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We found the following complaints for BUICK LESABRE (1996)

Read complaints for BUICK LESABRE (1996)


While at a complete stop on a city street behind a city bus which was loading passengerswith no collision or contact, the passenger side airbag deployed. The airbag caused burns to the passenger's hand and both knees. It also caused deep contusions on the left knee, causing difficulties with walking.

Hit a deer and the driver's side air bag deployed but passenger's side air bag deployed and hit passenger in the leg .

While waiting in a parking lot lane for a parking space to open, the driver's airbag deployed. I was not leaning forward, but i was looking slightly to the left. The bag just hit me on the right side forehead and covered me in powder. I could not hear out of my right ear, and still cannot today.

Another vehicle cut in front. Consumer appliedbrakes but hit other vehicle on right front. Upon impact with other vehicle, air bagsdeployed. Driver was jammed in seat, and unable to get out. Vehicle filled with smokean powder substance which caused driver's eyes and throat to be irritated.

Vehicle was involved in a collision at 30 mph, and the airbags did not deploy, resulting in minor injuries. Dealer and manufacturer have been notified.

When vehicle hit a deer, the deployment of the frontal air bags injured both driver and passenger, driver received red marks, which looked like burns, on both arms, passenger legs were badly bruised, also the smell and the amount of power release from the air bags made it hard to breathe.

1996 buick lesabre both passenger and driver's side front air bags deployed inadvertently.*mrthe driver's air bag deployed at 11 am while driving 30 mph.on the same day at 2 pm the passenger's air bag deployed while driving 30 mph. The vehicle was not involved in any type of collision nor did the air bag light illuminate to indicate a problem.

While driving 30 mphpassenger's side air bag deployed inadvertently.

Electrical power failure/ battery is leaking acid and corrosion on both cables.

Had to remove dome light bulbs beause it doesnt turn off, the lights on the rear st times and i'v just bought a second battery 3 days ago because the lighting problem caues them to burn out. Sometimes the lights will fade out. Mst time it doesnt and i can't turn them off manually either. Just found out about the recalls on this vehicle.

1996 buick lesabre alarm system goes off when the car is turned on. Consumer would like list of recalls.

The contact owns a 1996 buick lesabre. While driving at 40 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The failure recurred three times. The contact also stated that the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximately failure mileage was 116,000.

Consumer states battery exploded, and requesting assistance from manufacturer.

While driving down the roadsteering wheel vibrated violently. Also,bolts that hold rack and pinion steering broke.tookvehicle tolocal mechanic told consumerit appeared vehicle was too overtorqued from the factory. Both front tires were inspected and found worn on side edges.2 bolts that hold the rack to the frame on the left hand side, one bolt had broken off.battery was leaking and caused corrosion in the positive battery cable connecter, dealer had to remove all cable insulation and replace positive cable bolt and battery, leak caused vehicle not to start.

On 2 separate incidences, the battery leaked onto the cable & left me stranded. I was told that this never happens & it happened to me twice2 years apart. The first time my car was towed to a different dealer & they tried to charge me even tho the car was under warranty. It happened again this mid-summer and i had to pay for this repair and the battery company said that the dealer was at fault for the way it was installed. (too tight) i was given a royal run-around.

Consumer states battery exploded, and requesting assistance from manufacturer.

Electrical power failure/ battery is leaking acid and corrosion on both cables.

Intermittent failure of the horn which will not sound no matter how hard it is depressed.

The contact owns a 1996 buick lesabre.the horn would not stop blowing for 50 miles after the key was inserted into the door lock.the dealer stated that the failure was electrical and the remote key needed to be replaced.the dealer also stated that the horn was blowing when the contact arrived and they were unable to reprogram the remote key; however, the horn stopped blowing.the contact requested the old remote key since it was unable to be reprogrammed.approximately one week later, the horn began blowing again intermittently.while driving approximately 40 mph, the instrument panel lights illuminated.the dealer stated that there was no vin information in their database.the vin was confirmed with the contact, but appears to be invalid.the engine size and powertrain were unavailable.the failure mileage was 35,000 and current mileage was 83,000.

