Car has hard shift's that get worse when the car is up to temperature. Fuel gauge show's false reading. Two window regulators failed.
Buick Lesabre harsh shifting problems
27 of the 3,607 owner complaints about the Buick Lesabre describe harsh or hard shifting, most of them for the 2000 model year.
- owner complaints
- 27
- worst model year
- 2000
- typical mileage
- 104,122
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
- 20052
- 20044
- 20033
- 20021
- 20012
- 20007
- 19991
- 19981
- 19972
- 19961
- 19942
- 19931
Often reported together
Transmission failure 5Steering noise 3Shudder 3Ball joint 3Fuel gauge 2Wipers 1
What owners say
Fuel gauge false reading. Hard shift's
Drove to the store, transmission was hard shifting and then wouldn't hardly move at all. Almost got hit three x!! Very tramatized. How is it that on just one of many web pages 400 people had this problem 140 complained about it! that's just one website! how has this problem not been fixed and recalled?
Clunk when turning then loss of control when steering, mechanic found fractured power steering rack.
Buick 2003 lesabre tsb I need the service bulitons on the transmission for shudder ,harsh shifting while driving and heated up properly
Within the passed 2 months I have been experiencing "hard shifts". Very pronounced jolt/jerk when accelerating after a full stop or decelerating to come to a stop. Just researched on this site and found many other consumers with 2004 lesabre's experiencing same situation. Has to do with inferior pressure control solenoid and/or shift solenoids. Apparently gm has refused to recall and replace due to the cost. Can cause premature failure of transmission and they say they are under no obligation to make it right!!! Also have had problems with speedometer and tachcometer. My tach is frozen at 2 and speedometer started giving false readings about 3 yrs. Ago. Did not address because my mechanic told me its very costly. I have to use my garmin to tell me how fast I am going. Happened first time in extreme heat traveling on highway. Then again when it w as raining. Very unsafe situation and again a very costly fix that gm will not address.
We bought the car december 29,2015, the car had 102,0215, and drove it to the doctor on our way back, the would make a "clunking" sound from trans-axles, and we notice that the dash board came up and it has hardware screws across the dash as if to hold it down.
Very common know problem of the 4t65e transmission equipped in these cars is a pressure control solenoid and/or the shift solenoids fail prematurely due to a poorly constructed parts. A service bulletin has been issued by manufacturer warning of the problem and to use a much more superior part to replace the bad ones. This happens across a number of vehicles and gm refuses to recall said part even after knowing it is a failed part. The problem it causes is the transmission goes into high pressure mode and causes hard up shifts. There is a unofficial work around that involves installing after market parts to stop the hard shifts.gm has been made aware of the problem and has personally told me they will not issue a recall due to cost of recalling and repairing. Especially in cars that this has caused premature failure of the transmission. And they say they are under no obligation to do so. The sad thing is I just asked for the updated part so I could personally install it because I do better work than their garages and wouldn't trust them to change a tire let alone touch a transmission. I am capable of installing the parts I just want the updated one for free since it is a problem that should have been corrected on their part to begin with. This problem is much like the coolant problem gm claims didn't exist until they were sued for it.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 buick lesabre. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, there was a loud clunking sound coming from the front end of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was diagnosed that the lower crossarm and four cradle bolts and bushings needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 120,000. The VIN was not available.
Transmission shudder &hard shifts.
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with 4t65e automatic transmissions. These vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of fmvss no. 102, "transmission shift lever sequence." a retaining clip, which secures the manual valve to the linkage of the transmission detent lever, can become loose under a combination of possible driver shifting maneuvers and allow the link to become disconnected from the manual valve.
- Risk
- If the link disconnects, the driver's indicated prndl state may differ from the hydraulic state of the transmission. If the driver selects 'drive' and the transmission is actually in 'reverse', a vehicle crash could occur.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the manual valve/link assembly with a replacement manual valve/link kit, featuring a spring-type fastener.
Recall number 99V089000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: cooling unit and lines
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles manufactured from august 1991 through july 1995. The transmission oil cooler line can separate when the vehicle is operated in low temperatures in combination with high transmission loads.
- Risk
- Vehicle fires can occur due to the spillage of transmission fluid.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the transmission oil cooler lines.
Recall number 96V015000 · Recall details
Questions about the Buick Lesabre harsh shifting
Which Buick Lesabre years have harsh or hard shifting problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2000 (7 complaints), 2004 (4 complaints) and 2003 (3 complaints).
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