1996 Buick Lesabre Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 6about this part
- Share
- 6%of 98 total for the year
- Median mileage
- —not reported
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 6 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 1996 Buick Lesabre, 6% of the 98 complaints for this model year.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I was driving back home from a friends house and had the car parked in my drive way and it was left running and it was in park then I went out to leave and the car was running for about 3 min sitting there and I put it into reverse and it would not move no matter what so I tried all the gears it wouldn't work so I shut off the car let it sit for about 5 min and started it up then put it into reverse again and it did then I drove about 50-100 ft and it felt like it was slipping and then just the other day I went out to start it and it was still in park and it sounds like a powersteering pump…”
NHTSA complaint #10296923, filed 2009-12“I had a previous transmission failure on this car in 1996, after about 12,000 miles. Transmission was replaced under warranty. Current failure occured as I was starting to go up a steep grade. Car shuddered, and engine reved without any increase in speed. There was loss of drive connection between engine and wheels. I downshifted to lower gear manually, and managed to keep car moving forward. After reaching top of grade, I resumed driving in high gear. As I would start on slight upgrades, or try to accelerate speed, engine would rev temporarily without acceleration of car. …”
NHTSA complaint #734824, filed 2000-10Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 8 | 10% |
| 2004 | 12 | 7% |
| 2003 | 18 | 11% |
| 2002 | 13 | 4% |
| 2001 | 31 | 9% |
| 2000 | 24 | 4% |
| 1999 | 15 | 7% |
| 1998 | 20 | 5% |
| 1997 | 33 | 8% |
| 1996 | 6 | 6% |
| 1995 | 8 | 4% |
| 1994 | 4 | 3% |
| 1993 | 33 | 17% |
| 1992 | 20 | 11% |
| 1991 | 2 | 7% |
| 1990 | 2 | 4% |
| 1989 | 2 | 7% |
| 1987 | 2 | 5% |
| 1986 | 1 | 6% |
Other parts of the 1996 Buick Lesabre
18 complaintsElectrical system
14 complaintsBrakes
13 complaintsAir bags
8 complaintsFuel system
7 complaintsBody and structure
6 complaintsVehicle speed control
6 complaintsSuspension
5 complaintsSteering
4 complaintsTires
4 complaintsEquipment
3 complaintsExterior lighting
3 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1996 Buick Lesabre
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology