Consumer Complaint Detail

BUICK / LESABRE / 2003

Recalls
0 Injured
Investigations
0 Death
Complaints
No Fire
Components - Details
NHTSA Complaint Number: 006055874 Incident Date: Feb, 06 2006
Consumer's City: CAROLINA BEACH Consumer's State: NC
Vehicle Transmission Type: AUTO Manufacturers Name: General Motors, LLC
Model Name: LESABRE Model Year: 2003
Vehicle Involved in a Crash: No Component's Description: Engine and engine cooling:cooling system
Vehicle Involved in a Fire: No Persons Injured: 0
Vehicle's VIN#: 1G4HR54K83U Date added to File: May, 23 2021
Date Complaint Received: Feb, 12 2006 Complaint Type: IVOQ
Incident Reported To Police: No Purchase Date: Dec, 31 2005
Was Original Owner: No Anti-lock Brakes: Yes
Number of Cylinders: 8 Date of Manufacturer: -
Was Vehicle Towed: - Description of the Complaints: I helped my 78 year old mother purchase a 2003 buick lesabre in early jan. 2006. when i test drove car i noticed coolant was low and mentioned to salesperson. dealer replaced leaking plenum gasket but did not report to me. less than 300 miles later the car was severely losing coolant again. dealer said upper intake manifold (plenum) was warped and needed replacement. problem is that the only plenum gm makes for this engine is defective and will likely warp again, possibly destroying engine. this has happened to many owners of gm vehicles that have this engine. all repairs on my mother's car have so far been under warranty but warranty will soon run out. warranty is supposed to cover any defects in manufacturing. plenum is defective and the only gm authorized repair is with another defective plenum. this is just a temporary fix. i spoke with a former gm mechanic who told me that he sees this problem all the time and that gm knows about it. plastic is not a suitable material for the plenum, as it warps due to engine heat. a recall is only way to remedy this problem. this engine is used in many vehicles (buicks and other models) that are popular with the elderly. it is unconsciousness that gm knowingly allows the elderly to drive cars that will likely leave them stranded. *jb