The contact owns a 2001 Buick Park Avenue. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the hood exploded and caught on fire. The fire was extinguished with 3 buckets of water. There was no property damage. It was unknown whether warning lights illuminated after the failure. There was no injury sustained; however, the contact stated that the incident was traumatic. The vehicle remained at the contact's residence, pending evaluation. No police report was filed. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall. The dealer and the manufacturer were not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
Buick Park Avenue fire or smoke problems
85 of the 1,297 owner complaints about the Buick Park Avenue describe fire, smoke or burning smell, most of them for the 1998 model year.
- owner complaints
- 85
- worst model year
- 1998
- typical repair cost reported
- $3,000
- typical mileage
- 92,000
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
What owners say
The motor caught on fire everything in the hood caught on fire in the middle of the street. Orlando street fresno ca 93706.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 buick park avenue. While driving, the contact noticed an odor of burning plastic. The contact noticed a little smoke coming from the rear driver's side panel. The contact coasted the vehicle over to the side of the road, turned off the rear defroster, disconnected the plug, removed the rear panel, and noticed that the electrical feed and module were melted. The vehicle was taken to bay ridge chevrolet (1575 86th st, brooklyn, ny 11228, (833) 452-1829) where it was diagnosed that part number: 25623688 (red radio antenna module), the AC (delco pt1183), and the rear window all needed to be replaced due to the connection. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures and provided case number: 9-5585220430. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.
Tl the contact owns a 1999 buick park avenue. The contact stated that the vehicle suddenly accelerated while backing out of the driveway and failed to brake. When the vehicle was started, the contact heard a loud popping sound and noticed a lot of smoke coming from the tailpipe. As a result, the vehicle crashed into the neighbor's yard and a telephone guide wire. An independent mechanic was called to have the vehicle towed and diagnosed. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The failure mileage was 152,000.
Got my car towed to midas on 12/15 because it wouldn't start. They said I needed a tune up and a new intake. They went to test my car and the engine caught fire. I received a call on 12/17 from midas saying that my engine caught fire and the intake specifically was under gm recall as it is a gm 3800 series ii engine. I was directed by midas to file a complaint about my issue, and that this work would be covered as it is part of a gm recall. My car won't start and I need to get it towed to a local dealership for the work to be done.
My 1999 buick park avenue was parked under our pole barn in front of our home. My neighbor came over to borrow my car with my permission. It was cold that day. She turned the key. The car backfire & the hood jumped. The car made a loud noise & smoke started rolling out from under the hood of my car. She popped the hood & got out of the car. By the time she got in front of the car flames were shooting out of the front of the car. She called the peru fire department who came out & pulled my car out to the driveway saving our house from burning to the ground. The got the car put out eventually but it is destroyed. Entire engine compartment is burned out. Parts of the inside are melted. The car is a total loss. We contacted buick. They offered us $1000. For a car we were offered $3000.00 for that summer. They then decided they did not owe us anything as the car itself was over 10 years of age. They will not answer calls nor will they pay for the damages. We cannot afford an attorney.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 buick park avenue. The contact stated that the vehicle began to smoke when starting the vehicle. The engine then caught on fire. The fire department was called and came to extinguish the blaze. The fire department stated that the fire was caused by an engine compartment failure. The contact did not call the manufacturer. The vehicle was neither repaired nor diagnosed. The failure mileage was 150,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 buick park avenue. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, smoke and flames were seen from the rear driver's side. The fire department was contacted to extinguish the fire. A fire report was filed with no injuries reported. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic where however, the vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure and current mileage was 132,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 buick park avenue. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the contact noticed smoke and flames coming from the rear window defroster on the driver's side. The contact stated he was driving with the defroster on for about 45 minutes when the window started to smoke. The vehicle was destroyed. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire and a fire report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the incident. The failure mileage was 195,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 buick park avenue. The contact was driving approximately 1 MPH in a parking lot when the heater and rear defroster was engaged. The contact then smelled a burning odor from inside the vehicle and noticed small flames emitting from the rear driver's side window panel. The engine was turned off and the fire was extinguished. The fire department arrived and disconnected the defroster wires. The vehicle was driven from the scene and was neither diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Related recalls
Electrical system: ignition: anti-theft: control module
- What is wrong
- These vehicles were assembled with a malfunction alarm, lighting and locking (mall) module that can contain a damaged capacitor. If the capacitor is damaged, the "key in the ignition" warning chime and the driver seat belt unbuckled warning chime and indicator lamp may not work. This does not meet the requirements of fmvss no. 114, "theft protection" and fmvss no. 208, "occupant crash protection." in addition, other chime reminder functions, interior lighting controls, and power door locking features are also affected.
- Risk
- Consequence of non-compliance; the driver may not be aware that the key was left in the ignition or that the safety belt was not buckled.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and, if required, replace the mall module.
Recall number 95V204000 · Recall details
Questions about the Buick Park Avenue fire or smoke
Which Buick Park Avenue years have fire, smoke or burning smell problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1998 (23 complaints), 1997 (16 complaints) and 1999 (16 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix fire, smoke or burning smell on the Buick Park Avenue?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $3,000 (median of 6 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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