If vehicle remains outdoors in new zero temperature the horn fails to work.

While driving vehicle engine dies out without warning,owner took vehicle to dealers with unsatisfactory results.

Vechile will stall without warning while driving, loss of power.

There are two recalls on your site related to my vehicle. Two dealers tell me there are no recalls on my car. Even though there is one campaign sticker located under the hood.i have a buick lasabre 1996 it back fires when starting.can you check and see if the two you list are asssoceated with my vehicle.

Computer chip failure causing check engine light to stay on.

The contact owns a 1996 buick lesabre. The vehicle was taken for a tune-up where it was diagnosed that the valve cover gaskets, upper intake manifold, and the oil pan gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 119,000.

Consumer noticed anitfreeze on the driveway under their vehicle. The consumer took vehicle to the dealership to have it serviced.the dealership indicated that there was a crack in the upper manifold, which was the cause of the leak.there's a service bulletin for this part, the egr valve was replaced because of excessive heat. The consumer requested reimbursement for repairs.*jg *nlm

1996 buick lesabre custom suddenly started smoking,overheated and shut off on interstate at 60 mph. Owner had car towed and checked by mechanic. Cracked manifold leaking coolant was the cause, engine blown is diagnosis.

The upper manifold had deteriorated or cracked allowing coolant fluid to enter the combustion chamber. Vehicle's engine seized. *ph*mr

Nar 9-8-03. Minor knock noise in engine. Engine was replaced in the amount of $4200.00 on 71000 mile vehicle.

The contact owns a 1996 buick lesabre. The contact stated that while driving 20 mph, he heard a loud clunking noise, the engine dropped, and the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was towed to a local repair shop, where they diagnosed that the engine cradle and bushing were corroded and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 140,000.

A deteriorating plenum was causing coolant to get intoengine cylinders.dealer notified, andrepairs made at consumer's cost. The heat from the egr valve burns a hole inside the wall of planam allowing the engine to suck coolant into cylinders and causing the engine to lose power steering and brakes resulting in accident.

One cylinder left bank failed. Mjs

Engine sustained damage due to oil sludging (gelling). Oil pressure was inflated,knocking sound was noticed. Penzoil 10w30 was being used at regular intervals. Dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut-over to artemis----770781.*nlm

Abs/traction control locked up and made loud grinding noise severaltimes. Car also accelerated suddenly and did not slow down with application of brake.

Seals within the exhaust system failed.

A deteriorating plenum was causing coolant to get intoengine cylinders.dealer notified, andrepairs made at consumer's cost. The heat from the egr valve burns a hole inside the wall of planam allowing the engine to suck coolant into cylinders and causing the engine to lose power steering and brakes resulting in accident.

Consumer tookvehicleto dealer for inspection, and mechanic noticed that the plastic intake manifold cracked, causing fluid to leak onto the engine.

-the contact has a 1996 buick lesabre which has a hole in the upper intake manifold. The general motors dealer stated that there wasno recall on the vehicle.he then called the buick dealer who concerured.the contact found recall 96v116000 on the nhtsa website.

Consumer statesvehiclegot overheated and coolant wentinside the engine dueto plastic intake manifold.dealer changed twice the intake manifold.

The contact owns a 1996 buick lesabre. Upon starting the vehicle, the contact could hear the vehicle back fire. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where repairs were made to stop an evaporator leak. The repair did not stop the vehicle from back firing. The manufacturer stated that because the vehicle was older than 10 years of age, they could not provide any assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000 and the current mileage was 98,000.

Engine stopped unexpectedly and suddenly at 25 mph.vehicle had to be towed to the dealer.the dealerstated the problemwas a cracked manifold.

