Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||||
| 030844005 | 02/01/2003 | 10001112 | Poor radio reception or radio static/ increased interference with rear window defogger on or some rear window defogger grids may be inoperative. *tt | 04/15/2003 | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - MODULE | |||||
| 990604037 | 09/01/1999 | 608390 | Subject on on-board diagnostic (obd) system improvements. *mjs | 11/26/1999 | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING | |||||
| 57 | 07/01/2003 | 10016464 | Wire harness may be stretched, or the pcs may not be oriented in the same position, after installing a service replacement valve body assembly. gm tech link. *tt | 09/13/2005 | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | |||||
| 97IDPD23BLA | 09/01/1999 | 606725 | Subject regarding clusters - replace circuit board. *tt | 06/29/2000 | |
| 97IDPD17BLA | 09/01/1997 | 606393 | Information on the base and gage clusters - circuit board update. *tt | 06/29/2000 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 12/31/2012 | 104000 | ||
| The car went completely dead after stopping at the bank following 25 minutes of driving. there is no power, the key is locked in the ignition, and cannot be jumpstarted by using another car. it can jumpstart with a machine and run for a few minutes, afterwards it instantly dies and locks in place. this happened when i was on a regular street, luckily with no traffic at the time. | |||
| 11/01/2011 | 181000 | ||
| 1. right side cornering lamp is inoperative despite replacing bulb, socket and even entire right side headlamp housing assembly with all new wiring and bulbs in it (not the turn signal because that works and so do all headlight functions i.e. high/low beam). 2. when above issue started car suddenly started shutting off whenever turn signals where used when passing or trying to enter highway on entrance ramp regardless of if we were speeding up or slowing down. it has also happened at a complete stand still while local mechanic was investigating complaint regarding all the above and he is still not able to find the cause. i am afraid to let my family ride in this vehicle and i am afraid it will cost us a fortune trying to figure out what is causing this unsafe issue! | |||
| 11/15/2011 | 1750 | ||
| 4014976022 | |||
| 08/24/2010 | 160000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 1998 buick regal ls. while driving 30 mph approaching a left turn she engaged the left turn signal and the vehicle stalled. she stated she waited 10 seconds and the vehicle started as normal. the contact stated the failure only occurs when slowing down to make turns. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic and he replaced the turn signal assembly. after the turn signal assembly was replaced the failure happen immediately. the vehicle has not been repaired. the vehicle was purchased used four months ago. the failure mileage was 160,000 and the current mileage was 161,000. vwb | |||
| 02/06/2009 | 138000 | 1 | |
| The car stalls out when you put the left turn signal on to turn. all the dash board lights light up and the car stalls. sometimes it doesn't do it but half the time it does. i'm afraid to turn left in fear of being killed because my car stalled. there are no signs of any kind that the car is stalling. it does it the most when your coming to a stop and place the left signal on. please help find a solution to this problem. *tr | |||
| 11/14/2004 | 1 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 1998 buick regal. the contact received a recall notice for nhtsa campaign id number 03v527000 (steering:rack and pinion). she immediately took the vehicle to the dealer for repair. several weeks later, she noticed that the vehicle would spontaneously drift to the left. in addition, the vehicle would sporadically stall while driving various speeds. the dealer stated that she needed to purchase a new vehicle. the current mileage was 180,000 and the failure mileage was unknown. updated 01/14/09. *lj updated 01/15/09. *jb | |||
| 09/22/2008 | 101000 | 1 | |
| Vehicle going dead, would initially (this started about a month ago) restart and run fine until it went dead again. speed does not seem to be a factor, goes dead at highway speeds and when braking to stop at intersections. this is unbelievably dangerous. sometimes the gauges and dash lights will move on their own, sometimes not. four days ago, at a local garage, the car would not re-start. today it started and then went dead (i may be mistaken on this, but the key actually felt like it was heating up) on the way to yet another garage, would not re-start and had to be towed. so far no-one has been able to find a problem. the vehicle has been on a diagnostic computer twice, both times it showed no history and no problem. *tr | |||
