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1998 Buick Lesabre

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Lesabre years

Owner complaints for the 1998 Buick Lesabre are substantially higher than the model-year median of 24.

Counts are not adjusted for sales, age, mileage exposure or reporting. A lower count does not establish that a car is problem-free.

About this comparison →
400Owner complaints

Model-year median: 24

1Recall campaigns

View recall details →

2Investigations

View investigation details →

Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗ Model-level counts do not show whether a particular VIN is affected or repaired.

Inspection summary

1998 Buick Lesabre

NHTSA snapshot: September 18, 2026. 400 owner complaints · 1 recall campaigns · 2 investigations.

Counts are not failure probabilities and are not adjusted for sales, age, mileage exposure or reporting. One report may name several categories. Comparison method and limitations.

Top reported categories (up to 5)

  • Engine And Engine Cooling: 196 reports
  • Fuel System, Gasoline: 70 reports
  • Electrical System: 50 reports
  • Service Brakes, Hydraulic: 23 reports
  • Power Train: 20 reports

Full reported-category list and vehicle report

Recall links

Check a VIN with NHTSA. Model-level history does not establish whether a particular VIN is affected or repaired.

Print the top reported categories, recall links, snapshot date and comparison limits.

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
178
199598
1996394
1997400
1998209
1999669
2000328
2001
Compare all Lesabre years →

Counts vary with age, sales, mileage exposure and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Engine And Engine Cooling
196Fuel System, Gasoline
70Electrical System
50Service Brakes, Hydraulic
23Power Train
20
All reported categories
Steering
15Suspension
15Visibility
12Air Bags
11Unknown Or Other
11Engine
8Fuel System, Other
7Equipment
5Seat Belts
5Tires
5Seats
4Structure
4Vehicle Speed Control
4Exterior Lighting
3Interior Lighting
2Service Brakes
2Electronic Stability Control (esc)
1Fuel/propulsion System
1Latches/locks/linkages
1Parking Brake
1Wheels
1

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

173 reports with mileage · 227 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 196 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Fuel System, Gasoline. Review the 70 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 50 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

15 crash reports42 fire reports7 injury reports

Exterior Lighting complaints

3 reports
Clear category filter
111,000 miles · Aug 29, 2005
Exterior LightingFuel System, Gasoline

DT: THE CONTACT TOOK H CAR TO DEALER FOR A RECALL 04V090000 REPAIRS ALMOST ONE YEAR AGO IN AUGUST, 2004. HE RECEIVED THE RECALL NOTICE IN JUNE, 2004, AND THE CAR WAS REPAIRED ON 9-28-04. THEY DAMAGED THE CAR ON THE OUTSIDE AND ALSO UNDER THE HOOD. THE REAR TAIL LIGHT WAS BROKEN AND THERE WAS A SCRATCH UNDER THE FRONT LEFT …

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DT: THE CONTACT TOOK H CAR TO DEALER FOR A RECALL 04V090000 REPAIRS ALMOST ONE YEAR AGO IN AUGUST, 2004. HE RECEIVED THE RECALL NOTICE IN JUNE, 2004, AND THE CAR WAS REPAIRED ON 9-28-04. THEY DAMAGED THE CAR ON THE OUTSIDE AND ALSO UNDER THE HOOD. THE REAR TAIL LIGHT WAS BROKEN AND THERE WAS A SCRATCH UNDER THE FRONT LEFT HEADLIGHT. THEY PUT RED TAPE OVER THE HEADLIGHT. THE ACCELERATOR STUCK AND THE CAR STALLED. THIS PROBLEM IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED THE RECALL REPAIRS WITHIN ONE DAY. THE DEALER DENIED ANYTHING WRONG WAS DONE. THE RECALL WAS IN REGARD TO A FUEL REGULATOR. AS SOON AS THE CAR RETURNED TO THE CONTACT IT SHUT OFF. RECENTLY, THE ACCELERATOR STUCK, AND THE CONTACT SMELLED A FUEL/EXHAUST ODOR THAT WAS VERY STRONG. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYED ON N. . HE TALKED TO GM ON 11-12-04, AND THEY INFORMED HIM THAT THEY HAD NOTIFIED THE DEALER ABOUT THE DAMAGE, AND FOR HIM TO TAKE THE CAR TO DEALER FOR REPAIRS. WHEN HE TOOK THE CAR TO DEALER THE DEALER WAS MAD AND REFUSED TO FIX THE CAR. *AK

NHTSA ODI #10134464

66,000 miles · Oct 13, 2004
Exterior Lighting

TURN SIGNAL FAILURE. THIS IS AN EXPENSIVE FAILURE AS IT REQUIRES THE PURCHASE AND INSTALLATION OF A MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH, TURN SIGNALS.*AK

NHTSA ODI #10095693

Mileage unknown · Dec 18, 1998
Exterior Lighting

HEADLIGHTS APPEAR TO BE A DEFECTIVE, HIGH AND LOW BEAMS INTERCHANGE POSITIONS AND FUNCTIONS. INNER BEAMS ARE LOW, AND OUTER BEAMS ARE HIGH. DEALER CONTACTED AND CANNOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

NHTSA ODI #832468

Recall campaigns

1

04V090000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery

Feb 24, 2004

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 3800 V6 (L36) ENGINES AND CERTAIN DELPHI FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS, THE REGULATORS HAVE A MUCH HIGHER THAN USUAL RATE OF FUEL LEAKS. A LEAK CAN ALLOW FUEL TO ENTER THE INTAKE MANIFOLD THROUGH A VACUUM LINE. IF THE ENGINE DOES NOT START WHEN CRANKED, THE FUEL FROM THE LEAKING REGULATOR AND A MISTIMED SPARK CAN CAUSE A BACKFIRE.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THE BACKFIRE CAN RUPTURE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. THE RUPTURE OF THE INTAKE MANIFOLD CAN DISPLACE A FUEL LINE, PULLING AN INJECTOR OUT OF PLACE, AND CAUSING A FUEL LEAK AND POSSIBLE FIRE.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL NEW FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS WITH IMPROVED DIAPHRAGMS. THE RECALL WILL BE CONDUCTED IN PHASED MAILINGS. PHASE 1 BEGAN ON JUNE 30, 2004, AND PHASE 2 BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 30, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-630-6537, OR PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

