1997 BUICK LESABRE — Complaint #385333
Open-data reference.
NHTSA Complaint about FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:CARBURETOR SYSTEM filed December 11, 2002
NHTSA complaint #385333 (ODI reference 568298) concerns a 1997 BUICK LESABRE and was filed on December 11, 2002. The report was geocoded to New Jersey 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: no, injuries: 0, fatalities: 0. No crash, fire, or fatality was associated with this report, which places it in the early-warning stream rather than the priority-review stream. No VIN was supplied by the filer, so this complaint contributes to model-year trend data but cannot be tied to a specific vehicle.
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
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 NOR OFFER FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE BECAUSE THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY. THE CONSUMER ELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROMOTION OF THE PETITION AND IS SIGNEE #570, BASED UPON THE FAILURE OF THE INTAKE MANIFOLD IN THIS VEHICLE, AS WELL AS THE HIGH INCIDENCE OF FAILURE REPORTED BY OTHER GM CONSUMERS. DUE TO THE NATURE OF THE FAILURE, THERE APPEARS TO BE A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SAFETY HAZARD WHICH MAY IMPACT THE GENERAL POPULATION. THE CONSUMER ATTACHED A COPY OF THE WARRANTY AND OWNERS ASSISTANCE MANUAL WHICH STATES THAT THE INTAKE MANIFOLD IS GUARANTEED 7 YEARS OR 70K MILES IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DUE TO THE EMISSIONS STANDARDS IN THAT STATE. THE CONSUMER ADDS THAT; TO HIS BELIEF THAT BY THE VIRTUE OF THIS STATEMENT, THAT GM HAS DEFINED THE PROJECTED LIFE OF THIS VEHICLE PART REGARDL
Complaint Details
| NHTSA Complaint ID | 385333 |
| ODI Number | 568298 |
| Date Filed | December 11, 2002 |
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
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
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 DE
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.