1998 BUICK REGAL Complaints

ABS MOTOR BURNED OUT, CAUSING ABS BRAKE LIGHT ON DASHBOARD TO COME ON. *AK MECHANIC REMOVED MASTER CYLINDER, BLED HYDRAULIC BRAKES AND REPLACED ABS. *SLC BUICK WOULD NOT PAY FOR REPAIRS. *SLC

BRAKE PROBLEMS, PULSATION IN BRAKE PEDAL. REPLACED FRONT ROTORS-BLUE FROM OVERHEATING AT 707 MILES. BRAKES VIBRATE, TURNED ROTORS & REPLACED GLAZED FRONT BRAKE PADS AT 1154 MI. BRAKES PULSATE, REPLACE BOOSTER BRAKE ASSY. AT 1641 MI. BRAKES PULSATE, REPLACE MASTER CYLINDER AT 4926 MILES. BRAKES PULSATE, REPLACED BOTH FRONT ROTORS AT 13,462 MI. BRAKES PULSATE, REPLACED FRONT AND REAR ROTORS (PAPER THIN AND BLUE) AT 14,431 MI.

WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 72 MPH THERE WAS A VIBRATION FELT IN RIGHT FRONT TIRES, GOODYEAR EAGELS P22560R16, RIGHT FRONT TIRE HAD BELT EDGE SEPARATION AND A BIG KNOTT ON THE INSIDE WALL, LEFT FRONT TIRE SHOWING SAME SIGNS. CJ

WINDSHIELD WIPERS MOVE UP AND DOWN APROXIMATELY 4" WHILE IN THE "OFF" POSITION. ADDITIONALLY THE WIPERS WILL STOP, BLOCKING DRIVER VIEW OR NOT WORK AT ALL WHILE IN THE "ON" OR "INT" POSITIONS. *AK

FRONT BRAKE ROTORS WARPED SOON AFTER DELIVERY,DEALER WOULD ONLY TURN THEM AT MY COST,AFTER 40,000 DIFFERENT DEALER ADVISED ROTORS SO BADLY SCRAPED BY PREVIOUS BUICK DEALER NEW ROTORS WERE REQUIRED AT $550...I FEEL LIKE THESE WERE DEFECTIVE FROM THE START AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN REPLACED. *AK

WHEN APPLYING BRAKES, BRAKE CALIPER FELL OFF, JAMMING FRONT WHEEL CAUSING IT TO FREEZE, RESULTING IN LOSS OF CONTROL. *AK THE VEHICLE WOULD DRIVE IN REVERSE BUT THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL STAYED LOCKED. THE CAUSE WAS FOUND TO BE TWO BOLTS THAT HOLD THE CALIPER SHEARED OFF. THE CALIPER, AFTER COMING OFF, JAMMED THE FRONT WHEEL MOVEMENT TO HALT. THE VEHICLE SHAKED WHEN BACKING AND TURNING DUE TO POWER STEERING GEAR FAILURE. THE BRAKES PULSATE WHEN APPLIED DUE TO EXCESS RUNOUT OF BRAKE ROTORS. *YH

SEVERE FRONT BRAKE PROBLEM WITH SHAKE AND POSSIBLE ROTOR DAMAGE REPORTED TO AND REPAIRED BY CAVENDER BUICK, UNDER WARRANTY, ON JUNE 1999. (NOTE: YOUR NHTSA SITE HAS SEVERAL COMPLAINT ENTRIES REGARDING SAME). ON 12/25/00, ON RETURN TRIP TRAVELING I37 NORTH TO SAN ANTONIO FROM CORPUS CHRISTI, I APPLIED BRAKES TO MAKE MY EXIT ON SAN ANTONIO LOOP 410. IMMEDIATELY AFTER RELEASING THE BRAKE WE HEARD A LOUD ROTATING CLUNK FROM THE FRONT END. I PULLED OVER TO THE SHOULDER. I WAS ON THE SHOULDER WHEN THE CAR MOVEMENT FROZE AND CAME TO A JOLTING HALT. THIS WAS AT 1630 HRS. TOW TRUCK ARRIVED AT 2200 AND MOVED CAR TO NEAREST GM DEALERSHIP WHICH WAS CAVENDER OLDSMOBILE. ALTHOUGH CAVENDER DEALERSHIPS ARE FAMILY RELATED THEY ARE 2 TOTALLY SEPARATE DEALERSHIPS AT DIFFERENT LOCATIONS. THEY SERVICED MY CAR THE FOLLOWING DAY AND DETERMINED THAT THE RIGHT FRONT BRAKE CALIPER HAD SHEARED OFF AND JAMMED SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THE ROTATING WHEEL AND THE FIXED AXLE PREVENTING FOWARD MOVEMENT ON THE CAR. INTERSTATE 37 WAS WET AND SLICK ON DEC 25TH AND I AM VERY VERY HAPPY THAT THE CALIPERS DID NOT COME OFF WHILE I WAS TRAVELING THE SPEED LIMIT ON THAT FREEWAY. OTHERWISE I COULD HAVE CHECKED OFF "YES" ON YOUR FATALITY BOX ON THIS FORM. IT IS UPSETTING TO KNOW THAT YOU HAVE AT THIS SITE INFORMATION REGARDING PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKE SYSTEM ON THIS VEHICLE YET THEY ARE UNDER "COMPLAINTS" WHILE YOU HAVE WINDSHIELD WIPERS UNDER "INVESTIGATIONS". I WOULD THEN SUGGEST, WITH STRONG URGENCY, THAT AN IMMEDIATE INVESTIGATION BE INITIATED REGARDING THE SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKE SYSTEM, DESIGN, OR MATERIELS USED. THE SHAKING MAYBE CAUSING STRESS ON THE BOLTS THAT HOLD THE CALIPERS.*AK

