2002 Buick Lesabre recalls and problems

The 2002 Buick Lesabre has 2 recalls and 310 owner complaints on file with NHTSA; the most reported problem area is visibility.

How the 2002 compares

High

Fewest complaintsMost complaints

High complaint count among 7 Lesabre model years — 3rd most.

2recalls

310complaints

15crashes

12fires

18injuries

60,000median miles

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, not verified and not adjusted for sales. Ranking compares this model's own years only.

Does your car have an open recall?
Recalls apply to specific vehicles. Only a VIN lookup on NHTSA's official site shows whether yours is affected and still unrepaired.

Check your VIN →

2 recalls

Air Bags

Aug 9, 2002 · NHTSA campaign 02V222000 · 133,221 vehicles

Problem: Certain passenger, MINI vans, and sport utility vehicles have an air bag inflator on the driver's side that could fracture at a weld during a deployment.

Original NHTSA wording

CERTAIN PASSENGER, MINI VANS, AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES HAVE AN AIR BAG INFLATOR ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE THAT COULD FRACTURE AT A WELD DURING A DEPLOYMENT.

Risk: Pieces of the inflator could strike and injure vehicle occupants and the air bag cushion would not inflate fully, reducing the capability of the bag to protect the driver.

Original NHTSA wording

PIECES OF THE INFLATOR COULD STRIKE AND INJURE VEHICLE OCCUPANTS AND THE AIR BAG CUSHION WOULD NOT INFLATE FULLY, REDUCING THE CAPABILITY OF THE BAG TO PROTECT THE DRIVER.

Remedy & notes

Dealers will inspect, and replace, if necessary, the air bag module assembly on the driver's side. Owner notification began August 15, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Buick at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020, GMC at 1-800-462-8782, Oldsmobile at 1-800-442-6537, or Pontiac at 1-800-762-2737.

Gm recall no. 02032. Also, customers can contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).

Steering

Mar 6, 2002 · NHTSA campaign 02V067000 · 249 vehicles

Problem: Certain passenger vehicles were built with missing or under-torqued steering gear attachment bolts. If a bolt is missing, the driver May notice uneven steering response or unusual noises during turns.

Original NHTSA wording

CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES WERE BUILT WITH MISSING OR UNDER-TORQUED STEERING GEAR ATTACHMENT BOLTS. IF A BOLT IS MISSING, THE DRIVER MAY NOTICE UNEVEN STEERING RESPONSE OR UNUSUAL NOISES DURING TURNS.

Risk: If the left bolt is missing and the right mounting strap fails, steering control is lost and a vehicle crash could result.

Original NHTSA wording

IF THE LEFT BOLT IS MISSING AND THE RIGHT MOUNTING STRAP FAILS, STEERING CONTROL IS LOST AND A VEHICLE CRASH COULD RESULT.

Remedy & notes

Dealers will inspect the vehicles for presence and proper torque of both steering gear bolts. Owner notification began April 5, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Buick at 1-800-521-7300 or Cadillac at 1-800-458-8006.

Customers can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).

Recall text as published by NHTSA and the manufacturer.

What owners complain about

Visibility118

Engine34

Unknown or other11

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA; one complaint can name several areas. Not verified by NHTSA.

Complaints by year filed

NHTSA investigations

ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES

EA02030 · opened Oct 22, 2002 · closed Mar 9, 2004 · led to recall 04V090000

Summary

EA02-030 IS CLOSED WITH GMEA02-030 IS CLOSED WITH GM?S ACTIONS IN 03V-473 AND 04V-090 RECALLING APPROXIMATELY 529,000 MY 1998-99 C- AND H-BODY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH DEFECTIVE FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS.THESE VEHICLES WERE EQUIPPED WITH PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLDS THAT ARE UNABLE TO CONTAIN PRESSURES THAT OCCUR IN SOME BACKFIRE EVENTS AND DEFECTIVE FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS WITH LEAKING DIAPHRAGMS THAT CAN PROVIDE A SOURCE OF FUEL TO PRODUCE A COMBUSTIBLE AIR-FUEL MIXTURE IN THE MANIFOLD.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY ODI THAT NO SAFETY DEFECT EXISTS IN THE VEHICLES THAT ARE NOT INCLUDED IN GM?S RECALLS.ODI WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE INCIDENCE OF MANIFOLD RUPTURES AND RELATED FIRES IN OTHER MY 1995-2002 GM PASSENGER CARS EQUIPPED WITH THE SUBJECT INTAKE MANIFOLD.FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SEE THE ATTACHED CLOSING REPORT.

2002 vs. other Buick Lesabre years

Owner complaints by model year; the darker bar is the 2002. Click a bar to switch year.

Questions

Does the 2002 Buick Lesabre have recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns covering the 2002 Buick Lesabre, the latest from Aug 9, 2002 (air bags). A recall applies to specific vehicles: enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether yours is affected and still open.

What are the most common problems with the 2002 Buick Lesabre?

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA most often mention visibility (118), structure (51), air bags (37). Complaints are consumer reports and are not verified by NHTSA.