1998 BUICK LeSabre

While driving I-75, enginge light came on and the car suddenly slowed down and stopped. Noticed no coolant in the coolant reservoir. Towed it to the GMC dealer. Service Manager remarks: Due to antifreeze leak from manifold gasket all fluids went through engine block and hydrolocked the engine and causing it to shut down. The Service Manager indicated that they had several buick LeSabre with the same problem. It is a design flaw on the part of GMC and the dealers are aware of this problem. I strongly recommend and request that AutoSafety Organization and other consumer safety organization campaign for a recall and fix this problem immediately before somebody including children gets killed on the hwy. Prevention is better than lamentation.

transmission slips after being engaged for 24 miles or more . This happens at start up from a standing stop(stop sign etc.) It has happen only 4 times this year. Dealer unable to say what is wrong or repair needed.Has anyone got a idea what it is?

The most serious problem with this car (there have been many) is that the intake manifold failed at less than 48,000.00 miles. This failure caused the cylinders to fill with water and strand my wife several miles from home. The GM dealer denied any knowledge of problems of this nature, even though the parts man told us that they stocked several of these manifolds and were replacing several a month. Subsequent research has shown that this is a common and pervasive problem with this engine. This has all but erased the resale value of these vehicles and their trade-in value is just about nill.

The bearing in the idler pulley for the serpentine belt disintegrated. This allowed the belt to come off and power steering and brakes were lost.If my wife had been driving she would not have had the upper body strength to continue steering.I can point to three accidents recently wherein women were driving (other makes), lost control, and veered left, as my car did. This appears to be a problem with design, not just with Buicks. I am not seeking recompense, but a solution to the problem.

See failures

Intake manifold failed after 70,000 miles and let coolant into cylinders causing engine to lock up.Installed new intake manifold which did the same thing after 140,000 miles

1998 buick lesabre with cracked intake manifold. consumer states that the manufacturer has no intention of sending out a recall for this problem or reimbursing the customers. *kb the consumer stated the manifold was made out of plastic, which caused anti-freeze to mix with the oil. *jb

Ltr fwd fm cpsc complaint re his 1998 buick lesabre, he took car in for a recall, and now the car is more dangerous than before gm "repaired" it.*mr after the vehicles recall repairs were made it leaked fuel vapors and stalled. *nm

1998 buick lesabre has a defective transmission.*mr *nm

Writer submitted reimbursement information to general motors (gm) owner of a buick lesabre vehicle. recalled defective fuel pressure regulator. *bf the manufacturer only reimbursed the consumer a small amount of the total repair expense. *nm

Info copy of let to gm, inquiring if there is anything more to do to stop the unnecessary task of writing multiple ltrs for reimbursemt from gm referencing engine coolant leak on buick vehicles. ref es03-006044 /s/brenner 9/23/03. *ph *mjj nar

Consumer inquired as to why the recall on park avenue with 3800 v6 engines extended to the lesabre as well. *ph the buick park avenue and buick lesabre are equipped with the same engine. the consumer saw recall 03v473000 for the park avenue and wondered why the lesabre is not included in the recall. *nm

While attempting to start the vehicle in the garage consumer heard an explosion in the engine compartment. dealer informed the consumer that a faulty pressure regulator was the problem. *ak

Tl* the contact owns a 1998 buick lesabre. the contact stated that the check engine warning indicator illuminated. in addition, once the vehicle reached the odometer mileage of 99,999, it failed. the dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. the failure mileage was approximately 106,000.

The sub frame (sometimes called engine cradle) bushings, retainers, and the sub frame itself wherein they mount, are decayed. some bushings and retainers are completely missing. having investigated the requirements for repair, i have found that nearly all gm cars with this mounting system are experiencing the same malfunction. this is definitely a safety issue, in that the engine cradle can fall from the vehicle. in my opinion this is the result of a design or materials failure, incorporated when the vehicle was manufactured.the repair cost of the parts, from gm "dealer only", is prohibitive. is this being considered for a mandatory recall.?

I recently purchased this vehicle used. upon inspection, i discovered that the brake lines are severely corroded and require replacement. on further inspection, i discovered that the engine cradle, bushings, and fastening hardware are severely corroded as well. the rest of the vehicle is not corroded in any way, not even rust belt problem areas. from researching online (including other complaints on this website) both of these issues are common in late 90's gm w-body vehicles. how this has not elevated into a safety investigation by now is troubling to me. ford was required to recall due to rusting brake lines...... do people have to die for the nhsta to investigate?

Tl* the contact owns a 1998 buick lesabre. the contact stated that the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration without warning. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine cradle was severely corroded and needed to be replaced. the dealer was not contacted. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 90,000. the vin was not included.

My car seems to just die while you are driving it them you have to pull over and wait a few mins before it will start again and no body seems to know what the problem could be to you

I was driving into drive way and heard a loud thud then noticed my steering wheel was off center. i put the car up on ramps and all four rear sub frame bushings where missing. this component holds the engine, transmission, and steering to the car.!!!! being a technician ,i looked on line to see if this was a common problem and found it is very common . if i had continued to drive i would have lost control. thankfully i was doing 10 mph many on line complaints talk about people loosing control. or the front end dropping fenders on to tires. this is a major safety. issue and i have found it spans 1992 to 1999. gm models. this is just as dangerous as the ignition problem possibly worse since there is no warning before it happens. if you check only at www.cargurus.com they have a section titled { critical safety issue 92-99 buick } please look and do something before. someone is hurt. *tr

I came home after bible study on wednesday night and got up thursday then the security light went blinking. my husband had the key ignition replace then brought new key but car still wouldn't start so had the car towed and repaired. 10 months and three weeks the car did the same but i was driving this time and it shut down in the road with me and my children. it was frighten but we made it safely out of the road before anything happen. i don't understand that this problem occurred again . i am upset about the problem. a car has no business shutting off in the road while a person is driving it accident or no accident because it in danger peoples life. a serious problem for many people whom have these cars made by gm.

Tl* the contact owns a 1998 buick lesabre. the contact stated that the rear brakes failed twice and the brake line was leaking. the contact replaced the brakes and noticed that the brake line was severely corroded and unprotected in the engine compartment. the vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. the approximate failure mileage was 93,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 1998 buick lesabre. the contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, there was a loud clunking sound coming from the front end of the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was diagnosed that the lower crossarm and four cradle bolts and bushings needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure and current mileage was 120,000. the vin was not available.

Brakes went out, had no pedal at all. managed to get home. fluid full. master cylinder ok. brake shoes new. brake fluid not leaking. oil is leaking, but no brake fluid at all. cannot find what the problem. cannot get any pedal on the brakes. *tr

Observed a strong gasoline odor after driving the car. the cause of the odor was a leak in the nylon fuel pressure line feeding the rear fuel rail on the engine. the leak in the line was caused by the engine shroud. the engine has a removable plastic shroud, and the edge of the shroud was rubbing on the fuel line and eventually cut through the line and created a pinhole leak. *tr

The first incident of the vehicle cutting off was at a stop light. the vehicle just cut off. the vehicle had to be put in park and the ignition was switched off and turned back on. the vehicle turned back on. the second incident occurred while driving at "45 mph". the vehicle cut off and had no power steering. the vehicle was able to coast to the side of the road and then put in park. the vehicle turned back on with the ignition key. the second incident occurred while driving at "55 mph". the vehicle cut off and had no power steering. the vehicle was able to coast to the side of the road and then put in park. the vehicle turned back on with the ignition key.

The vehicle acted like it had a miss, the service engine light came on, flashing, then stopped flashing but remained on. i drove vehicle home, and the next morning it would not start. i had it towed to a shop and the mechanic said that it had hydro locked due to coolant dripping on the piston from a coolant leak at the intake manifold. this is not a cheap repair. *tr

1998 buick - lesabre ,the intake plenum had a hole in it because it got to hot,and antifreeze went into the block. buick has had this engineering problem for a long time. no recall , it cost me $785.76 to have fixed. i want my money back. this is bs. there are 1000s of people that have this car. i have 61502 miles on this car. my mechanic said he has fixed atleast 30 over these problems with the buick-lesabre 1992 and up. times are hard right now, i don't have his kind of money. i just don't want anyone else to come across this problem, with this engineering problem. buick needs to call a recall on this problem before someone really gets hurt. lets help each other out ,and call every news station,paper. and get it resolved. *tr

I have a 1998 buick lesabre. the car stopped when it was pulled into the garage and when i tried to start it again, it made a screeching sound. the car was towed to a mechanic. the mechanic advised the starter "exploded" because fluid was leaking from the pleneum into the cylinders and starter. the mechanic advised it would cost over $800.00 to repair. *tr

My son was on his way to pick up my daughter on the 16, of september, 2011 and as he was driving the car shut off. thankfully he was in a residential area where the speed limit was 35 but had it been elsewhere he would have been in a serious accident. the car cut off he was able to turn the car on after a few minutes and made it home after picking up his sister. ever since then i have not been able to turn my car on. i asked the dealer and they said i should insert the key turn it on wait a minute and then turn key off. wait 10 minutes and try to start my car. i did just that and my car is not going on at all. i want to know what is it that i should do next? very frustrated i need my car for work. *tt

The fuel gauge on my 1998 buick lesabre automobile is faulty. the gauge gives inaccurate and random fuel level readings while driving. *tr

1998 buick lesabre crashed at low speed causing property damage, engine cut out while driving at low speed. car was declared a total loss, leaving me with bills of over $10,000 for lost car, repairs, insurance. problem had arisen on and off since acquiring car at 65,000 miles..twice taken in to gm dealership for this problem. could not find anything wrong. problem would disappear for months and then reappear. numerous mechanics checked and could not find source of problem. after car was declared a total, news story ran about toyota cars stalling out due to defective engine control modules (nhtsa report #pe09054). the defective part was made by delphi..which was owned by general motors..makers of the buick lesabre. i contacted gm headquarters to ask if the control module in my part was made by gm/delphi. they refused to answer me, saying that as no recall had been issued and my car was gone,they could do nothing for me. meanwhile, it turns out that gm did own delphi in 1998, did manufacture those modules, which had to have been in the buick lesabres,and were years later causing identical engine failures in toyotas. those parts are out there today, waiting for something horrible to happen. among the 12 summaries you have on your site for electrical problems with buick lesabres, one is even worse than mine "report #9001048 "complete electrical failure on a major highway with a tragedy barely avoided, transmission failure". when i purchased the car at 65,000 miles it had a serious transmission problem as well, which was found and fixed. the electrical problem persisted until the engine cut out while driving at low speed in the middle of the afternoon, on a busy local road. when the engine failed, the brakes failed. i could not stop the car. quick thinking put me up against a telephone pole so no lives were lost. many of your other complaints mention complete electrical failure with this car. investigation anyone? *tr

I have a 1998 buick lesabre and the car has defective subframe bushings which can cause injury or death. *tr

I had to make a "panic stop" due to a car running a red light.the brake pedal went almost to the floor before i felt the brakes hold. a brake line had ruptured. inspection revealed all the lines to and from the power brake unit[6 lines] were rusted badly and will have to be replaced. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 1998 buick lesabre. the contact stated that as he started the vehicle, there was an explosion that occurred within the engine. white smoke began to flow from under the hood. the vehicle was shut off and the contact noticed that the manifold had exploded. the vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified and the contact was told that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number: 04v090000 (fuel system, gasoline:delivery). the vehicle was not repaired. the contact also stated that a fuel leak was present within the engine prior to the failure. the failure and current mileage was 63,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 buick lesabre. the contact stated that the brakes were applied yet they did not respond. the vehicle proceeded to crash into a row of hedges. the contact was not injured. the vehicle was taken to a local repair facility where the contact was informed that the brake line was completely rusted. the mechanic replaced the brake lines. in june 2010, the contact noticed abnormal front end noise. the vehicle was taken to a local repair facility where the contact was informed that the stabilizer bar bushings had fractured from the vehicle and the bushings under the cradle were extremely rusted. the bushings were replaced in both areas. three months later, the contact noticed fuel leaking from under the vehicle abnormally. the vehicle was taken to a local repair facility where the contact was advised that the fuel sending unit was defective and would need replacing. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was approximately 119,000 and the current mileage was approximately 120,000.