| 05/02/2008 | |||
| This car has had numerous problems, noted by many owners. rusted paint over rear wheel wells. i cannot count the number of times i have had to get the turn signals fixed. i had to replace the abs system this spring. now i am told i have a cracked manifold. the heating display on the dashboard has not worked for three years: we manipulate the heat/ air by trial and error. i had a check engine soon light problem that required numerous computer scans, and would only be fixed for a month or two at a time. the window buttons are failing. the car drives well, but how much more money is it reasonable to put into? it has 138, 00 miles, and has been serviced every 3000 miles. it should be good for another 60, 000 miles. after reading the complaints, it seems i will only be washing my money. is the cracked manifold related to the reported fires? | |||
| 12/21/2005 | 121000 | 15 | 12/21/2005 |
| Head lights turn on and off when the blower fan is turned on. the rear window defrost will not operate, and the cruise control is also affected by this. i have had this in the shop several times and several hundred dollars later it is just getting worse. *nm | |||
| 04/05/2006 | 151000 | 1 | 02/28/2003 |
| Parked and turned the vehicle off; was informed approximately 5 minutes later that the vehicle was on fire. the engine was engulfed in flames by that time. fire dept unable to put out the fire with extinguishers, the truck had to be brought in and the car hosed down. was told that it was an electrical fire. the vehicle was totaled by the insurance company. *nm | |||
| 11/07/2005 | 1 | ||
| When using turn signals, all dash lights, headlights go off and engine dies. engine will not restart until turn signal is cancelled. this is an intermittent problem. replacing the turn signal switch assy has not changed the symptoms. *nm | |||
| 06/01/2005 | 48000 | 30 | 10/01/2004 |
| Operation of the turn signal causes the car to stall, affectign the power steering and abs. | |||
| 04/14/2004 | 90000 | 1 | |
| Numerous failures - power windows(same window 2x), heater/ac blower motor, turn signals (same direction 3x), alternator, water pump, engine strut brackets, leaky gasket valve covers. current unresolved problem - failure to start although battery is fine. replaced ignition switch and starter yet still fails regularly. next repair, replace a wire in steering column that contacts the chip in the key???*jb | |||
| 04/11/2004 | 58500 | 1 | 07/07/1998 |
| Not sure of the problem w/ my 98 buick regal gs. it has 59,000 miles on it, and has been in the shop for the past 10 months on a regular basis. have replaced spark plugs, battery, and am now on the 3rd new fuel pump. put over $5,000 into this car. no previous history of problems. i am original owner. it has completely cut off in the middle of driving and has left me stranded 6 times, 3 of those with my 4 year old. these problems started on easter, 2004 and are still continuing to date. *jb | |||
| 02/01/2004 | 3 | 06/18/2002 | |
| This vehicle appears to have a serious electrical problem. the problem started with the left blinker going really fast when depressed (as if going out). then every time you depress the left blinker the electrical on the dash goes off and blinks. the engine shuts off and the steering wheel locks up while driving. luckily everytime it has happened we have not been in an accident, but this could seriously put someone in danger. i don't know if it is related but the electrical on the thermostat control dashboard has gone out as well as some of the electrical on the windows. *ak | |||
| 01/06/2004 | 50000 | 12/29/2000 | |
| Head lights turn off when blower fan is turned on. blower for ac/heater turns off, occasionally will work when turned to high. rear defroster won't work when blower fan is on. monocromatic rear veiw mirror adjustment won't work when blower is on. left rear turn signal not working, bulb is ok. | |||
| 11/17/2003 | 58000 | 1 | |
| While driving and applying the turn signal the engine failed without warning. the cause has yet to be determined. please provide any additional information. *nm | |||
| 03/30/2003 | 92000 | 1 | |
