- The problem
- On certain passenger vehicles equipped with 3800 v6 (l36) engines and certain delphi fuel pressure regulators, the regulators have a much higher than usual rate of fuel leaks. A leak can allow fuel to enter the intake manifold through a vacuum line. If the engine does not start when cranked, the fuel from the leaking regulator and a mistimed spark can cause a backfire.
- The risk
- The backfire can rupture the intake manifold. The rupture of the intake manifold can displace a fuel line, pulling an injector out of place, and causing a fuel leak and possible fire.
- The fix
- Dealers will install new fuel pressure regulators with improved diaphragms. The recall will be conducted in phased mailings. Phase 1 began on june 30, 2004, and phase 2 began on september 30, 2004. Owners should contact buick at 1-866-608-8080, oldsmobile at 1-800-630-6537, or pontiac at 1-800-620-7668.
Vehicle safety record
1999 Buick Lesabre Problems, complaints & recalls
Owners have filed 215 complaints about the 1999 Buick Lesabre with NHTSA, most often about the engine & cooling (74) and the fuel system (30). Those complaints describe 19 crashes, 20 fires, 19 injuries and 2 deaths. It is covered by 2 recalls, the latest in February 2004 for the delivery. For comparison, the 1998 has 410 and the 2000 has 680.
NHTSA data checked
FFar more problems than a typical Lesabre year, for its age
#41 most complained-about 1999 vehicle
- Complaints
- 215
- Recalls
- 2
- Crashes
- 19
- Fires
- 20
- Injuries
- 19
- Deaths
- 2
Most common 1999 Buick Lesabre problems
Share of all 215 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.
1999 Buick Lesabre recalls 2
Recall repairs are free. Your dealer fixes them whether or not you bought the car there - check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see if yours is done. What to do
- The problem
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with 4t65e automatic transmissions. These vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of fmvss no. 102, "Transmission shift lever sequence." A retaining clip, which secures the manual valve to the linkage of the transmission detent lever, can become loose under a combination of possible driver shifting maneuvers and allow the link to become disconnected from the manual valve.
- The risk
- If the link disconnects, the driver's indicated prndl state may differ from the hydraulic state of the transmission. If the driver selects 'drive' and the transmission is actually in 'reverse', a vehicle crash could occur.
- The fix
- Dealers will replace the manual valve/link assembly with a replacement manual valve/link kit, featuring a spring-type fastener.
What owners say
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215 complaints about the 1999 Buick Lesabre
Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners. Page 1 of 9.
As I was driving from the gas station I took a left and as I accelerated, the engine started to vibrate. I I had never noticed this before that day. So proceed to take my time carefully back to work. I examined the undercarriage of my 99 lesabre custom and that's where I noticed that the drivers side subframe bushings have all but fell out due to severe rust. Thankfully the passenger side is still firmly attached. Upon further research, this is a common problem with gm cars of this era and the dorman replacement...
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parts are readily available. Had this component failed on both sides the engine and transmission would have fallen out and caused an accident or worse. I am still trying to figure out if this is a recall issue or just a bad choice of vehicle design by gm and their lack of concern for the publics well being. These subframe bushings should have been or should be a viable recall concern today. Thank you for your consideration in this matter.
I was sitting at a red light when my air bag from the steering column deployed in my face. I did not hit anything. It was on or about 1/25/18. About a week prior to this event my horn began to steadily blow inexplicably. I did not have any reason to suspect anything other than a malfunctioning horn so I disconnected the wires to the horn. When the air bag deployed about a week later I concluded the air bag was inflating inside the steering wheel applying pressure to the horn sensor. I took it to the dealer who,...
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after weeks of investigation, concluded they could not do anything to repair it and suggested I call general motors customer assist center. After reviewing pictures, (no one actually physically looked at it) gm decided corrosion to the sensing module caused the problem. I contend they have a defective valve which overtime began leaking gas into the air bag, hence the issue with the blowing horn.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 buick lesabre. While driving various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was able to restart the vehicle 5 -10 minutes later. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the fuel pump was malfunctioning. The fuel pump was replaced. After the fuel pump replacement, a strong fuel odor was detected in the vehicle while driving or parked. The vehicle was taken back to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the fuel ring was causing the fuel...
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odor. The ring was replaced, but the issue persisted. The contact took the vehicle back to the independent mechanic who stated that the fuel tank and fuel neck were the possible cause of the continuing fuel odor, and both parts needed replacement. The contact had the fuel tank and fuel neck replaced, but the fuel odor continued. The manufacturer and the local buick dealer were not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
Vehicle was brought in for a full fuel line replacement. Technician reported that the body and sub-frame are corroded to the extent that the vehicle should not be driven on the road.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 buick lesabre. While driving various speeds, the vehicle stalled and all the warning indicators illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the fuel pump was replaced. After the repair, the failure persisted and a strong fuel odor was present. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 buick lesabre. The contact stated that the air bag deployed independently while the vehicle was parked. The contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the air bag and air bag sensor needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case on the contact's behalf. The approximate failure mileage was 58,000. ....Updated 0711/16 *bf *cn
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 buick lesabre. The contact noticed a fuel odor and observed fuel leakage. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 169,000.
