Buick Park Avenue loss of power problems

Filed Sep 12, 2016 · Electrical · 62,000 miles · PA

Periodically the engine will stop. This will generally occur while the car is in motion. This would cause a loss of power. When it occurs in traffic or on a curve this is exceptionally dangerous. It will restart by shifting into neutral and turning the ignition. It will occur anywhere, while turning or driving straight. This has continued for several years.

Filed Dec 27, 2014 · Electrical, Engine · 65,000 miles · CA

Sudden engine failure. I own a 99 buick park avenue ultra that has about 65,000 miles on it and is well maintained. The car is only utilized about 6 months out of the year since we are snow birds having returned from the east 2 months ago. Last evening as I drove north and up one of the long hills on the toll rd 73 in orange county, ca I experienced the sudden and total loss of engine power while traveling between 65 and 70 MPH. All electrical systems, headlights, dash lights etc stayed on and appeared normal. Fortunately the traffic was such that I was able to pull over to the side of the road, stop and turn on my hazard warning lights. I sat for a moment and then tried to restart the engine. The cranking appeared normal and the engine immediately started and the engine parameters, temperature, volts, etc appeared normal. I was surprised to say least but we decided to start moving again and proceeded to drive pretty much at normal speeds without a hiccup the 20 miles left to get home staying in the rh lanes for the most part. Getting back into the fast moving stream of traffic was somewhat hazardous in and of itself. Prior to this sudden failure there was no warning or change in performance. The only caveat to that is that it seems lately there has been a minor but noticeable sag or hesitation when starting to accelerate while in drive and at highway speeds.

Filed Nov 24, 2014 · Engine · 156,270 miles · MN

A 2001 buick park avenue was purchased on april 27, 2014. It ran good until september 19, 2014. On that day my son was driving the vehicle. Suddenly the check engine light started flashing and the car lost all power on a side road. He was able to start it after having to pull over with no lights, power brakes or steering. I took it for a test ride and it did the same thing. We got it home and failed to repair it by ourselves. We took it to a repair garage and they said the problem was the maf sensor. The technician showed me how to tap on the enclosure (with a screwdriver) which housed the part and the engine would sputter and miss. After installing a new maf sensor it now runs fine. We looked at the vehicle history and it needed a new maf sensor two other times. Once at 9/2013 and another at 6/2012. It is surprising and shocking that the failure of this part causes the entire engine to shut down, creating a dangerous situation. A brand new maf sensor from the buick dealer costs $430 which is obviously geared towards selling to repair shops vs. Do it yourself mechanics. This ridiculous high price has created a market for cheaper maf sensors which may or may not be oem parts. The part removed was a delphi sensor which only lasted one year. Gm has got to come up with a solution to this potentially deadly problem. It is putting people at risk. Simply buying an authentic gm part is not enough because it still eventually fails and the car totally shuts down, which is unacceptable. A search on the internet reveals others with the exact same problem.

Filed May 8, 2007 · Steering · 46,000 miles · NY

While driving at 30 MPH the car lost power steering. I was able to pull to the side of the road. The car was towed to a repair shop, where they found that the three bolts holding the power steering pump broke off in the engine block. They replaced the bolts at a cost of $275. I had just completed a 1200 mile trip.

Filed Jan 7, 2004 · Engine · 68,000 miles · NJ

While I was driving I heard a pop & the service engine light came on I went another block and the car lost power & white smoke came out of exhaust. I turned engine off & tried to restart which was unsuccessful. I contacted buick dealer because after talking to a few people I was told that this was a common problem with gm autos. Customer representative told me to go to dealer & they would work with me on the cost of the repair. After a week of wasted time I went to a local mechanic who repaired the auto at a cost of $1,049. The mechanic informed me that this was a very common problem with this engine because of the type of parts the manufacturer uses durin g production. I am relieved that nobody was injured during this incident but if this had occured on a highway and I was not able to get off to a shoulder the situation might have had a different outcome. This auto at the time had 68,000 miles and 1 week after the time frame of the extended warranty the extended warranty expired at 60,000 miles.this is a $33,000 vehicle and I would hope that an engine would last longer than 70,000 miles. I own two other vehicles (toyota's) and they have a combined mileage of over 300,000 miles and both purchased new cost less than this vehicle. It is my understanding that there have been other complaints of this type for this vehicle and the manufacturer has done nothing to correct this problem.

Filed Oct 1, 2003 · Steering · 67,000 miles · CA

I started noticing that I was hearing power steering 'whining', while turning the wheel at times. This gradually developed into the recent situation where it appeared that I would lose power steering capability while making a sharp turn. This turn could be as simple as making a right/left turn directly into a driveway, while traveling slowly. This also happened when making a u-turn, after turning the wheel all the way left/right. Backing up, turning hard left/right, also produced the problem the vehicle is currently in the shop and was supposed to be ready today. The service manager had initially stated that two hoses needed to be replaced. When I called late this afternoon, the service manager stated that the hoses had not fixed the problem. He stated that gm's initial recommendations were to replace the hoses. At the end of the day the service manager stated that he was going to repace the power steering pump and the rack and pinion component. I have seen the commentaries concerning the steering problems with these vehicles. Why was there not a safety recall on them. How do I trust this new steering system to not fail at some future point? As the service manager had stated initially, I could have been in trouble if I had needed to make an emergency lane change, at slow speed, and the steering had surprised me by becoming hard to steer. It is possible that my life and that of other's could be at risk by this type of safety issue. I would like to know what efforts are being taken to get gm to resolve this safety issue and to reimburse consumers who have had to pay for repairs to a defective system. I would both like to have a safe vehicle and my money back for the repair that I will have to pay for.

Filed Aug 5, 2003 · Engine · 82,000 miles · TX

While driving in traffic, engine ligght came on and began to lose power. Susequent findings were that the composite intake plenum had several pin hole leaks which resulted in dumping of coolant into engine and seizure very shortly after light came on. Had to replace engine. New engine seems to have other problems now with power and smooth operation and excessive rattling.

Filed Jul 17, 2003 · Engine · 60,000 miles · PA

Anti-freeze leaked into the engine's oil. As a result, the vehicle lost power. The rod bearings, upper and lower intake manifolds were replaced. *jb there was severe damage to the engine, which caused the entire engine to be replaced. *ph

Filed May 6, 2003 · Engine · PA

While driving, the engine light illuminated on the dash board, and suddenly the vehicle started to lose power.

Filed Jan 24, 2003 · Electrical · OK

While driving vehicle lost all power without warning. This resulted in consumer being trapped in the their vehicle. The dealership indicated that this was caused by the alternator failing. Ts