Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | ||||||||||||||||
| 08V118000 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | from 03/01/1999 to 06/30/2000 | V (Vehicle) | 207542 | 04/28/2008 | ODI | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 03/12/2008 | 03/12/2008 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | Gm is recalling 207,542 my 1997-2003 buick regal and pontiac grand prix vehicles equipped with a 3.8l supercharged v-6 engine. these vehicles have higher front rocker cover gasket temperatures, creating the potential for earlier degradation of the front rocker cover gasket and eventual oil seepage. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | Certain underhood fires may be caused by drops of engine oil, from seepage or spillage, being deposited on the exhaust manifold through hard braking. if the manifold is hot enough and the oil runs below the heat shield, it may ignite into a small flame and, in some instances, the fire may spread to the plastic spark plug wire channel and beyond. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Dealers will install a new front (left) rocker cover gasket with an improved design from the original gasket and replace the spark plug wire channel with new retainers. due to parts availability, owner notification letters will be mailed in two phases. the customer letters for the 1997-2000 model year vehicles will be mailed on april 28, 2008. gm will advise as to when the owner letters for the 2001-2003 model year vehicles will be mailed. until sufficient parts become available, gm strongly recommends that owners observe the following important precautions (1) they strongly recommend that owners do not park their vehicle in a garage, car port, or other structure; (2) if owners notice a burning odor, they should have their dealer inspect the vehicle. the dealer will inspect the vehicle without charge; (3) use premium fuel (91 octane or higher) in the vehicle as recommended in the vehicle's owner manual. owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080 or pontiac at 1-800-620-7668, or through their website at http://www.gmownercenter.com . | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Gm recall no. 07035. customers may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov . | |||||||||||||||
| 09V116000 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | V (Vehicle) | 1497516 | 04/09/2009 | ODI | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 04/08/2009 | 04/08/2009 | ||||||||
| Defect Summary | General motors is recalling 1,497,516 my 1997-2003 buick regal, my 1998-2003 chevrolet lumina, monte carlo and impala, my 1998-1999 oldsmobile intrigue, my 1997-2003 pontiac grand prix vehicles equipped with a 3.8l v6 naturally aspirated engine. some of these vehicles have a condition in which drops of engine oil may be deposited on the exhaust manifold through hard braking. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | If the manifold is hot enough and the oil runs below the heat shield, it may ignite into a small flame and may spread to the plastic spark plug wire channel and beyond increasing the risk of an engine compartment fire. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Dealers will remove the spark plug wire retention channel at the front of engine and install two new spark plug wire retainers free of charge. the recall is expected to begin during may 2009. owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, oldsmobile at 1-800-630-6537, and pontiac at 1-800-620-7668 or http://www.pontiac.com or http:www.gmownercenter.com. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Gm recall no. 09047.owners may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov . | |||||||||||||||
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||||
| 03034 | 07/01/2003 | 10003430 | Engine coolant may leak at the upper intake manifold throttle body gasket, or at the upper intake manifold to lower intake manifold to lower intake manifold gasket. this condition may result in a low engine coolant level and higher engine | 10/20/2003 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||||
| 03019 | 07/18/2003 | 10006144 | Engine coolant may leak at the upper intake manifold throttle body gasket, or at the upper intake manifold to lower intake manifold to lower intake manifold gasket. this condition may result in a low engine coolant level and higher engine | 04/22/2004 | |
| 070803 | 07/08/2003 | 10003814 | The vme message is to provide information about a new product field action regarding a customer satisfaction program for an engine coolant leak. the engine coolant may leak at the upper intake manifold throttle body gasket or at the upper | 11/03/2003 | |
| 030601016 | 05/01/2003 | 10002372 | Loss of coolant, milky colored oil. *tt | 08/26/2003 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| 08-06-04-019 | 04/01/2008 | 080604019A | 10024787 | L67 engine oil smell or odor, leak at left or front valve cover (replace valve cover gasket, gromments and spark plug wire retainers for cylinders 1-3-5). *nj updated 7/25/2008 *pe | 05/20/2008 |