1999 Buick lesabre. Consumer writes in regards to defective ignition switch- anti theft wiring issues. *Smd the consumer stated the ignition switch had to be replaced. An examination revealed that one of the anti-theft wires was broken and the second wire had the protective insulation coating cracked through to the copper wire. It appeared that rotation of the cylinder had chafed over time and compromised the integrity of both wires and the cause the security dash light to illuminate and the vehicle not to start. *Jb
Driving north on avon rd, plainfield in, both air bags deployed for no reason. It blew the drivers hands off the wheel going 45 miles per hour. Did not crash. The passenger has bruises on leg. It happened early evening, still light outside, good weather. No warning what so ever. *Tr
My car is a 1999 buick la sabre with a 3.8L engine. July/20/2012 my car had 80,000 miles on it when my engine started to miss. When I got it looked at by my friend I was told there was coolant in the cylinders. The engine had problems with the intake plenum leaking coolant, because of the egr system. He then fixed the car. On november 20, 2014 my engine had 138,000 miles when it overheated on the highway. I found no coolant in the reservoir with coolant in the oil. When my friend looked at my car he said it was the...
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plenum again, but this time the coolant in the oil may have wiped the main bearings. The overheating may have also warped the cylinder heads. He told me at the least there was damage done to the bearings. Being upset I looked online for information to find that this problem is common with that engine. Also that gm didn't acknowledge the problem. Has gm finally admitted to faulty manufacturing? Even if my car is fixed I no longer feel safe driving it. It may leave me on the road in winter someday with my young son. Or worse, stalling on the highway with loss of power steering. Can someone please help? I am a single mother going to college and money is tight. *Tr
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 buick lesabre. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 mph making a right turn, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle restarted and was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the ignition switch needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 98,927.
Traveling about 65 - 70 mph I noticed my speedometer went 'wacky', meaning it went down to 0 - 20 mph and back up again to the speed I was traveling. Nothing else happened. The next time, maybe a week to a couple weeks later it did I it again, only I heard the doors unlock and it had died. Since then it has been happening more frequently. I have always been able to start it right back up. I can be out on the highway or in town. I usually put it into neutral, start it and keep going. It has happened as many...
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times as 3 times a day, or it won't die for 3-4 days. I did have one especially dangerous situation with a semi-trailer truck behind me on the highway when the vehicle just died. *Tr
Battery went down when clock left on because ignition was loose or faulty. So now I make sure clock is off when I shut it down. Car started up fine - drove it 6 miles - came back out to start it after an hour and nothing-no sound nothing-about 20 minutes later I tried it again and it started right up. There has been a grinding sound n cassette player with no cassette in it at one time. Dash lights lit up while driving so automatically thought there is short in dash board. Second time I put key in and nothing...
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happened-no sound-nothing, when it finally decided to start this time I took to auto zone. First they said battery, but battery is pretty new, then another man said alternator. Got alternator from shop that rebuilds alternators and they don't think it is alternator. Rear defroster doesn't work and for some reason I think short or problem could be here, but not sure. I've driven it many times with dash lights on, knowing that nothing is wrong with car. Oil is good, cooling good, transmission good. It has to be an electrical problem. Alternator belt is not loose. Todate, the problem has not been fixed. I even thought it was key, so got second key and tried it - not the key. *Tr
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 buick lesabre. The contact stated that while having maintenance performed for an oil leak, the technician noticed that the ignition switch cable was fractured causing the security system and electrical system to malfunction. The technician stated that the ignition switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. However, the contact mentioned that after the repairs the vehicle failed to start until after several attempts and in several occasions it stalled while driving. The...
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vehicle was taken back to dealer. The technician stated that the electronic part in the ignition was not communicating with the key. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.
In approx 2010 my buick lesabre had issues starting and would occasionally stop operating during travel. All ignition functions would cease to work. Towed to buick dealership to resolve and replaced ignition switch. This year a similar action happened where the car would not start. Again at the dealership the ignition switch was replaced. Is this ignition switch issue included in the gm recall? *Tr
WIRE IN STEERING COLUMN OPENS. CAR WON'T START. *TR
Re: accident may, 27, 2014, ncic 9245, officer id 17604 the above accident was caused by a mechanical failure of the buick le sabre, 1999, license # [[redacted]]. Not driver error. Leaving highway 193 turning onto hwy 49, (going toward auburn) being a 2 lane narrow winding road, the engine of the above vehicle died, locked up the steering, and had no brakes. I was unable to stop or control the car. This was the first time there was a loss of brakes. In trying to control the car it caused me to veer off the road...
