Owner-reported complaints naming the visibility system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1998 Buick Lesabre submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 13 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
I WAS PULLING INTO MY GARAGE LAST NIGHT WHEN THE REAR WINDOW ON MY VEHICLE SHATTERED INTO A MILLION PIECES. THERE ARE NO VISIBLE HOLES OR DENTS IN THE WINDOW WHERE SOMETHING MIGHT HAVE HIT IT. THE REAR WINDOW DEFROSTER WAS OPERATING NORMALLY AND IT WAS A COLD EVENING. I TOOK PICTURES WITH MY DIGITAL CAMERA AND THE WINDOW IS BEING REPLACED TODAY. *JB
WHILE DRIVING,IN INCLEMENT WEATHER WINDSHIELD WIPERS COME ON AND OFF INTERMITTENTLY. THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT ON A RECALL AND THE WARRANTY EXPIRED. *AK THE PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD LEAKED WATER WITHOUT UNKNOWINGLY AND WOULD BLOW OUT AND INGEST ALL OF THE WATER FROM THE RADIATOR AND ALSO THE OVERFLOW INTO THE MOTOR. *SC
VEHICLE FIRE/ VEHICLE DESTROYED. *MR ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, PRIOR TO FIRE, VEHICLE WOULD SURGE THEN DIE OUT AT BOTH STOPS AND WHEN SLOWING DOWN. ALSO ENGINE HAD A WHINING NOISE. DEALER REPLACED GENERATOR ASSEMBLY. FUEL FILTER ALSO REPLACED. CLEANED THROTTLE BODY. BRAKES MADE SQUEALING NOISE. REAR BRAKES CLEANED AND ADJUSTED. THERE WAS A LOUD NOISE IN THE RIGHT REAR AFTER HOT AT STOPS. EXHAUST SYSTEM MISALIGNED. THE MIRROR COMPASS AND REAR WINDOW WERE ALSO INOPERATIVE. VEHICLE WAS ALSO INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT PRIOR TO FIRE. *TT
THE MIRROR COMPASS IS INOPERATIVE. *JB
ON SEPTEMBER 21, 2000 I HAD MY BUICK LESABRE TO THE DEALER BECAUSE THE REAR WINDOW DEFROSTER DID NOT WORK. THEY REPLACED THE MODULE. THE DEFROSTER THAN WORKED. ON DECEMBER 8, 2000, I WAS ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK. I HAD MY REAR WINDOW DEFROSTER ON, BUT IT HAD SHUT OFF. I NOTICED AN AWFUL SMELL. AS I WAS STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT, I LOOKED AROUND FOR THE SOURCE OF THE SMELL. AS I GLANCED OVER MY SHOULDER, FLAMES WERE BEGINNING TO COME THROUGH THE PANEL BETWEEN THE REAR WINDOW AND THE SIDE WINDOW. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALER AND THEY DETERMINED THAT IT WAS THE REAR WINDOW MODULE THAT HAD CAUSED THE FIRE. THE CAR IS BEING FIXED AND CHECKED OVER BY ANOTHER SERVICE COMPANY. THEY ARE CHECKING OUT THE WIRING TO SEE IF THE DEFECT MIGHT BE SOME WHERE ELSE.
WHEN IT RAINS WINDSHIELD WIPERS DO NOT OPERATE FAST ENOUGH ON HIGH SPEED. NOT ENOUGH VISIBILITY TO OPERATE SAFELY. *AK
WINSHIELD WIPER SWITCH IS UNDER STEERING WHEEL, AND AT NIGHT OR IF IT IS RAINING DRIVER CAN'T SEE BECAUSE THERE IS NO LIGHT UP SWITCH, INDICATING WHERE THE KNOB IS LOCATED SO DRIVER HAS TO TAK EYES OFF THE ROAD TO FIND IT. *AK
INSTRUMENT PANEL GLASS IS CONCAVE INSTEAD OF CONCURVE. HARD TO READ INSTRUMENTS. HAVE A BLIND SPOT ON DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW. CANNOT SEE OTHER VEHICLES WHEN LOOKING OUTSIDE MIRROR. EMERGENCY BUTTON IS NOT VISIBLE TO NAKED EYE. LOCATED UNDER STEERING COLUMN OUT OF SIGHT. *AK
DESIGN OF VEHICLE WHEN FRONT WINDOWS ARE UP AND THE BACK WINDOWS ARE DOWN, VEHICLE EXPERIENCE VIBRATION / SHAKING. *YC
WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOPPED WORKING DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER DUE TO A SHORT IN THE PULSE BOARD. NLM
ENGINE DIED TWICE WITHOUT WARNING AT 25 MILES PER HOUR, DEALER REPLACED SENSOR ON TRANSAXLE THE PROBLEM STILL EXIST. *YC
POWER WINDOWS SWITCH FOR THE RIGHT FRONT WINDOW FAILED. MJS
WHEN HEATER IS ON STRONG ODOR IS PRESENT, CAUSING IRRITATION. *AK
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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