| 040601021 | 06/01/2004 | 10012148 | New rear main seal and special tool for installation. *tt | 02/15/2005 | |
| 040602007 | 08/01/2004 | 10011207 | Low engine coolant level indicator always on. *tt | 01/10/2005 | |
| 3180 | 3180A | 10010868 | Dealers may comment on a chuggle, surge, misfire condition. *tt | 12/15/2004 | |
| 040604037 | 06/01/2004 | 10008472 | Check engine light on, diagnostic trouble code (dtc) p0410 set, water in air pump. *tt | 08/02/2004 | |
| 01353 | 01/01/2004 | 01353A | 10007937 | Engine misfire due to injector fretting corrosion. *tt | 07/16/2004 |
| 000604049B | 12/01/2003 | 000604049A | 10005145 | Some vehicles built prior to vin breakpoint 1f136536 may exhibit intermittent malfunction indicator lamp / service engine soon indicator illumination; anti-lock brake system warning light illumination; stall / no start condition; various el | 02/09/2004 |
| 030604030 | 03/01/2007 | 030604030C | 10002166 | Multiple driveability symptoms of long or hard starts, chuggle, rough idle and light or intermittent misfire due to clogged fuel injectors. *tt | 08/14/2003 |
| 010601008A | 05/01/2002 | 010601008 | 634813 | Some owners may comment on a repeat engine oil pan leak. *tt | 10/09/2002 |
| 010601008 | 02/01/2001 | 619177 | Some owners may comment on a repeat engine oil pan leak. *tt | 05/17/2001 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||||
| 020604014 | 03/01/2002 | 632322 | Subject regarding the elimination of the service bay test procedure. *tt | 07/12/2002 | |
| 000605049A | 03/01/2002 | 000604049 | 631274 | Subject regarding various driveability symptoms, malfunction indicator lamp illuminates intermittently, diagnostic trouble codes seat, engine will not start. *slc | 05/21/2002 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | |||||
| 040601017 | 06/01/2004 | 10008471 | New upper intake manifold and gasket kits. *tt | 08/02/2004 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | ||||||
| EA07008 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 06/12/2007 | 05/01/2008 | ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE | 08V118000 | |
| By letter dated march 12, 2008, general motors corp. (gm) has notified the agency that it will conduct a safety recall (identified by nhtsa recall number 08v-118) to address a defect in approximately 207,542 model year (my) 1997-2003 buick regal gs and pontiac grand prix gtp vehicles equipped with the l67 supercharged version of gm's 3800 series ii v6 engine.the recalled regal gs vehicles were built from august 1996 to june 2003 and the grand prix gtp from march 1996 through january 2003.according to gm, oil may escape past the valve cover gasket on the front cylinder bank (cylinders 1-3-5) and deposit onto hot exhaust system components.under certain conditions, it is possible for this oil to ignite a small pilot flame, which may spread to the adjacent plastic spark plug wire channel, the spark plug wires themselves, the plastic engine cover, and other under hood components.reports indicate this most often occurs on higher-mileage vehicles shortly after the vehicle has been driven and then parked.typically, the fire was discovered within 5 to 15 minutes after the vehicle was parked.during this time window, under hood temperatures may become elevated.such elevated temperatures combined with a lack of airflow through the engine compartment may permit a small pilot flame to propagate and ignite other fuel sources.to correct the safety defect, gm will install an improved design front valve cover gasket and spark plug wire retainer.this remedy will be suppliedfree of charge for all recalled vehicles.until sufficient parts become available to repair all of the affected vehicles, gm strongly recommends that owners observe the following important precautions: (1) they strongly recommend that owners do not park their vehicle in a garage, carport, or other structure; (2) if owners notice a burning odor, they should have their dealer inspect the vehicle - the dealer will inspect the vehicle without charge; and (3) use premium fuel (91 octane or higher) in the vehicle as recommended in the vehicle's owner manual.the action taken by gm is sufficient to resolve the issues raised by this investigation.the subject fire incident rate on the c-, g-, and h-platform subject vehicles is low.the agency will continue to monitor this issue and reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.accordingly, this investigation is closed.see document file for additional information regarding this resume. | ||||||
| PE02050 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 06/13/2002 | 10/22/2002 | ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES | ||
| Alleged engine compartment fire during startup.loud pops or backfires before the fire started | ||||||
| EA07008 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 06/12/2007 | 05/01/2008 | ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE | 09V116000 | |