| Headlights turned off during operation at night while driving. listed below is the text of my note to the dealer more fully describing the problem. you may recall after review of your service records that i brought this vehicle to you december 3, 2002 for a faulty blower motor. after diagnosis you phoned and indicated the problem was a resistor, not the motor and during diagnosis you discovered wires under the hood damaged by an animal who had built a nest under the cowling. i authorized repair of both the resistor and the wiring. on january 3, 2003 i returned the vehicle to you for a similar problem, the blower motor would fail intermittently along with the electronically dimmed rearview mirror and the interior dash light would fail to dim when the headlights were turned on. you kept the vehicle until january 7, 2003 but were unable to observe the problem. i have had two instances of this blower failure since but was unable to get to you before the fan and associated problems disappeared. this morning shortly after 5:00 am (in the dark) i headed to the richmond airport. as i was about to pull onto route 54 from our development i decided to turn on the blower to clear moisture from the windows. when i did the headlights extinguished. had this been twenty seconds later i may have wrecked my vehicle and injured or killed my passenger and myself. *nlm | |||
| 04/28/1999 | 2 | 03/01/1998 | |
| Recurring a/c, electrical system, and window vibration problems have not been resolved by the manufacturer, despite numerous attempts. was referred to a buick regional rep, who consistently lied about the fact that buick was aware of these problems in numerous (maybe all) 1998 regals. when that didn't deter me and the truth established, he attempted to use physical threats to get me to back down. that didn't deter me either. bbb arbitration process was a farce. bbb admitted that the vehicle was considered a lemon, but their resolution was to let buick have the car for an additional 30 day period to attempt to repair it. neither the bbb, nor buick followed the bbb's own arbitration rules. buick rep and arbitrator both lied during the arbitration hearing, despite taking an oath at the beginning of the proceedings. these facts have been well documented, and were witnessed by another person who attended the hearing on my behalf. ready to start legal proceedings to protect my rights and obtain a truly fair resolution compensate for these defects. also want to make sure buick doesn't treat other customers the way they have treated me. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | |||
| 07/20/2006 | 53313 | 3 | 01/15/2000 |
| Car completely lost power on 3 separate left-hand turns. had to have the vehicle towed to my mechanic. *jb | |||
| 12/31/2004 | 83150 | 20 | 03/20/2004 |
| Engine failed while driving down the street. it cut off numerous times while trying to get to my destination each time i turned on the turn signals. replaced battery & tested alternator before taking to dealership for repair. they diagnosed ignition switch failure & replaced. no longer have problem with it cutting off but the security light now goes on & off on a regular basis. also sluggish when making left turns.*ak | |||
| 07/12/2000 | 5 | 04/01/2000 | |
| Vehicle has stalled on five occurrences now. each time has been below 20 mph. the last time it stalled, it took approx. 5 attempts to get the vehicle running. each attempt would run then die immediately. this last occured in a major intersection, with me obstructing traffic.*ak | |||
| 06/22/1998 | 7 | 06/19/1998 | |
| When applying gas after making a complete stop, engine will shut itself off,consumer must restart vehicle .this defect could result in an accident. dealer has replaced ignitions module and coil. also crank case sensor. defect is still occurring, dealer cannot duplicate defect. a trade assist has since been accomplished, vehicle repurchased by buick. *ak *ml | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - MODULE | |||
| 06/11/1999 | 2 | ||
| Pcm switch failed causing vehicle to stall in rush hour traffic. nlm | |||
| 06/05/1998 | 1 | 04/30/1998 | |
| Main computer failed. nlm | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - SWITCH | |||
| 12/01/2008 | 62000 | 1 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 1998 buick regal. while driving approximately 15 mph on normal road conditions, the power steering failed when proceeding to make a turn. the contact exerted more effort to turn the steering wheel. the failure occurred intermittently. there were no warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. the authorized dealer was notified. through research, the technician discovered nhtsa campaign id number 03v527000 (steering;rack and pinion). the contact experienced failures identical to the ones mentioned in the recall. the failure and current mileages were 62,000. the abs motor failed which prevented the rear brakes from working and also the ignition switch was faulty which caused the vehicle to stall when using the left turn signal. updated 03/04/09. *jb | |||