A loud clanking noise was coming from the front while driving, vehicle stalled. Consumer was unable to restart vehicle, andhadit towed to the dealer. Mechanic determined that the warped intake manifold neededto bereplaced.

While traveling on the highway and without prior warning, there was antifreeze leaking from underneath the manifold, the dealer had been notified, please provide additional information.

The upper manifold cracked and leaked antifreeze.ts

Air conditioner evaporator failed.

Air conditioner accumulator failed.

Air conditioner failed causing leak.

Driver went to change tire by using jack that came equipped with vehicle when it folded over while supporting vehicle, which could have caused injuires.

Had to remove dome light bulbs beause it doesnt turn off, the lights on the rear st times and i'v just bought a second battery 3 days ago because the lighting problem caues them to burn out. Sometimes the lights will fade out. Mst time it doesnt and i can't turn them off manually either. Just found out about the recalls on this vehicle.

The contact owns a 1996 buick lesabre.the contact stated that the courtesy lights would illuminate at any time even when the vehicle was turned off. The vehicle would also exhibit a chiming noise, causing the battery to drain.the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who was unable to diagnose the failure.the manufacturer was also contacted and denied any assistance with repairs to the failure.the vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 108,000.

While driving on a county road at night headlights went out and consumer was unable to see. Consumer felt that this was very dangerous, and could have caused a major accident. Tokk to dealer, dealer said it was the headlamp control module.

He received the recall notice and he called the dealer as instructed in the letter and the dealer said that the part isn't in yet. (recall-96v116000).

He received the recall notice and he called the dealer as instructed in the letter and the dealer said that the part isn't in yet. (recall-96v116000).

Upper intake manifold fractured resulting in failure.

A crack in the upper intake manifold caused antifreeze to leak, also caused vehicle to stall at traffic lights and to shake at highway speeds.

Consumer stated while driving at slow speed, the fuel pump failed. Dealer notified. Ts

While car was parked but running, contact noticed that fuel was leaking onto the driveway. There were children in the vehicle at the time. The vehicle has since been repaired. The fuel line, fuel pump and fuel sender were replaced.

Fuel pump makes a loud humming or buzzing noise at idle or any speed.

While car was parked but running, contact noticed that fuel was leaking onto the driveway. There were children in the vehicle at the time. The vehicle has since been repaired. The fuel line, fuel pump and fuel sender were replaced.

There are two recalls on your site related to my vehicle. Two dealers tell me there are no recalls on my car. Even though there is one campaign sticker located under the hood.i have a buick lasabre 1996 it back fires when starting.can you check and see if the two you list are asssoceated with my vehicle.

While car was parked but running, contact noticed that fuel was leaking onto the driveway. There were children in the vehicle at the time. The vehicle has since been repaired. The fuel line, fuel pump and fuel sender were replaced.

While driving and with no warning courtesy lights insidevehicle will flicker on and off, causing consumer to have visual problems while driving. Dealer notified.

Whentaking it out of any gear ,all 3 doors will unlock except for front passenger door.,it must be manually unlocked before passenger can get out.

Trunk pops open when driving due to failure of the latch.

Whentaking it out of any gear ,all 3 doors will unlock except for front passenger door.,it must be manually unlocked before passenger can get out.

Driving on highway @ 60 mph, heard popping noise and felt thump under car.as accelerated again, engine revs increased w/o any increase in speed.engine did not seem to be engaged with transmission.manually down shifted to 3rd gear.engine reengaged with drive train.shifted back to 4th (d), loss of engagement.took car to dealer, informed that "planetary gear" had failed, and replaced transmission under warranty.

