BUICK Complaints

MY 2004 BUICK LESABRE STARTED HAVING SPEEDOMETER TROUBLE IN JAN. 2011. IT STARTED SHOWING THE CAR GOING SLOWER THEN IT ACTUALLY IS. IT DOESN'T DO IT RIGHT AWAY BUT AFTER AWHILE ON A LONG DRIVE. IT GETS WORSE THE LONGER YOU DRIVE IT. IT CAN SHOW IT GOING UP TO 30 MPH SLOWER THEN IT IS. ALSO THE GAS GAUGE STARTED FLUCTUATING AND BEING ERRATIC AND NOW ALSO THE ENGINE TEMPERATURE GAUGE ALSO SHOWS RUNNING HOT WHEN IT IS NOT. THE CAR PRESENTLY HAS LESS THEN 25,000 MILES SINCE NEW. HOW SAFE CAN THIS BE WHEN YOU CAN'T TRUST THE SPEEDOMETER. GOING TOO FAST OR TOO SLOW? ALWAYS UNSURE, ALWAYS LOOKING AT THE GAUGES? SECOND GUESSING YOUR DRIVING DECISIONS! THE GAS GAUGE AND TEMPERATURE GAUGE GIVE A DIFFERENT READING EACH TIME YOU DRIVE IT. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE AS OF YET. I WILL BE STOPPING AT THE RACINE, WI. BUICK DEALER WHERE IT WAS PURCHASED NEW TO SEE IF THEY WILL WARRANTY THE PROBLEM THIS COMING WEEK 6/22/2011. *TR

2010 BUICK LUCERNE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO THE REFLECTION OF THE DASHBOARD IN THE WINDSHIELD *TGW

2007 BUICK LUCERNE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO A DEFECTIVE WHEEL *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED THE VALVE WAS LEAKING. *JB

RADIATOR WAS DRAINED, FLUSHED AND REFILLED WITH RECOMMENDED DEXCOOL COOLANT. THEN STARTED TO LEAK ABOUT A PINT A DAY. DEALER SAID THAT FOR $700.00 THEY CAN REPLACE THE PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKETS (ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT) WITH STEEL ONES. ON A LIMITED INCOME, I CANNOT HAVE THAT DONE YET. I DAILY ADD A PINT OF COOLANT TO PREVENT ENGINE OVERHEATING. I HAVE TO CLEAN MY GARAGE FLOOR EVERY MORNING FROM THE LEAKING. **TT

NEW BUICK LUCERNE DOES NOT HAVE ROOM FOR A SIZE 12 SHOE TO PROPERLY OPERATE THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE DEALER SAYS THAT THE PANEL UNDER THE DASHBOARD IS IN THE CORRECT POSITION. THE PROBLEM WAS NOT CORRECTED. AT TIMES, THE SITUATION PREVENTS PROPER APPLICATION OF THE BRAKES. *TT

NEW BUICK LUCERNE DRIVER SIDE MIRROR DOES NOT COVER BLIND SPOTS. DEALER SAYS IT WORKS AS DESIGNED, AND "TO BE HONEST, YOU ARE NOT THE FIRST TO COMPLAIN ABOUT IT". IT WAS NOT CORRECTED. *TT

THE GAS GAUGE BEGAN READING EMPTY WHEN IT WAS ACTUALLY FULL. THIS STARTED ON 03/03/2011 WITH THE ODOMETER READING ABOUT 70K. IT NOW HAS ABOUT 76K ON THE ODOMETER. WHEN THE TANK IS INITIALLY FILLED THE GAUGE WILL READ FULL, THEN GO DOWN GRADUALLY WHILE DRIVING UNTIL THE GAUGE READ EMPTY. WHEN THE TANK WAS FULL THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT WOULD ALSO LIGHT UNTIL THE TANK WOULD BE AT APPROXIMATELY 3/4. AT 3/4 FULL THE GAUGE WOULD THEN READ CORRECTLY AND THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT WOULD GO OFF. *TT

NOISES COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD; RATTLE, JINGLE, CLUNK; CONSTANT. SOUNDS LIKE METAL IN A WASHING MACHINE, BUT FINE DRIVEABILITY AND COMFORTABLE SOUNDING HIGHWAY DRIVING. DRIVING IN PARKING GARAGE IS NOISY WHEN ACCELERATING, AND QUIET WHEN COASTING. NOISE IS QUIETER WHEN AC IS OFF. NOISE IS LOUDER WHEN ACCELERATING, OR AT IDLE. AFTER 30 MINUTE DRIVE, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. AUTO STORE GAVE CODES THAT SHOWED REPLACEMENT OF ENGINE COOLING FAN CLUTCH OR EV FAN MOTOR. LESS THAN 70K MILES.