I was driving down the street on 6/17/10 when i heard a loud pop. i slowed down to see what happen. i seen nothing but some bolts in the street. i pick them up and got back in the car. there was no way to steer the car just had gas no steering. i looked up under the car and it looked like the engine was falling out of the car. i lifted up the hood and it was along with the steering column. i was two min. away from getting on the expressway. god was with me if that would have happened on the expressway i might not have been able to write this letter tonight. rusted bolts with no warning falling off a car a little over ten years old. if they cant get some way to warn people that their bolts could fall off and their steering go out drifting from lane to lane with no control of the automobile, than don't make them. that was my mothers car if i wouldn't have driven it she would have been riding in that car with six children today. she is from atlanta we are in pittsburgh, pa the only roads she takes are the main ones and expressways. i couldn't believe it. we took the car to the shop ill write back when the mechanic tells me what went wrong. *tr

I am currently the owner of a 1998 buick lesabre with approximately 24,600 miles. i recently had to have the fuel pressure regulator replaced on the vehicle after the car backfired and the service engine light appeared on the vehicle. the engine was chugging and the exhaust smelled like gasoline and burning plastic. at the service shop where i had my car repaired, the mechanic informed me that it was good i brought the car in so soon because this sort of problem if not fixed could have resulted in a possible fire. i contacted buick customer service in regards to the problem and was informed that my specific vehicle was not involved in any recalls and that the fuel regulator in my vehicle was not a part of any buick recalls. when asked if i could receive some documentation that my specific vehicle was not a part of any recalls, i was told that they could not provide me with that paperwork and that anyone else could talk to with buick would tell me the same thing in regards to my vehicle. *tr

I have a buick lesabre, custom, 1998, with about 110,000 miles on it. the car was running normally, with no prior problems relating to starting. i drove it out of town, about 80 miles away. it still was fine, starting up with no problem, several times after getting there. however, at a campground entrance, the car refused to start. no click, buzz, nothing. all electronic components, a.c., radio, windows, were fine. the security light flashed every time i tried to turn the key....even after waiting 3 minutes to try again. i even tried a second key, but it didn't help. the tow truck driver tried, and he wiggled the key in the key cylinder and the car started. drove home, tried to start car again, and it refused to start, no matter how much wiggling we did. contacted several dealers. they all said it was probably the contact wires in the ignition cylinder that read the key's "resistance" and send an "o.k" signal to the fuel system and the starter. (the internet says they are famous for breaking/malfunctioning in gm cars) they said it would cost about $400 minimum to replace the key cylinder. also, if the security module needed replacing, it could cost about $1000.00. i had the car towed to a local mechanic. he put in a resistor between the two contact wires coming out of the key cylinder. did not need to remove the steering wheel at all. (incidentally, one dealer even insisted there was no "by-pass" method of fixing the problem.) all keys work now. security light acts normally, does not stay on all the time. remote fob works o.k., too. *tr

The fuel supply line rusted get in to the plastic fiting and gasoline was leaking at the gas tank. *tr

Here's what happened, the car started consuming dexcool antifreeze, but none was noticed leaking external to the engine. the upper intake manifold made of plastic apparently warped, and/or a hole burned in near the egr stove pipe, thus dumping antifreeze into the engine and hydrolocking the engine. major problem, complete engine failure would not start or run. this car had been well maintained with both regular oil and coolant changes, the car has been adult driving . cost to repair $450.00 for just upper intake, add another $450 for the lower intake as well. *tr

Bought a used (2 owner) buick lesabre in dec '08 having 37,428 . in early march, '09, after less than 4000 miles, started hearing a brief gurgling when engine turned off. in mid-march, while pulling onto a highway from a slight upward grade the vehicle lost power, and a drive train vibration took place for a few seconds....nearly causing an oncoming truck to collide with us.took vehicle into a national franchised transmission dealer for checkup...transmission checked ok. however, technician discovered radiator fluid in manifold intake area. suspecting leaking intake manifold seal and/or cracked intake manifold cover. need to use the vehicle, but have to wait for repair until money can be put together. am a disabled ex marine,vietnam vet.. shouldn't have to put up with this problem, especially when it looks like a very prevalent one ,based on what is on the net. replacement part is only 140.00 through a national parts company. the auto shops are quoting over 800.00 to fix. c'mon, let's get something done about this before someone is killed!!! haven't you noticed the power failures in some of the reports??i would think gm would do a volunteer recall, rather than risk reputation, and consumer life&limb. the problem is that gm was using havelin's 'orange' antifreeze (dextrol) and it was faulty. it was congealing in the engine, disrupting coolant flow, thereby causing overheating enough to blow intake manifolds and/or gaskets........seems the 8 auto tech's i've talked to over the past week know this. so, why don't the industry and gov."experts"??? *tr

My intake manifold gasket was made of plastic and my engine locked up, i was informed from my mechanic that gm was aware of this problem and came out with a better one made of metal. this a costly mistake leading to 850 dollars of repair, that could have been prevented if gm would have stepped up with this in the first place and been fixed with the new gasket instead of causing more damage then needed. *tr

The belt tensioner is made of plastic which broke disabling the car which had to be towed. oil leak came from lower intake manifold gasket, gathered around bottom at oil pan, upper intake manifold gasket, also made of plastic leaked antifreeze into engine. tensioner was replaced with same plastic because it has not been re-designed,same with the intake manifold gasket, therefore, it will give the same problem in the future. a lot of other people are having the same problem and gm refuses to do anything about the problem. *tr

My 1998 buick lesabre backfired, then started on fire, after the top of the motor{intake and fuel injectors etc.} were blown off during the explosion. the whole top of the motor was destroyed. notified gm, and they said they would not help because of a statute of limitations. they know there is a problem!!! *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 buick lesabre. when the contact inserts the key into the ignition to start the vehicle, it fails to start. the dealer replaced the starter, but the failure recurred immediately after the repair. the manufacturer stated that her vin was excluded from nhtsa campaign id number 04v090000 (fuel system, gasoline:delivery). the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure and current mileages were 65,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 buick lesabre. the contact noticed oil in the antifreeze bucket in the vehicle. when the vehicle was taken to the mechanic, he was informed that the cooling coils had burst in the radiator. currently, antifreeze has settled on the engine block. the vehicle was tested for a pressure leak and the mechanic was unable to find one. the contact was informed that the intake gasket failed. nhtsa campaign id number 04v090000 (fuel system, gasoline:delivery) was referenced. the current mileage was 31,000 and failure mileage was 26,000. updated 06/25/08. *lj updated 06/25/08

Had anti-freeze in the oil. plastic intake gasket was broken. i understand this occurs in many 3.8 engines. had to have new gasket installed at a cost of about $700 dollars. the car is a 1998 buick lasabre. *tr

1998 buick lesabre with cracked intake manifold. consumer states that the manufacturer has no intention of sending out a recall for this problem or reimbursing the customers. *kb the consumer stated the manifold was made out of plastic, which caused anti-freeze to mix with the oil. *jb

The engine light came on. the car was not running hot nor did any other light come on. the engine was running as smooth as it always has. i pulled into a parking lot and let the engine cool. i saw the water was low so i went inside and got water to put in it. i tried to start the car and the engine would not start. white smoke came from the exhaust. i had the car towed to a dealer. they knew what was wrong before they checked the car because they had had other customers with the same problem. after replacing the manifold, gaskets, spark plugs, dexcool, pipe asm, seals, thermostat, starter, oil filter, oil, the car ran again. of course, i was out $1049.27. that was 12 days ago. tonight the car began clattering and tomorrow the car will go back to the dealer for more repair. it sounds like the lifters need to be replaced. i believe this should have been recalled and repaired before all the trouble began. i want my money back. *tr

My 1998 buick lesabre ltd, 73,943 mi,started to require water to be added to the overflow tank. the car was taken to a gm garage and it was determined that the upper and lower intake manifolds were leaking, causing coolant to enter engine and oil. this repair cost$1200. to correct. further investigation showed that this is a common problem and gm has turned it's head to the issue. the internet is full of this specific problem. *tr

Leaking fuel sender and corroded brake lines. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 buick lesabre. while driving 70 mph, the vehicle sputtered out of control and stalled. the mechanic stated that the vehicle would need a new engine due to an oil leak. the current and failure mileages were 82,000.

98 buick lesabre. 3.8 driving up hill, down hill, coasting, it doesn't matter. 1 or 2 times a week the engine just dies. sometimes i can catch it full throttle and it will pick up and run fine. or throw it in on the fly and restart instantly. new fuel pump and filter usually starts good. some times i have to stop cranking it after 5 sec 1,2,3 times before it starts. this only happens 1 time every week or two. i can't let anyone else drive the car for fear they will pull out in front of a truck and the car will quit. *jb

Strut has been weak and noisy for quite a while. if there are problems with the struts like the web site suggests i feel the manufacturer should repair it at no charge. *jb

1998 lesabre upper manifold plenum over heated, melted, causing a hole which allowed anti-freeze to leak into the oil. *ts *jb

Intake manifold burned at egr passage adjacent to throttle body coolant passage(all plastic- original design was probably cast aluminum). subsequent coolant loss into engine air intake causes erratic operation and probable engine damage. replaced manifold with new one at a cost of $500 parts plus 5 hour. labor complained to gm but to no avail. *jb

Intermittent small leak of anti-freeze/coolant that shows up on the garage floor. have traced that it emanates from the top of the engine near the throttle mounting and then drips down the side of the engine over the engine mounts and onto the floor. was advised by a gm mechanic that there was a recall on throttle mounting bolts that may relate to this leakage. local buick dealer indicated that my vin was not affected. nonetheless, i have that problem of coolant leakage from that area of the engine. i replaced the thermostat gasket and there is absolutely no leakage from the thermostat or the radiator hose. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 60mph, the vehicle stalled and the heat indicator gauge dropped to zero. the vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop for inspection. the mechanic determined the plastic intake manifold needed to be replaced.

1998 lesabre burned a hole in the intake manifold causing vehicle not to start. *ts ***nar the consumer inspected the vehicle and determined that the egr valve was located in such a position that the hot exhaust gases were vented to closely to the intake manifold.

I was pulling into my garage last night when the rear window on my vehicle shattered into a million pieces. there are no visible holes or dents in the window where something might have hit it. the rear window defroster was operating normally and it was a cold evening. i took pictures with my digital camera and the window is being replaced today. *jb

1998 buick lesabre engine seized causing consumer to come to an abrupt stop. upper intake manifold had warped causing anti-freeze to go into the motor per mechanic. *ts ***no answer required****jb

Defective manifold gasket. coolant degrades gasket causing coolant to leak into engine, catalytic converter and exhaust system. *jb

Dt: the contact stated the antifreeze was low . he took the vehicle to shop the to have it checked. they found the intake manifold was leaking antifreeze into the engine. this, in turn could have caused the engine to blow up. the intake manifold was replaced. *ak updated 02/06/06. *jb

Dt: the consumer's wife was driving on the street and the rear ball joints broke in half. the vehicle was placed on a roll back and taken to the dealer. this happened on september 6, 2005. the dealer replaced the ball joint on the rear left back. there was no fore-warning and no noise before this happened. also the power steering bolts broke on two separate occasions, causing the power steering to drop off the engine block and fall down onto the frame making it almost impossible to steer the vehicle. *ak (11/10/05) the power steering bolts broke on two occasions allowing the pump to fall down on the frame. the shaft of the ball joint snapped allowing the left rear wheel to shift rearward. the lower control arm dropped down allowing the free end to lock the wheel. *sc

Dt: the contact took h car to dealer for a recall 04v090000 repairs almost one year ago in august, 2004. he received the recall notice in june, 2004, and the car was repaired on 9-28-04. they damaged the car on the outside and also under the hood. the rear tail light was broken and there was a scratch under the front left headlight. they put red tape over the headlight. the accelerator stuck and the car stalled. this problem immediately followed the recall repairs within one day. the dealer denied anything wrong was done. the recall was in regard to a fuel regulator. as soon as the car returned to the contact it shut off. recently, the accelerator stuck, and the contact smelled a fuel/exhaust odor that was very strong. the check engine light stayed on n. . he talked to gm on 11-12-04, and they informed him that they had notified the dealer about the damage, and for him to take the car to dealer for repairs. when he took the car to dealer the dealer was mad and refused to fix the car. *ak

Ltr fwd fm cpsc complaint re his 1998 buick lesabre, he took car in for a recall, and now the car is more dangerous than before gm "repaired" it.*mr after the vehicles recall repairs were made it leaked fuel vapors and stalled. *nm

Dt: the contact states that fuel supply line rusted and gasoline was leaking . the contact smelled gasoline for at least three weeks, but she put down a piece of cardboard under the car and she picked it up and smelled it. the mechanic said it was the fuel server and that the wires were rusted. the part to fix the vehicle was the fuel server located inside the gasoline tank.*ak

Dt: consumer states that vehicle has a plastic intake manifold and after about 80,000 miles it failed, causing engine to lock up. he took vehicle to an independent service department and then called general motors to be reimbursed but because it was not taken to an authorized dealer they will not pay for the work done. consumer noticed the problem when he tried to start the vehicle and it would not star. smelled antifreeze. then, consumer's son examined vehicle and found out it was intake manifold. *ak

Dt: consumer was driving between 60-75 mph on the highway when both air bags deployed for no apparent reason. there were no potholes or bumps in the road that would have caused the air bags to engage. after the air bags deployed the car was filled with brown smoke and fire was coming out of both air bags. after the vehicle was stopped the driver put out the passenger side air bag flame. the driver side flame went out by itself. there were only one injury. the passenger suffered bruising to the lower part of the stomach and the thighs. there were no marks left on the vehicle. driver put the air bag back in the driver air bag compartment and drove the vehicle home. the only thing burnt was the air bags and that was the only damage. the manufacturer has been contacted. manufacturer sent out an inspector to check out the damage to the car and take pictures. the manufacturer then referred the consumer to insurance carrier. the consumer felt that gm should have been responsible for fixing the air bags. consumer wanted to know why that the air bags were burning. there was no police report filed. consumer has no mailing address or phone number for the dealership.*ak

Dt: the consumer smelled gas in vehicle for quite some time but always disregarded as another passing vehicle or something else. about 2 weeks ago, the consumer discovered there was gasoline near the rear of the vehicle along the right rear tire and muffler. the consumer drove home and checked to see if it was leaking again, there was no leak at first. later, within 20 minutes, 2 puddles formed from the gas leak. took napkin and wiped, underneath near fuel lines but did not find any moisture. was unable to determine as to where the leak originated from. called a local dealership about the problem, who said they were unable to get it in the shop right away, but did say it was unsafe to drive with leak. took vehicle to another dealer, who checked vehicle, and replaced a fuel sending unit, fuel tank, and fuel line. no leaks since the repairs. they informed consumer that the gas lines rusted and caused the leak. *ak

1998 buick lesabre became inoperative and smoke came out of the tailpipe.*mr a small fire emitted form the rear of the truck. the consumer smelled gas for months prior to the incident. the consumer had the fuel pump and filter replaced thinking it would remedy the problem. recall 04v090000 was issued for this vehicle. *nm

No injuries. engine stops or stalls at various times. nothing has been done to correct the problem.

On sunday, june 19, 2005 i noticed a puddle of gas under the rear-right side of my 1998 buick lesabre. on monday, june 20, 2005 i took the car to the vyletel buick dealer in sterling heights. they examined the car and informed me that the leak(s) were coming from cracks in the flexible fuel lines and these would have to be replaced. they did not have any explanation for what caused the cracks in these lines. the dealer also indicated that the sending unit in the tank would also need to be replaced since it's hard lines were excessively rusted and corroded and the new flexible lines would not be able to be secured. they also said that since this is all being done, the fuel pump should be replaced. the car is only 7 years old, and has been driven only 75, 600 miles under "normal" city driving conditions - no incidents of any damage anywhere on the car -including the undercarriage. so, it is completly unacceptable for this car to have cracked fuel lines - and all of the other related problems. this is a safty issue! the fuel leak was excessive and had i not noticed it, there is a high probability of a fire/explosion occuring. i spoke with a buick customer service representative about this and he said that they would not repair the car at their cost since the car was beyond warrantly and this was not a recall issue. i reluctantly authorized to have the repairs done so that i could have my car back. the total cost to me was $892.34. since the same type of parts (flexible fule lines, sending unit, fuel pump) have been used, i do not feel confident that the problem has been solved. thank you for reviewing this situation.