I was driving back home from a friends house and had the car parked in my drive way and it was left running and it was in park then i went out to leave and the car was running for about 3 min sitting there and i put it into reverse and it would not move no matter what so i tried all the gears it wouldn't work so i shut off the car let it sit for about 5 min and started it up then put it into reverse again and it did then i drove about 50-100 ft and it felt like it was slipping and then just the other day i went out to start it and it was still in park and it sounds like a powersteering pump with no fluid and it sounds like a big nest of bees and i checked the fluid level and the fluid was burnt and there was debris in the fluid so the car don't work. So my family had to go buy a new car when we are broke and now i have no way to get to work. There was nothing done to resolve the failure yet im going to go buy a new transmission.

Transmission failed.

I had a previous transmission failure on this car in 1996, after about 12,000 miles.transmission was replaced under warranty.current failure occured as i was starting to go up a steep grade.car shuddered, and engine reved without any increase in speed.there was loss of drive connection between engine and wheels.i downshifted to lower gear manually, and managed to keep car moving forward.after reaching top of grade, i resumed driving in high gear.as i would start on slight upgrades, or try to accelerate speed, engine would rev temporarily without acceleration of car.after stopping on side of road to check transmission fluid, i resumed tranvel.problem seemed to resolve itself, although there was some "hunting" of the transmission as it upshifted gears.when i returned to home area, i took car into dealership to have problem diagnosed.i have been informed that transmission has failed, planetary gear has broken off and "ground up" transmission.need to replace transmission.this is second failure of transmission on this vehicle,

Abs/traction control locked up and made loud grinding noise severaltimes. Car also accelerated suddenly and did not slow down with application of brake.

Poor traction control.

After adjusting, head rest doesn't provide neck protection. Owner has contacted gm mobility group. Please describe details.tt

Head rests are designed to low for protection.

The disc brake pads worn prematurely.nlm

The contact owns a 1996 buick lesabre.one year ago, the brakes failed to respond on the vehicle while leaving the driveway.the vehicle did not stop and struck another one of the contact's vehicles.there were no injuries.he inspected the vehicle and noticed that the brake line was split in half due to corrosion.the contact removed the lines and installed new ones.recently, the brakes failed to function again.the driver struck the curb at 10 mph in order to stop the vehicle.it was discovered that the front brake line was severely corroded.the vehicle was not taken to a mechanic and the contact made the repairs himself.he has not yet notified the manufacturer.the current mileage was 65,000 and failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

Another vehicle cut in front. Consumer appliedbrakes but hit other vehicle on right front. Upon impact with other vehicle, air bagsdeployed. Driver was jammed in seat, and unable to get out. Vehicle filled with smokean powder substance which caused driver's eyes and throat to be irritated.

My 1996 buick lesabre abs warning light did not let me know that the abs were not working, resulting in an accident.

Brakes make squeaking and grinding noise.

Antilock brakes locked up.

Brake line from the abs controller to the left front wheel was leaking because a hole that wasrubbed through the line at the transmission side cover. Also abs light kept coming on.owner discovered the leak while vehicle was parked in driveway.vehicle was towed to a dealership. Problem corrected at owner's expense.

Front brakes warped causing front brakes to pulsate when applied.nlm

The disc brake pads worn prematurely.nlm

The disc brake pads worn prematurely.nlm

Reporting faulty brake rotors; dealer notified and informedconsumer that rotors could not be turned because of scaling and pitting / rotors never been turned before, and asking nhtsa to look into this matter and provide any information.

Brake rotor warped.

Brake lineswerecorroded. This caused loss of braking power.abrake line running from the master cylinder to the abs unit failed causing loss of brake fluid.all six steel brake lines were also found corroded.

Vehicle failed to stop due to a loss of brake fluid. Inspection revealed steel brake tubes severely rusted only in the area of the leak. Leak location is directly below abs hydraulic control unit in the left front of the engine compartment. All four output lines from the abs system to the wheel were affected. The balance of the brake lines on this vehicle exhibit a normal level of corrosion.