BOTH REAR SHOULDER BELTS GET TWISTED WHEN RETRACTING-WHICH CAUSE RETRACTOR TO BIND-HANG UP INTERNALLY/JUST LIKE ON 98-99 OLDS INTRIGUE. SAME BASIC DESIGN AS ON REGAL AND GRAND PRIX AND OTHER BUICK MODELS-HAVE SAME CONDITION/OLDS CAME OUT WITH RECALL TO INSTALL GUIDE-TO KEEP BELT FROM GETTING TWISTED. BUICK CUSTOMER ASSIT STATED NO FUTURE RECALL IN THE WORKS FOR BUICK. WHY NOT????*AK

THERE IS EXCESSIVE GLARE IN THE WINDSHIELD OF THIS VEHICLE; EXCESSIVE TO A POINT OF TOTAL BLINDNESS WHEN I ENTER MY GARAGE. THE PROBLEM IS A RESULT OF THE STEEP ANGLE OF GLASS, A VERY LIGHT COLORED GRAY DASH AND THE SIZE OF THE DASH. THIS COMBINATION CAUSES THE WINDSHIELD TO TAKE ON THE APPEARANCE OF BEING FOGGY AT ALL TIMES. AT NIGHT, WHEN DRIVING UNDER OVERHEAD LIGHTS THE CONDITION IS EVEN WORSE ; AS IS THE CASE WHEN DRIVING THE CAR INTO MY GARAGE WHICH IS ALSO LIGHT GRAY. IN THIS CIRCUMSTANCE I AM ALMOST TOTALLY BLINDED BY THE IMAGES TRANSPOSED INTO THE WINDSHIELD. I HAVE CONTACTED BUICK AT LEAST 6-8 TIMES ASKING FOR HELP TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM BUT THE MOST THEY WOULD OFFER IS A SUGGESTION TO GET MYSELF SOME POLARIZED SUN GLASSES OR PURCHASE A DASH MAT (WITH A WARNING THAT THE DASH MAT MAY NOT HELP EITHER). MY CONTENTION IS THAT BUICK BUILT THE CAR, THEY CLAIM THAT IT WAS TESTED FOR SAFETY STANDARDS AND IT'S NOT SAFE AS FAR AS MY VISION IS CONCERNED. THEY SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE TO CORRECT DEFECTS IN THE PRODUCTS THEY SELL. THERE ARE SOLUTIONS TO THIS PROBLEM, THEY ARE AWARE OF IT BUT THEY WOULD RATHER NOT ADDRESS IT UNTILL SOMEONE GETS HURT.T. *AK

FALSE DEPLOYMENT OF BOTH AIR BAGS WHEN CONSUMER HIT A CURB AT A LOW RATE OF SPEED CAUSING DAMAGE TO SUN ROOF, FRONT WINDSHIELD AND DASHBOARD, THE GASSES EXPELLED FROM THE AIR BAG IRRITATED DRIVERS BRONCHIAL TUBES CAUSING PROBLEMS WITH BREATHING AND CONSTANT BOUTS OF COUGHING, CONSUMER BELIEVES THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW. NLM