What breaks most · 1990 to 2006 model years
Buick LeSabre problems by year
Owners have filed 3,608 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Buick LeSabre across model years 1990 to 2006. Three years stand out: 2000 for visibility complaints, 1998 for engine and cooling complaints and 1997 for engine and cooling complaints. The quietest years are 1991, 1990 and 1996.
- Years to check closely: 2000, 1998, 1997
- Fewest complaints: 1991, 1990, 1996
- Complaints on file
- 36081990 to 2006, all trims
- Worst year
- 2000669 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 215227 fires · 218 injuries · 3 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 65kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 21Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | 8 | 1 | Electrical system (12) | |
| 30 | 1 | 1 | Electrical system (10) | |
| 189 | 17 | 2 | Brakes (hydraulic) (63) | |
| 194 | 12 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (69) | |
| 158 | 26 | 0 | Engine and cooling (36) | |
| 178 | 13 | 1 | Air bags (44) | |
| 98 | 8 | 2 | Engine and cooling (18) | |
| 394 | 26 | 2 | Engine and cooling (110) | |
| 400 | 15 | 1 | Engine and cooling (196) | |
| 209 | 19 | 2 | Engine and cooling (69) | |
| 669 | 26 | 5 | Visibility (244) | |
| 328 | 10 | 0 | Visibility (99) | |
| 310 | 15 | 2 | Visibility (115) | |
| 164 | 9 | 1 | Body and structure (57) | |
| 162 | 4 | 0 | Electrical system (66) | |
| 77 | 6 | 0 | Electrical system (25) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (1) |
What fails on the 2000 Buick LeSabre
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 36% |
244 | 1 | Shop visibility parts for the 2000 Buick LeSabre |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 13% |
87 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2000 Buick LeSabre |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 12% |
78 | 1 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2000 Buick LeSabre |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 7% |
47 | 1 | Shop steering parts for the 2000 Buick LeSabre |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 7% |
45 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2000 Buick LeSabre |
| Tires | 5% |
36 | 1 | — |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 5% |
33 | 3 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 2000 Buick LeSabre |
| Air bags | 5% |
31 | 17 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
I have replaced all 4 window regulators twice. I have done research, and it appears many have the same issue. Buick claims to sell "luxury" this is far from luxury and is unsafe! Driving 65mph and the windows just go down....then won't go back up! My car had to sit outside with both back windows down!
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Had anti-freeze in the oil. Plastic intake gasket was broken. I understand this occurs in many 3.8 engines. Had to have new gasket installed at a cost of about $700 dollars. The car is a 1998 buick lasabre.
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This will be 4th time intake manifold gasket is being replaced. By far the worst & most expensive used car ever to own. GM's black eye.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Buick LeSabre years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2000, 1998, 1997 carry the most filings on the Buick LeSabre. The 2000 alone has 669 complaints, led by visibility.
What is the most common Buick LeSabre problem?
On the 2000 model year, the most-reported component is visibility with 244 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Buick LeSabre problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Buick LeSabre complaints that include mileage is about 65,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.