR JUMPED INTO NEUTRAL THEN REVERSE. CONTACTED DEALER AND REPAIRED THE MODULAR, BUT STILL HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. CAN'T DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM WHEN IT WAS AT THE DEALER. PROBLEM STILL CONTINUES. *AK

TRANSMISSION.

TRANSMISSION CABLE FAILURE CAUSING DIFFICULTY IN SHIFTING, EXCESSIVE EFFORT. YH

REVERSE GEAR FAILED. YH

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING VEHICLE TO GO INTO NEUTRAL WHILE DRIVING. THIS COULD RESULT IN A CRASH. *AK

VEHICLE HAS A PROBLEM ENGAGING TRANSMISSION FROM PARK TO REVERSE.

STARTED ENGINE,NO REVERSE, NO FORWARD; TURNED ENGINE OFF, WAITED 30 SECONDS OR SO; TURNED ENGINE ON, SHIFTED TO DRIVE- OK, SHIFTED REVERSE - OK. BROUGHT TO DEALER ON 4/5/99. TOLD TODAY 4/9/99 THAT A "RING" IN TRANSMISSION POPPED OUT. MY QUESTION IS: "IF A RING DID POP OUT THE FIRST TIME I SHIFTED, DID IT POP BACK IN AGAIN AFTER SHUTTING OF ENGINE AND RESTARTING?" MY MECHANIC AT MY LOCAL GARAGE HAS HEARD OF THE SAME PROBLEM SEVERAL TIMES,BUT IN THOSE CASES (GM CARS) IT WAS A PROBLEM WITH A COMPUTER PART. THANK YOU.. *AK

WHEN VEHICLE IS PUT FROM PARK INTO REVERSE THE SHIFTER STAYS IN NEUTRAL. *AK

WHEN SHIFTING TRANSMISSIOM FROM PARK TO DRIVER OR ANY OTHER GEAR, THE GEARS WILL NOT ENGAGE. CAUSE UNKNOWN. DEALER REPLACED TRANSMISSION CABLE WHICH DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER A SECOND TIME, TRANSMISSION CABLE WAS ADJUSTED, AND THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE FIXED. *AK *ML

WHENEVER TRYING TO SHIFT INTO REVERSE, IT WOULD NOT SHIFT. HAD TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALER & MECHANIC COULD NOT LOCATE PROBLEM. THE GAUGE INDICATES IT'S IN REVERSE WHEN ITS NOT. IT'S AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. BUICK REACHED AN AGREEMENT WITH CONSUMER FOR THE FOLLOWING: THE CUSTOMER IS BEING TRADED FOR A 1999 BUICK. THE CUSTOMER IS PAYING 10 CENTS PER MILE AND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STICKER PRICE. *AK

SHIFT CONTROL FAILED CAUSING TRANSMISSION TO NOT GO INTO REVERSE GEAR.

TRANSMISSION HAS TROUBLE ENGAGING INTO REVERSE GEAR.

VEHICLE STALLS IN REVERSE FOR NO REASON. VEHICLE ALSO SHIFTS ERRATICALLY WHEN PUT IN ANY GEAR. *AK CONSUMER STATES THAT WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN ANY FORWARD GEAR AND UPON STOPPING AND PUTTING THE SHIFT LEVER INTO REVERSE, THE VEHICLE IS NOT ENGAGED IN REVERSE AND DOES NOT RESPOND WHEN DEPRESSING THE GAS PEDAL, CONSUMER STATES THAT HE HAS TO MOVE THE SHIFT LEVER AROUND AND BACK INTO REVERSE FOR IT TO ENGAGE, THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM AND THE DEALER HAS WORKED ON THIS PROBLEM 3 TIMES, JUST RECENTLY THE DEALER REPLACED THE SHIFT CONTROL CABLE AND EVERYTHING SEEMS OKAY FOR RIGHT NOW. *SLC