The contact owns a 1996 buick lesabre.while driving down a hill at an unknown speed, the brake indicator illuminated and made a constant beeping noise.the contact parked the vehicle and had aaa tow it to the dealer.she purchased the vehicle from the dealer in september of 2008 and now she needs new brakes.within two hours, the vehicle was repaired at the cost of $400.she was very skeptical of the repairs and took the vehicle to a private mechanic.she was informed that the brake lines were clogged.the repair would cost $500.the failure mileage was 114,000.4/01/09 *njupdated 04/09/09.

Brake line from the abs controller to the left front wheel was leaking because a hole that wasrubbed through the line at the transmission side cover. Also abs light kept coming on.owner discovered the leak while vehicle was parked in driveway.vehicle was towed to a dealership. Problem corrected at owner's expense.

Brake line rubbing against transfer case, causing a hole in steel line.

The grommets and/or washers that hold up the engine frame cradle rusted out and allowed this part to drop through the retaining bolts, once this happened there was a total loss of steering.had i been driving on the interstate or 60 mph on a state highway this would have turned into a very serious accident.i was sitting at a stoplight and the moment i accelerated i heard a very loud metallic thud/sound, which i assume was the cradle dropping down.i'm amazed that this all happened with zero warning that they were any issues with the steering.there was never any indication that this was going to happen, meaning no looseness, no vibration, no sensory changes in how the steering felt but all in a matter of 2 seconds, a loud noise and then i couldn't steer or guide the car.i hit the brakes because i was trying to turn right and the car was moving left so i slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting oncoming traffic.i live in the midwest and i believe that the corrosion was advanced due to all the salt that is placed on the roads to melt the ice/snow during the winter months.i'm writing this in hope that others will be notified and possibly have the condition of their cradles checked out to avoid losing their steering.

When parking bolts shredded off the front rack and pinion. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.

While driving down the roadsteering wheel vibrated violently. Also,bolts that hold rack and pinion steering broke.tookvehicle tolocal mechanic told consumerit appeared vehicle was too overtorqued from the factory. Both front tires were inspected and found worn on side edges.2 bolts that hold the rack to the frame on the left hand side, one bolt had broken off.battery was leaking and caused corrosion in the positive battery cable connecter, dealer had to remove all cable insulation and replace positive cable bolt and battery, leak caused vehicle not to start.

Vehicle drifts to right and tires wear unevenly, tried to fix three times. An independent mechanic, who worked on the vehicle, suggested that steering rack was defective due to the unexpected difficulty that mechanic had when attempting to perform an all-wheel alignment.

1.while driving a buick lesabre on dry, smooth, hard-surface road... In aninstant...2.all steering control was lost.vehicle was brought to a stop with brakes.nodeath, no injury, no additional damage3.the engine cradle bolts were found broken... This allowed the steeringmechanism to become disconnected.... Thebolts were replaced, themechanism was connected, and the vehicle was returned to service4.i contacted the people at buick 25 may.... After four days of delays, theyinformed me of their disinterest in this critical failure, regardless of it'scertainty to result in fatalities.... Please disseminate an immediatealert/recall/notice/otherfyi..... Your form is entitled 'complaint'..... Understand this is an objective,factual report, not a complaint.

While drivingthe trunk lid flies up with out indications. Dealer has been contacted. Please provide further details.

Dt:the mounts on the engine cradle broke and dropped andsteering disengaged. The rack and pinion fell withinthe engine.owner was in a parking lot driving when this happened. The speed was between 5-10 mph. There were no prior problems with the vehicle. The manufacturer said that the owner will not be getting any help resolving this problem today. This happened on july 20, 2005. There were no injuries. The 4 rear mounts on the engine cradle broke. The owner was having this repaired eventually. The information provided by the consumer was what he thought wasrelevantto the complaint. All the information collected is what the owner of the vehicle has wish to provide. The owner was on the phone with buick customer service and they contacted the owners dealer and told the owner that they would not send anyone to the owners home to examine the damage.

