1997 BUICK LESABRE — Complaint #343303
Open-data reference.
NHTSA Complaint about FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:CARBURETOR SYSTEM filed April 16, 2002
NHTSA complaint #343303 (ODI reference 760595) concerns a 1997 BUICK LESABRE and was filed on April 16, 2002. The owner reports the failure occurred on December 14, 2001. The report was geocoded to Delaware based on the filer's self-reported location. The affected component is categorized as fuel system, gasoline:carburetor system, one of NHTSA's standardized taxonomy codes used to group defect patterns across make, model, and year.
The filer flagged the following severity indicators: crash: no, fire: yes, injuries: 0, fatalities: 0. A complaint that flags a crash, fire, or fatality is escalated on NHTSA's internal review queue and factors more heavily into any Preliminary Evaluation decision on this make and model. Because a VIN was supplied, this complaint is tied to a specific vehicle and not just a model-year cohort.
Individual complaints are consumer-submitted and unverified by NHTSA engineers — the agency's role at this stage is to collect, index, and make them searchable. What matters for federal action is the pattern: when many owners of the same BUICK LESABRE cohort independently describe similar fuel system, gasoline:carburetor system failures, defect investigators have grounds to open a PE and request manufacturer data. Related filings for the same vehicle and component appear below, and the detail page for the full 1997 BUICK LESABRE shows the complete component-level complaint distribution alongside any active investigations or recalls.
Complaint Description
UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE IT BACKFIRED AND BROKE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD INTO SEVERAL PIECES. I FOUND A RECALL INDICATING WHAT HAD HAPPENED DUE TO THE POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE. I GAVE THIS INFO TO THE DEALER AT GAMBACORTA BUICK AT 427 W. SEVENTH ST. NEW CASTLE, DELAWARE 19720 TEL. NO 302 323 3026. THEY DIAGNOSED IT AS A FUEL PRESSURE REGULATOR LEAK CAUSING THE INTAKE TO CRACK. I HAVE PHOTOS SHOWING THE INTAKE MANIFOLD BROKEN IN TWO END TO END ABOUT AN INCH WIDE. THIS SEEMS TO BE MORE THAN A CRACK. WHEN THIS HAPPENED IT WAS AN EXPLOSION. IT WAS VERY LOUD INSIDE THE CAR.*AK REFERENCED IN EA02-030
Complaint Details
| NHTSA Complaint ID | 343303 |
| ODI Number | 760595 |
| Date Filed | April 16, 2002 |
| Failure Date | December 14, 2001 |
| VIN | 1G4HR52K2VH |
Similar FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:CARBURETOR SYSTEM Complaints for 1997 BUICK LESABRE
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE ENGINE WOULD NOT START. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP FOR INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. THERE IS A
THE CONSUMER STATES THAT THE INTAKE MANIFOLD WARPED RESULTING IN A COOLANT LEAK, ALSO RESULTING IN A REPAIR COSTING $655.00. THE CONSUMER STATES THAT GM WOULD NOT ACKNOWLEDGE A MANUFACTURING DEFECT N
CONSUMER HAD PARKED VEHICLE AND IT EXPLODED AS CONSUMER WAS EXITING VEHICLE , ADJUSTER STATED POSSIBLE INTERNAL ENGINE INTAKE MANIFOLD TO BE CAUSE, CLAIM 05-4442-741. *SLC
CONSUMER HAD PARKED VEHICLE AND IT EXPLODED AS CONSUMER WAS EXITING VEHICLE , ADJUSTER STATED POSSIBLE INTERNAL ENGINE INTAKE MANIFOLD TO BE CAUSE, CLAIM 05-4442-741. *SLC
WHILE DRIVING ENGINE CHECK LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON. THIS HAPPENS INTERMITTENTLY. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND HAD VEHICLE REPAIRED, BUT PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. *AK OXYGEN SENSOR FAILED DUE TO ANTIFREEZE I
Source: NHTSA Vehicle Complaints Database. Component taxonomy and severity codes are standardized by NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.