BUICK Complaints

WE HAVE '05 BUICK TERAZZA VAN - TIRE WEAR HAS BEEN UNSATISFACTORY - CUPPING NOTICED AT 18,000 MILES AND ONGOING. DEALER RECOMMENDED ROTATING TIRES - DONE TO NO AVAIL. CUPPING CONTINUED AND BECAME WORSE. ACTUALLY CUTTING TIRE. DEALER REPORTED THAT IT WAS THE MANF. PROBLEM WITH VAN HAVING UNEVEN WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION ON FRONT END. I HAVE LOCATED 5 OTHER PEOPLE IN AREA WITH SAME PROBLEM. HAVE BEEN A GM CUSTOMER FOR 60+ YRS. NEVER HAD TO REPLACE TIRES AT 25,000 MILES. OTHERS ARE HAVING TO DO THE SAME. TIRE DEALER REPORTS FREQUENT REPLACEMENT ISSUE IS APPEARING WITH THIS MODEL VAN. IS THIS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT? TIRES WERE ROTATED APPROX. EVERY 10,000 MILES INITIALLY THEN AT 5000 AND THEN AT 1000 MI. THIS MUST BE DEFECT IF OTHERS ARE HAVING SAME PROBLEMS. WE HAVE A BUICK RENDEZVOUS - 04 - TIRES ARE ROTATED IN SAME FASHION - HAS 45,000+ MILES AND TIRES ARE SHOWING NOT WEAR. PLEASE INVESTIGATE. THANK YOU. *TR

ON A SUNNY DAY IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO READ THE INSTRUMENT PANEL UNDER THE COWL. MOST IMPORTANT : ONE CANNOT READ THE SPEEDOMETER SO THAT YOU CAN ONLY JUDGE YOUR SPEED BY WHETHER YOU ARE PASSING EVERYONE OR THEY ARE PASSING YOU. NOR ARE ANY OF THE OTHER INSTRUMENTS READABLE. AT NIGHT THERE IS NO PROBLEM AS THE INSTRUMENT LIGHTS ARE FINE, BUT THE INSTRUMENT LIGHTS DO NOTHING TO HELP THE DAY PROBLEM. THESE ARE ALL ACCIDENTS WAITING TO HAPPEN. I SPOKE WITH BUICK IN DETROIT AND ALSO MY LOCAL BUICK DEALER. DETROIT SAID THEY WERE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT HAD NO SUGGESTION. MY DEALER ALSO HAD NO SUGGESTION. THIS IS CLEARLY A DESIGN FLAW THAT NEEDS CORRECTION. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 BUICK PARK AVENUE. WHENEVER THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL ENGAGE WHEN THEY ARE NOT NEEDED. AS A RESULT, THE BRAKING DISTANCE INCREASES. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 97V064000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK). THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 70,004 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 67,000. UPDATE 10/01/08 *CW THE ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL ENGAGED FOR NO REASON. THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. UPDATED 10/03/08.*JB

I DROVE MY CAR EARLIER TODAY (DURING THE DAY TIME) AND EVERYTHING WAS OKAY... AS SOON AS IT WAS DARK MY HEADLIGHTS, LIGHTS IN THE DASH WILL NOT COME ON. THE MILEAGE IS INCORRECT. *TR