The grommets and/or washers that hold up the engine frame cradle rusted out and allowed this part to drop through the retaining bolts, once this happened there was a total loss of steering.had i been driving on the interstate or 60 mph on a state highway this would have turned into a very serious accident.i was sitting at a stoplight and the moment i accelerated i heard a very loud metallic thud/sound, which i assume was the cradle dropping down.i'm amazed that this all happened with zero warning that they were any issues with the steering.there was never any indication that this was going to happen, meaning no looseness, no vibration, no sensory changes in how the steering felt but all in a matter of 2 seconds, a loud noise and then i couldn't steer or guide the car.i hit the brakes because i was trying to turn right and the car was moving left so i slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting oncoming traffic.i live in the midwest and i believe that the corrosion was advanced due to all the salt that is placed on the roads to melt the ice/snow during the winter months.i'm writing this in hope that others will be notified and possibly have the condition of their cradles checked out to avoid losing their steering.

The subframe rusted and droped out of the car, causing the car to lose steering and sending it into oncoming traffic .

The contact owns a 1996 buick lesabre.while driving 25 mph, the contact struck a pothole and lost control of the vehicle.he noticed that the four rear washers were rusted, which caused the engine and transaxle frame to detach from the vehicle.as of october 24, 2007, the dealer had not inspected the vehicle.the contact replaced four upper and lower washers and isolators, in addition to four bolts.the failure mileage was 70,620 and current mileage was 70,670.updated 12/07/07

Front/rear suspension systems rusted due to lack of lubrication. *dh

While driving 50 mph or above entire vehicle vibrates, cause unknown. Dealer cannot identify the problem.please give any further details.

Vehicle drifts to the right continually even after alignment work completed.

The vehicle vibrates when driving over 40 mph, causing the rear tires to wear often.

Vehicle drifts to right. *dsh

While driving down the roadsteering wheel vibrated violently. Also,bolts that hold rack and pinion steering broke.tookvehicle tolocal mechanic told consumerit appeared vehicle was too overtorqued from the factory. Both front tires were inspected and found worn on side edges.2 bolts that hold the rack to the frame on the left hand side, one bolt had broken off.battery was leaking and caused corrosion in the positive battery cable connecter, dealer had to remove all cable insulation and replace positive cable bolt and battery, leak caused vehicle not to start.

The general (tpcspec10t2ms) tires tread separation from the sidewall. *mjs

Pe00 020; consumer was traveling about 60mph and vehicle started to vibrate/it was hard to control vehicle. Right rear tire tread separated. Firestone # p205/p0r15/70r15consumer notified firestone.before the tire was separated completely, piece of chrome trim was ripped off. Door handle on front passenger door was damaged too.

General tire tread worn.( size p205/70r15 worn)

Dashboard vibrates when heat/ac system is engaged.

While driving oh highwayvehicle accelerated while coming off an exit ramp the rpms went up. But as consumer reappliedgas pedal, vehicle would not go.no prior warning.no indication of transmission problems.contacted the dealer, and didn't want to look at the vehicle .took the car to a transmission repair shop.contacted manufacturer and registered a complaint.

When starting, cold start vehicle will lunge forward four inches. Buick states this is normal since 1993 and don't feel this is a problem. Please describe.

Vehicle continuously hesitates while accelerating.

Throttle stuck, causing sudden acceleration.

Vehicle commenced to accelerate from a stop position while the brakes were applied. Vehicle took off from 0-45 mph. Consumer rode the brakes,and down shifted the transmission to gain control. Dealer was not notified.

Sudden acceleration.

Electric window failed.

No matter what cloth or lining placed on dash, reflection shows upon windshield. Please describe details.tt

Windshield has cracked three times under normal driving conditions, and has been replaced on each occasion.

When checking the tire pressure noticed wheels were ripped around the rim, big cracks.

Wheel rims cracked, causing a loss of air into the tires.




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