1998 Buick Lesabre

I CAME HOME AFTER BIBLE STUDY ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND GOT UP THURSDAY THEN THE SECURITY LIGHT WENT BLINKING. MY HUSBAND HAD THE KEY IGNITION REPLACE THEN BROUGHT NEW KEY BUT CAR STILL WOULDN'T START SO HAD THE CAR TOWED AND REPAIRED. 10 MONTHS AND THREE WEEKS THE CAR DID THE SAME BUT I WAS DRIVING THIS TIME AND IT SHUT DOWN IN THE ROAD WITH ME AND MY CHILDREN. IT WAS FRIGHTEN BUT WE MADE IT SAFELY OUT OF THE ROAD BEFORE ANYTHING HAPPEN. I DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED AGAIN . I AM UPSET ABOUT THE PROBLEM. A CAR HAS NO BUSINESS SHUTTING OFF IN THE ROAD WHILE A PERSON IS DRIVING IT ACCIDENT OR NO ACCIDENT BECAUSE IT IN DANGER PEOPLES LIFE. A SERIOUS PROBLEM FOR MANY PEOPLE WHOM HAVE THESE CARS MADE BY GM. *TR

1998 BUICK LESABRE CRASHED AT LOW SPEED CAUSING PROPERTY DAMAGE, ENGINE CUT OUT WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEED. CAR WAS DECLARED A TOTAL LOSS, LEAVING ME WITH BILLS OF OVER $10,000 FOR LOST CAR, REPAIRS, INSURANCE. PROBLEM HAD ARISEN ON AND OFF SINCE ACQUIRING CAR AT 65,000 MILES..TWICE TAKEN IN TO GM DEALERSHIP FOR THIS PROBLEM. COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. PROBLEM WOULD DISAPPEAR FOR MONTHS AND THEN REAPPEAR. NUMEROUS MECHANICS CHECKED AND COULD NOT FIND SOURCE OF PROBLEM. AFTER CAR WAS DECLARED A TOTAL, NEWS STORY RAN ABOUT TOYOTA CARS STALLING OUT DUE TO DEFECTIVE ENGINE CONTROL MODULES (NHTSA REPORT #PE09054). THE DEFECTIVE PART WAS MADE BY DELPHI..WHICH WAS OWNED BY GENERAL MOTORS..MAKERS OF THE BUICK LESABRE. I CONTACTED GM HEADQUARTERS TO ASK IF THE CONTROL MODULE IN MY PART WAS MADE BY GM/DELPHI. THEY REFUSED TO ANSWER ME, SAYING THAT AS NO RECALL HAD BEEN ISSUED AND MY CAR WAS GONE,THEY COULD DO NOTHING FOR ME. MEANWHILE, IT TURNS OUT THAT GM DID OWN DELPHI IN 1998, DID MANUFACTURE THOSE MODULES, WHICH HAD TO HAVE BEEN IN THE BUICK LESABRES,AND WERE YEARS LATER CAUSING IDENTICAL ENGINE FAILURES IN TOYOTAS. THOSE PARTS ARE OUT THERE TODAY, WAITING FOR SOMETHING HORRIBLE TO HAPPEN. AMONG THE 12 SUMMARIES YOU HAVE ON YOUR SITE FOR ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WITH BUICK LESABRES, ONE IS EVEN WORSE THAN MINE "REPORT #9001048 "COMPLETE ELECTRICAL FAILURE ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY WITH A TRAGEDY BARELY AVOIDED, TRANSMISSION FAILURE". WHEN I PURCHASED THE CAR AT 65,000 MILES IT HAD A SERIOUS TRANSMISSION PROBLEM AS WELL, WHICH WAS FOUND AND FIXED. THE ELECTRICAL PROBLEM PERSISTED UNTIL THE ENGINE CUT OUT WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AFTERNOON, ON A BUSY LOCAL ROAD. WHEN THE ENGINE FAILED, THE BRAKES FAILED. I COULD NOT STOP THE CAR. QUICK THINKING PUT ME UP AGAINST A TELEPHONE POLE SO NO LIVES WERE LOST. MANY OF YOUR OTHER COMPLAINTS MENTION COMPLETE ELECTRICAL FAILURE WITH THIS CAR. INVESTIGATION ANYONE? *TR

