On 07/21/03 my 1998 buick lesabre (VIN [xxx]), suddenly and without prior symptoms, began to run extremely rough and the engine stalled and was unable to be re-started. Fortunately, I was able to get off the road before the engine stalled. I am now saddled with a $2,000 repair bill all, apparently, as a result of the failure of the plastic gm plenum. The plenums failure caused other failures within the engine (including, but not limited to, the ignition control module and the starter). According to the mechanic that serviced the vehicle, this is not uncommon in gm vehicles that utilize the plastic plenum. I would seek restitution from general motors for what appears to be a historical and systemic failure of this plastic plenum resulting in extraordinary engine repairs.*ak information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
1998 Buick Lesabre engine complaints
Page 6 of 8: complaints 131 to 160 of 204, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The manifold and gasket had to be replaced. I was told coolant was improperly mixing with my oil causing black smoke to be emitted from my exhaust, the car missing and eventually semi-locking. The locking cause the cone of my starter to crack in two when I attempted to re-start to the tune of a $1,500. Repairfor all. Dealer ackowledged they had this problem with other vehicles. The initial stater replaced was discovered defective and was again replaced on june 25, 2003. A complaint to buick customer service was fruitless and they were not sensitive at all to the problem encountered.
After owning this car for less than 3 months I noticed coolant tank empty, took it to dealer who charged me $342 for new water pump, still loosing coolant. Come to find out after a sludge was found in engine that intake plenum was cracked allowing coolant into cylinders, damaging the bearings and now am paying for a new motor. Gm denies problems exist. This car has only 50,000m miles.
The key was inserted into the ignition when a loud explosion occurred along with smoke pouring out of the side of the engine area. The consumer was unable to put the fire out. *mr
Consumer having problems with the intake manifold. While driving the vehicle stalled and lost complete p[ower of the steering and brakes. Manufacture was not contacted at the time of this call.
The vehicles intake manifold failed when the vehicle was started and resulted in a fire under the hood. *mr *ts
The consumer attempted to start car when the engine backfired, the manifold exploded and the engine caught fire. *mr *ts
Vehicle fire/ vehicle destroyed. *mr on several occasions, prior to fire, vehicle would surge then die out at both stops and when slowing down. Also engine had a whining noise. Dealer replaced generator assembly. Fuel filter also replaced. Cleaned throttle body. Brakes made squealing noise. Rear brakes cleaned and adjusted. There was a loud noise in the right rear after hot at stops. Exhaust system misaligned. The mirror compass and rear window were also inoperative. Vehicle was also involved in an accident prior to fire.
I purchased a '98 buick lesabre - from my brother-in_law, it only had 70,000 miles on it when the head gasket blew causing me to rebuild the top section of the motor--then after that was fixed and I drove the car for approximately 3 months more -- the bottom part of the engine blew--and I had to replace the complete engine not knowing what caused this problem. The car was always maintained by the dealership "boyle buick" in bel air, md.
The type of metal used in the engine was flimsy, and anti freeze ate through it, which resulted in a leak. *jb
There was a loud bang, then the engine would not start. The independent shop stated that the problem was the plastic intake manifold that seeped into the engine. Mr scc
The plastic intake manifold on my 1998 buick lesabre went bad last fall, which cost me over $1,000 to repair. There were about 70,000 miles on the engine at that time. Subsequently, I read an article in a newspaper that said the federal safety agency was investigating gm cars with the 3.8 liter engines for engine fires that resulted from these problems with the plastic intake manifold. I am wondering if a recall has been/could be issued, or if there is any way owners of cars with these engines can be reimbursed for the massive repair bills resulting from this engineering defect. Of course I am also very concerned for my safety since I have learned of the propensity for fires with these engines. Thank you.
Car refuses to crank sometimes, wait 45 min-1 hour, then it will crank. Also, slowing down to stop and car just dies, refuses to crank, again wait 45 minutes - 1 hour and it will crank. This is happening every 2 weeks-1 month. I was told it was not firing, but could it be something to do with fuel system? Dealer kept for 2 days and could find nothing wrong. Buick said they had not heard of this problem.
The engine caught on fire.
The engine caught on fire and burned some parts while vehicle was warming up.
The vehicle was hard to start, consumer heard a pop noise, and the engine started to run rough. Consumer stated maybe a blown head gasket.
The engine failed.*dt
The battery was low, tried starting the motor a few times in the morning. After waiting all day, charged the battery back up to normal and started the car. A loud bang and flash was noted and then the engine caught fire. Put the fire out with an extinguisher. There was a back fire in the intake manifold, which is made of plastic and it exploded casusing the engine to catch fire. Visual damaged caused by the fire was to the fuel line, air line and wire harness. Vehicle is 4.5 years old and only has 23,000 miles on it.
Upper intake plenum gasket failed, causing engine cylinders to fill with coolant and extensive damage to electrical parts. Possible other damage to engine.
Vehicle is leaking oil. The consumer had vehicle serviced by a dealership, who indicated that the upper intake manifold is made of plastic, and the heat of the engine causes a hole in the manifold. This results in the leak. Please provide more details. Ts
While driving and without warning intake manifold blewout, making it hard to start vehicle. Dealer notified. Ts.
The vehicle would stall without warning. Dealer was aware of the problem. Ts consumer also had a problem with the starter not disengaging.
Consumer noticed the vehicle excessive antifreezer consumption every 300 miles, the reservoir was empty all the time. Dealer has been notified. Please provide further information. Ts
Problem 1....pressure regulator in the oil pump locked ,causing the engine to blow. This recently happened to a friend of mine at around the same mileage. Problem 2....car has started to stall for no reason. Usually when I'm slowing down fopr a red lite or to turn.problem 3..... While drivind at around 65-70 the car has surged for an instant(sort of like when you hit the gas pedal suddenly for a second).
Gm made their intake manifolds out of a plastic resin on the buick 3800 v6 engine. They routed the egr valve through it which causes a heat build up that wraps the intake manifold allowing coolant to go into the engine. My repair bill was $803.76 plus one starter $189.00 that broke when the engine siezed. From reading on the internet this is a common problem with the engines with the plastic manifold. The dealer that fixed my car aid yes it was a design problem and that he had another car of the same make and model as mine in the same morning as mine. Same problem and that he had one the week before. In my case the engine did not lock up as I as going down the highway but this could be a dangerous problem for someone going down the highway and thier engine locks up.
At 50mph engine stalled then vehicle lost power. Could had caused an accident. Cause unknown dealer notified.
Vehicle completely stalls while driving without warning. Dealer stated engine manifold that is made of plastic is cracked and sending fluid through engine, damaging parts in engine. *ak the plastic intake was replaced and the consumer is seeking reimbursement of repair expense.
After having t egr valve serviced, miles later without warning, intake manifold began to leak coolant onto engine, causing engine to shutdown and lock up. Mechanic stated intake manifold needed to be replaced when valve was serviced.
While driving egr valve light illuminated on dashboard, causing vehicle to stall. Dealer was notified, mechanic stated sensors were not functioning correctly.
When coming to a stop vehicle would stall out. Sometimes vehicle stalls out when driving along. Vehicle is able to be restarted. Dealer has seen numerous times and can't fix it.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 1998 Buick Lesabre?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history