2003 Buick Lesabre Engine Problems

The contact owns a 2003 Buick LeSabre. The contact stated that after his friend drove the vehicle to his residence, there was a burning oil odor detected. The contact opened the hood and there was smoke coming from the engine. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic as a valve cover gasket leak. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was concerned that the failure could lead to an engine compartment fire. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was 136,776.

NHTSA ID

11418796

Incident

May 1, 2021

Mileage

136,776 mi

"DEFECTIVE GASKETS FIRE HAZARD" OIL DRIPPING FROM VALVE COVER CAUGHT FIRE BURNING PLUG WIRES AND 3800 V6 ENGINE SHROUD'. I HAD PARKED THE VEHICLE IN MY DRIVE. I WENT INSIDE HOME FOR 2 MINUTES. I CAME BACK OUTSIDE TO RETRIEVE A SODA WHEN I DISCOVERED SMOKE BILLOWING FROM UNDER HOOD. WHEN I RELEASED HOOD LATCH AND RAISED HOOD FLAMES SHOT OUT DRIVING ME TO THE GROUND. I QUICKLY GOT A WASH BUCKET NEARBY AND WAS ABLE TO PUT OUT FIRE. I DON'T KNOW THE EXTENT OF DAMAGE. I FOUND OUT THAT OVER 1300 GM VEHICLES HAVE CAUGHT FIRE DUE TO THIS PROBLEM. I REPORTED THE INCIDENT TO BUICK AND WAS TOLD A REPRESENTATIVE WOULD CONTACT ME WITHIN 24 HOURS. 2 DAYS PASS NO CALL AND CAR SITS IN DRIVE. I'M LUCKY I CAUGHT IT AS IT COULD HAVE CAUSED A HOUSE FIRE AS WELL.

NHTSA ID

10824589

Incident

Feb 2, 2016

Mileage

184,000 mi

WHEN THE LESABRE WAS RELIABLE; IT WAS RELIABLE. HOWEVER, WHEN ISSUES STARTED TO OCCUR, THEY WERE MASSIVE. AT APPROX 90K MILES THE TRANSMISSION WENT WITH NO WARMING AND WAS INSTANTLY. AFTER THAT THE CAR STILL HAD ISSUES WITH THE DRIVE, TRANSMISSION AND GEARS. THE FUEL PUMP AND INTAKE MANIFOLDS HAVE BEEN REPLACED. AS OF 2014 I CONTINUE TO HAVE ISSUES WITH THIS VEHICLE. IT CURRENTLY RUNS VERY HARD AND WHEN IDLE AND IN TRAFFIC (VERY SCARY) WILL RANDOMLY CUT OFF WITH ZERO WARNING OR EVEN BEGIN TO SMOKE. THERE IS THE CORRECT AMOUNT OF OIL AND ANTIFREEZE. THE CAR WILL RANDOMLY SMOKE AS WELL. I HAVE BEEN TO THE MECHANIC SEVERAL TIMES TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE MAIN ISSUE SO THAT IT CAN BE REPAIRED. THIS IS EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING. ANYONE HAVE ANY SOLUTIONS? I KEEP READING PLENTY OF OWNERS WITH THE SAME ISSUE(S) SO I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT GM/BUICK HAS NOT DONE A RECALL ON PARTS FOR THE ENGINE, TRANSMISSION, ETC. *TR

NHTSA ID

10641358

Incident

Oct 15, 2012

WELL I'VE ALREADY PUT IN ONE COMPLAINT SO HERE'S ANOTHER..NOW I HAVE TO REPLACE ANOTHER VALVE COVER GASKET,,THIS WILL B THE SECOND ONE WITHIN A YR..ITS DRIPPING ALL MY OIL OUT&ACTUALLY CAUGHT FIRE. IM SCARED OF THE CAR NOW..I WAS ALREADY SCARED BECAUSE OF THE DASHBOARD IS FALLING IN OR COMING APART...YALL MIGHT NOT DEAL ITS SERIOUS,, BUT I DO LAST TIME YALL WANTED ME TO PAY FOR BUICK TO LOOK AT MY CAR&I FEEL THAT IS WRONG.. I SERIOUSLY NEED SOMEONE TO GET IN CONTACT WITH ME ABOUT THIS MATTER... *TR

NHTSA ID

10631728

Incident

Sep 1, 2014

WHILE DRIVING ON A 40MPH ROAD, THE ENGINE SPONTANEOUSLY LOST POWER - THE POWER STEERING AND BRAKES ALSO CEASED TO FUNCTION AS A RESULT. THE RADIO AND LIGHTS WERE STILL ON. AFTER GUIDING THE STRICKEN CAR TO A SAFE AREA, I TURNED THE ENGINE BACK ON AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE AS NORMAL. THE ISSUE REPEATED ROUGHLY A WEEK LATER AT LOWER SPEED WHILE GOING OVER A SPEED-HUMP IN A SHOPPING CENTER PARKING LOT. NOTE: THE ISSUE OCCURRED FOLLOWING THE ADDITION OF APARTMENT AND MAIL KEYS TO THE KEYRING. I SEPARATED THE ADDITIONAL KEYS FROM THE CAR'S KEY FOLLOWING THE SECOND INCIDENT. THE ISSUE HAS NOT REPEATED SINCE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10617806

Incident

Jul 14, 2014

Mileage

75,200 mi

INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKETS (BOTH LOWER AND UPPER) HAVE FAILED RESULTING IN COOLANT LOSS. POORLY DESIGNED PLASTIC GASKETS ARE NO LONGER USED BUT THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL AS IT RESULTS IN SAFETY ISSUE IF COOLANT IS COMPLETELY DEPLETED ON THE HIGHWAY RESULTING IN FAILURE OF VEHICLE TO DRIVE DUE TO ENGINE FAILURE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10597592