Dt: when started vehicle and there was a backfire with a lot o smoke. care would not start. took vehicle to buick garage, and they said it was the intake manifold, and they repaired it. *ak *sb *nm

My wife drives a 1998 buick lesabre. she has a disability and is pacemaker-dependent. on 5-17-2005 she was enroute on the highway toward our town in the buick when it started running hot. fortunately, she was able to make it back to our town, where she then pulled over in a wal-mart parking lot. however, she became very stressed over the situation because the temperature guage had gone well into the red but she was afraid to pull over for fear of becoming stranded on the highway. as it turns out, the cause of this problem is a failed plenum, an issue which occurs frequently with the gm 3800 engine. i submit to you that this problem is well-known to the manufacturer, the nhtsa, and many mechanics and repair shops. the safety problem comes from the fact that (as far as i am aware) there have been no warnings issued to consumers who own a vehicle with the gm 3800 series ii engine. the potential for situations to occur much worse than ours is not only likely, but it is a guaranteed event. my only recourse at this point is to file a complaint with the nhtsa, a complaint which i feel should be classified as a safety issue. these engine failures are not just merely a 'consumer misfortune', but will become the underlying cause for inumerable road hazards for the car's owners as well as other drivers. the problem is due to an engineering design flaw (materials used) and future safety problems (including loss of life) can be avoided. this issue should be addressed by the nhtsa.

1998 buick lesabre had the intake manifold replaced. the consumer's claim for a refund for repairs was not approved. *mr the consumer had turned left onto a loop and started to accelerate when the engine started to miss and make noises. the consumer pulled over and viewed a lot of water under the engine. the consumer felt that he should be reimbursed for the replacement of the spark plugs that were damaged when the water flooded into the block and or the ruptured plastic intake manifold. refer to recall campaign#04v090000. the horn would go off when the horn pad was bumped or when the interior of the vehicle became' hot. *sc the manufacturer wrote the consumer a letter which stated the part that was replaced on the vehicle was not covered under the recall. *jb

1. it stalled out many time while driving. no engine check light comes on after restarting. 2. this is a dangerous situation while driving on busy big city freeway at rush hour. 3. the problem was fixed by replacing the crank position sensor

Betwen 47,111 and 49817 miles engine has stall three times and after complete stop i re-started engine right away, there no warning lights during stall at control panel.

1998 buick lesabre experiencing problems with fuel pressure regulator part that was installed during a recall. *mr recall campaign# 04v090000. *sc the manufacturer would not pay for the repairs because the consumer did not have the repairs made at a dealership. *jb

1998 buick lesabre has a defective transmission.*mr *nm

1998 buick lesabre experiencing repeat problems with brake equipment.*mr the rear brake cylinder failed and the brakes started to leak brake fluid onto the rear brakes. the dealer replaced the rear brake cylinder. six months later the rear brake cylinder failed again, which required the rear brake cylinder to be replaced again. *jb

Car had been hard to start for a while. on day of incident, when starting the vehicle, a backfire occurred and smoke rolled out from under the hood. within minutes, a fire started, completely destroying the vehicle.*ak

While driving in traffic at 55 mph airbags deployed inadvertently. vehicle was not in an accident. *ak

Traffic light changed, brake was applied, went to floorboard, nothing happened. brakes were pumped, nothing happened. vehicle strikes another vehicle, airbag deploys, automobile continues in a ditch, pops out of the ditch, goes through an empty parking lot, pops onto another street and eventually stops after going over another curb into another parking lot about 1/2 mile from accident. theory is that abs malfunctioned which caused regular brakes to fail. *jb

Loss of coolant. the plastic intake plenum got a hole in it. this filled the engine with coolant thus causing the car to stall on the highway. i had the defective part replaced at a cost of 900 dollars. i still have the defective part. i'm retired, so this put a strain on our budget. thank you. *jb

While driving at approximately 50 mph the plastic manifold burst without warning, causing the engine to lock up. owner contacted the dealer and the manufacturer, and was told that there was nothing else they could do. *ak

Vehicle stalled. driver pulled over. driver was unable to restart vehicle, and had it towed to dealer, and mechanic determined that engine needed to be replaced. *ak the chevrolet dealer told the consumer that water got into the engine block and locked it up. they removed and replaced the(manifold) plenum with all new gaskets, new oil, anti freeze and new spark plugs. *bf *nm

The fuel pressure regulator failed and ruined the intake manifold. at low mileage the wheel bearings were replaced. *bf recall#04v090000 *jb

Recall campaign received concerning fuel pressure regulator. *bf the vehicle experienced a backfire which resulted in the replacement of the manifold. the problem recurred and the fuel pressure regulator was replaced. *sc

The 3.8l gm engines used '95 - '98 for the buick: rivera, lesabre, park avenue, regal, chevy: lumina, monte carlo, oldsmobile: 98,88,intrigue, pontiac: bonneville, grand prix have a known defect. service bulletin 01-06-01-007a coolant leak. in december 2004, my plastic intake manifold melted and allowed the engine coolant to fill the cylinders of the engine with coolant. gm resolved the defect with a design change in 99. i feel that gm is responsible for the cost of the repair of the defective part. second the engine shut down at 55 mph in heavy traffic, which is a serious safety hazard that warrants a recall. i contacted gm; service record number 1-293342957 they never called me back after a number of messages (7) then denied the claim. *nm

Replaced upper intake plenum seals and gaskets, engine oil and filter, spark plugs and wire set. installed fuel filter, starter would not turn off (stuck on), replaced it. *bf the vehicle stalled in heavy traffic. the problem was determined to be a ruptured intake manifold that caused water to flood the engine. the consumer requested reimbursement. recall# 04v090000. *sc *jb

While driving engine light illuminated on the dashboard constantly. then, engine completely failed. the gaskets had been changed several times. anti-freeze and oil leaked. consumer found that it was the intake manifold. *ak

The check engine light came on in my 1998 buick lesabre and i pulled over to discover that there was low levels of coolant. it had just been checked 2 months earlier at an oil change and the week brfore when i got gas. i added coolant and got back on the road. after 5 miles the car quit running in heavy traffic. i had it towed to a buick dealer who diagnosed the problem as a failed plenum that allowed coolant to foul the plugs. the dealer replaced the plenum, fouled plugs, coolant, and oil for $800.00 dollars. *ak

1998 buick lesabre. plenum gasket on the intake manifold fails and allows coolant to get into engine. then engine dies in the road causing people to slam on breaks. no wrecks. this is a well know problem with lesabre's but buick has failed to correct the problem. i had to pay $1200 to fix car and it now probably has engine damage. i would like buick to come forward with this and let people know about it. this has to stop! *nm

After the fuel pressure regulator recall 04v090000 was performed the vehicle consumed an excessive amount of antifreeze and oil. the part #8901 7530 regulator was replaced. also the check engine light illuminated and when the vehicle was started there was a loud noise from under the hood. the noise sounded as if the engine was going to exploded. the dealership has been notified. *jb

The vehicle failed to start after re-fueling. the engine cranked but wouldn't turn over. the dealership without inspecting the vehicle identified the intake plenum ( manifold) as the problem. there was a small hole which caused the oil to mix in with the water/ anti freeze. this part has been upgraded in the 2002 and later models. the plenum part #fh10095 manifold was replaced. *jb....*ak

Received recall notice after problem occurred. car backfire, caused intake manifold to crack causing problems. *bf recall number: 04v090000 *tc

While placing the vehicle in reverse a loud popping noise was heard coming from the rear. then, vehicle stalled. consumer was unable to restart vehicle, and had the vehicle towed to the dealer for inspection. mechanic determined that the intake exhaust manifold system, and a head gasket needed to be replaced. *ak. also, exhaust manifold cover blew off.*ak

Vehicle returned for inspection with regard to 04v090 12/13/04 complaints poor performance, fuel economy, hard starting, and use of dexcool anti-freeze since recall performed. decool anti-freeze entering the intake manifold of engine, and engine oiling system from failure or rupture of upper intake plenum near egr passage. anti-freeze has filled engine lifters causing noise/failure, filling combustion chamber causing hydro-locking of engine, could cause catastrophic failure of engine resulting in possible fire or accident. dealer refused to repair under 04v090 manifold over pressure condition stated replacement of upper & lower intake, lifter, plugs, oil, anti-freeze at a cost of $1,150 on vehicle that had 77,827 when the recall was done, and now has 80,407 mi. which is less then 3,000. this could very well have hydro-locked the engine at freeway speed,or caused catastrophic failure resulting in severe damage, injury, and possible fire from engine oil & fuel hitting the hot catalytic converter!*ak

When starting the vehicle there was a loud bang. *nm campaign id number : 04v090000 when the consumer attemted to start the vehicle he heard a loud bang and saw smoke. the engine refused to start. the service manager told the consumer that the manifold was worn and needed to be replaced. the consumer would like to be reimbursed for 1435.31 the cost of the repair. *tc

Writer submitted reimbursement information to general motors (gm) owner of a buick lesabre vehicle. recalled defective fuel pressure regulator. *bf the manufacturer only reimbursed the consumer a small amount of the total repair expense. *nm

On the date posted below i was involved in a three vehicle accident. i was at a complete stop about 10 feet behind a blazer when i was struck in the rear at approximately 65 mph. when i awoke i found myself to be in the back seat passenger side with my head in the rear window. i was a fully restrained driver prior to the accident and the straps of the belts were found wrapped around my feet. the back of the drivers seat had broken and therefore i was thrown from the front to the back of the vehicle. the car was a total loss. *jb

Consumer noticed that antifreeze was leaking from underneath the vehicle. the brakes pedal went to the floor when applied. consumer drove vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that oil pan gasket and front brake pads needed to be replaced. *ak

While driving 65 mph consumer noticed fluid leaking from underneath the vehicle. it was taken to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the water pump needed to be replaced, and replaced it. however, the problem recurred, and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer. mechanic determined that the engine needed to be replaced.*ak

Complaint against general motors corp concerning an unsatisfactory transaction . *bf while driving the ses light illuminated. a few days later the vehicle stalled while being driven and had to be towed to the dealer. the dealer determined that the coolant passage in the upper intake manifold was leaking into the lower intake. the dealer replaced the upper and lower intake manifolds. shortly after the repairs were made the consumer received a recall notice. the consumer submitted all paperwork for reimbursement but hasn't received it yet. *nm

While driving normally and making a left hand turn vehicle shut off. vehicle was taken to a repair shop in order to fix the starter.*ak

The vehicle upper intake manifold failed prior to recall notification. the consumer request reimbursement. *nm the vehicle died while the consumer backed out of the driveway, restarted and backfired along with engine light illumination, and later the vehicle was started, but had ran rough. since 10/08/02, the vehicle had run fine. *sc

Turn signal failure. this is an expensive failure as it requires the purchase and installation of a multi-function switch, turn signals.*ak

Nhtsa #: 04v090000 - i own a 1998 buick lesabre 3.8l. on 9/27/02 i had a hard starting and stalling problem, taken for service at gm dealer and fuel regulator was replaced. in august 2004 was notified of the recall and took vehicle back to gm dealer to assure the recalled part was not in the car. the dealer told us the car does run a little rough (noted on work order) but the correct regulator was in the vehicle don't worry about it. on october 10,2004 we started having trouble starting the car. on october 11 we made an appointment to take the vehicle in for service on october 18, 2004 to an independent service shop. on thursday october 14, 2004 and friday october 15, 2004 the car stalled once each day when moving in traffic at a very slow speed. on sunday october 17, 2004 while my wife was following me to drop the car off at the repair shop, the car again stalled. she put the car in neutral and restarted the car. when the car started it jumped forward and she struck the back of my truck. the repair shop found the fuel regulator to be leaking fuel into the vacuum hose and into the exhaust manifold. this was the part that according to the gm dealer was not part of the recall on august 11, 2004. the end result is there is $3000.00 damage to the lesabre, non to by truck. my back is slightly sore but of greater concern is the seat belt did not lock on the buick and my wife struck her chest on the steering wheel hard enough to have bruising in the outline of part of the steering wheel on her chest. in summary i'm concerned about the 1.) fuel regulator, 2.) the car jumping and 3.) the seat belt not locking.*ak

July 11, 2002: we had to have 5 injectors replaced by jordan oldsmobile-buick, hot springs, arkansas. cost: $709.42. mileage was 82,260. october 31, 2002: we had to take our car to orr pontiac, cadillac, toyota, hot springs, arkansas, because the car misfired (or backfired) on us. the work order states: 'customer states that oil light and temp light came on; car was low on coolant and had to add water, said a lot of white smoke came out of tail pipes and had very bad sulfur smell. intake leaking, flooding cyl with coolant.' replaced : two manifolds, coolant, oil, etc. cost: $1398.66. mileage: 88,103. november 15, 2002: oil gauge goes to red and engine has knock. diagnosis was internal engine damage"i was told that parts of the engine had been made of plastic and this plastic had melted. complete new engine. cost: $4174.94. mileage: 88,821.

