1999 BUICK PARK AVENUE Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 BUICK PARK AVENUE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 04V090000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY). SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE ENGINE EXPLODED, CAUSING MASSIVE DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND STATED THAT SINCE THE RECALL REPAIR HAD BEEN COMPLETED AND THEY USED AFTER MARKET PARTS, THEY WERE NOT LIABLE FOR THE DAMAGES OR THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 85,000.

I OWN A 1999 BUICK PK AVE. ON FEB 27, 2011 I HAD TO MOVE VEHICLE TO PLOW SNOW. LOW BATTERY, ATTACH BOOSTER PACK AND TRIED TO START AGAIN. THERE WAS A LOUD BACKFIRE. APPARENTLY THE PLENUM HAD BURST KNOCKING OFF FUEL LINE AND I FOUND MY VEHICLE TO BE ON FIRE. AFTER PUTTING OUT FIRE I CONTACTED MY INS CO, WHO ADVISED ME THAT THIS DAMAGE WAS AN EXACT DESCRIPTION OF A GM RECALL-TSB#03054B- AND I SHOULD CONTACT THEM. GM ADVISED ME THAT THE RECALL WAS DONE PREVIOUSLY. I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT THIS PROBLEM WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED IF THE SUPPOSED REPAIR WAS ACTUALLY DONE AND THE REPLACEMENT PARTS WERE NOT ALSO FAULTY. I FEEL GM SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE. I HAVE SAVED ALL PARTS AND AM REQUESTING AN INVESTIGATION INTO THIS MATTER. ANOTHER VEHICLE IN MY SAME AREA ALSO HAS THE SAME CONDITION AND FIRE - HIS CAR WAS BURNT UP. SOMETHING IS DEFINITELY WRONG AND I AM HOPING THERE WILL BE ANOTHER INVESTIGATION. EITHER IN THE REPAIR PARTS IF USED OR THE DEALERSHIPS REPAIR HABITS CONFIRMING THAT NO FRAUD WAS COMMITTED BY SAID DEALERSHIP. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 BUICK PARK AVENUE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY WHEN IT BACKFIRED AND A FIRE STARTED FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THE FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED BY THROWING SNOW ON THE MOTOR. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A FIRE REPORT WA FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL BODY SHOP WHO ADVISED THAT THE DELPHI PRESSURE REGULATOR HAD LEAKED GAS ONTO THE MOTOR AND AS THE KEY WAS TURNED, IT STARTED A SPARK. THE VEHICLE THEN BACKFIRED CAUSING THE FIRE TO ERUPT UNDER THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 04V090000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE: DELIVERY) BUT COULD NOT CONFIRM IF THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND ADVISED THE WOULD BE IN CONTACT WITH HIM WITHIN SEVEN TO TEN DAYS. THE CONTACTS INSURANCE COMPANY WAS HANDLING THE BODY DAMAGES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000. UPDATED 04/15/11*LJ UPDATED 1/13/2012 *LN

STEERING CONSISTENTLY VIBRATES AT LOW SPEED AND PARKING SPEEDS CONCERN FOR LOSS OF STEERING AT HIGHER SPEEDS TSB 990232007 NHTSA 608376 REPAIRED BY TSB DIRECTION ON 11-16-2010 BECAUSE OF GREATER EXPENSE OF HOSES AND LABOR FOR REPAIR, IT SHOULD BE A RECALL ITEM. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 BUICK PARK AVENUE. WHEN THE CONTACT STARTED THE IGNITION, HE SMELLED A STRONG BURNING ODOR INSIDE THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. IN ADDITION, OIL WAS LEAKING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT ONTO THE GROUND. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WHENEVER THE VEHICLE WAS IN OPERATION. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 41,281.