| By letter dated march 12, 2008, general motors corp. (gm) has notified the agency that it will conduct a safety recall (identified by nhtsa recall number 08v-118) to address a defect in approximately 207,542 model year (my) 1997-2003 buick regal gs and pontiac grand prix gtp vehicles equipped with the l67 supercharged version of gm's 3800 series ii v6 engine.the recalled regal gs vehicles were built from august 1996 to june 2003 and the grand prix gtp from march 1996 through january 2003.according to gm, oil may escape past the valve cover gasket on the front cylinder bank (cylinders 1-3-5) and deposit onto hot exhaust system components.under certain conditions, it is possible for this oil to ignite a small pilot flame, which may spread to the adjacent plastic spark plug wire channel, the spark plug wires themselves, the plastic engine cover, and other under hood components.reports indicate this most often occurs on higher-mileage vehicles shortly after the vehicle has been driven and then parked.typically, the fire was discovered within 5 to 15 minutes after the vehicle was parked.during this time window, under hood temperatures may become elevated.such elevated temperatures combined with a lack of airflow through the engine compartment may permit a small pilot flame to propagate and ignite other fuel sources.to correct the safety defect, gm will install an improved design front valve cover gasket and spark plug wire retainer.this remedy will be suppliedfree of charge for all recalled vehicles.until sufficient parts become available to repair all of the affected vehicles, gm strongly recommends that owners observe the following important precautions: (1) they strongly recommend that owners do not park their vehicle in a garage, carport, or other structure; (2) if owners notice a burning odor, they should have their dealer inspect the vehicle - the dealer will inspect the vehicle without charge; and (3) use premium fuel (91 octane or higher) in the vehicle as recommended in the vehicle's owner manual.the action taken by gm is sufficient to resolve the issues raised by this investigation.the subject fire incident rate on the c-, g-, and h-platform subject vehicles is low.the agency will continue to monitor this issue and reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.accordingly, this investigation is closed.see document file for additional information regarding this resume. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 06/12/2011 | 180000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2000 buick regal. the contact stated while the vehicle was driven at approximately 30mph the driver notice smoke releasing from the vents after a few minutes while the vehicle was parked the hood was on fire. the fire department was present. the vehicle was towed to the contact home. the vin information was not available. the failure and the current miles was 180,000. li | |||
| 01/10/2003 | 40000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2000 buick regal. while the contact was driving approximately 55 mph, the engine suddenly stalled with the loss of power steering. there was no prior warning. the engine restarted and the power steering began to function normally. the contact experienced the intermittent failures two years after purchasing the vehicle. the failures would continuously occur. the catalytic converter was replaced twice by the dealer. also, the fuel pump had been replaced by an independent mechanic. the failures persisted after the repairs were performed. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired for the recent failure. the failure mileage was approximately 40,000. the vin was unavailable. js | |||
| 03/27/2010 | 75000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2000 buick regal. the vehicle was started up and a loud bang was heard. a fire erupted under the hood until being put out by an extinguisher. the vehicle was not taken in to be examined. the manufacturer was notified and informed the contact there was nothing they could do about the failure. the failure and current mileages were 75,000. sm. | |||
| 10/25/2009 | 90000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2000 buick regal gs. the vehicles engine caught fire on october 25, 2009 while it was parked. she received a recall notice for the valve cover gasket; yet, when she took the vehicle to the dealer they stated that there might be a risk in repairing the recall and that another part could break. they also quoted her $500.00 to repair the recall; therefore, she did not have the repair done. report# 681666 was filed with the manufacturer. the manufacturer stated that they would send someone to inspect the vehicle. the insurance company declared the vehicle destroyed. the ohio fire dept report information was not available. the vehicle was towed to a local garage. the failure and the current mileages were 90,000. | |||
| 05/27/2009 | 1 | ||