The vehicle's plastic intake manifold cracked which resulted in water getting inside the crankcase. *nm the consumer requested reimbursement because she found out that the part had been recall two years ago. *nm

While driving,in inclement weather windshield wipers come on and off intermittently. the consumer was able to drive the vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and the mechanic determined that the windshield wiper motor needed replacement. this vehicle was not on a recall and the warranty expired. *ak the plastic intake manifold leaked water without unknowingly and would blow out and ingest all of the water from the radiator and also the overflow into the motor. *sc

While attempting to start the vehicle the consumer heard a load pop then smoke began to fill the cabin of the vehicle. shortly after the vehicle caught on fire. *nm the consumer requested reimbursement. the problem was due to a leaking manifold. *sc

Correction to oid id#10096015 with report date 10/20/2004: the model year info for buick vin #[xxx] was incorrect. the correct model year is 1998. *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)

Recall for fuel regulator and intake manifold problems . *bf the consumer received a recall letter regarding the problem, however the consumer had already experienced the problem prior to receiving the recall and had already had the regulator and intake manifold replaced. the manufacturer refused to pay for the manifold, they stated it was not ruptured, but it was warped and needed to be repalced. the manufacturer sent the consumer a check for a 127.40, but the consumer believed he was entilted to the remaining portion of 374.98. *jb

Defective fuel pressure regulator caused damaged . *bf oil leaked due to manifold wear. there was a loud bang and the warning lights had come on. the consumer requested reimbursement. recall# 04v090000. *sc the consumer received the recall letter after she had already paid for the repairs. *jb

Vehicle's engine misfires and loses power. *mr the service engine light had come on along with the misfires and power loss. the consumer was told that the problem could be due to the engine hydraulic lock. the consumer stated that gm was aware of the plastic intake manifold problem. *sc

Engine backfiring on 1998 buick lesabre. *mr recall# 04v090000. the heater failed and the consumer was informed that a water pump was needed. the engine also died with less than 100k miles. the consumer requested reimbursement. *sc *jb

1998 buick lesabre- check engine light went on, stopped at gas station,car would not start after stopping, intake manifold had failed, causing engine coolant to get iinto the engine, because the engine was locked up the starter also broke when trying to restart the car, was stranded 60 miles from home, to get towed and get car fixed cost over 2000.00 dollars. it seems the intake manifold has a defect. *ak

Reimbursement request for 1998 buick lesabre recall.*mr the consumer received a recall letter for their vehicle july 2, 2004. recall #(04v090000 ) regarding fuel pressure regulators. the consumer believed that the repairs done on the vehicle was related to the recall. the consumer reported that when the vehicle was started a grinding noise was heard. dealer replaced starter assembly. *tc

The engine light was on, the vehicle was repaired. a recall letter was received. after sending the receipts to the manufacture, they are not refunding the entire amount. the intake manifold.

On january 2004 an independent repair shop replaced the intake manifold at consumer's expense of $1, 1000, five months later, the consumer received nhtsa recall #04v090000 which stated that vehicles equipped with 3800 v6 (l36) engines and certain delphi fuel pressure regulators, the regulators have a much higher than usual rate of fuel leaks. a leak can allow fuel to enter the intake manifold through a vacuum line. the manufacturer indicated to the consumer the recall was the fuel pressure no the intake manifold. however, the mechanic determined that a defective fuel pressure broke the intake manifold. *ak the was attempting to stall while in motion, when the vehicle reached home the vehicle died. the engine turned but did not start. the intake was leaking coolant into cylinders. *sc

Complaint regarding a repair invoice bucs38787. *mr the consumer stated that gm decided that burning a hole through the intake that was driven 69k miles was normal maintenance and was not eligible for any responsibility or adjustment by gm. *sc *jb

A recall letter was received. vehicle was taken to the dealer. problem was the check engine light. after picking the vehicle up mechanic stated that there would be a $79.00 charge , and the check engine light remained on. *ak *nm

Request for reimbursement regarding services performed on vehicle. *mr recall# 04v090000. the vehicle died at intersections and was slugglish due to a possible fuel problem. *sc (daughter on behalf of mother ruby tyner) the consumer had over $300.00 worth of repairs done beforer she received the recall notice. *jb

Consumer was concerned about reimbursement from the manufacturer. consumer received recall notice 96v116000 concerning intake manifold failure. consumer had recall repairs done. however, recall repairs failed. consumer informed the mechanic that this problem occurred more than once, and had not been resolved. *ak

Request for reimbursement for replacement of intake plenum. *mr due to a backfiring/misfiring problem. *sc there was a recall regarding the problem and the consumer is now requesting reimbursement. recall #(04v090000) *jb

Reimbursement request for intake manifold replacement.*mr the vehicle fuel regulator failed and caused the manifold to rupture. the consumer later received a recall notice and request reimbursement n the amount of $1438.06. the consumer only received reimbursement in the amount of $160.17 for the regulators. the consumer feels that since the regulators caused the manifold to rupture that the manufacturer should reimburse him for them as well. *nm

Problems with fuel pressure regulator on 1998 buick lesabre.*mr the fuel pressure regulator was replaced in accordance with recall v1082. while driving the vehicle stalled and would not restart. the vehicle was towed to the service dealer where it was deterrmined that the upper intake manifold had failed and coolant was flowing into the cylinders. the consumer feels the manifold should have been recalled and request reimbursement. *nm

While driving vehicle stalled. consumer pulled over, and had the vehicle towed. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak

While driving engine light illuminated. vehicle began running very hard and rough. finally, engine shut down and would not start again. consumer states due recall 04v090000 vehicle acts in this manner. *ak

Problems regarding a 1998 buick lesabre. *mr recall# 04v090000. the vehicle had been to the dealers three times. the fuel regulator was replaced. the vehicle died while the vehicle was in motion, the battery cable was loose and the pcm needed calibrating, and the starter was bad. *sc *jb

The consumer received recall 04v090000. the engine light illuminated after starting the vehicle. the dealership was, notified, but did not resolve the problem because parts were not available. bob saks, 248-478-0500. *ak *sc

It would be hard to start the vehicle. once the vehicle was started the engine warning light illuminated. the dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak

Problems with antifreeze leaking into the vehicle's engine.*mr the consumer was told that he would be responsible for purchase the small copper piece that would not allow the plastic to become overheated. the consumer would like to know if a recall has been issued for this problem. (1998 buick). *nm

While driving vehicle started to lose power. *mr the vehicle gradually lost more power and quit. the consumer was informed that the upper intake manifold was cracked in one of the passages, which required a total replacement of the engine. *sc

Recall regarding the intake manifold on the 1998 buick lesabre. *mr the engine overheated and was ruined due to the intake manifold problem. *sc the second time the consumer experienced problems with the vehicle it resulted in having to get a new engine which was due to the intake manifold problem. *jb

The intake manifold and the exhaust system were a manufacturer's design flaw. when the consumer contacted the manufacturer, the consumer was told that the tubing was too small, causing the tubing to rupture. *ak the intake manifold was worn through. *sc *jb

After taking the vehicle to dealer for a recall repairs, vehicle was cutting off, and the check engine light was on. vehicle idled roughly. consumer told mechanic that this problem did not exist prior to bringing it in for the recall repairs, and was told that it would go away on its own. *ak the vehicle transmission failed . *nm

While driving service engine light came on. then, vehicle decelerated followed by heat and ventilation failures. this was due to engine intake manifold malfunctioning. the manifold wasn't designed correctly by the factory engineer, which caused the engine to misfire. dealership diagnostic test showed coolant leaking. cylinder replaced, and lower intake manifold improved design, per bulletin 010601007a. also, coolant and fluid plugs were replaced.*ak *nm

Intermittently the horn would sound off and would not shut off. dealer inspected the vehicle, and found that the air bag assembly was defective. the horn sounded off twenty times since last june.*ak *nm

Passenger's side seat belt will not buckle or retract on its own. consumer contacted the dealer, and dealer informed consumer that the seal belt was not a life time warranty.*ak

While driving on my way to work the vehicle started to slow and the engine light came on. i pulled over and attempted to start the car and the engine would not turn over. i called my auto club for a tow and the car was towed to a connoco station in park rapids. they immediatly knew what the problem was, stating they see a lot of the 3800 engines do this. the intake plenum rotted away allowing coolant to fill a cylinder and stall the engine. gm has issued a service bullitin for the problem, but no recall. this could be a major safety concern with loss of power to the engine the steering and brakes will not function as they should. *ak

The ignition switch has malfunctioned. as a result the vehicle is unable to start. the cause has yet to be determined. please provide additional information. *nm

Regulator leaking allowing fuel to enter the intake manifold. *mr water in the reservoir tank kept evaporating. the consumer would continue to refill the tank but it continued to leak. the fuel pressure regulator caused the leak allowing fuel to enter the intake manifold through a vacuum line. the plenum cracked due to the backfiring of the engine caused by the fuel pressure regulator. *sc *jb

Our 1998 buick lesabre limited, april 2004 our upper & lower intake manifold's & gasket were replaced due to a leak and the car only had 62,000 miles on it. this cost us over 2000.00 the web has hundreds of similar complaints from other gm owners. *ak upper intake manifold leaked, causing loss of coolant. vehicle taken to independent repair shop. oil and oil filter had to be changed, spark plugs were replaced and cylinder's [engine flushed] had to be cleaned out. also broken starter replaced. my car had to be towed over 110 miles back home at a cost of $ 236.50 [my wife was visiting her mom and had 2 grandchildren with her when car broke down in a remote area ,lucky for us she had her cell phone with her and some nice folks at a near by ranch took care of them] my mechanic advised intake manifold leaked, and starter was bad [housing broke] starter housing broke due to trying to start hydro-locked engine. question: why is buick allowed to use a plastic intake manifold? as this is an area that gets very hot. it's obvious, buick made a big mistake by producing engines with plastic man- ifolds. the intake manifold on the engine is made out of plastic and has the egr tube running through it, causing the plastic to heat up and allow antifreeze to run into the engine. when my mechanic called the local dealership to order parts, the sales clerk told him, "yes we have those parts on hand it happens a lot" also that the upper & lower intakes had been re-designed and that both manifolds need to be replaced as a unit. .(contributed by mike & della rico) ps. also, transmission is now acting up [shudders on take-off at times] i understand that these problems [manifold & transmission] are mainly going on with cars having k in the vin. do you have any information on this? thank you

While driving vehicle stalled. driver tried to restart the vehicle and was unable to do so. vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that battery and alternator needed to be replaced and mechanic replaced them. however, the problem recurred. *ak

While pulling out from a stop light the vehicle began to accelerate and suddenly the engine locked and stalled. the vehicle was towed to the consumer's house and it was found that the upper intake manifold was corroded. this problem caused water and anti-freeze to enter the engine, which caused the vehicle to over heat. please provide any additional information. *nm

When attempting to start the vehicle engine produced a loud bang, then caught on fire. no injuries were reported. *ak

Vehicle failed to start when the key was turned in the ignition. vehicle was towed to a mechanic. mechanic indicated that the intake manifold degraded around the erg distribution nipple and the fuel pressure regulator diaphram ruptured leaking fuel into the engine through the vacuum hose. this was the same defect as described in the fuel pressure regulator recall 03v473000, but this vehicle's model was not included in the recall although it had the same type of engine. *ak *nm

This is a engine problem with what i believe was a bad part design. the part is failure of intake plenum. the egr pipe from the engine comes through the plastic intake. there is a lot of heat generated at this point. over a period of time a hole is burned through the intake. this floods the engine with coolant. i bought the vehicle new. the first time the problem occured at 59,000 miles. i had the vehicle repaired at a cost of $1100.00. i asked the dealer about this. the reponse was . yes we know there is a problem with the k engine but the factory has not called for a recall. at 113,577 miles the problem occured again. i again had the engine repaired at a cost of $1140.93. again i asked the dealer about this. i was told that a service bulletin was sent out in 1996. this stated that if a owner complained of a coolent leak around the intake. not only should the plastic intake plenum be replace but also the aluminum intake should be repalced becaused the factory had replaced the egr pipe with a smaller pipe. this would keep the heat from burning a hole in the plastic plenum. the cost of this repair is to be paid by the owner. i checked out the service bulletin and found the problem covered all gm 3800 series engines form 1995 - 1998 my engine vin # is 1g4hr52k3wh51080. i was told by the gm service tech. that this problem occured so often that any owner of a 3800 series engine and the new design intake has not been installed you are guaranteed the engine will fail. again i feel this was a design problem.

Transmission slips after being engaged for 24 miles or more . this happens at start up from a standing stop(stop sign etc.) it has happen only 4 times this year. dealer unable to say what is wrong or repair needed.has anyone got a idea what it is?

After starting the vehicle, a fire started in the engine compartment. the consumer managed to exit the vehicle. *ak there was no warning light. the key was turned to start the engine when the backfire occurred. the service dealer used the old parts that were damaged to repair the vehicle. after the repair, the vehicle would not start. the vehicle needed a new engine from the fire. (the coolant had leaked into the cylinder and caused it to leak) recall#04v090000 the consumer requested reimbursement. *sc *jb

Gentlemen: i have a 1998 buick lesabre with 31,258 miles on it. last weekend, i turned the key and heard a loud bang. the starter motor case had cracked. my independent garage put in a new starter to the tune of $526.00. when they tried to start the car, the same thing happen to the new starter. the garage then discovered that the 3.8l v6 engine was frozen due to a leak in the intake manifold which allowed coolant to enter the cylinders. they said the leak was caused by the gm "5 year" coolant rotting the manifold away. they estimated the repair at $2,000.00, including the starter. i called buick customer service; they are vague about any problem or liability. they did ask that i take the car to a buick dealer for diagnosis. i took it to fields buick. the dealer confirmed the problem and the cause. they want $2,300.00 to fix it, excluding the starter. gm refuses to do anything. i have discovered a gm technical service bulletin (01-06-01-007a) indicating that gm has known about this problem since at least july, 2001. the problem affects several makes and models. a catastrophic engine failure at 31,000 miles is absurd.