MY VEHICLE IS A 1997 BUICK PARK AVE WITH 140,000 MILES. I'M THE SECOND OWNER. MY IN-LAWS WERE THE ORIGINAL OWNERS. I GOT THE VEHICLE FROM THEM IN 1999 WITH APPROXIMATELY 9000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. THEREFORE, I KNOW THE COMPLETE CAR CARE HISTORY OF THIS VEHICLE. YESTERDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2008 MY GRANDDAUGHTER WAS DRIVING THIS CAR AND SHE LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE DUE TO LOST OF STEERING CAPABILITIES. NO ONE WAS INJURED NOR BODY DAMAGE DUE TO HER LOW SPEED WHEN THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED. THE TOW TRUCK OPERATOR INDICATED THAT THE ENGINE CRADLE SPLIT INTO PIECES DUE TO RUST AND THIS CAUSED THE STEERING TO FAIL SINCE THE STEERING RACK IS MOUNTED TO THIS ENGINE CRADLE. THE RUST THROUGH OF THIS THE ENGINE CRADLE (OR ENGINE FRAME) WAS CONFIRMED BY THE REPAIR SHOP TODAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2008. THE REPAIR SHOP INDICATED THAT THE 1997 BUICK PARK AVE'S HAD A STEEL ENGINE CRADLE AND THAT THE MOISTURE AND SALT GETS CAUGHT WITHIN THIS BOX FRAME DUE TO IT'S POSITION DIRECTLY BEHIND THE WHEEL WELLS. THE REPAIR SHOP INDICATED THAT 1998 PARK AVE'S( AND AFTER) HAVE ALUMINUM ENGINE CRADLES BUT THAT THE 1998 PART WILL NOT FIT THE 1997 BUICK PARK AVE. THE ONLY REPAIR IS TO FIND ANOTHER USED ENGINE CRADLE FROM A 1997 BUICK PARK AVE WHICH COSTS APPROXIMATELY $400 TO $500 JUST FOR THE USED PART. THE OTHER ALTERNATIVE IS TO BUY A NEW ENGINE CRADLE FROM A GM DEALERSHIP FOR APPROXIMATELY $1200 TO $1400. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THIS ENGINE CRADLE IS A VERY CRITICAL PART OF THE FRAME OF THE CAR AND SHOULD NOT RUST THROUGH WITHIN 10 YEARS. ALL OF THE STEERING CONTROLS ARE MOUNTED TO THIS PART AND WHEN THIS ENGINE CRADLE FAILS ALL STEERING CAPABILITIES ARE LOST. PLEASE REVIEW THIS WEB SITE FOR THE SAME PART FAILURE BY OTHER 1997 BUICK PARK AVE OWNERS (HTTP://WWW.ALLWORLDAUTO.COM/COMMENTS/1997_BUICK_PARK_AVENUE_COMMENTS_AND_COMPLAINTS_C42-256-1997-312-1.HTML. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 BUICK SKYLARK. ALL OF THE GAUGES ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WERE FLUCTUATING UP AND DOWN. NEITHER THE SPEEDOMETER NOR THE FUEL GAUGE DISPLAYED ACCURATE READINGS. THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS ON THE VEHICLE AND THAT THE REPAIR WOULD BE THE CONTACT'S RESPONSIBILITY. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 02V070000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH). THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 86,000.

A TOTAL OF THREE POWER WINDOWS HAVE FAILED ON THIS VEHICLE, ALL BY LOWERING THE WINDOW, THEN FAILING TO CLOSE. REPAIR BILL ON FIRST TWO WAS REFUNDED BY GMC, EVIDENTLY BECAUSE THE MILEAGE WAS LESS THAN 60,000. THIRD WINDOW FAILED ON 8/13/08, MILEAGE 76,000. GMC DECLINED REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE ON THIS EXPENSE, $596.69, BECAUSE OF "AGE OF VEHICLE AND MILEAGE". FROM RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET, I UNDERSTAND THE CAUSE OF THESE FAILURES, MINE AND OTHERS, IS A PLASTIC PULLEY WHICH BREAKS. THE COMPLETE WINDOW REGULATOR PKG. IS THEN REPLACED BY THE DEALER, SINCE THEY DON'T OR CAN'T REPLACE JUST ONE PIECE OF THE MECHANISM. I CAN UNDERSTAND HOW THIS DEFECT COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT, DUE TO THE SHOCK FACTOR, BY A WINDOW DROPPING OPEN SUDDENLY BY ITSELF AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. *TR

3.8 LITER SUPERCHARGED ENGINE COOLANT LEAK - LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET IS LEAKING COOLANT. I HAVE READ ABOUT THE RECALL OR CLASS ACTION SUIT ABOUT THE COOLANT LEAKS ON 3.8 LITER ENGINES THAT ARE NOT SUPERCHARGED. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHY THEY NEVER INCLUDED SUPERCHARED ENGINES. I HAVE A 1997 BUICK REGAL AND A 2001 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX THAT WERE BOTH AT A GM DEALERSHIP AND THEY HAVE THIS PROBLEM AND IT NEEDS TO BE FIXED. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 BUICK CENTURY. WHEN THE CONTACT APPLIED PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM ENGAGED. THE TRACTION AND ENGINE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT CONTROL PANEL AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE BRAKE SYSTEM; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE STILL PERSISTS. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 130,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 BUICK LESABRE. WHILE DRIVING LESS THAN 2 MPH, THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW WOULD NOT OPERATE. AFTERWARDS, THE WINDOW WENT DOWN AND WOULD NOT ROLL BACK UP. THE WINDOW WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 53,000. UPDATED 10/30/08. *LJ UPDATED 10/30/08. *JB