| Consumer is requesting reimbursement for the repair work performed on her 2000 buick regal - safety recall 09047. *nj the consumer received a safety recall letter in the mail. she took the vehicle to the dealer for the recall on may 18, 2009. on may 27, 2009 the vehicle stalled and almost caused an accident. the vehicle started up again after a 5 minute rest. the next day, the vehicle stalled 4 separate times while driving, the last stall took a wait of 20 minutes. the consumer took the vehicle back since the vehicle started stalling after the safety recall was performed. the consumer was told a new ignition switch was needed, but declined the repairs. the consumer went to her personal mechanic to have the vehicle inspected. the mechanic stated the engine wiring and ignition were all ok. the mechanic did find 2 plug wire separators on the front of the engine and spark plug wires were routed wrong, he also found the battery was installed on electrical wires leading to the fuse panel. the mechanic explained to the consumer that the spark plug caps were replaced and re-routed incorrectly, and the spark plug separator wires were all mixed up, which caused the spark plugs to misfire resulting in the vehicle stalling. the consumer is requesting reimbursement on the grounds that the mechanic should have been more careful and did the replacement correctly when performing the recall. *jb | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 1 | ||
| 2000 buick regal was a total loss due to an engine fire. *nj the consumer was informed the vehicle had an oil leak, but when he contacted another repair facility, he was told a thorough inspection had been done and there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. several months later, the consumer needed a smog certificate to register his vehicle, he took the vehicle to the repair shop and left it. a few days later he received a call telling him to come to the shop. when the consumer arrived there were burn marks on the hood of his vehicle. the shop informed him when they performed the smog test a fire broke out under the hood and they stated the vehicle was a total loss. the consumer received a recall notice 1 year after the fire. *jb | |||
| 04/14/2009 | 107000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2000 buick regal. in april of 2009, the contact noticed oil leaks in her vehicle and smelled a burning odor. she took the vehicle to a mechanic, who stated that the valve cover gasket needed to be replaced. in may of 2009, she received a recall notice for nhtsa campaign id number 09v116000. the contact felt that the spark plug remedy would be insufficient because the oil could still leak onto another component and cause a fire. the contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer for the recall repair; however, an appointment was scheduled. the current mileage was 110,023 and failure mileage was approximately 107,000. | |||
| 03/10/2009 | 100000 | 1 | |
| 2000 buick regal stalls while driving my 2000 buick regal has died multiple times in the last week as i was driving. the engine quits in as little as five minutes, but might take longer, and always happens as i am decelerating (foot off the accelerator, applying brake). cranking causes the engine to fire, but not enough to keep running. it might take up to twenty tries to get it running again. en route to my mechanic, driving slowly and gently, the car would not stall. the mechanic road tested the car, and made it stall. initially, error codes p0300, p0463, p1096, p0103 and p0128 were read. the older battery was replaced and the positive cable serviced. the ecm was reprogrammed (cost: $100!), and the regal ran well for a day. shortly thereafter, it began dying as before, and was returned to the shop. since then, it has been in his shop for four days, engine idling with test equipment attached. when it dies, it starts up immediately, and no error codes are present. he is at a loss. *tr | |||
| 03/14/2009 | 1 | ||
| My car is overheating and leaking excessive dexcool from the intake manifold gaskets and coolant elbow. westlund buick gmc, buick, pontiac in seattle, wa has diagnosed the intake manifold gaskets and the coolant elbow have gone bad. a customer service representative at buick customer service has informed me that there is a vin specific recall on this issue. buick customer service has verified my vin is not part of that recall but i feel that my vehicle should be included since it is the same make, model, and year of other vehicles included in the recall. *tr | |||
| 09/25/2007 | 1 | ||
| 2000 buick regal destroyed in a fire. consumer is requesting reimbursement for the cost of replacing the vehicle that was destroyed in the fire. *kb the consumer stated the fire started as a result of oil spilling on the exhaust manifold from the rocker cover gasket. the consumer received a recall notice regarding the problem in april 2008. *jb | |||
| 05/13/2008 | 1 | ||
| This is in regards to: nhtsa action number: ea07008 the recall replaces one of the valve cover gaskets. obviously, when the car is brought in every gm dealer is going to tell you the other gasket is leaking also and should be replaced. i talked with the service manager at my gm dealer and he sees no reason why one side is different than the other. the recall references valve cover gaskets and hot exhaust system components which are on both sides of the engine. after being told that this may cause a fire most people are going to feel compelled to replace both side and wind up spending approximately $250. if there is no risk on the gasket covering cylinders 2-4-6, the recall as well as gm should state that, otherwise they should replace both. *tr | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 1 | ||