MY WIFE CAME HOME AND STATED THIS CAR WAS DRIVING WOBBLY AND MAKING A NOISE.I INSPECTED VEHICEL AND FOUND THE FOLLOWING. VEHICLE STEERING RACK SEPERATED FROM CRADLE..FIRST NOTICED LOUD NOISE WHEN STEERING ROTATED LOCK TO LOCK..VISUAL INSPECTION COULD SEE TIE ROD CONTACTING RIGHT SIDE UNIBODY RAIL...CLOSER INSPECTION FOUND CASTING OR RACK HOUSING CRACKED AND SEPERATED FROM IT'S MOUNTING POINT ON RIGHT SIDE..THIS ALLOWED STEERING RACK TO LIFT UP AND BIND AGAINST RIGHT RAIL OR VEHICLE INNER STRUCTURE...LOSS OF STEERING AND CONTROL WHEN ATTEMPTING TO STEER VEHICLE.

1999 BUICK PARK AVE V6=3800 3 8L SHOT FIRE APX. 6 FEET PER FIREMEN ON DUTY THAT WITNESSED THIS. THE MOTOR SHOOK. UPPER INTAKE, INTAKE SET, VALVE COVER SET, PCV, OIL PRESSURE SWITCH, BOTH CONVERTERS AND STILL NOT FIXED. *TR

MY 1999 PARK AVENUE SUDDENLY STARTED TO RUN RUFF, CAUSING ME TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A GM DEALER WHO REPLACED THE SPARK PLUGS AND WIRES, AS WELL AS TWO IGNITION COILS. HE STATED THAT THE PLUGS HAD INDICATION OF BURNS THAT ARE ATTRIBUTED TO ANTI FREEZE COMING IN CONTACT WITH THE PLUGS. DURING THE REPAIR HE ALSO INDICATED THAT HE NOTICED ANTI FREEZE ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE ENGINE IN THE AREA OF THE PLENUM. THE REPAIRMAN STATED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 3800 MOTOR, THAT THE PLENUM LEAKS CAUSING ASSOCIATED PROBLEMS DUE TO THE ANTI FREEZE COMING IN CONTACT WITH ENGINE COMPONENTS. HE ALSO STATED THAT THIS PROBLEM CAN LEAD TO ENGINE FAILURE IF NOT CORRECTED BY REPLACEMENT OF THE PLENUM AND THE INTAKE GASKET. *TR

PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD FAILURE OCCURRED ON 1999 BUICK PARK AVENUE WITH APPROXIMATELY 45,000 MILES. COOLANT LEAKED INTO THE ENGINE AND RESULTED IN A MISFIRE CODE IN MULTIPLE CYLINDERS. SYMPTOMS EXPERIENCED BY THE DRIVER WERE A ROUGH IDLE AT START FOR 30 SECONDS, AND THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT WOULD COME ON, SOMETIMES STAYING ON AND SOMETIMES EXTINGUISHING AFTER 15 SECONDS. THE CAR WAS IMMEDIATELY DRIVEN FOR SERVICE. THE DEALER INITIALLY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A COMBINATION OF DIRTY FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM (CLEANED REGULARLY, BUT STILL NEEDED TO BE CLEANED AGAIN TO CONVINCE DEALER TO RULE OUT THIS PROBLEM). WHEN PROBLEM PERSISTED IN CYLINDER #6, THE PROBLEM WAS THEN DIAGNOSED AS A FAULTY FUEL INJECTOR WHICH WAS REPLACED. WHEN THE PROBLEM PERSISTED, IT WAS NOTICED THAT COOLANT HAD GOTTEN INTO CYLINDER #6 IN SMALL AMOUNTS AND CAUSE A MISFIRE. DEALER THEN DIAGNOSED PROBLEM AS THE PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD. WEB SEARCHING REVEALS THAT THIS IS A CHRONIC PROBLEM AS THE DESIGN WAS CHANGED FROM METAL TO PLASTIC. HOWEVER, THERE ARE NO CURRENT RECALLS ON THIS ISSUE. COST TO REPAIR IS APPROXIMATELY $1,700. *TR

ELECTRIC DOOR LOCKS ON FRONT AND REAR PASSENGER SIDE DO NOT FUNCTION AND DOORS CANNOT BE OPENED WITH EITHER REMOTE, KEY OR FROM INSIDE OR OUTSIDE. *TR