While driving 35 mph vehicle stalled. the driver was able to drift to the side of the road. consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealership for inspection, and mechanic determined that intake manifold failed. consumer had the mechanic replace the intake manifold. *ak

1998 buick lasabre...rear wheel cylinders leaking on drivers side...caused wheel to lock up completely on two different occassions...please contact me with more information. *ak

1998 buick lasabre...with plastic intake developed a crack and allow all coolant to pass thru engine and out exhaust...was stranded 100 miles from home...to get towed and replace this design flaw cost me over 600.00 dollars. *ak

My 1998 buick lesabre started to smell of anti-freeze earlier in the day on 4/27/04. the car was parked for most of the day, quick trips to the store at most. when i got home that night, the car was shacking and pouring exhaust vapors out of the exhaust pipe. in the morning on april 28t,. it started just fine. so, i drove it to my mechanic. the car ran smoothly for about 200 yards, then it progressively got worse, until i was practicly coasting when i reached my mechanics. after they looked into the issue, they concluded that the intake manifold was cracked and had spewed water into my engine. this left water in my oil and no coolant. my mechanic flushed my oil, flushed my coolant, replace the manifold with the factory part, and replaced the gasket with the factory part. my mechanic told me that this was a common issue and that all of the 3.8l gm engines had plastic intake manifolds. i then began to research on line this issue, and apparently many people have had the same problem. i called buick 3 times trying to plead my case. each time i was told there is no recall for this car, but the model 2 years prior had the same issue and the part was recalled. i have found a notice that nhtsa is trying to have the replacing the "delphi fuel pressure regulators" replace, which can cause the intake manifold to crack. nhtsa recall campaign number: 04v090000

Plastic upper intake manifold melted causing the engine coolant to flood into the crankcase. engine subsequently locked up and had to be towed to a dealer. $1500 in damages on a car with 50,000 miles on it. *ak

My 1998 buick lesabre had a ruptured manifold in june 2003, causing engine to cease and smoke and minor fire. the smoke made myself and my infant son very ill. this was reported to buick but they refused to reimburse for repair since vehicle was just out of warranty. they told me that the following recall was not in effect: nhtsa recall no. 03v473/gm recall no. 03054 and that my vehicle had no recall. a few months later the engine ceased to start again and it was determined at the buick dealership that it was a faulty fuel pressue regulator which was replaced. buick again refused reimbursement although i brought their attention to the current recall on my vehicle. i called again today as the recall for 98 buick lesabres with v6 engines was again posted but buick told me that their system has no such recall and they refused to reimburse me for over $1000 of repairs for the faulty fuel pressue regulator and manifold. nhtsa recall no. 04v090/gm recall no. 03054b.*ak *la

The engine back fired and black smoke came out the tail pipe. the vehicle was towed to the dealership, who indicated that the upper and lower manifold broke. as a result, the tail pipe/ tension o-ring/thermostat, and gasket needed to be replaced due to water contamination. the engine had a mixture of water and oil in it. fuel regulator, coil, and speedometer wires also needed replacement. *ak the spark plugs were contaminated with antifreeze. the engine was contaminated with antifreeze and fuel. recall#04v090000 the upper intake manifold was broken and burned through and the fuel pressure regulator leaked gas. *sc *jb

1998 buick lesabre stalled at a stoplight and wouldn't start. after having the problem diagnosed and the intake manifold removed, water was discovered in the intake and in the cylinders.

Vehicles stalled at highway speed. *ak *jb

While parking, the consumer noticed coolant leaking from underneath the vehicle. the consumer drove the vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and the mechanic determined that the radiator needed to be replaced. *ak the input manifold cracked/split and the engine coolant leaked into the engine. the coolant reservoir kept on going down but the consumer never saw any coolant on the driveway or in the oil. the consumer requested that gm cover the cost of repair. *sc *jb

The consumer stated the vehicle failed to start. the vehicle was taken to an independent shop and the mechanic determined that the intake manifold cracked. *ak the problem was due to a faulty fuel pressure regulator. the consumers vin was not included the recall. *sc *jb

Consumer dissatisfied with the reimbursement of the intake manifold repair kit and nothing else. (nar) *ph the consumer was only partially reimbursed for repairs made prior to receiving the recall notification on the faulty intake manifold. the consumer also had to replace the vehicle's starter. *nm

While driving engine check light came on. prior to this, there was an anti freeze odor within the cabin of the vehicle. upon inspection of the vehicle by the dealership they noticed that the upper and the lower intake manifold melted. *ak consumer believed this defect could cause the engine to stall, creating a dangerous situation. *ph

I am upset that the gm recall # 03054b does not include the 1998 buick lesabre, only the park avenue, according to the customer service dept. for buick. *ak my lesabre did the same thing as described on the recall results for the office of defects investigation found on the internet. however, your office did list it using nhtsa campaign id number: 04v090000. please e-mail me @ [email protected] or leave a message for me @ 850-482-8156, if my vehicle (1998 buick lesabre, custom) can be added to this recall. after looking at the reviews for this vehicle it seems there are a few complaints. thanks

Purchased new, this well maintained, garage kept vehicle failed with 44,500 miles. i changed the oil & filter after the first 500 mile break-in period & every 1k miles. on 2/12/04, there was a rough unexpected engine knock upon startup. placed in reverse, there was a shaking sensation & the check engine lamp eventually lit. i drove to the dealer. i was told that the radiator coollant leaked into the oil portion of the engine. it was an unpleasant situation, however, a decision had to be made & i opted to replace the vehicle with a 2004 lesabre. i drove it off the lot the same day and tried to put my 1998 problem behind me. i have owned lesabres in the past, a park avenue & other gm products where i clocked over 250,000 miles each on most of them. two days after the purchase of my 2004, the burning question was why my 1998 bit the dust? i felt drawn to my computer & searched: "buick lesabre plenum failures" to see what i might find. i viewed several hundred complaints at this site and many others describing the very same problem. all i could help but wonder, was if this same defect prone part was in the car i just purchased? i called gm and spoke to a rep. i told herabout my 1998 model and then asked if she could let me know if it had been changed on my new 2004 model? yes, my 2004 has the same defective intake manifold, so without any warning, the same situation will arise in the future. what will they do for me about my new car? nothing. beware the ticking time bomb if your gm vehicle has the 3800 series ii. a loud pop, followed by hesitation & by the time the ser engine light glows -- it is already too late. many fires have been reported along with this problem. sources indicate that it is on approximately 35 mill assorted gm cars manufactured from circa 1994 to present.

While driving white smoke came from the rear . vehicle was taken to a repair shop, where the mechanic determined that intake manifold leaked coolant onto the engine, and engine needed to be replaced. *ak

Consumer inspected the tires and noticed that the left front tire tread was separating and steel belt was visible. the other 3 tires had cracks along the sides. dealership was contacted. *ak

While driving anti freeze leaked from engine head gasket. *ak

The consumer read an article which indicated that gm recall certain cars with power steering defects. *la the consumer's vehicle experienced similar power steering problems which required repair. the vehicle was out of warranty although the vehicle only had 35392 miles. *nm

Info copy of let to gm, inquiring if there is anything more to do to stop the unnecessary task of writing multiple ltrs for reimbursemt from gm referencing engine coolant leak on buick vehicles. ref es03-006044 /s/brenner 9/23/03. *ph *mjj nar

Consumer inquired as to why the recall on park avenue with 3800 v6 engines extended to the lesabre as well. *ph the buick park avenue and buick lesabre are equipped with the same engine. the consumer saw recall 03v473000 for the park avenue and wondered why the lesabre is not included in the recall. *nm

Coolant leak from manifold

The manifold warped, which caused coolant to spill into the engine. as a result the engine needed to be replaced. please provide additional information. *jb *jb

While attempting to start the vehicle in the garage, the consumer heard an explosion in the engine compartment. dealer informed the consumer that fuel pressure regulator was the problem. *ak the explosion caused damage to the engine and the hood. *nm

While attempting to start the vehicle in the garage consumer heard an explosion in the engine compartment. dealer informed the consumer that a faulty pressure regulator was the problem. *ak

Vehicle made a grinding noise when in motion. the vehicles vacuum hose, power steering pressure and intake manifold failed. *nm

The consumer took the vehicle to be inspected. the mechanic noticed that the plastic intake manifold was cracked and leaking fluid onto the engine. *nm

Coolant consumption, or an engine coolant leak near or under the throttle body area of the upper intake manifold on a 98 buick le sabre custom four door.*ak

Plastic intake manifold warped allowing coolant to leak through engine block and hydrolocked engine. call to local buick dealer comfirms this is not isolated defect. the engine shut down as i was entering the highway. manufacturer refused to admit responsibility for defective part. my cost $879.98. possible future engine damage.*ak

Steering related problems involving major part replacement. i already contacted an nhtsa rep about a different issue, the ubiquitous upper intake manifold problem which we have spent thousands on. and i discussed problems with stalling too. after that, i searched the internet; i see that the manifold problem is more prevalent than i suspected. i also stumbled onto discussions of stalling, steering, and engine fire problems. when i called gm 2 years ago about the upper intake manifold, they denied the problem existed even though my dealer and other shops told me everybody knew about it. i called gm again a few weeks ago after having more gasket problems and although they finally admitted to the manifold and gasket problems, they could not help me with my expenses, they were unable to locate my previous complaint, and the rep was obsessed with having me say that i was satisfied with my call to him. i tried telling him that i was unsatisfied with gm but satisfied with him as a person, but he kept talking to me until i agreed that i was mostly satisfied with my call. i wonder if manufacturers have different obligations in recording and reporting their complaints to authorities depending on whether customers are satisfied or not. *cb

We were the second owner for this vehicle. the original owner purchased the vehicle at a different dealership. when we purchased the vehicle it had around 42,000 miles. after purchase, we experienced an extended crank before the vehicle started that worsened, so on november 25, 2003, my husband and i took the vehicle to the dealership where the vehicle was originally purchased and they did the following: they noted that the fuel pressure regulator and the upper intake manifold was leaking. they replaced the fuel pressure regulator and intake manifold. further they flushed and filled the cooling system with new coolant, did an oil and filter change and an envirolution engine flush; removed carbon buildup desludge intake manifold; did a fuel system treatment and cleaned the throttle plate pressurized injector cleaned and applied a fuel tank additive. total cost of repairs was $1434.08 (minus $45.00 for a belt replacement requested by us). this was a costly repair for problems identical to recall no. 0354 for the buick park avenue (nhtsa pursuit number ea02-030 and nhtsa recall campaign number 03v-473000). today, january 5, 2004, i called buick at 1-800-521-7300 and registered a complaint with tony thompson. he said there is no recall for the buick lesabre at this time, therefore, no compensation. can you please help me. *ak *sc

When accelerating, the vehicle stalled. the driver stated that the vehicle has a design flaw in the engine manifold upper intake valve. *jb (manifold and gaskets malfunctioned) the oil pan and valve cove was replaced. there was also a fuel injector problem. the dealer found the #4 cylinder misfiring with no fuel drop. *sc

Vehicle was leaking antifreeze. intake manifold was replaced to stop the leak as well as the transmission was replaced. dealer, on a previous occasions, repaired a hole in the radiator. *ak *mr

While driving on interstate 75, engine light came on and the car suddenly slowed down and stopped (i had to quickly move to the shoulder). noticed no coolant in the coolant reservoir. towed it to the gmc dealer. service manager remarks: due to antifreeze leak from manifold gasket all fluids went through engine block and hydrolocked the engine and causing it to shut down. (the service manager indicated that they had to several buick lesabre with the same problem). at least i am lucky that this person knew what was the problem without speculation. i have heard others were not that lucky at other dealer place where they couldn't figure out what is the problem except speculating on the cause of the problem. all i want is that the gmc company pay for the repairs or reimburse for the repairs caused by their poor technical workmanship. *ak

Coolant leak into engine thru plastic intake manifold gasket. *ak

Ltr fm andrew hunt (nj) concerned classification of engine coolant leakage as safety problem & defective intake manifold problems suggest nhtsa recall all gm model yrs 1995-1998. *mr there was no advance warning when the engine would stop if the coolant leaks. the consumer was reimbursed the cost of the repair kit, but not the balance of the repairs. the starter failed when aaa attempted to start the vehicle, but the vehicle was full of coolant in the engine. *scc *jb

Consumer took vehicle to dealer for inspection, and mechanic noticed that the plastic intake manifold cracked, causing fluid to leak onto the engine. *ak

The vehicle stalled while driving at 30-mph without warning. the vehicle was taken to a local garage and they found that the intake manifold was cracked and caused coolant to leak inside the engine. *ph when the vehicle stopped, the consumer was unable to restart it, the engine was hydrostatic locked due to the coolant leaks. *sc *jb

While driving reached high temperatures due to intake manifold failure. coolant leaked inside the engine. dealer notified. sorry no recall, and would cost $ 1,400 to fix it. consumer took vehicle to an independent shop, and would cost $ 700 for consumer to fix it. *ak

1998 buick lesabre - engine backfire upon starting - blew off vacume hose at intake manifold, cracked plastic intake manifold. engine hydrolocked, sucking coolant into all 6 cylinders. fuel pressure regulator replaced along with a new plastic intake manifold. *ak

When the vehicle was started, there was an explosion. there was a breakage in the intake manifold and melting on the underside of the engine dumping shroud. a small fire was burned on the engine block when the shroud was removed. *ak *sc *jb

Vehicle had been losing coolant since 1998. vehicle had been to dealer for repairs at least seven times. the gas recirculation valve (egr) port was made of plastic, and when it melted, coolant seeped into the engine. *ak consumer received reimbursement of $479.99 from mc clellon buick after contacting the original owner. *ph

Vehicle had been losing coolant since 1998. vehicle had been to dealer for repairs at least seven times. the gas recirculation valve (egr) port was made of plastic, and when it melted, coolant seeped into the engine. *ak

The check engine indicator light illuminated. while driving the vehicle engine stalled. the vehicle was towed to the dealer, and they replaced the plastic intake manifold at owner's expense of $985.00. *ak

Temperature light illuminated. consumer stopped and put in coolant. next, check engine light illuminated , and engine died. vehicle was towed to dealer. the upper and lower manifolds needed replacement. *ak the dealer also installed a new thermostat and gasket and replaced all six spark plugs. *nlm

Consumer stated while traveling 35 mph all dashboard indicators started flashing, and engine stalled. *ak

Water was leaking from the intake manifold into the engine. this could cause the engine to blow out. intake manifold was deteriorating due to the leakage. *ak

Vehicle stalls when making turns and parking. also, vehicle accelerates while driver's foot is on brake, driver has to press brake harder until engine slows down. *ak

Intake manifold melting. loss of coolant. replace plastic intake, plugs, starter, oil and filter, pcv valve, coolant. plus towing bill and shop labor. gm defect. gm knows it, gm should reimburse for repair cost. *la

The intake manifold leaked coolant into the cylinders. as a result the vehicle stalled. *ak *ts *nlm

The security light located on the dashboard illuminates. when this occurs there is a 3 minutes delay before vehicle starts.*ak

My car, a '98 lesabre, has a power assisted steering that is driven by a belt. the idler pulley disintegrated, the belt came off, and i had little steering. a person with less upper body strength would have lost control. i believe many unexplained accidents may be caused by this situation. investigating officers would assume the belt was lost during the crash when the loss was actually the cause of the crash. a vehiclke that has a serpentine belt also loses power to the brakes.