| 2000 buick regal recall engine oil fire. consumer received a recall that stated that oil that leaks onto the exhaust manifold could cause a fire. dealer told him they did not know of this recall and it wasn't in there computer. *kb | |||
| 11/21/2007 | 147955 | 1 | 11/09/1999 |
| After driving between events, the vehicle was parked on a slight downhill angle, ignition turned off and left. within approximately ten minutes of the ignition being turned off, a fire started within the engine compartment of the 2000 buick regal gs supercharged. the fire department was called and the put out the fire, but the fire destroyed the engine compartment. *tr | |||
| 08/26/2007 | 26729 | 3 | 08/01/2000 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2000 buick regal. the contact was unable to steer the vehicle and it was towed to the garage. the belt and pump were replaced. the failure recurred and the dealer replaced the steering rack assembly at the cost of $475.57. the third time, the contact noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment. the dealer diagnosed the cause of the failure as an oil leak. they replaced the seal pump and hoses at the cost of $588.98. the current mileage was 41,286 and failure mileage was 26,729. updated 12/12/2007 *bf the dealer stated air bag light on. updated 12/12/07 *tr | |||
| 04/07/2002 | 35000 | 1 | 12/30/1999 |
| While the consumer was driving, he and his wife smelled smoke and then saw flames coming out of the hood. scc | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 11/23/2009 | 170000 | 1 | |
| Engine compartment fire on a 2000 buck regal 3.8l engine. *tr | |||
| 05/10/2008 | 97000 | 1 | |
| A fire broke started under the engine and quickly spread to the top and front seat. my son got out just in time, thank god. the car was totally burned. a month latter we received a recall notice stating a fire could happen. i have been conversing with alot of people and getting no where. i pray you can help me. my son was on his way to college and had everything he owned in the car. we had liability only so we lost it all. thank you*tr | |||
| 10/25/2008 | 117000 | 1 | |
| My son was driving when he noticed smoke from under the hood. he pulled over and flames engulfed the front of the car . it was a total loss. al his belongings were inside as he was moving to college. i received a recall for this matter in the mail. vin # and reason matches my car. i had liability insurance only so i lost everything. i had to pay for the parking lot damage also. my son was not injured thanks to his quick thinking and god. i paid $3000.00 for the car. we still trust g.m. but would like them to address this matter with me. thank you, *tr | |||
| 09/05/2006 | 110000 | 1 | |
| I drove my car to work then home. after being home for about 30 minutes someone was beating on my door telling me my car was on fire. i owned a 2000 buick regal. the engine compartment caught fire. it was a total loss. *tr | |||
| 11/14/2005 | 17 | 2 | 04/10/2004 |
| 1. trac off light / antilock light / chk eng soon light on 2. & 3. note: vehicle was taken to authorized buick dealership (brown & wood - 329 greenville blvd - greenville,nc 27834 (tel.252-355-6080) ..following comments recorded on customer # 7536183 invoice # 152240 dtc c1218 pump motor circuit shorted to voltage. the problem does not always exist. the diagnosis at this time is all ok. nothing checks faulty, but the ebcm is failing at times. also may need a bpmv pack also. quoted . declined . cleared dtc's . i would replace the ebcm first. ( cost for repair quoted approx $2500 which was declined due to further investigation by owner on whether this is a know issue. vehicle has only 64,814 mi.) searched nhtsa site & noted item number 10017271. issue also reported to gm @ 800-762-2737 in which file was opened for business case in effort to resolve with minimum cost to me as the customer. *nm | |||
| 01/19/2005 | 32000 | 08/01/2000 | |
| Persistent oil leakage from engine and subsequent smoke from leakage. the automobile has been taken for servicing the problem five (5) times over the past two (2) years with no solution to problem. *nm | |||
| 10/16/2000 | 3 | 10/01/2000 | |
| Popping/cracking from steering column, loose engine mounts, replaced steering column/knuckle, excess vibration/shudder, popping/cracking noises from steering wheel, undercarriage, suspension... dealer has not resolved. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | |||
| 04/26/2007 | 70280 | 1 | 10/31/2000 |
| Tl* the contact owns a 2000 buick regal. on april 26, 2007 the contact took the car to a ford dealer because the battery failed without warning. the dealer stated that the engine cooling leaked at the manifold gasket and mixed with oil. the current and failure mileages were 70,280.*ak updated 06/06/07. *jb | |||