I HAVE A BUICK LESABRE, CUSTOM, 1998, WITH ABOUT 110,000 MILES ON IT. THE CAR WAS RUNNING NORMALLY, WITH NO PRIOR PROBLEMS RELATING TO STARTING. I DROVE IT OUT OF TOWN, ABOUT 80 MILES AWAY. IT STILL WAS FINE, STARTING UP WITH NO PROBLEM, SEVERAL TIMES AFTER GETTING THERE. HOWEVER, AT A CAMPGROUND ENTRANCE, THE CAR REFUSED TO START. NO CLICK, BUZZ, NOTHING. ALL ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS, A.C., RADIO, WINDOWS, WERE FINE. THE SECURITY LIGHT FLASHED EVERY TIME I TRIED TO TURN THE KEY....EVEN AFTER WAITING 3 MINUTES TO TRY AGAIN. I EVEN TRIED A SECOND KEY, BUT IT DIDN'T HELP. THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER TRIED, AND HE WIGGLED THE KEY IN THE KEY CYLINDER AND THE CAR STARTED. DROVE HOME, TRIED TO START CAR AGAIN, AND IT REFUSED TO START, NO MATTER HOW MUCH WIGGLING WE DID. CONTACTED SEVERAL DEALERS. THEY ALL SAID IT WAS PROBABLY THE CONTACT WIRES IN THE IGNITION CYLINDER THAT READ THE KEY'S "RESISTANCE" AND SEND AN "O.K" SIGNAL TO THE FUEL SYSTEM AND THE STARTER. (THE INTERNET SAYS THEY ARE FAMOUS FOR BREAKING/MALFUNCTIONING IN GM CARS) THEY SAID IT WOULD COST ABOUT $400 MINIMUM TO REPLACE THE KEY CYLINDER. ALSO, IF THE SECURITY MODULE NEEDED REPLACING, IT COULD COST ABOUT $1000.00. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A LOCAL MECHANIC. HE PUT IN A RESISTOR BETWEEN THE TWO CONTACT WIRES COMING OUT OF THE KEY CYLINDER. DID NOT NEED TO REMOVE THE STEERING WHEEL AT ALL. (INCIDENTALLY, ONE DEALER EVEN INSISTED THERE WAS NO "BY-PASS" METHOD OF FIXING THE PROBLEM.) ALL KEYS WORK NOW. SECURITY LIGHT ACTS NORMALLY, DOES NOT STAY ON ALL THE TIME. REMOTE FOB WORKS O.K., TOO. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 BUICK LESABRE. WHEN THE CONTACT INSERTS THE KEY INTO THE IGNITION TO START THE VEHICLE, IT FAILS TO START. THE DEALER REPLACED THE STARTER, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT HER VIN WAS EXCLUDED FROM NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 04V090000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY). THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 65,000.

1998 BUICK LESABRE HAD THE INTAKE MANIFOLD REPLACED. THE CONSUMER'S CLAIM FOR A REFUND FOR REPAIRS WAS NOT APPROVED. *MR THE CONSUMER HAD TURNED LEFT ONTO A LOOP AND STARTED TO ACCELERATE WHEN THE ENGINE STARTED TO MISS AND MAKE NOISES. THE CONSUMER PULLED OVER AND VIEWED A LOT OF WATER UNDER THE ENGINE. THE CONSUMER FELT THAT HE SHOULD BE REIMBURSED FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE SPARK PLUGS THAT WERE DAMAGED WHEN THE WATER FLOODED INTO THE BLOCK AND OR THE RUPTURED PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD. REFER TO RECALL CAMPAIGN#04V090000. THE HORN WOULD GO OFF WHEN THE HORN PAD WAS BUMPED OR WHEN THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE BECAME' HOT. *SC THE MANUFACTURER WROTE THE CONSUMER A LETTER WHICH STATED THE PART THAT WAS REPLACED ON THE VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE RECALL. *JB