Consumer had manifold system repairs done on 98 buick lesabre. the manifold system was replaced twice. after the second repair, consumer became aware of the recalls for the same make and model with 3.8 v6 engine. general motors were contacted but the consumer didn't receive a response. *ph

When consumer started the vehicle, black smoke was noticed coming from the rear of vehicle. when the consumer pulled out into the traffic, the vehicle stalled. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and was repaired.*ak *ts *jb

Engine coolant leak, into the engine manifold,of my vehicle, resulted from defective upper intake manifold composite material degrading around the egr stove pipe. buick motor division of general motors corporation has issued a service bulletin, #01-06-01-007a-(07/18/2001), document id#812024, pertaining to this exact type of engine manifold defect in 1998 buick lesabre automobiles. on september 3, 2003, the egr stove pipe failed in my 1998 buick lesabre, allowing engine coolant to enter the engine manfold. i formally request that your agency immediately begin an investigation into this defect, in order to proceed toward ordering a recall of this vehicle.

While returning home from our daughter's in virginia, our check engine light came on. we pulled onto a side road and turned off the car. looking under the hood, we found the reserve radiator reservoir to be totally empty. after 20 minutes, we tried to start the car to no avail. we were towed back to the nearest town, selinsgrove, pa, to a pep boys and were told the engine had seized up. the next day the car was towed back to rochester where our mechanic proceeded to find out the problem. we also called the dealership where we bought the car two years ago, and the service manager told us that he had seen this before. the radiator fluid is entirely sucked into the engine through the intake manifold and there is never any indication of over heating or changes on the gauge readings because the engine is not hot, due to the fluid being in there. consequently, we had to have the engine replaced. three days after this happened to us, a letter was mailed out to all owners of 2000-2003 buicks for this very same problem. we have a 1998 buick lesabre. we called the number given 1-800-832-8425 and also called bbb auto line for general motors. general motors will not do anything to help us in this matter because our vehicle is a 1998. the cost we have incurred to remedy this failure is in excess of $3,000.00. the same engine was used to repair the problem: a 3800 series ll (l36) v6 engine. how do i know the same thing won't happen again? i do not! i do not want to keep the vehicle yet i cannot afford not to. we have bought gm cars and trucks for the last 35 years. we always said: "buy american". i guess that time is over. is there anything you can do to help us? *jb

Consumer states that while driving, the vehicle would stall and it will be hard for the consumer to control the vehicle. dealer notified. *ph the vehicle started to loose speed pulled into gas station. the vehicle start again. gm was aware of the problem. the consumers friend had experienced the same problem with the replacement of the manifold gaskets. the consumer requested to be reimbursed for the manifold and the starter. *scc *nlm

Fax fm andrew hunt (nj) request assistance in getting reimbursed for $561.24 worth of repairs to fix the upper intake manifold on his 1998 gm buick lesabre & recall all cars listed in gm tech. service bulletin # 01-06-01-007a. *mr the consumer stated the concern was the vehicle did not give warning of a problem as the coolant emitted from the tail pipe unnoticed. if there was too much coolant in the engine the vehicle would stop. the defective plastic intake manifold and the broken starter from the vehicle which clearly showed that the egr stove pipe allowed water to get into the engine. *scc *jb

Front passenger seat belt buckle does not unlock. consumer has contacted dealer.*ak

Vehicle's "plenium" intake valve (part no. 506cgm4) cracked causing coolant to leak into engine resulting in engine failure.

In november,2002, our vehicle would not start. we took it to the local licensed mechanic and he discovered the upper manifold and gasket were disintegrated. on further research he obtained a copy of a bulletin from general motors that stated if you have to replace the upper manifold, also replace the lower. our mechanical insurance paid for the upper but not the lower. we wrote to gm and after a few e-mails, of course they said no way. i do not understand why there has not been a recall on this problem. it could be a very dangerous situation. i ask you to look on the internet address: http://www.petitionline.com/mod_per/signed.cgi?gmcnsmrs. you will find 3700 + or - signatures and stories of similar gasket problems. please see what you can do about this. i believe gm knows they have had a gasket problem.

I had been losing coolant (2 quarts in 4~6 weeks) without seeing any spots on ground or coolant about engine / radiator. while driving, experienced relatively sudden loss of power, mil light came on, could not drive greater than 60 mph, very poor operation and acceleration. dealer (superior buick, dearborn michigan) diagnosed problem as blown headgasket. i subsequently had engine remanufactured under dealer premise of head gasket, only to find that the upper intake manifold had failed and allowed coolant to pass into intake passages (reference gm service bulletin 010601007, and ~7a). i was never informed of these bulletins by the dealership, but they are 2 years old.*ak

The upper intake manifold gasket corroded and caused coolant to leak from the vehicle. this leakages occurred while driving or parking. the dealer was notified and informed the consumer that the vehicle was not covered under a manufacturer's recall. *ak *nlm

The vehicle overheated due to an inoperative plastic intake manifold. the manifold was replaced and the coolant system was flushed. *jb *ts *nlm

The check engine soon light had come on. the vehicle looked as if it was leaking coolant, however no coolant was found leaking. when the vehicle was taken to the repair shop, they found an internal leak. this was caused by the plastic plenum intake. *ak *scc

First we would like to report our dissatisfaction with stillwater motors in that they added bogus charges on to the invoice then later, after we questioned and insisted on seeing these new parts and the old parts, they adjusted the invoice by crediting us $400. the car was brought in due to the engine running rough, overheating and an increased usage of coolant. the dealership diagnosed the problem as being a defect in the upper manifold resulting in leakage of coolant onto the sparkplugs. in the end, the upper manifold, 4 gaskets, the oil filter, and thermostat had been replaced and had the fuel/emission system flushed. we were quite astounded to see so many issues with this very same problem we had and we are hoping that there is some relief given to all buick lesabre owners who have had to incur these repair costs. *ph

The vehicle experienced the same problem as the recall that was issued regarding the manifold, however the vehicle identification number was not included in the recall. *ak the consumer stated the vehicle ran for five hours, he stopped to get gas and the vehicle failed to restart. *jb

Intake manifold failed on my 1998 buick lesabre at 77,000 miles. plastic manifold perforated due to exhaust gas impinging from egr tube, flooding engine with coolant and causing engine to stall with subsequent loss of power steering and brakes on interstate highway.*ak

The driver's side seat belt did not lock. the dealer was notified. *ak it was hard to connect before it had gone completely out. the dealer was not concerned about the incident and did not take the old part. *scc the consumer had to pay for the part at his expense.*jb

On 07/21/03 my 1998 buick lesabre (vin [xxx]), suddenly and without prior symptoms, began to run extremely rough and the engine stalled and was unable to be re-started. fortunately, i was able to get off the road before the engine stalled. i am now saddled with a $2,000 repair bill " all, apparently, as a result of the failure of the plastic gm plenum. the plenum's failure caused other failures within the engine (including, but not limited to, the ignition control module and the starter). according to the mechanic that serviced the vehicle, this is not uncommon in gm vehicles that utilize the plastic plenum. i would seek restitution from general motors for what appears to be a historical and systemic failure of this plastic plenum resulting in extraordinary engine repairs.*ak information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

The manifold and gasket had to be replaced. i was told coolant was improperly mixing with my oil causing black smoke to be emitted from my exhaust, the car missing and eventually semi-locking. the locking cause the cone of my starter to crack in two when i attempted to re-start to the tune of a $1,500. repairfor all. dealer ackowledged they had this problem with other vehicles. the initial stater replaced was discovered defective and was again replaced on june 25, 2003. a complaint to buick customer service was fruitless and they were not sensitive at all to the problem encountered. *ak

After owning this car for less than 3 months i noticed coolant tank empty, took it to dealer who charged me $342 for new water pump, still loosing coolant. come to find out after a sludge was found in engine that intake plenum was cracked allowing coolant into cylinders, damaging the bearings and now am paying for a new motor. gm denies problems exist. this car has only 50,000m miles. *nlm

Consumer parked vehicle after driving with no signs of mechanical trouble. the consumer returned to car and attempted to start the vehicle, but was unsuccessful. the vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the plastic intake manifold cracked, which caused coolant to leak, which resulted in engine failure. *ak *cb

Both front wheels were cracked. the dealer was contacted, and the wheels were not under warranty. the wheels were original and made of aluminum. *ak *cb *jb

The vehicles intake manifold failed when the vehicle was started and resulted in a fire under the hood. *mr *ts *nlm

The consumer attempted to start car when the engine backfired, the manifold exploded and the engine caught fire. *mr *ts *nlm

Vehicle fire/ vehicle destroyed. *mr on several occasions, prior to fire, vehicle would surge then die out at both stops and when slowing down. also engine had a whining noise. dealer replaced generator assembly. fuel filter also replaced. cleaned throttle body. brakes made squealing noise. rear brakes cleaned and adjusted. there was a loud noise in the right rear after hot at stops. exhaust system misaligned. the mirror compass and rear window were also inoperative. vehicle was also involved in an accident prior to fire. *tt

While traveling on the highway and without prior warning smoke was coming inside of the vehicle though the vents. please fill in additional information. dealer is aware of the problem.*ak

The key was inserted into the ignition when a loud explosion occurred along with smoke pouring out of the side of the engine area. the consumer was unable to put the fire out. *mr *scc

1998 buick lesabre description of complaint not given. mr. *jb

Vehicle stalled / engine caught on fire. mr. while driving, the vehicle stalled and then caught on fire. the fire department stated the fuel injectors may have been faulty. *jb

Consumer having problems with the intake manifold. while driving the vehicle stalled and lost complete p[ower of the steering and brakes. manufacture was not contacted at the time of this call.*ak

I purchased a '98 buick lesabre - from my brother-in_law, it only had 70,000 miles on it when the head gasket blew causing me to rebuild the top section of the motor--then after that was fixed and i drove the car for approximately 3 months more -- the bottom part of the engine blew--and i had to replace the complete engine not knowing what caused this problem. the car was always maintained by the dealership "boyle buick" in bel air, md. *jb

The plastic intake manifold melted inside the engine. *jb the vehicle was missing and was smoking. new manifold and plug wires were added. *sc

The type of metal used in the engine was flimsy, and anti freeze ate through it, which resulted in a leak. *jb *ts

There was a loud bang, then the engine would not start. the independent shop stated that the problem was the plastic intake manifold that seeped into the engine. mr scc

The plastic intake manifold on my 1998 buick lesabre went bad last fall, which cost me over $1,000 to repair. there were about 70,000 miles on the engine at that time. subsequently, i read an article in a newspaper that said the nhtsa was investigating gm cars with the 3.8 liter engines for engine fires that resulted from these problems with the plastic intake manifold. i am wondering if a recall has been/could be issued, or if there is any way owners of cars with these engines can be reimbursed for the massive repair bills resulting from this engineering defect. of course i am also very concerned for my safety since i have learned of the propensity for fires with these engines. thank you.

The vehicle was hard to start, consumer heard a pop noise, and the engine started to run rough. consumer stated maybe a blown head gasket.*jb

The engine failed.*dt *jb

Car refuses to crank sometimes, wait 45 min-1 hour, then it will crank. also, slowing down to stop and car just dies, refuses to crank, again wait 45 minutes - 1 hour and it will crank. this is happening every 2 weeks-1 month. i was told it was not firing, but could it be something to do with fuel system? dealer kept for 2 days and could find nothing wrong. buick said they had not heard of this problem. *jb

The engine caught on fire.*jb

The engine caught on fire and burned some parts while vehicle was warming up.*jb

The battery was low, tried starting the motor a few times in the morning. after waiting all day, charged the battery back up to normal and started the car. a loud bang and flash was noted and then the engine caught fire. put the fire out with an extinguisher. there was a back fire in the intake manifold, which is made of plastic and it exploded casusing the engine to catch fire. visual damaged caused by the fire was to the fuel line, air line and wire harness. vehicle is 4.5 years old and only has 23,000 miles on it.*jb

Upper intake plenum gasket failed, causing engine cylinders to fill with coolant and extensive damage to electrical parts. possible other damage to engine.

We preformed a o&c on a 1998 lasabre fire, very mild engine fire which originated at the fuel rail fuel inlet port and was caused by failure of the plastic connector fuel hose connector. owner was driving the vehicle, stated a load pop was noted, the vehicle stalled and a fire started. possible failure of the fuel pressure regulator or metarials problem with the connector and clip.noted mutiple complaints in nhtsa data base as well as an investagation. hope this helps.

Vehicle is leaking oil. the consumer had vehicle serviced by a dealership, who indicated that the upper intake manifold is made of plastic, and the heat of the engine causes a hole in the manifold. this results in the leak. please provide more details. ts

While driving and without warning intake manifold blewout, making it hard to start vehicle. dealer notified. ts. *ak

Consumer states that it will be hard to start the vehicle and they will have to try numerous of time before the vehicle will start. dealer notified. ts

Nar 1/21/03 design problem with intake manifold. the vehicle refused to start, after several failed attempts the vehicle was towed. after trouble shooting, it was determined the intake manifold had a hole in it which allowed coolant fluid to enter the cylinders resulting in a hydrostatic lock. *jb

The vehicle would stall without warning. dealer was aware of the problem. ts consumer also had a problem with the starter not disengaging. *jg

The vehicle had no power steering when driving at low speeds, consumer stated problem only happened when the vehicle was warm. ts *jb

Consumer states that starter is defective. when starting vehicle it makes a "popping" noise then car cuts off. dealer replaced "no. 3" spark plug wire. problem was resolved temporarily, but now is occurring again. ts

My problem is a replacement one is not available at this time to complet the repairs made to my car after my accident on 6/23/00 when i struck a deer & the air bags both employed.

While driving vehicle engine shut down. towed vehicle to buick. mechanic took off manifold and they found a crack in manifold which was allowing water to fill up in engine department, causing a hydorlock. please provide any further information. ts

Consumer noticed the vehicle excessive antifreezer consumption every 300 miles, the reservoir was empty all the time. dealer has been notified. please provide further information. ts

3 times in shop due to checke engine light on. claimed it was sensor. new alternator needed. new struts needed. engine light was not sensor but was due to antifreeze leak from manifold gasket. all fluids went thru engine and out tailpipe causing over heating.

