1996 Buick Roadmaster

The contact owns a 1996 Buick Roadmaster. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the steering wheel was steering to the left while the vehicle was going to the right as well as while steering to the right the vehicle was going to the left. The dealer or independent mechanic was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 137,831. Invalid VIN provided.

I WAS ON THE WAY HOME THE CAR STARTED TO MAKE A GRINDING TYPE OF NOISE AS WELL AS A BOUNCE AND CAME TO A STOP A A RED LIGHT TO TURN LEFT AND AS I WAS TURNING LEFT MY RIGHT FRONT TIRE FELL OFF BOUNCING AWAY BENT MY FRONT PASSENGER FENDER AS WELL AS TRIM I HAD TO PAY A TOW TRUCK $150 TO TAKE MY CAR TO MY HOUSE TO FIX ALL 5 WHEEL STUDS ALSO WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR THE SEAT BELT DOESN'T CLICK TO STAY IN POSITION THE INTERIOR LIGHTS DON'T TURN OFF I HAVE TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY SO THE CAR WON'T DIE OVER NIGHT AND NOW THE ENGINE DOESN'T NOT WANT TO TURN OVER AS IT DID BEFORE I HAVE CHANGED THE DISTRIBUTIOR CAP SPARK PLUGS AND WIRES COMPLETE OIL CHANGE ENGINE TRANSACTION TRANSFER CASE OIL IN THE REAR AXEL AND OXYGEN SENSORS AND THE CAR IS STILL HAVEING TROUBLE TO TURN AND STAY ON JUST IN IDEL AND ON TOP OF THAT THE CLUSTER DOESN'T NOT MARK MY SPEED AND THE GAS METER IS MORE OR LESS A QUARTER OFF MARKING I HAVE MORE THEN WHAT I DO HAVE

THE LOWER CONTROL ARM BALL JOINT BROKE OFF WHEN I STARTED TO DRIVE THE CAR IN A PARKING LOT ON OCTOBER 31, 2006. I HAD TO HAVE A NEW LOWER ARM AND BALL JOINT INSTALLED ON THE CAR SINCE A BOLT HAD SHEARED HOLDING THE BALL JOINT TO THE ARM. BUICK HAD A PREVIOUS RECALL ON THIS, BUT MY CAR WAS SUPPOSEDLY BUILT WITH A LATER SERIAL NUMBER. I HAVE THE BROKEN ASSEMBLY STORED IN MY GARAGE. *JB

UPON LEAVING FOR WORK IN THE MORNING, MY 1996 BUICK ROADMASTER WITH 56,600 MILES WOULD NOT START. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A LOCAL AUTO REPAIR GARAGE. WENT TO PICK UP CAR A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER AND THE MECHANIC TOLD ME I WAS LUCKY THERE HAD NOT BEEN A FIRE OR EXPLOSION DUE TO THE SMOLDERING FUEL PUMP AND MELTED WIRING HARNESS INSIDE THE FUEL TANK. HE GAVE ME THE PART. I THOUGHT THAT GENERAL MOTORS WOULD BE INTERESTED IN HEARING ABOUT THIS DEFECT AS I WAS SURE THAT MANY OTHER ROADMASTERS ARE STILL ON THE ROAD. I CALLED THE CUSTOMER RELATIONS DEPT. ON 6/27 AND RELATED THIS SAFETY CONCERN AND ALSO SENT AN E-MAIL TO THEM ON THEIR WEBSITE OFFERING TO SEND PICTURES OF THIS PART. AS OF TODAY, 7/6/06, I HAD NOT HEARD FROM ANYONE SO I CALLED AGAIN. I EMPHASIZED MY CONCERNS AGAIN AND ALSO REQUESTED TO BE COMPENSATED FOR THIS REPAIR AS I FELT THIS WAS NOT A NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR PROBLEM, BUT A DEFECT PROBLEM. I WAS TOLD THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TOO OLD. I TOLD THEM THAT I DID NOT REALIZE THERE WAS A TIME LIMIT ON PEOPLE'S SAFETY AND WELL BEING. I ALSO TOLD THEM THAT I WAS DISAPPOINTED THAT NO ONE AT GM WAS INTERESTED IN SEEING THIS PART OR PICTURES. THEY COULD BE RELYING ON THE FACT THAT THE GAS TANK IS UNDER A VACUUM, BUT IN THIS CASE, THE PUMP WAS ACTUALLY SMOLDERING AND IF I HAD HAPPENED TO STOP AND GET GAS WHILE THIS WAS SMOLDERING AND REMOVED THE GAS CAP AND ADDED THE THIRD ELEMENT, OXYGEN, THERE VERY WELL COULD HAVE BEEN A FIRE OR EXPLOSION. THIS IS AN ORIGINAL GM PART AND I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT GM HAS NO INTEREST IN THIS MATTER. THE ORIGINAL MILEAGE SHOULD BE A FACTOR, NOT JUST THE YEAR. CUSTOMER RELATIONS TOLD ME THEY WOULD SEND ME IN WRITING THEIR REFUSAL TO ASSIST ME WITH ANY COMPENSATION FOR THE REPAIR. WHAT BOTHERS ME THE MOST IS THEIR LACK OF CONCERN FOR OTHER PEOPLE'S SAFETY. *JB

SINCE NEW THIS 1996 BUICK ROADMASTER STATION WAGON HAS HAD 4 TRANSMISSIONS INSTALLED IN IT. THIS PARTICULAR CAR HAS THE FACTORY INSTALLED 5000LB TOW PACKAGE. THIS CAR USES THE GM, 4L60E, 4 SPEED, ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION. ACCORDING TO THE ORIGINAL OWNER, THE 4L60E TRANSMISSION WENT OUT WHEN IT ONLY HAD ROUGHLY 40,000 MILES ON IT. HE TOLD ME THE 2ND TRANSMISSION WENT OUT 40,000MILES AFTER IT WAS INSTALLED. THE PREVIOUS OWNER TOLD ME HE HAD THE 3RD TRANSMISSION INSTALLED WHEN THE CAR HAD 85,000 MILES ON IT. I BOUGHT THE CAR WITH 119,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER, AND THE 3RD TRANSMISSION FAILED WHEN THE CAR HAD 142,000 MILES ON IT. THE 4L60E TRANSMISSION IS A VERY POOR TRANSMISSION FOR THE TASK ASSIGNED. THE CAR ALREADY WEIGHS 4500LBS AND IS RATED TO TOW 5000 MORE LBS. MAKING UP ROUGHLY A 10,000LB PLATFORM. THIS TRANSMISSION FAILS IN MANY, MANY VEHICLES IT WAS INSTALLED IN REGARDLESS OF PURPOSE, USE, OR CARE. *NM

WHILE BACKING IN VEHICLE STALLED. VEHICLE FAILED TO RESTART AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS. SERVICE TECHNICIAN STATED, WIRING HARNESS NEEDED REPLACEMENT. *AK WIRES INSIDE THE GAS TANK BURNED AND MELTED PLASTIC AT THE FUEL TANK HOOK UP. THIS COULD'VE BLOWN UP AND KILLED SOMEONE. CONSUMER WOULD LIKE A REFUND FOR THE WIRING HARNESS. *PH