2002 Buick Lesabre Engine Problems
- Complaints
- 16about this part
- Share
- 5%of 310 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 104,000miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 16 complaints about the engine of the 2002 Buick Lesabre, 5% of the 310 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 104,000 miles. 8 a fire, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“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“Beginning about august of 2015 until now, oct 2015, the engine of my Buick le sabre has begun to stop running while driving. When that occurs I lose my power steering and power brakes. Tonight (oct 7, 2015) it happened four times on the way home. I made it home safely fortunately but I will not drive the car again until it is fixed. Last week I had both a mobile mechanic and an auto shop (purcell) look at it and they can not diagnose the problem. They call it an intermittent defect. …”
NHTSA complaint #10780703, filed 2015-10, 230,711 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“My son was driving the 2002 Buick Lesabre from his apartment (less than a mile) and arrived at school (xavier university-cincinnati, oh). He noticed smoke coming from the hood and then smoke started coming in the cabin. He was able to put the vehicle in park and jump out. The fire department had to be called to douse the fire.”
NHTSA complaint #10661272, filed 2014-11, 36,000 miles“Valve covers are leaking oil right on the exhaust manifold which caused a small fire this engine was recalled in other cars for this problem but not Buick Lesabre”
NHTSA complaint #10787515, filed 2015-11, 100,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 11004761Jun 28, 2024This service bulletin advises of a new fuel injection cleaner kit used for decarbonizing the intake valves to correct conditions of rough idle, Crank no start, extended crank or…
- 10242298Aug 10, 2023This Preliminary information communicates information that will need to be provided to TAC to aid in diagnosing if a vehicle comes in with misfire and DTC Codes P0300 - P0308…
- 10178387Jul 27, 2020This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about finding needle bearings during an oil change. Technician will gain access to the roller…
- 10176326May 21, 2020This Preliminary information communicates information that will need to be provided to TAC to aid in diagnosing if a vehicle comes in with misfire and DTC Codes P0300 - P0308…
- 10176607May 8, 2020This technical bulletin advises of a new fuel injection cleaner kit used for decarbonizing the intake valves to correct conditions of rough idle, Crank no start, extended crank…
- 10167437Oct 14, 2019This Preliminary information communicates to the technician the need to inspect the induction system for potential icing issues in very cold ambient temperatures. To allow the…
- 10160987May 7, 2019This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician to not remove the torque converter bolts and start the engine as this may cause damage to the…
- 10160983May 6, 2019This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about finding needle bearings during an oil change. Technician will gain access to the roller…
- 10144451Aug 8, 2018This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about engine block of possible cylinder bore damage, scoring or out of round as the possible…
- 10129097Jan 25, 2018This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about finding needle bearings during an oil change. Technician will gain access to the roller…
Engine: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 5 | 6% |
| 2004 | 7 | 4% |
| 2003 | 8 | 5% |
| 2002 | 16 | 5% |
| 2001 | 19 | 6% |
| 2000 | 18 | 3% |
| 1999 | 4 | 2% |
| 1998 | 8 | 2% |
| 1997 | 10 | 3% |
| 1996 | 1 | 1% |
| 1995 | 1 | 1% |
| 1994 | 2 | 1% |
| 1993 | 1 | 1% |
Other parts of the 2002 Buick Lesabre
118 complaintsBody and structure
51 complaintsAir bags
37 complaintsElectrical system
24 complaintsBrakes
18 complaintsEngine cooling
18 complaintsSteering
13 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
13 complaintsFuel system
11 complaintsOther or unknown
11 complaintsTires
9 complaintsVehicle speed control
8 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2002 Buick Lesabre
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 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