A complete electrical failure on a major highway with a tragedy barely avoided, transmission failure

While driving at 25-35 mph consumer was involved in a head on collision with another vehicle and none of the air bags deployed.*ak

Vehicle stalled while driving in parking lot. checked by dealer, who determined that coolant was leaking from intake manifold into engine, causing vehicle to stall.*ak

Consumer states that oil leaks from the right and left side rear bumper. dealer has been contacted. please provide any further information. *mr

At 50mph engine stalled then vehicle lost power. could had caused an accident. cause unknown dealer notified.*ak

Brake lines on anti-lock braking system rotted inside out. owner stepped on brakes and vehicle continued forward almost hitting pedestrians. owner indicated that vehicle has not been exposed to salt. please describe details. *ak

After having t egr valve serviced, miles later without warning, intake manifold began to leak coolant onto engine, causing engine to shutdown and lock up. mechanic stated intake manifold needed to be replaced when valve was serviced.*ak

While driving egr valve light illuminated on dashboard, causing vehicle to stall. dealer was notified, mechanic stated sensors were not functioning correctly.*ak

When coming to a stop vehicle would stall out. sometimes vehicle stalls out when driving along. vehicle is able to be restarted. dealer has seen numerous times and can't fix it. *ak

Consumer can smell gas coming from vehicle, also fuel is leaking onto engine compartment. cause unknown. dealer notified.*ak. consumer states gas fumes are present when vehicle is started.*jb

Vehicle completely stalls while driving without warning. dealer stated engine manifold that is made of plastic is cracked and sending fluid through engine, damaging parts in engine. *ak the plastic intake was replaced and the consumer is seeking reimbursement of repair expense. *yh

Vehicle has stalled 4 times at 25-30 mph. dealer has replaced fuel filter. but this has not remedied the problem.*ak the fuel pressure regulator was also replaced due to fuel leak. *tt

When applying brakes a grinding noise is coming from the rear wheel. dealership is aware of problem.*ak

While starting vehicle engine would not start. vehicle was serviced by technician, and plenum was replaced. please provide further information. *ak

Engine check light has come on, and the sensor in engine has malfunctioned. can possibly cause a fire in engine. contacted dealer, and the dealer was not willing to do anything.*akit has been indicated to consumer if defect is not fixed, possible fire or stalling may occur. *jg

While driving, vehicle will stall without warning. took vehicle to dealer, and dealer could not find the cause of problem. *ak there is a technical service bulletin tsb #87-65-14 to flash pcm with updated calibration as a result of an intermittent stall. *tt

While driving, consumer could smell exhaust fumes, when turning into a parking lot the smell became worse and the vehicle stalled, the consumer attempted to exit the vehicle, however could not, he had to hit the door several times with his shoulder until the door gave way, the entire vehicle was engulfed in smoke, it was stated that the alternator caused the fire and it had just been put on, claim 01-6150-358. *slc

While driving, there was a loud bang and then vehicle caught on fire, claim 49-3208-890. *slc

Vehicle was driven 4 blocks, while sitting at a red light, consumer could see smoke coming from the hood, then a fire started in the engine compartment, claim 20-5437-956. *slc

Vehicle was sitting in garage when it caught on fire, the majority of the house burned down, there were fire and police reports taken, claim 04-1284-911. *slc

There was a huge pop, vehicle would not start and started to smoke, consumer opened the hood and it caught on fire on the top of the engine, claim 38-j837-871. *slc

While driving, vehicle caught fire under the engine, fire fighter put out fire with a co2 extinguisher, claim 59-v971-469. *slc

While driving, a fire started on the passenger side of the engine compartment, cause of fire was diagnosed as the cooling fan motor, claim 15-3047-690. *slc

Vehicle caught on fire in driveway, claim 30-v502-462. *slc

Consumer heard a loud bang and smoke started coming from under the hood, flames were coming from the bottom of the vehicle, experienced engine surging prior to fire, claim 42-1441-081. *slc

Vehicle jumps and vibrates when driving. consumer took vehicle to a private mechanic, and he informed consumer that the transmission was shot.*ak *yh

While driving, consumer could smell exhaust, smell became worse and vehicle stalled, consumer attempted to get out of vehicle, he had to hit the drivers side door several times with his shoulder until the door gave way, at this time the entire vehicle was engulfed with smoke, was told alternator started fire and this was just put on vehicle, claim 01-6150-358. *slc

While driving there was a loud bang, vehicle caught fire in the engine compartment, claim 49-3208-890. *slc

Vehicle was driven approximately 4 blocks and while sitting at a light, smoke became visible from the hood, then a fire started in the engine compartment, claim 20-5437-956. *slc

Vehicle was sitting in garage when it caught on fire in the engine compartment, causing damage to the majority of consumers house, claim 04-1284-911. *slc

Vehicle would not start, there was a pop sound and vehicle started to smoke, consumer pooped the hood and vehicle caught on fire in the engine compartment, claim 38-j837-871. *slc

While driving, vehicle caught fire under the engine, claim 59-v971-469. *slc

While driving, a fire started on the passenger side of the engine compartment, cause of fire was diagnosed as the cooling fan motor, claim 15-3047-690. *slc

Vehicle caught fire in the engine compartment while sitting in the driveway, claim 30-v502-462. *slc

Consumer heard a loud bang and smoke started coming out from under the hood, flames were coming from bottom of vehicle, vehicle has experienced engine failure and has a history of engine surging, claim 42-1441-081. *slc

Intake manifold is leaking fluid onto the motor, causing it to shutoff while driving.*ak

Car backfired and engine caught on fire

Vehicle at stop light when engine check light came on and remained. was idling roughly when pulling into parking lot, and then vehicle died. took vehicle to dealership, and was informed that upper plentium manifold had cracked and was leaking fluid onto engine. this caused plugs to be flooded. plugs were pulled and cleaned. *ak

While traveling between 25 and 30 mph consumer suddenly lost control of steering and braking systems. vehicle crashed into a tree which stopped the vehicle. dealership has examined vehicle, and repaired unknown component in vehicle which caused this to happen. please provide any additional information/attachments.*ak

After filling fuel tank and driving for approximately 80 to 100 miles, gas gauge will read that fuel tank is empty, and a warning light will come on instrument panel. dealership cannot determine a reason for this problem. *ak consumer states this has been a problem for three years and is requesting that someone fix the problem. *slc

Consumer was involved in a 50 mph frontal collision i which driver and passenger air bags did not deploy, cause unknown. please give any further details.*ak

Consumer has to increase stopping distances because brakes keep failing. pedal is pumped a couple of times before it will stop. this has happened 3 times. dealer says it's normal for brakes to feel like that. consumer is nervous driving. *ak the brake fails to stop the vehicle unless pressed extremely hard. *yh

Car shifts from drive to overdrive with lot of noise, and will chatter a little. from a cold start. it won't move just vibrate and shatter. took to dealer, and they said it was valve body that needed to be replaced.*ak

Upper intake manifold cracked, causing loss of coolant. vehicle taken to independent repair shop. *ak oil and oil filter had to be changed, spark plugs were replaced and cylinder had to be cleaned out. *slc

While driving 45 -50 mph had a frontal impact in which driver's and passenger's airbags did not deploy, and did not protect occupant in this crash. no previous problems with the airbag system. please provide further information.*ak

While driving steering pump disengaged from engine, causing loss of vehicle control. please give any further details. *ak

Cracked steering wheel, and left front strut failure. dealer notified, and made repairs under warranty. *ak

Brakes malfunctioned. please provide further details. *ak

There was fuel lekaing onto intake manifold. when driver started vehicle. intake manifold exploded. dealer has seen vehicle. *ak

On going / intermittent problem with engine stalling while applying accelerator pedal from a stop postion to continue on. vehicle been in dealer shop, and unable to duplicate the problem. please feel free to provide any further detail. *ak

Vehicle has a f1 suspension. when there is about 400 pounds in the back seat (3 people) vehicle will jump when hitting a light bump or a dip in the road, which could cause a loss of vehicle control. *ak

Orginial equipment on a 1998, buick, lesabre ,tire size p20570r15, white walls, tires have 40 thousand miles on them. when driving 50 mph, right rear general ameri g4s dot a3m0db1427 tire exploded, pieces of the tread was still on the rim. please provide any further details.*ak *slc

When going down a steep hill and trying to brake vehicle shut off. also, enginecheck light came on as though vehicle has overheated. a bulletin was given to owner by a park ranger at mt. washington. the bulletin was about a problem with the inertia switch. please provide any further information.*ak

Consumer was traveling about 25mph. upon approaching a red light she heard a loud bang coming from the hood area. then she noticed smoke and flame s coming from under the hood. *ak

While driving 60 mph with the cruise control engaged vehicle completely shutdown without warning, cause unknown. dealer reprogrammed the computer which did not correct the problem. please give any further details. *ak

While driving about 55 mph rear wheels on the driver's side locked up for no apparent reason. vehicle veered off the road and back on. everything seemed to be okay. about a half an hour later, this happened again. vehicle was towed to a dealership. dealer was not able to find out what caused this problem. also, master cylinders were changed on both rear brakes on june 3, 2000. owner not sure if this could have caused the wheel to lock up. *ak when the vehicle jerked sliding to the left, the wheel rim of driver side became bent locking it against the wheel bracket. *yh

Rear wheel cylinders are leaking . dealer has been notified. please provide futher details. *ak

When it rains windshield wipers do not operate fast enough on high speed. not enough visibility to operate safely. *ak

While backing out of the garage and driving down city streets suddenly and without warning vehicle just shut off. contacted dealer, and he was not able to find the problem. *ak

Brake lights go out due to a short in the wiring. dealer has replaced the fuse, brake light switch and turn signal switch, but problem keeps reoccurring. *ak *ml

While driving about 50 mph driver could lose control of vehicle due to vibration and jerking. *ak

When moving transmission pawl to reverse then to drive vehicle will vibrate. *ak

While driving at any speed the vehicle could stall without a prior warning. *ak

Owner was hearing a rattling noise about 3-4 months ago coming from vehicle. the noise was heard mostly on short sharp bumps. while having the oil changed the problem was found to be with the rack and pinion steering. rack and pinion steering was loose and could have fallen off. the entire unit was replaced by the dealership under warranty. *ak

Consumer was involved in a rear end collision with impact at 40 mph, and both driver's and passenger's side seatbacks collapsed to the reclining position. vehicle was a rental car. *ak

Winshield wiper switch is under steering wheel, and at night or if it is raining driver can't see because there is no light up switch, indicating where the knob is located so driver has to tak eyes off the road to find it. *ak

While driving at approximately 65-70 mph, vehicle would bounce whenever it ran over a bump or rough road, causing vehicle to wander across the road. dealer notified, and replaced rear springs. *ak

Consumer was involved in a 40 mph frontal collision in which the driver's or passenger's air bags did not deploy. please give any further details. *ak

Instrument panel glass is concave instead of concurve. hard to read instruments. have a blind spot on driver's side window. cannot see other vehicles when looking outside mirror. emergency button is not visible to naked eye. located under steering column out of sight. *ak

Vehicle will not start, and sometimes when driving vehicle stops or loses speed without warning. the vehicle has been towed to the dealership four times for this condition. the problem still continues. please provide any further details. *ak

Electrical system malfunctioned, causing the dome light to come on after vehicle was turned off for about 15 minutes. also, had heavy gas fumes entering vehicle caused stomach aches and headaches to the occupant. please provide further information. *ak

While driving would notice odor inside of vehicle. had taken to dealer & vehicle kept overnight. mechanic had noticed strong odor of gasoline, next day. was informed gasoline odor could have started fire around ignition source. also, dome light kept coming on/off by itself when vehicle was parked. *ak

Spare tire is not a standard tire, and is unsafe to be used. spare tire and rim are both smaller then the 16' inch tires that are on the vehicle. could nhtsa give additional information. *ak

Abs would brake soft or hard whenever appled. dealer notified and infomed t consumer that no history of this condition was ever reported. seeking help from nhtsa in this matter. *ak

While driving at highway speeds for a period of time, the vehicle stalled unepxectedly which almost caused an accident. dealer indicated the problem was due to the fuel to "leaking out" which caused the valve to burn out and resulted in the vehicle stalling dealer had to reprogram the computer of the vehicle. please provide further details. *ak

When driving the vehicle and trying to use the horn, the horn didn't make any sound. consumer considered this to be a safety defect. the dealer replaced parts of the air bag. the consumer vehicle had been in the shop six times and they can't determine the problem. *ak

Headlights appear to be a defective, high and low beams interchange positions and functions. inner beams are low, and outer beams are high. dealer contacted and cannot remedy the problem. problem still exists. provide further information. *ak

While driving at 20-25 mph, going down hill, put the vehicle in first gear and the engine stalled. contacted dealer, and tests were ran. stated vehicle should have been stopped before changing gears. gmc contacted and cannot duplicate the problem. *ak *ml

The engine has stalled 4 or 5 times while driving ,causing loss in steering ability. dealer has seen vehicle twice and can't find the problem. *ak

While driving at 50 mph, driver heard a very loud noise coming from the left rear side . when vehicle was checked by dealership, the left wheel rear bearing had gone bad. the wheel bearing was replaced by dealership.*ak consumer stated a booster assembly was needed.*jb

Headrest does not raise high enough for a person over 6 feet 2 inches. *ak

Vehicle was involved in an accident travelling 15-20 mph, frontal impact, and neither driver's or passenger's airbags deployed. extensive damage done to vehicle. *ak

While driving beyond 50 mph the vehicle shakes or vibrates violently cause unknown. dealer cannot identify the problem. please give any further details. *ak

Backing out took foot off brake vehicle suddenly accelerated. foot not on pedal. took to dealer & on diagnostic machine & nothing found. fuel pressure regulator & pcm as per safet bulletin were checked. *ak

While driving the vehicle at any speed the engine dies. the vehicle has been to the dealer 3 times for this prolbem. the manufacturer is aware of the problem, and a service bulletin has been issued. *ak

Design flaw: driver's seat belt buckle locking mechanism built up against built-in coin box. had to lock or unlock seat belt buckle properly. *ak

