1998 Buick Lesabre

GENTLEMEN: I HAVE A 1998 BUICK LESABRE WITH 31,258 MILES ON IT. LAST WEEKEND, I TURNED THE KEY AND HEARD A LOUD BANG. THE STARTER MOTOR CASE HAD CRACKED. MY INDEPENDENT GARAGE PUT IN A NEW STARTER TO THE TUNE OF $526.00. WHEN THEY TRIED TO START THE CAR, THE SAME THING HAPPEN TO THE NEW STARTER. THE GARAGE THEN DISCOVERED THAT THE 3.8L V6 ENGINE WAS FROZEN DUE TO A LEAK IN THE INTAKE MANIFOLD WHICH ALLOWED COOLANT TO ENTER THE CYLINDERS. THEY SAID THE LEAK WAS CAUSED BY THE GM "5 YEAR" COOLANT ROTTING THE MANIFOLD AWAY. THEY ESTIMATED THE REPAIR AT $2,000.00, INCLUDING THE STARTER. I CALLED BUICK CUSTOMER SERVICE; THEY ARE VAGUE ABOUT ANY PROBLEM OR LIABILITY. THEY DID ASK THAT I TAKE THE CAR TO A BUICK DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. I TOOK IT TO FIELDS BUICK. THE DEALER CONFIRMED THE PROBLEM AND THE CAUSE. THEY WANT $2,300.00 TO FIX IT, EXCLUDING THE STARTER. GM REFUSES TO DO ANYTHING. I HAVE DISCOVERED A GM TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (01-06-01-007A) INDICATING THAT GM HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM SINCE AT LEAST JULY, 2001. THE PROBLEM AFFECTS SEVERAL MAKES AND MODELS. A CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE AT 31,000 MILES IS ABSURD.

STEERING RELATED PROBLEMS INVOLVING MAJOR PART REPLACEMENT. I ALREADY CONTACTED AN NHTSA REP ABOUT A DIFFERENT ISSUE, THE UBIQUITOUS UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD PROBLEM WHICH WE HAVE SPENT THOUSANDS ON. AND I DISCUSSED PROBLEMS WITH STALLING TOO. AFTER THAT, I SEARCHED THE INTERNET; I SEE THAT THE MANIFOLD PROBLEM IS MORE PREVALENT THAN I SUSPECTED. I ALSO STUMBLED ONTO DISCUSSIONS OF STALLING, STEERING, AND ENGINE FIRE PROBLEMS. WHEN I CALLED GM 2 YEARS AGO ABOUT THE UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD, THEY DENIED THE PROBLEM EXISTED EVEN THOUGH MY DEALER AND OTHER SHOPS TOLD ME EVERYBODY KNEW ABOUT IT. I CALLED GM AGAIN A FEW WEEKS AGO AFTER HAVING MORE GASKET PROBLEMS AND ALTHOUGH THEY FINALLY ADMITTED TO THE MANIFOLD AND GASKET PROBLEMS, THEY COULD NOT HELP ME WITH MY EXPENSES, THEY WERE UNABLE TO LOCATE MY PREVIOUS COMPLAINT, AND THE REP WAS OBSESSED WITH HAVING ME SAY THAT I WAS SATISFIED WITH MY CALL TO HIM. I TRIED TELLING HIM THAT I WAS UNSATISFIED WITH GM BUT SATISFIED WITH HIM AS A PERSON, BUT HE KEPT TALKING TO ME UNTIL I AGREED THAT I WAS MOSTLY SATISFIED WITH MY CALL. I WONDER IF MANUFACTURERS HAVE DIFFERENT OBLIGATIONS IN RECORDING AND REPORTING THEIR COMPLAINTS TO AUTHORITIES DEPENDING ON WHETHER CUSTOMERS ARE SATISFIED OR NOT. *CB

WE WERE THE SECOND OWNER FOR THIS VEHICLE. THE ORIGINAL OWNER PURCHASED THE VEHICLE AT A DIFFERENT DEALERSHIP. WHEN WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IT HAD AROUND 42,000 MILES. AFTER PURCHASE, WE EXPERIENCED AN EXTENDED CRANK BEFORE THE VEHICLE STARTED THAT WORSENED, SO ON NOVEMBER 25, 2003, MY HUSBAND AND I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS ORIGINALLY PURCHASED AND THEY DID THE FOLLOWING: THEY NOTED THAT THE FUEL PRESSURE REGULATOR AND THE UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD WAS LEAKING. THEY REPLACED THE FUEL PRESSURE REGULATOR AND INTAKE MANIFOLD. FURTHER THEY FLUSHED AND FILLED THE COOLING SYSTEM WITH NEW COOLANT, DID AN OIL AND FILTER CHANGE AND AN ENVIROLUTION ENGINE FLUSH; REMOVED CARBON BUILDUP DESLUDGE INTAKE MANIFOLD; DID A FUEL SYSTEM TREATMENT AND CLEANED THE THROTTLE PLATE PRESSURIZED INJECTOR CLEANED AND APPLIED A FUEL TANK ADDITIVE. TOTAL COST OF REPAIRS WAS $1434.08 (MINUS $45.00 FOR A BELT REPLACEMENT REQUESTED BY US). THIS WAS A COSTLY REPAIR FOR PROBLEMS IDENTICAL TO RECALL NO. 0354 FOR THE BUICK PARK AVENUE (NHTSA PURSUIT NUMBER EA02-030 AND NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN NUMBER 03V-473000). TODAY, JANUARY 5, 2004, I CALLED BUICK AT 1-800-521-7300 AND REGISTERED A COMPLAINT WITH TONY THOMPSON. HE SAID THERE IS NO RECALL FOR THE BUICK LESABRE AT THIS TIME, THEREFORE, NO COMPENSATION. CAN YOU PLEASE HELP ME. *AK *SC

THE VEHICLE STALLED WHILE DRIVING AT 30-MPH WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL GARAGE AND THEY FOUND THAT THE INTAKE MANIFOLD WAS CRACKED AND CAUSED COOLANT TO LEAK INSIDE THE ENGINE. *PH WHEN THE VEHICLE STOPPED, THE CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO RESTART IT, THE ENGINE WAS HYDROSTATIC LOCKED DUE TO THE COOLANT LEAKS. *SC *JB

LTR FM ANDREW HUNT (NJ) CONCERNED CLASSIFICATION OF ENGINE COOLANT LEAKAGE AS SAFETY PROBLEM & DEFECTIVE INTAKE MANIFOLD PROBLEMS SUGGEST NHTSA RECALL ALL GM MODEL YRS 1995-1998. *MR THERE WAS NO ADVANCE WARNING WHEN THE ENGINE WOULD STOP IF THE COOLANT LEAKS. THE CONSUMER WAS REIMBURSED THE COST OF THE REPAIR KIT, BUT NOT THE BALANCE OF THE REPAIRS. THE STARTER FAILED WHEN AAA ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE, BUT THE VEHICLE WAS FULL OF COOLANT IN THE ENGINE. *SCC *JB