| 01/09/2008 | 91000 | 3 | 05/01/2002 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 1998 buick regal. while driving 1-5 mph, the vehicle would constantly stall. in addition, the vehicle stalled while driving in reverse. the contact stated that the vehicle would shut off when the check engine light illuminated. the contact was able to restart the vehicle after it stalled. the failure mileage was 92,900 and current mileage was 92,988. updated 02/15/08. *lj the consumer has experienced other problems with the vehicle such as steering gear failure, which the rack and pinion was replaced. air condition failure, transmission torque converter, which the entire transmission was overhauled. the ignition switch shorted out. the right front window regulator was replaced. updated | |||
| 05/11/2006 | 94000 | 1 | 09/12/1998 |
| Operation of the turn signals cause the car to stall affecting the power steering and abs. this happened while on interstate c-470 at 65 mph while using the turn signal to make a lane change. the steering was almost locked and the brakes were very hard to push. once off the highway the car restarted with no problems. drove straight to the dealership where later, they stated that it was a bad ignition switch. cost to replace this was just over $400.00. *jb | |||
| 04/29/2004 | 33000 | 1 | 04/01/2002 |
| While driving at 25 mph the vehicle stalled when the left turn signal was engaged. the vehicle was restarted, but lost power brakes and steering within 5 seconds. the consumer was able to pull to the side of the road and engage the emergency brakes. following this, the consumer restarted the vehicle and drove home. the vehicle stalled again while the consumer was pulling into the driveway. the vehicle was then towed to a dealership, who indicated that this failure was caused by a bad ignition switch. the ignition switch was replaced. *ak *sc *jb | |||
| 03/03/2004 | 92100 | 2 | 04/30/1998 |
| Intermittently while driving and turning to the right or left vehicle stalled. vehicle was taken to dealer, and dealer could not duplicate or correct the problem. independent repair shop replaced the ignition switch, and vehicle was working fine. *ak vehicle also stalls when slowing down for a complete stop. consumer has to shift vehicle to neutral in order vehicle to restart. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING | |||
| 02/21/2004 | 3 | ||
| One day while driving my wife's 1998 buick regal when i heard a sudden gust of wind noise. i had found out that both of the rear windows had fallen as if they were off track, but these were electric windows. a few weeks later the front driver side window fell as well. i called 3 different buick dealers who all told me that the regulators on my year model have a very bad tendancy to go out. they also informed me that the regulator for each window is $400.00 plus labor. i spoke to buick's customer service who said that they have never received a complaint on this, but i have found countless forums online with many people who have the exact same problem of two or more windows malfunctioning all at one time...this is no coincedence. although it sounds like it's just a few window problems, unfortunately when it rains the windows fall and my wife and daughter have ended up in a very wet car trying to come home. i believe this to be an electrical problem as i have also had the wires in the rearview mirror short out and melt. this has hindered the view from my mirror as well as leaked black goo all over my console. when i told this to buick they didn't see it as a problem. i have one other complaint that the rear seat belts are not properly done. they work and don't work whenever the mood strikes them. this is very disconcerning when i have children to put in the back. *ak | |||
| 10 | |||
| Possible wiring problem, vehicle experiences problems with daytime running lights and blinkers. *slc | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - FRONT UNDERHOOD | |||
| 05/27/2004 | 188000 | 1 | |
| After starting the vehicle, the consumer heard a loud pop noise. the vehicle then caught on fire under the hood. *ak *sc *jb | |||
| 04/22/2001 | 1 | 12/04/1997 | |
| Consumer was traveling about 65mph on highway. he parked vehicle on an overlook. when he came back to vehicle to start his wife stated that she smelled smoke. when starting up vehicle idled roughly, and started going down hill at bottom of hill. also, there smoke and flames erupted from console. he applied brakes and there were no brakes. vehicle went into mechanical brakes, causing him to stop 100 feet. *ak consumer and wife evacuated vehicle after stopping, entire vehicle was engulfed in flames. *jb referenced in ea02-030 | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | |||
| 05/01/1999 | 09/01/1997 | ||
| Moisture has accumulated on inside of headlight lens. console latch broken, repaired by dealer. wiper arms would not remove snow, linkage disconnected, repaired by dealer, then went off windshield, repaired a total of 3 times. half of digital temperature-radio display went dim, repaired by dealer. digital supercharger boost guage intermitently sticks above zero, dealer could not identify problem. *ak | |||