1998 BUICK LESABRE Complaints

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.

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.

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

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

THE SECURITY LIGHT LOCATED ON THE DASHBOARD ILLUMINATES. WHEN THIS OCCURS THERE IS A 3 MINUTES DELAY BEFORE VEHICLE STARTS.*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

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

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.

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

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