The safety involved here is the inability to change a tire if it fails on the road. the plastic key and insert are inadequate for the job. the plastic on the key gives and the locking device on the hub cap becomes so tight that the plastic key will not remove it before failing. each time i have had to have the tires rotated or changed, the mechanics required air tools and 1 inch socket. one occasion of a flat tire on a texas highway placed my wife and i without the ability to change to the spare. had not a very husky highway patrolment come to our rescue, we would have been stranded. in this incident we were able to get off the highway onto a private farm entrance. mr

Gm made their intake manifolds out of a plastic resin on the buick 3800 v6 engine. they routed the egr valve through it which causes a heat build up that wraps the intake manifold allowing coolant to go into the engine. my repair bill was $803.76 plus one starter $189.00 that broke when the engine siezed. from reading on the internet this is a common problem with the engines with the plastic manifold. the dealer that fixed my car aid yes it was a design problem and that he had another car of the same make and model as mine in the same morning as mine. same problem and that he had one the week before. in my case the engine did not lock up as i as going down the highway but this could be a dangerous problem for someone going down the highway and thier engine locks up. *ak

Was returning from charleston, sc to columbia, sc sunday 7/28/02 about 7:00 pm after a hot day on interstate 26. after about an hours travelling time, in which the car felt out of alignment or tires out of balance due to bad roads in charleston, there was a loud bang, the car pulled or fishtailed in heavy bumper to bumper traffic. i compensated steering and was able to slow and pull to the side of the interstate. the other vehicles surrounding me moved and/or slowed to give a wide berth. i had thought that perhaps an axle or cv joint had broken, but upon walking and looking around the car i found all tires fully inflated, but then noticed that the rear tire behind the driver's seat had about two thirds of it's tread layer missing and bare steel wires were exposed. i went online and looked up general tires, read about stress cracks appearing where the treads met the sidewalls, then inspect the only other general tire left on the vehicle- it had continuous small cracks there. i called the manufacturer, who would only participate partically in the tire replacement cost if i used their tires again- i refused their brands and bought goodyears instead. we were fortunate to have lived through the tread coming off, and i'm not sure that anyone else that may have driven the car would have!*ak

Problem 1....pressure regulator in the oil pump locked ,causing the engine to blow. this recently happened to a friend of mine at around the same mileage. problem 2....car has started to stall for no reason. usually when i'm slowing down fopr a red lite or to turn.problem 3..... while drivind at around 65-70 the car has surged for an instant(sort of like when you hit the gas pedal suddenly for a second). *ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

After owning the car for approximately 3 weeks i was comuting to ny from my residence in nh. the cars transmission was not responding well. i arrived near finchburg massachusettes when i decided to turn back home. power and response were very inadequate.my wife called the dealership where i dropped off the car in exeter nh (not the selling dealer..but a buick/gm dealership that they recommended to have check it out since it was still under the manufacturer warranty. after inspection and a full diagnosis by the certified gm mechanic, he informed me that the "transmission was toast". they made a full repair by replacing the existing transmission. they believed it would have been impossible to rebuild considering the nature of the problem. further, my wife did a through check prior to making an offer to purchase the vehicle. we knew that this model vehicle has a history of transmission problems. however serveral buick /gm certified shops indicated that very few of these newer vehicle have transmission failue. it would be like a 1 and 4million chance...well that is our luck. it happened to us. *ak

I believe i have a problem with the vats . the system has failed preventing me from starting the car. i have checked the fuses and one was blown but that goes to the electronic level control (hence a second problem) itiallally the car failed to start after jiggling the key it started. the security light remained on the whole way home. came home shut the car down and started back up again. later that evening my wife took the car to the store, where it failed to start. she called me i promptly responded with 2 of my children in tow. after checking fuses, reading the owners manual and disconnecting the battery, jiggling the key the car started...thank goodness. then we got home and it died. yesterday i checked all fuses to verify, its not that..finally determining its in the ignition system relating to the lock cylinder. i have an extended warranty and hope the dealer will fix it. today i have continued to poke around and attempted to start it..successfully after jiggling the ignition/key. do you know if this is a common problem for this vehicle? unfortunately we do not know if it will start again. this is not a pleasant situation. do you know what might cause the lock cylinder to do this? will this require new passkeys?*ak

Coolant leaked into cylinders causing engine to lock up. service bulletin #010601007. *ak

Above mentioned vehicle came into my auto repair shop with a very dangerous fuel leak that the customer was unaware of. the plastic beauty cover on top of the gm 3800 series ii engines made contact with the high pressure plastic fuel line going into fuel rail. due to high mileage of this car, line was damaged by the cover. since then, i have seen 2 other gm 3800's with the same cover-to-fuel line contact. the potential leak is extremely dangerous as the leaking plastic fuel line runs from the firewall area, over the right side exhaust manifold, into the fuel rail on top of the intake manifold. a simple inspection & pad between the fuel line and the sharp edge of the plastic cover would be a very cost-effective cure for a potentially serious situation. this inspection & repair should apply to all gm badges with the 3800 series ii engines.

Intake manifold material melted around erg valve, letting coolant into engine. shop was repairing another vehicle with the same problem at the same time.*ak

On september 21, 2000 i had my buick lesabre to the dealer because the rear window defroster did not work. they replaced the module. the defroster than worked. on december 8, 2000, i was on my way home from work. i had my rear window defroster on, but it had shut off. i noticed an awful smell. as i was stopped at a stop light, i looked around for the source of the smell. as i glanced over my shoulder, flames were beginning to come through the panel between the rear window and the side window. i had the car towed to the dealer and they determined that it was the rear window module that had caused the fire. the car is being fixed and checked over by another service company. they are checking out the wiring to see if the defect might be some where else.

Details sent via email to webmaster. no safety defect listed. *ak

Engine in our car blew a head gasket, our mechanic said he has had to work on 4 additional cars the same model as ours, we feel this may be a problem, and that the engine should not fail at this particular milage.*ak

Dealership advised intake manifold was cracked and starter was bad. i had just parked this vehicle two hours prior to attempting to start it again and it would not crank. i question why they are allowed to use a plastic intake manifold as this is an area that gets very hot at times. i used to be a mechanic for several years and think that buick made an error by producing engines with plastic manifolds. i have purchased new buicks on and off for the past 35 years and this is the first problem i have ever had with an engine. referenced in ea02-030

Vehicle shudders when accelerating

Car bottoms out over severe bumps with passengers in front and rear. car was inspected by mfg. dealer 7/20/2000. no problem was found. it was inferred that the bottoming out was normal this was normal for this model. i believe the engineering safety must be checked. i don"t believe bottoming out is a safety hazard and should not be passed over lightly. *ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

A/c has been sprayed and odor neutralized and later coils of a/c & heater cleaned and i still smell mold. developed and allergy and sinus infection in december of 1998, before i had car six months and am still seeing doctor for congestion and infection.

When turning the steering wheel the wheel appears to click or knock. this begam shortly after i had the vehicle in to have the transmission repaired as it was shuddering after stopping and starting. i contacted the service people at the boise larry miller buick place, where i had transmission fixed. i was told it was not serious and they would check it when i brought it in for service. but it concerns me, and i need to know if it is serious. *ak

I purchased a warranty that covers bumper to bumper and when i took the car in the first time, at david taylor they did something to the brakes. after several weeks passed, the brake went out again as i was attend a funeral. the car was taken back to david taylor, april 26, 1999. they are refusing to honor the warranty that they sold me at the time of purchase that covers bumper to bumper as i was told. the price that they want to charge me now is $1500 for brake repair that was supposely fixed but wasn't. it is not fair for them to do this and this is the complaint that i have that the problem with the brakes have not been repaired and through there failure to repair it and not honor the warranty is my complaint. they loan us a car, but asked for it back and i don't have any means of getting to work. will you please call and find out what the defect is and why these faulty brakes were not repaired on the first visit. why is the warranty not being honored and why are they playing the blame game with me stating to me someone else had been fooling around with the brakes when that someone has only been their service department working on the brakes. it's insluting for someone to even make that kind of a statment when you have a warranty by their service department. it would be ridicilious for someone else to work on it. that's the blame game they are playing and i don't like it at all. i'm truly upset about the brakes being a haradzous to me and my family and to others on the highway where they have gone out a second time. please, please help me get this resolved by calling david taylor monday, may 3, 1999. i can't get through to them and it's frustrating being sold something that they do not want to honor now. help!

Transmission failed. yh

Relay switch failed caused vehicle starting problems. yh

Radiator has bad hose connection. yh

Serpentine belt flipped off pulley because crank pulley is bent at inner grove belt. yh

Rear right power steering pump shaf seal leaked. yh

Generator failed.

Repair starter terminal for neutral switch from transaxle. mjs

The clock runs irregularly. yh

Left and right door seals (weather stip) failed. mjs

Fuel pump replaced.

Regulator failed. yh

Fuel gauge/sender failed. nlm

Fuel tank replaced. nlm

Fuel pump failed. nlm

Unidentified suspension mechanism causes car to pull to the left.mgm

Power windows switch for the right front window failed. mjs

Alternator failed. *yc

Radio failed. *yc

Excessive wind noise entering interior compartment.

Gas gauge failed. yh

The intake manifold on the engine is made out of plastic and has the egr tube running through it, causing the plastic to heat up and allow antifreeze to run into the engine. dealer found and replaced leaking intake plenum. *tt

While stopped for gas, the vehicle smelled hot. the mechanic checked under the hood, and informed consumer that all the water and antifreeze was gone. this happened without any warning. the check engine light did not illuminate. teh mechanic checked the pressure and filled the radiator and resevoir. an hour later the car would not start and all the water was gone. consumer had vehicle towed and the owner of the garage showed consumer a plastic manifold on top of the engine with an emission control tube carrying exhaust back into the valve area. the tube had gotten so hot it melted a hole into the plastic allowing the radiator water to run into the valves. consumer took vehicle back to the dealer where purchased. the service manager knew of the problem but says there is no recall for it. consumer feels buick should be responsible for the repairs made to the vehicle. *jg

Consumer states there is a no start condition, and the vehicle stalls on several occasions and the check engine light would illuminate, the serpentine belt, coolant reservoir, and crank sensor all had to be replaced. *tt

Vehicle jerks on acceleration and has rough idle, and the fuel pressure regulator is leaking. fuel injector had to be replaced. *tt

Consumer states both rear wheel brake cylinders were leaking and had to be rebuilt and the front and rear brakes had to be replaced. *tt

Vehicle is experiencing many electrical problems, including the dashboard lights were inoperative, parking lights shorted out several times, alternator failed , wiring between the door and body frame shorted, and left rear window motor shorted. spark plugs, headlamp switch, battery were replaced. *tt

Consumer stated the fuel system was cleaned, however the problems that she was experiencing resumed after 2 weeks.*jb

Consumer stated the brake system was cleaned, however the problem had become more severe.*jb

Consumer stated she began having intermittent problems with vehicle going dead at stops in april 2001, the vehicle began to surge at stops and eventually had both symptoms during low speed driving, consumer went to the dealership on 4 occasions and was informed that nothing could be done until something showed up on the computer, however while driving home consumer stated that entire vehicle caught on fire, there was a loud noise, like a gunshot, smoke from the hood and the engine began dropping fire onto the street, the firewall was completely burned.*jb

Consumer stated the generator assembly was replaced.*jb

Consumer stated the exhaust system was misaligned.*jb

The rear window was inoperative.*jb

The mirror compass is inoperative. *jb

The engine light illuminated and the vehicle stalled while driving, the dealer recommended and performed a tune up, the problem has not been resolved. nlm

Right front tire blew out while driving in the rain, defective tire is possible what caused the right front wheel to vibrate while driving (general ameri-g4s - p205-70r15).

Vehicle experienced a complete electrical failure while driving. nlm

Transmission failed. nlm

The vehicle has experienced serious electrical failure while driving which could have resulted in accident. *mjs

Complete transmission failure. *mjs

No deployment of air bags during vehicle collision until consumer exited the vehicle to remove child from rear car seat, bodyshop has been unable to obtain a replacement passenger side airbag. nlm

The rear wheel on the drivers side locked up causing the car to veer suddently to the left on 2 occasions causing loss of control, on the second occasion the rear drivers side rim bent locking it against the wheel bracket, prior to the incident the garage replaced the brake cylinders of the rear wheel brake because of leakage. nlm

Transmission failure. *slc

The cruise control malfunctioned on three occasions, one incident caused the vehicle to go out of control resulting in serious accident. yh

The rack and pinion assembly failed making it hard to make a left turn. nlm

Engine quits after starting and also when cruise control is engaged because the vehicle's computer programing failed. yh

Vehicle experiences continued stalling, unable to determine cause. mjs

Design of vehicle when front windows are up and the back windows are down, vehicle experience vibration / shaking. *yc

Engine died twice without warning at 25 miles per hour, dealer replaced sensor on transaxle the problem still exist. *yc

Windshield wipers stopped working during inclement weather due to a short in the pulse board. nlm

Brake loss on several occasions causing loss of control and property damage on one incident due to leaking seal in the rear brake wheel cylinder, after repair vehicle accident occured due to brake loss. mjs

Steering wheel off center resulting in consumer breaking off driverside rear view mirror while backing out of garage due to misalignment problems. mjs

Vehicle stalls continually while driving, replacement of the egr valve, knock sensor and pcm have not rectified problems with stalling. mjs

Transmission replaced due to hesitation,stalling and surging, replacement transmission performs the same, several repairs attempts with no remedy. mjs

Transmission replaced due to hesitation,stalling and surging, replacement transmission performs the same, several repair attempts with no remedy. mjs

Alternator replaced due to noise. mjs

Alternator making noise.

Engine failed due to spark plugs burning and computer malfunction.

Ignition coil failure causing vehicle to stall and backfire.

Flexible hose line from gas pump, next to the rear right wheel, was resting against the sharp metal edge of the heat shield which mounted above and in front of the muffler, design defect, possible failure due to chaffing.

Continuous problem with engine hesitating to accelerate from a stopped position, almost resulted in an accident. (qcaw)

Trunk popped open while driving.

When heater is on strong odor is present, causing irritation. *ak

Engine failed causing stalling in traffic, not able to determine why incident occurred.

Design of the power seat allows for consumer to be too close to air bag, consumer can not move seat back far enough to be safe if air bag activated.

The speedometer numbers and graduations for mph do not match correctly. (misaligned).