Consumer Complaint Detail
BUICK / PARK AVENUE / 1998
0 Injured
0 Death
No Fire
| Components - Details | |
|---|---|
| NHTSA Complaint Number: 004261202 | Incident Date: Feb, 15 2004 |
| Consumer's City: SOUTH CHARLESTON | Consumer's State: WV |
| Vehicle Transmission Type: AUTO | Manufacturers Name: General Motors, LLC |
| Model Name: PARK AVENUE | Model Year: 1998 |
| Vehicle Involved in a Crash: No | Component's Description: Engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe |
| Vehicle Involved in a Fire: No | Persons Injured: 0 |
| Vehicle's VIN#: 1G4CW52K5W4 | Date added to File: May, 25 2021 |
| Date Complaint Received: Feb, 23 2004 | Complaint Type: IVOQ |
| Incident Reported To Police: No | Purchase Date: Aug, 31 1998 |
| Was Original Owner: No | Anti-lock Brakes: Yes |
| Number of Cylinders: 6 | Date of Manufacturer: - |
| Was Vehicle Towed: - | Description of the Complaints: While enroute home from vacation low coolant warning light came on. within a few miles the engine temperature gauge went to hot. i was able to limp back a mile or so to a chevrolet dealer i had passed. the intake manifold gasket had failed, costing $593 to replace along with the spark plugs, oil and filter. however, upon returning home, i opened the oil filler cap to find a glob of water contaminated oil inside. now even short trips result in water droplets on the underside of the oil filler cap. also, the engine idle is down about 100 rpm, it doesn't sound or run as smoothly as beore and there's a slightly detectable metallic knock from the engine. i believe the plastic intake manifold has also failed and should have been replaced. as a result of the defective manifold and gasket design, a $34,000 vehicle has a sick engine at only 64,000 miles. the mechanic that replaced the gasket said he had only worked at the dealership for three weeks, but replacing these intake manifold gaskets had been a continuous job. the service manager said i was lucky, because another customer had seized the starter and broken the flywheel trying to jump start her car full of coolant from a failed intake gasket.*ak this problem with the intake manifold and gasket design is a manufacturer's defect that should be corrected by gm and not borne by the customer. i've also experienced most of the other characteristic failures with this car such as, warped brake rotors, failed ignition control module, failed shoulder belt retractor, broken ash tray door latch, shudder in steering wheel while turning at low speed, suspension vibration due to defective bushings, etc. after 26 years of gm ownership loyalty, i'm calling it quits. |