2002 Buick Lesabre Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often report power window failures, where a regulator or motor gives way and the glass drops into the door, sometimes while driving. A second recurring theme is the padded dashboard cover lifting and bowing up near the windshield and steering column. Other reports cover rusted brake lines, oil leaks that smoke on the exhaust manifold, and occasional airbag or steering noise concerns.

1. 1
   Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)

   Power window drops into door (regulator failure)

   • 117 complaints (38%)
   • median 53,000 mi at 6.1 yrs old (89 state mileage)
   • owner-quoted repair $500 (median of 44 quotes)
   • filed 2005–2018

   Owners describe a window, often one that is rarely used, making a pop or bang and then sliding down into the door, sometimes at highway speed. The window cannot be raised with the switch afterwards. Complaints attribute this to the plastic guides and spool inside the regulator assembly, and owners say repair involved replacing the regulator and motor, either at a dealer or an independent shop. Several owners report repeat failures on two, three or four windows in the same car. Reported from very low mileage up to about 150,000 miles, with many reports in the 30,000-90,000 mile range and failures on little-used rear windows.

   What to check: Lower and raise every window, including the rear ones, and listen for pops or slow movement. Ask whether any regulators or motors have already been replaced and keep the receipts.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The power window regulator on my 2002 Buick Lesabre have failed three times. The first was the driver side window which was replaced by the dealer for $550.00. Several days later the passenger side window failed. This was fixed by me after doing some reseach on how to repair this item. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10174278, filed 2006-11, 53,500 miles

   “General motors 2002 Buick Lesabre window motors. I have had the car 5 years and I have replaced 2 window motors. Two were covered by warranty. Two I was forced to replace and now the last window that has not been replaced has failed. There is an obvious problem in the design.”

   NHTSA complaint #10245766, filed 2008-10, 82,000 miles
2. 2
   Body and structure

   Dashboard cover lifting and bowing up

   • 40 complaints (13%)
   • median 75,000 mi at 8.0 yrs old (33 state mileage)
   • owner-quoted repair $350 (median of 8 quotes)
   • filed 2006–2016

   Complaints describe the padded dash cover peeling away from the dash frame and rising behind the steering wheel, then spreading toward the passenger side. Owners say the raised panel can reduce the driver's view of the road and worry that it sits near the passenger airbag area. Some were told by a dealer that sun exposure was a factor; others report no repair or a repair quoted at several hundred to around a thousand dollars. Reported across a wide range, from about 25,000 to over 110,000 miles, and often described as worsening over months.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Look along the base of the windshield and behind the steering wheel for lifting, bubbling or gaps in the dash pad, and press gently on the cover to see whether it is still attached.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “When I bought this car on nov. 1, 2013, the dashboard pad was already buckling. What can be done about this? This car only has 30000 miles on it. I am concerned about the safety of anyone riding in the front seat.”

   NHTSA complaint #10554686, filed 2013-12, 29,757 miles

   “The padded dash has peeled up and away from dash frame in front of the steering wheel. It is continuing to spread (peel up and away from the frame) across the padded dash from left to right, towards the passenger area. It continues to grow in severity, and I am concerned about the passenger airbag, with respects to it deploying without warning, due to the peeling/warping of the dash around it. I have put a dash mat (cover) over the problem for appearance purposes, but even that doesn't hide the growing magnitude of the problem anymore. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10476550, filed 2012-09, 75,000 miles
3. 3
   Engine

   Oil leaks smoking on the exhaust manifold

   • 12 complaints (4%)
   • median 67,375 mi at 11.2 yrs old (10 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2003–2021

   Owners report oil leaking and burning off the engine, producing smoke and a burning smell from under the hood that stops once the engine is shut off. Complaints mention the valve cover and intake manifold area as the source and ask why the same engine in other models was covered by a recall while this car was not. One owner reports a shop finding a failed intake manifold gasket with coolant leaking as well. Reported from roughly 43,000 miles up to about 200,000 miles on higher-mileage cars.

   What to check: Check the engine for oil residue and a burnt smell around the exhaust manifold and valve cover, watch the coolant level, and ask whether gaskets or seals have been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have had issues with my vehicle's oil leaking then burning/smoking off my car. This issue is on my engine's manifold & hasn't been recalled even though the same engine is recalled on other GM models. The engine on my Lesabre is the same 3.8 liter v6 3800 engine that was recalled twice by GM in the past 6 years. My engine had minimal fire in the incidents I experienced but quite a bit of smoke from the area the oil leaks. Once I kill the engine the smoke stops. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10823619, filed 2016-02, 178,000 miles

   “The 2002 Buick Lesabre has the same engine as the 2000 pontiac grand prix, which is covered in the recent recall 15v701. This recall covers oil leaking from the manifold onto the rest of the engine, leading to a risk of fire. The 2002 Buick Lesabre is, however, not officially covered in recall 15v701, even though mine definitely shows all the symptoms of the recall. I have already taken it to the shop once to try to correct the problem. I would like to see the 2002 Buick Lesabre covered under this recall. If not, please outline why. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10807365, filed 2015-11, 43,000 miles

Buying note. Check every power window and the dash pad carefully, since these are the most frequently reported items and repairs add up quickly. Have the brake lines and the engine's leak points inspected before purchase, and confirm any open recalls have been completed.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.