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to the right hand side. Upon leaving the road and crashing the air bags did not deploy. The vehicle has had this problem before verified by witnesses with the exception of the loss of brakes. Passenger in car on trip from fresno to auburn, in march of 2013, (mechanical failure of car engine, died, no steering), this happened twice, on same day. Csaa was called to tow car. Contact: [[redacted]] car being driven by [[redacted]]., (Mechanical failure of car, engine died, no steerage), on hwy 49 and lonestar road. Called csaa. [[redacted]] the engine turning off while driving had happened on other occasions and there was difficulty in the car starting during cold weather. The buick lesabre has had regular service and maintenance. Records of service and repairs can be provided upon request. The ignition keys for the buick had extra keys attached to it. There were 4 additional keys, plus key light. Look forward to your reply. Sincerely, [[redacted]] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.S.C. 552(B)(6) *js
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 buick lesabre. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, a loud noise was heard and white smoke emitted from the engine compartment. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 114,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 buick lesabre. The contact stated that the brake lines were rusted and leaking. The contact was driving 45 mph when the brakes failed. The contact replaced one brake line. The other three were rusted and seeping through. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 122,000. . ..Updated 01-10-14 *bf updated 01/1
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 buick lesabre. The contact stated that the air bags deployed inadvertently once the engine was started. The contact sustained injuries to the head and neck as a result of the failure. The vehicle was inspected by an adjuster sent by the manufacturer, who determined that the failure was caused by the floor mats, which had become saturated and corroded the air bag wiring over a time. The vin was not available. The failure and the current mileage was 100,000. *Tr
The windshield wipers intermittently stop working. Multiple and continuing failures. *Tr
While performing routine maintenance with my son he noticed all the front brake lines were severely rusted and close to failure. This vehicle previously encountered a burst rear brake line on 5-19-09, mileage at that time was 143,304. See nhtsa odi #: 10269462. All metal brake lines from the master cylinder and to/from the abs unit and front wheels were replaced to avoid imminent brake failure. Silently rusting brake lines are a potential for sudden and unexpected brake loss, only giving the driver seconds to react. *Tr
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 buick lesabre. The contact stated that while driving over a pothole at a low speed, the strut housing on the front passenger side failed and the hood popped open. The vehicle was taken to a local garage and the contact was informed that the wheel welding was defective and caused the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileages were 124,156.
The event leading to the incident involved turning on the rear defroster. After turning on the rear defroster I smelt smoke and burnt electronics. The rear window would not defrost. I turned the car off and pulled off the panel near the wire running to the rear windshield and discovered the "power radio amplifier" had melted and caught fire, resulting in burns to the panel and complete loss of radio and rear defroster. This of course made it impossible to defrost the rear windshield. A replacement part was bought and installed by myself (the wiring harnesses and cables needed to be repaired due to severe burning as well). I still own the old burnt part. *Tt
There were no events leading to the failure. The failure was sudden in nature. The failure was the brakes on my car which resulted in a minor (no damage) accident due to lack of stopping power. The brake lines rusted through (pictures available, the lines may still be available) causing nearly complete loss of stopping power. I was able to pull over but did run into shrubbery resulting in minor scratches to the exterior. I had the car brought home and replaced the rusted brakes lines myself with new teflon coated lines to ensure failure would not occur again. *Tt
Buick Lesabre: every year compared
| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 167 | 1 | F |
| 2002 | 322 | 2 | F |
| 2001 | 335 | 0 | F |
| 2000 | 680 | 5 | F |
| 1999 | 215 | 2 | F |
| 1998 | 410 | 1 | F |
| 1997 | 402 | 2 | F |
| 1996 | 101 | 2 | F |
| 1995 | 181 | 1 | F |
1999 Buick Lesabre vs rivals
| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 Buick Lesabre | 215 | 2 | F | |
| 1999 Buick Regal | 252 | 8 | F | Compare |
| 1999 Buick Century | 241 | 5 | F | Compare |
| 1999 Buick Park Avenue | 140 | 3 | F | Compare |
| 1999 Buick Riviera | 6 | 0 | C | Compare |
| 1999 Buick Roadmaster | 1 | 0 | A | Compare |
More sales usually means more complaints, so compare similar vehicles of the same year. The grade compares each vehicle with its own model's other years.
Questions about the 1999 Buick Lesabre
Does the 1999 Buick Lesabre have any recalls?
Yes - NHTSA lists 2 recalls for the 1999 Buick Lesabre: delivery (February 2004); automatic transmission (April 1999). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether yours has been fixed.
What are the most common problems with the 1999 Buick Lesabre?
By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the engine & cooling (74), fuel system (30), electrical system (29).
How many complaints has the 1999 Buick Lesabre had?
215 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on January 6, 1999 and the latest on April 16, 2019. Of these, 19 describe a crash and 20 a fire, and together they report 19 injuries and 2 deaths.
Is the 1999 Buick Lesabre a reliable vehicle?
Its Safety Index is 5 out of 100 (grade F: far more problems than a typical Buick Lesabre year, for its age). The index weighs complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls against how long the vehicle has been on the road, compared with the same model's other years. It is not a measure of every repair - read the complaints and owner experiences, and have any used vehicle inspected before you buy.
Which Buick Lesabre years have the most complaints?
2000 (680), 1998 (410), 1997 (402). See every Buick Lesabre year compared.
What should I do if my 1999 Buick Lesabre has a problem?
If it is a safety problem, stop driving it if it is unsafe and contact your dealer. Report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem - enough reports start investigations and recalls - and share your experience here so other owners know what to look for.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data