THE SPEEDOMETER STOPPED WORKING PROPERLY AND READS SERIOUSLY ERRONEOUS SPEEDS, BOTH HIGHER AND LOWER THAN TRUE SPEEDS, WHICH I CHECKED WITH A GPS UNIT. APPARENTLY THIS IS DUE TO DEFECTIVE STEPPER MOTORS IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FROM WHAT I READ ON THE INTERNET. GM NEEDS TO RECALL AND FIX THESE. THE DEFECT CAN CAUSE DRIVERS TO TRAVEL AT UNSAFE SPEEDS, AS THEY ARE MISLED BY THE SPEEDOMETER READING. *TR

DRIVING TOWARDS A STOPLIGHT AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR ON A 1996 BUICK CENTURY. PUMPING GAVE ONLY PARTIAL REAR BRAKING. DROVE TO FRIEND'S HOUSE (DURING WHICH THE BRAKES WORKED NORMALLY THE WHOLE WAY). WE PULLED THE DRIVER SIDE TIRE AND DISCOVERED THAT THE FIBROUS FINELY WOVEN TUBE COVER (FIBERGLASS?) TO THE EXTREMELY THIN AND FRAGILE WIRES TO ABS SENSOR LOOKED BURNT. CUTTING IT OFF WE DISCOVERED THE WIRES INSIDE HAD SHORTED OUT. WHEN WE CLEARED THE SHORT AND INDIVIDUALLY WRAP INSULATED THE WIRES, THE ABS WARNING LIGHT THEN CAME ON. A GRAVEL SKID TEST REVEALED NO ABS AT ALL. WE FOUND THAT DEAD SHORTING THE WIRE TO THE SENSOR WITH A JUMPER WIRE WILL CAUSE THE ABS WARNING LIGHT TO GO OUT, BUT OBVIOUSLY DISABLES THE ABS. WE REPLACED THE SENSOR (WHICH REQUIRES THAT THE WHOLE BEARING/STUD ASSEMBLY TO BE REPLACED), AND THEN THE ABS LIGHT WENT OUT. A GRAVEL SKID TEST REVEALED THE ABS WORKING FINE AND HE SAYS THE NORMAL BRAKING IS NOW BETTER TOO. SOME RESEARCH REVEALS THAT THE ABS DETECTS NO TIRE TURNING DURING A SKID VIA THE SENSOR, AND RELEASES HYDRAULIC PRESSURE TO THE BRAKES UNTIL THE TIRE IS DETECTED BY THE ABS AS TURNING. WE THINK THAT WHEN A SHORT TO THE SENSOR OCCURS, THE SENSOR CAN'T DETECT THE TIRE TURNING AGAIN AND THUS THE ABS UNIT NEVER STOPS BLEEDING FLUID PASS THE BRAKE (AND THE INITIAL SHORT MAY EVEN SET OFF THE ABS WITHOUT AN ACTUAL SKID OCCURRING - THAT IS WITHOUT THE SENSOR EVER SENSING A TIRE NOT TURNING). ANYONE HAVING RANDOM NEAR-TOTAL OR TOTAL LOSS OF BRAKES ON THIS TYPE OF VEHICLE MIGHT DO WELL TO EXAMINE THE WIRES AND TERMINALS LEADING TO THE ABS SENSORS - AND REPLACE SUSPICIOUS UNITS (WE PAID ABOUT $90 FOR A UNIT FROM A COMMON AUTO PARTS CHAIN). A GRAVEL SKID TEST MIGHT ALSO REVEAL AN ABS SYSTEM NOT WORKING EVEN THOUGH THERE IS NO ABS WARNING LIGHT LIT. REPLACING THE BEARING/STUD/ABS SENSOR ASSEMBLY IS MODERATELY HARD. *TR