26th Jun 2006, 19:38

I too, have had transmission trouble with my 2000 Buick Century, it had to have a new valve body, and replace all the shift solenoids, quit costly at $600, but not as expensive as the complete transmission overall of $1,800!! The car has also needed new brakes, block engine head seal, one back window no longer operates. My Buick has about 83,000 miles.

2nd Oct 2006, 10:54

I too have shifting problems with my Century and it has an electrical problem. I will never buy a Buick again.

30th Nov 2006, 20:29

My 2000 Buick Century has a hard shift problem. It can be fixed by turning the engine off and restarting. The problem does return after a few days.

28th Dec 2006, 18:35

My husband and I had always had good luck with Buicks and so we bought a 2000 Buick. Days after we bought it we noticed a hard shift and whining sound. Turns out it was a bad solenoid. The person who sold it to us felt bad and agreed to pay for half of the 700.00 repair. Three years later - the whine is back and the hard shift is back. Research indicates this is a GM faulty design problem. Everyone seems to have the same problem. I don't think I will buy my next car from Buick. Guess it's a Honda for me.

9th Jan 2007, 12:05

I too own a 2000 Buick Century. I am now experiencing the hard shift and the whining. I have been back and forth the past couple of days, debating whether to just trade it in or chance getting it repaired and hope that it doesn't cost more later. After reading all of these other entries, I am guessing the new car idea is sounding more reasonable. Not only due to the transmission problem, but the fact that there seem to be a lot of other weird problems. I have been wondering if I have some electrical problem. Also, suddenly, my gas gauge doesn't work anymore and my dial for A/C, heat, defrost, etc. just broke. It seems it all just happened pretty quickly.

10th Jan 2007, 17:33

To the person who posted comment 18:35. Good luck with the Honda, I am sure you will be sorry once you buy it. If you are used to Buick's the Honda will not come close to comparing. By the way, Buick has a higher customer satisfaction rating than Honda or Toyota, second only to Lexus.

21st Mar 2007, 07:00

The whining and hard shifting problem is due to a bad valve in the transmission. In the process of getting my 2000 Buick fixed for this problem. Since so many Buicks seem to have this problem, why isn't there a recall???

21st Mar 2007, 12:19

To 17:33; I don't think the person you're referring to will be sorry to dump off a problem ridden Buick for a Honda that's trouble-free and about 400% more fun to drive, as well as getting better gas mileage and retaining a higher resale value, as well as a much lower cost of ownership.

27th Mar 2007, 20:42

With so many complaints on intermittent hard shift you would think GM would give the fix to dealers. At 52k miles my Century 2000 is having this problem. Tran oil is clean and sufficient. Sounds like an electrical problem to me since it can disappear with a power-on reset.

13th Apr 2007, 18:50

We have a 2000 Buick Century, the transmission shift solenoid valve went bad at 54,000 miles. It had to be replaced at a GM dealership. Now the car has 71,000 miles on it and the problem has returned. The computer shows the same code P1811, cannot believe that this problem should come back in less than 20,000 miles. GM or Buick needs to recall.

I took and found the number for the National Safety Transportation Board, the toll free number is

1-888-327-4235 and reported our problem.

Everyone is going to have to call this number and report their problem. If you have had the car repaired, have your repair bill to give them the information. They will ask you what it cost, where it was done, your name and address and phone number and the name and address of the repair shop. Also the name of the place where you bought the vehicle, how many miles you have on it and the VIN number.

The part number for the solenoid valve is 10478146.

If everyone calls and reports this problem, GM will be forced into a recall. If you have already had your vehicle fixed, GM will have to refund you the repair cost, whether it was done by a GM dealer or a private garage.

19th Apr 2007, 12:46

Same transmission problem which began around 45,000 miles. Buick replaced the solenoid without charge, but by the low 70,000 mile range the problem returned. Buick refused to fix it the 2nd time and sent me a certificate for $1000 off on my next Buick if I bought a new car within a year. Didn't want to purchase a new car and probably will not buy another Buick because of what I view as a lack of response.

The problem with replacing the solenoid is that it is a band-aid fix; the problem according to mechanics I have talked to is actually a valve which should be replaced.

5th May 2007, 22:21

I own a 2000 Buick Century and had many problems with it. The a/c compressor, accumulator and blower resistor had to be replaced at 55,000 miles!!! Rear brake problems needed to replace shoes and leaking cylinders at 63,000 miles Also had problems with thermostat and had coolant leak. The lower intake manifold gasket had to be replaced along with a new water pump very expensive job. The driver's side switch also had to be replaced because power windows would no longer work. The car now has 74,000 miles and has been properly maintained There should have been recalls on these costly repairs that were needed. PLEASE inform nhtsa @1-888-327-4236 if anyone has also experienced these problems.

22nd May 2007, 07:16

Glad I came to this site! I too have a 2000 Buick with a transmission problem. Mine started around 38K miles, which of course was after the warranty ended. For the first few thousand miles, it came and went... restarting the engine helped... but now at 94K, still not wanting to pay the big bucks to fix, I deal with it. Would love a recall!!!

23rd May 2007, 09:58

I will add to the growing list. I have a 2000 Lesabre with the same problem. I was lucky and didn't get the problem until around 74,000 miles. It has been very intermittent, but chronic for the past year. I plan to call the National Transportation Safety Board number listed in a previous comment. Originally, I was told that it may be electrical and could be a bad battery connection, but with the battery under the back seat, I haven't tried that cross-my-fingers fix yet.