1998 BUICK LESABRE Complaints

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.

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 AND BURNED SOME PARTS WHILE VEHICLE WAS WARMING UP.*JB

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 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.

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

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.

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