Defect investigations

2

EA02030 · Engine Compartment Fires

Opened Oct 22, 2002 · Closed Mar 9, 2004

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Fuel System, Gasoline; Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery; Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings

EA02-030 IS CLOSED WITH GMEA02-030 IS CLOSED WITH GM?S ACTIONS IN 03V-473 AND 04V-090 RECALLING APPROXIMATELY 529,000 MY 1998-99 C- AND H-BODY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH DEFECTIVE FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS.THESE VEHICLES WERE EQUIPPED WITH PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLDS THAT ARE UNABLE TO CONTAIN PRESSURES THAT OCCUR IN SOME BACKFIRE EVENTS AND DEFECTIVE FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS WITH LEAKING DIAPHRAGMS THAT CAN PROVIDE A SOURCE OF FUEL TO PRODUCE A COMBUSTIBLE AIR-FUEL MIXTURE IN THE MANIFOLD.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY ODI THAT NO SAFETY DEFECT EXISTS IN THE VEHICLES THAT ARE NOT INCLUDED IN GM?S RECALLS.ODI WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE INCIDENCE OF MANIFOLD RUPTURES AND RELATED FIRES IN OTHER MY 1995-2002 GM PASSENGER CARS EQUIPPED WITH THE SUBJECT INTAKE MANIFOLD.FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SEE THE ATTACHED CLOSING REPORT.

Additional source detail variants (3)

Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery

EA02-030 IS CLOSED WITH GMEA02-030 IS CLOSED WITH GM?S ACTIONS IN 03V-473 AND 04V-090 RECALLING APPROXIMATELY 529,000 MY 1998-99 C- AND H-BODY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH DEFECTIVE FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS.THESE VEHICLES WERE EQUIPPED WITH PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLDS THAT ARE UNABLE TO CONTAIN PRESSURES THAT OCCUR IN SOME BACKFIRE EVENTS AND DEFECTIVE FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS WITH LEAKING DIAPHRAGMS THAT CAN PROVIDE A SOURCE OF FUEL TO PRODUCE A COMBUSTIBLE AIR-FUEL MIXTURE IN THE MANIFOLD.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY ODI THAT NO SAFETY DEFECT EXISTS IN THE VEHICLES THAT ARE NOT INCLUDED IN GM?S RECALLS.ODI WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE INCIDENCE OF MANIFOLD RUPTURES AND RELATED FIRES IN OTHER MY 1995-2002 GM PASSENGER CARS EQUIPPED WITH THE SUBJECT INTAKE MANIFOLD.FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SEE THE ATTACHED CLOSING REPORT.

Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings

EA02-030 IS CLOSED WITH GMEA02-030 IS CLOSED WITH GM?S ACTIONS IN 03V-473 AND 04V-090 RECALLING APPROXIMATELY 529,000 MY 1998-99 C- AND H-BODY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH DEFECTIVE FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS.THESE VEHICLES WERE EQUIPPED WITH PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLDS THAT ARE UNABLE TO CONTAIN PRESSURES THAT OCCUR IN SOME BACKFIRE EVENTS AND DEFECTIVE FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS WITH LEAKING DIAPHRAGMS THAT CAN PROVIDE A SOURCE OF FUEL TO PRODUCE A COMBUSTIBLE AIR-FUEL MIXTURE IN THE MANIFOLD.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY ODI THAT NO SAFETY DEFECT EXISTS IN THE VEHICLES THAT ARE NOT INCLUDED IN GM?S RECALLS.ODI WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE INCIDENCE OF MANIFOLD RUPTURES AND RELATED FIRES IN OTHER MY 1995-2002 GM PASSENGER CARS EQUIPPED WITH THE SUBJECT INTAKE MANIFOLD.FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SEE THE ATTACHED CLOSING REPORT.

Fuel System, Gasoline

EA02-030 IS CLOSED WITH GMEA02-030 IS CLOSED WITH GM?S ACTIONS IN 03V-473 AND 04V-090 RECALLING APPROXIMATELY 529,000 MY 1998-99 C- AND H-BODY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH DEFECTIVE FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS.THESE VEHICLES WERE EQUIPPED WITH PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLDS THAT ARE UNABLE TO CONTAIN PRESSURES THAT OCCUR IN SOME BACKFIRE EVENTS AND DEFECTIVE FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS WITH LEAKING DIAPHRAGMS THAT CAN PROVIDE A SOURCE OF FUEL TO PRODUCE A COMBUSTIBLE AIR-FUEL MIXTURE IN THE MANIFOLD.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY ODI THAT NO SAFETY DEFECT EXISTS IN THE VEHICLES THAT ARE NOT INCLUDED IN GM?S RECALLS.ODI WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE INCIDENCE OF MANIFOLD RUPTURES AND RELATED FIRES IN OTHER MY 1995-2002 GM PASSENGER CARS EQUIPPED WITH THE SUBJECT INTAKE MANIFOLD.FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SEE THE ATTACHED CLOSING REPORT.

PE02050 · Engine Compartment Fires

Opened Jun 13, 2002 · Closed Oct 22, 2002

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine And Engine Cooling

No summary supplied.

An investigation is not a finding of a defect, and closure does not prove a vehicle is problem-free.