Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||||
| 990603009A | 02/01/2004 | 040861001 | 10001285 | Floor pan corrosion perforation in battery compartment. *tt update *eh | 04/25/2003 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||||
| 010601007A | 07/01/2001 | 010601007 | 620835 | Experiencing excessive engine coolant consumption, or an engine coolant leak near or under the throttle body area of the upper intake manifold. *tt | 08/31/2001 |
| 010601007 | 09/01/2007 | 010601007C | 619176 | Engine coolant consumption or coolant leak (inspect for material degradation/replace intake manifolds) *tt updated 11/02/07 *nj | 05/17/2001 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| 040601021 | 06/01/2004 | 10012148 | New rear main seal and special tool for installation. *tt | 02/15/2005 | |
| 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 | |
| 990603009 | 10/01/1999 | 6088903 | Conditions with floor pan corrosion perforation in battery compartment. *tt | 01/11/2000 | |
| 776110 | 06/01/1997 | 52573 | Engine oil level indicates over full (replace oil level indicator tube assembly). *tw | 08/21/1997 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||||
| 990605005 | 10/01/1999 | 6088811 | Some vehicles may exhibit a popping type noise heard in the passenger compartment. *tt | 01/08/2000 | |
| 9709016116A | 09/01/1997 | 54327 | Comments of an engine oil leak that appears to originate toward the driver's side of the vehicle; rear of engine. *yc | 03/30/1998 | |
| 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 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 01/01/2006 | 170000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 1997 buick riviera. the contact stated the vehicle was parked when he noticed there was a puddle of oil on the engine due to an oil leak from the valve covers. the contact also stated the vehicle contained the exact same parts addressed in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 08v118000 (engine and engine cooling). the vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. the failure mileage was 170,000. sm. | |||
| 03/17/2008 | 1 | ||
| Gm has recalled 1997-2002 pontiac grand prix and buick regals wit the 3.8 liter supercharged v-6 engines for oil leaking and burning on the exhaust manifold causing some 267 known fires. i have a 1997 buick riviera 3.8 liter supercharged engine which has begun doing the same thing recently. i have not seen the riviera included in any web search but i am sure gm is trying to get by without repairing as many 3.8 supercharged as possible. *tr | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 03/17/2008 | 1 | ||
| Gm has recalled 1997-2002 pontiac grand prix and buick regals wit the 3.8 liter supercharged v-6 engines for oil leaking and burning on the exhaust manifold causing some 267 known fires. i have a 1997 buick riviera 3.8 liter supercharged engine which has begun doing the same thing recently. i have not seen the riviera included in any web search but i am sure gm is trying to get by without repairing as many 3.8 supercharged as possible. *tr | |||
| 09/06/2003 | 1 | 03/25/1998 | |
| As i turned the switch on, the car back fired and then smoke started coming in the car and it was smoking from under the hood. the car was parked in the driveway, i immediately got out. my husband who had heard the back fire from inside the house, opened the hood, and the fire was already blazing. we tried to put the fire out but ended up calling the fire department. the care was completely destroyed. *jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 11/14/2005 | 150000 | 1 | 12/14/1998 |
| Vehicle - 1997 buick riveria 3.8 l supercharged engine -- oil leak from front valve cover gasket -- recall just released for 1997-2003 buick regal and grand prix but left the riveria out of the recall list for the exact same engine --- i replaced the gasket myself (very expensive gasket) - 11/05 -- and feel that gm should at least reimburse me for the gasket ---. *tr | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | |||
| 05/22/2003 | 54000 | 1 | |
| 1997 buick rivera ... driving down highway-hole worn into high pressure freon discharge hose-freon sprayed throughout engine compartment and onto drive belts-belt broke and wrapped around harmonic balancer - broke teeth and crank sensor- engine died immediately-loss of power steering, braking, etc., dead car hard to control - towed to gm dealer - dealer replaced all parts ($900.00) - gm mechanics and service manager all agreed to buick design flaw - steel manifold for freon hoses is formed in such a way to cause freon hoses to rub against each other and eventually wear a hole into freon hose. - i kept part - called dealer to complain- they referred me to buick customer service- they said they could do nothing as no recalls nor service bulletins had been issued on the matter - i asked for information as to how many of these incidents had occurred - or how many of this freon manifold replacements have been sold - or if there had been a redesign to correct this part - they would furnish me with none of this requested information.*ak | |||
| 05/20/2003 | 93773 | 1 | 12/10/2002 |
| 1997 buick riviera with 3800 engine has a plastic intake manifold that degrades and leaks coolant into the engine and causes hydrolock, thereby rendering the vehicle useless. this can happen anywhere at anytime and leave you stranded and is an ongoing problem with this engine type. gm issued a service bulletin on this problem in july of 2001 (tsb 01-06-01-007a) and the dealership service people that i have talked to have indicated that this is a known and ongoing problem with this type of engine. i have contacted the customer assistance folks at gm and i am having no satisfaction with them whatsoever. they claim that the age of the vehicle and the fact that there is no service record on file with a dealer play a big part in how they look at each individual case. i have done some research on this problem and have discovered that this is a larger problem than gm would want to admit to, see website www.gm-v6lemons.com. i feel that a recall should have been issued on this problem and if enough people take their complaints to th nhtsa then maybe something can be done. *la | |||