1998 BUICK LESABRE Complaints

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

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

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

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

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

VEHICLE'S "PLENIUM" INTAKE VALVE (PART NO. 506CGM4) CRACKED CAUSING COOLANT TO LEAK INTO ENGINE RESULTING IN ENGINE FAILURE.

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 PLENUMS 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

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 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