Incident

Jan 6, 2014

Mileage

76,000 mi

2003 BUICK LESABRE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO ENGINE PROBLEMS. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED THE LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD HAD TO BE REPLACED IN 2009 WITH 50,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. FOUR AND A HALF YEARS LATER, THE LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET WAS LEAKING AGAIN AND HAD TO BE REPLACED.. ALSO, THE LEVEL RIDE COMPRESSOR HAD TO BE REPLACED. *JB

NHTSA ID

10568381

Incident

Aug 27, 2009

FOR THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS, I HAVE HAD A PROBLEM WITH A FAULTY WITH THE GAS CAP. THE ALERT I RECEIVE ON THE CAR STATES THAT THE GAS CAP IS LOOSE, THEN THE ENGINE LIGHT GOES ON. I HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE THOROUGHLY CHECKED OUT BY MY MECHANIC AND HE IS STUMPED AS TO HOW TO FIX THIS. WE HAVE REPLACED THE GAS CAP SEVERAL TIMES, HE HAS PERFORMED NUMEROUS CHECKS TO SEE IF THERE IS A LEAK IN THE GAS TANK OR FUEL LINES, ALL TO NO AVAIL. HE CANNOT DETECT A LEAK. I HAVE SPENT OVER $1000 TRYING TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM REMAINS UNFIXED AND WITH THE ENGINE LIGHT AND FAULT ACTIVE, THIS VEHICLE DOES NOT PASS STATE SMOG. *TR

NHTSA ID

10551380

Incident

Jan 15, 2013

2003 BUICK LESABRE. CONSUMER STATES PROBLEM WITH INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET FAILURE *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED THE INTAKE GASKET DEVELOPED A LEAK, WHICH ALLOWED COOLANT TO GET INTO THE OIL. THE CONSUMER HAD TO REPLACE THE UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET AT 46,333 MILES AND THE LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET AT 71,193 MILES. THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM WAS ALLEGED TO BE AN INCOMPATIBILITY BETWEEN THE GM DEX-COOL COOLANT WHICH WAS INTRODUCED IN 1995 AND THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET MATERIAL WHICH COULD CAUSE THE ENGINE TO OVERHEAT AND/OR SEIZE WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. *JB

NHTSA ID

10404798

Incident

Dec 26, 2007

Mileage

46,333 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 BUICK LESABRE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL SPORADICALLY WITHOUT WARNING WHEN DRIVING AT LEAST 60 MPH. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND A LOCAL INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING BUT NO FAILURE CODES WOULD GENERATE. THE CONTACT REPLACED THE IGNITION KEY BUT IT DID NOT REMEDY THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT HAD CONCERNS THAT THE VEHICLE STALLING IN TRAFFIC COULD CAUSE A MAJOR CRASH AND DID NOT FEEL SAFE OPERATING THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 76,000.

NHTSA ID

10362698

Incident

Oct 11, 2007

Mileage

76,000 mi

UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD LEAKING EXTERNALLY AT 50,400 MILES ON 2003 BUICK LESABRE. SAME OCCURRED ON MY 1997 BUICK LESABRE AT 85,000 MILES. REPLACED UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD AND GASKET WITH AFTER MARKET ASSEMBLY ON 1997 NOW AT 103,000 MILES. 2003 BUICK CURRENTLY AT DEALERS FOR REPAIR PENDING. *JB

NHTSA ID

10186904

Incident

Mar 26, 2007

Mileage

50,400 mi

OCCASIONALLY SMELLED ANTI-FREEZE AFTER CAREFUL INSPECTION COULD NOT DETERMINE WHERE LEAK WAS. HAD TO ADD ANTI-FREEZE ON TWO OCCASIONS. TOOK CAR TO GM DEALERSHIP FOR OIL CHANGE AND WAS TOLD OF THE PROBLEM. HE SHOWED ME THE LEAK AND ADVISED I SHOULD GET IT REPAIRED ASAP. ESTIMATED REPAIR COST AT THIS POINT IS IN EXCESS OF $1,000. IT WAS ALSO ADVISED THAT IF NOT REPAIRED THIS COULD RESULT IN ANTIFREEZE IN THE OIL WHICH WOULD RUIN THE MOTOR. THIS PROBLEM IS RELATED TO THE GASKET THEY USED, WHICH IS PLASTIC AND HAS SINCE BEEN CHANGED. *JB

NHTSA ID

10177623

Incident

Jan 2, 2007

Mileage

56,500 mi

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED ANTIFREEZE WAS LEAKING UNDER THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THE MANIFOLD GASKET WAS REPLACED.

NHTSA ID

10151407

Incident

Dec 15, 2005

Mileage

63,000 mi

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

NHTSA ID

10150103

Incident

Feb 7, 2006

VEHICLE ENGINE COOLANT LEAK. *MR THE PROBLEM HAD BEEN CORRECTED. *SC *JB

NHTSA ID

10079705

Incident

Jun 1, 2004

VEHICLE'S INTAKE MANIFOLD FAILED.*MR CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR PROBLEMS WITH INTAKE MANIFOLD FAILURE ON 2003 BUICK LESABRE. CONSUMER STATED THIS FAILURE OCCURRED WITH HIS 1998 BUICK LESABRE ALSO. *PH *JB

NHTSA ID

10040224