2003 Buick Lesabre

OCCASIONALLY SMELLED ANTI-FREEZE AFTER CAREFUL INSPECTION COULD NOT DETERMINE WHERE LEAK WAS. HAD TO ADD ANTI-FREEZE ON TWO OCCASIONS. TOOK CAR TO GM DEALERSHIP FOR OIL CHANGE AND WAS TOLD OF THE PROBLEM. HE SHOWED ME THE LEAK AND ADVISED I SHOULD GET IT REPAIRED ASAP. ESTIMATED REPAIR COST AT THIS POINT IS IN EXCESS OF $1,000. IT WAS ALSO ADVISED THAT IF NOT REPAIRED THIS COULD RESULT IN ANTIFREEZE IN THE OIL WHICH WOULD RUIN THE MOTOR. THIS PROBLEM IS RELATED TO THE GASKET THEY USED, WHICH IS PLASTIC AND HAS SINCE BEEN CHANGED. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE ODOR OF GASOLINE WAS NOTICED AROUND THE VEHICLE. IT WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER, WHO DETERMINED THE FUEL LINE ON THE ENGINE RUBBED TOGETHER WITH THE TRANSMISSION CABLE CAUSING A HOLE IN ONE OF THE HOSES, WHICH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE TRANSMISSION CABLE RUBBED A HOLE IN THE FUEL LINE , WHICH CAUSED GAS TO LEAK ONTO THE ENGINE. UPDATED 01/10/07. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE PULLING OUT FROM A STOP SIGN OR STOP LIGHT, GOING 10-15 MPH, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT IMMEDIATELY ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE EVENTUALLY ACCELERATED; SOMETIMES TAKING 15-30 SECONDS AND UP TO FIVE MINUTES. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO THE DEALERSHIP FIVE TIMES. THE DEALERSHIP RAN DIAGNOSTIC TESTS AND THE TESTS FAILED TO SHOW ANY CODES TO INDICATE A PROBLEM. UPDATED 08/28/06. *JB

I HELPED MY 78 YEAR OLD MOTHER PURCHASE A 2003 BUICK LESABRE IN EARLY JAN. 2006. WHEN I TEST DROVE CAR I NOTICED COOLANT WAS LOW AND MENTIONED TO SALESPERSON. DEALER REPLACED LEAKING PLENUM GASKET BUT DID NOT REPORT TO ME. LESS THAN 300 MILES LATER THE CAR WAS SEVERELY LOSING COOLANT AGAIN. DEALER SAID UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD (PLENUM) WAS WARPED AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. PROBLEM IS THAT THE ONLY PLENUM GM MAKES FOR THIS ENGINE IS DEFECTIVE AND WILL LIKELY WARP AGAIN, POSSIBLY DESTROYING ENGINE. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO MANY OWNERS OF GM VEHICLES THAT HAVE THIS ENGINE. ALL REPAIRS ON MY MOTHER'S CAR HAVE SO FAR BEEN UNDER WARRANTY BUT WARRANTY WILL SOON RUN OUT. WARRANTY IS SUPPOSED TO COVER ANY DEFECTS IN MANUFACTURING. PLENUM IS DEFECTIVE AND THE ONLY GM AUTHORIZED REPAIR IS WITH ANOTHER DEFECTIVE PLENUM. THIS IS JUST A TEMPORARY FIX. I SPOKE WITH A FORMER GM MECHANIC WHO TOLD ME THAT HE SEES THIS PROBLEM ALL THE TIME AND THAT GM KNOWS ABOUT IT. PLASTIC IS NOT A SUITABLE MATERIAL FOR THE PLENUM, AS IT WARPS DUE TO ENGINE HEAT. A RECALL IS ONLY WAY TO REMEDY THIS PROBLEM. THIS ENGINE IS USED IN MANY VEHICLES (BUICKS AND OTHER MODELS) THAT ARE POPULAR WITH THE ELDERLY. IT IS UNCONSCIOUSNESS THAT GM KNOWINGLY ALLOWS THE ELDERLY TO DRIVE CARS THAT WILL LIKELY LEAVE THEM STRANDED. *JB