1999 Daewoo Leganza Problems

What owners report

Complaints about this model year are dominated by one topic: the camshaft position sensor recall, both the sensor itself and the practical difficulty owners had getting the remedy performed after the brand left the US market. Owners describe a burning smell and smoke under the hood, an engine warning light that stays on, stalling, and repeated sensor or engine work; many say no authorized dealer was available or the part was not provided. Scattered complaints also cover wiring and lighting faults, brake problems, and air bag non-deployment or warning lamps.

1. 1
   Engine cooling

   Camshaft position sensor recall and no dealer to perform it

   • 85 complaints (72%)
   • median 51,274 mi at 6.0 yrs old (26 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2004–2012

   Owners describe receiving a recall notice for the camshaft position sensor and then being unable to get the work done. Complaints say authorized dealers had closed, the customer service number on the letter did not work, parts were on back order, or a dealer refused because the part or lot number did not match the campaign. Some owners report paying for the repair themselves and seeking reimbursement. Most of these complaints were filed in late 2004, with reported mileages from about 35,000 to 113,000 miles.

   Recall 04V357000Recall 04V394000

   What to check: Ask for written proof that the camshaft position sensor campaign was completed, and confirm which sensor part number is fitted. If no paperwork exists, price in a sensor replacement and an inspection of the camshaft cover and sensor wiring.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Consumer received recall 04v357000 concerning cam shaft position sensor from the manufacturer and went to the dealer to have the vehicle serviced. The service manager told consumer that she must pay $107.95 for another part because that was not the part of the recall. Service manager was not going into detail as to why this fee was to be paid.”

   NHTSA complaint #10094478, filed 2004-09, 76,626 miles

   “Consumer received a recall 04v39000 concerning camshaft position sensor. Took vehicle to dealer, and was informed they would not fix the vehicle. Component code camshaft position sensor. The consumer called the manufacturer and was told that there was nothing they could do and that the consumer had to fix it himself. The consumer had the part fixed ta a local repair facility.”

   NHTSA complaint #10115743, filed 2005-04, 41,191 miles
2. 2
   Engine cooling

   Burning smell, smoke and engine warning light

   Mentioned in 12 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe a burning smell under the hood and visible smoke, along with the check engine light staying on. Some owners report the engine shutting down or smoking while driving, and a few say the sensor had melted and took the camshaft cover or wiring with it. Dealers, where one could be found, are described as replacing the sensor or, in some cases, the engine. Reported across a wide mileage range, from roughly 40,000 to over 110,000 miles.

   Recall 04V357000Recall 04V394000

   What to check: With the engine cold, look for melted or discolored plastic at the sensor and camshaft cover, and check the sensor harness for chafing. Have the engine light read and confirm any stored camshaft sensor codes before buying.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The was driving on the highway when all the lights came on and the engine just shut down. The momentum of the vehicle sent the vehicle into the far right lane where there was safety. The consu,er has tried to contact the manufacturer but instead decided to get rid the vehicle. Provide further details.”

   NHTSA complaint #10092239, filed 2004-09, 80,000 miles

   “Consumer received recall 04v357000 concerning cam shaft position sensor. The consumer cannot find a dealership nor contact the number provided on the recall letter for Daewoo customer service. There was a burning smell coming from under the hood and smoke could sometimes be seen, the check engine light appeared, the horn stayed on and would not go off, when the vehicle was started it would idle high then go back down, and the vehicle had run hot.”

   NHTSA complaint #10094696, filed 2004-11, 113,263 miles
3. 3
   Engine cooling

   Stalling, rough running and engine shutoff

   • 7 complaints (6%)
   • median 64,000 mi at 6.0 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2001–2005

   Owners report the vehicle stalling at speed or when coming to a stop, jerking, idling high and then dropping, and sometimes the engine quitting entirely. Complaints describe engine replacement in some cases and timing chain or timing belt failure in others, with dealers unable to identify a fault on some visits. Reported from about 40,000 to 80,000 miles, including several complaints filed in 2001 and 2005.

   Recall 04V357000

   What to check: Ask about the timing belt service history and whether the engine has been replaced. Test drive from cold through a full stop-and-go cycle, and watch for a fluctuating idle or an engine light.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While traveling on highway vehicle suddenly died. Consumer took vehicle to dealer, and dealer stated that timing chain broke. 119 miles later, timing chain broke again in less than 24 hours. Dealer had vehicle for a total of 75 days. Currently, dealer was saying that oil pump cracked. Consuner insisted that there could have been a serious accident. Please provide any further information.”

   NHTSA complaint #897464, filed 2001-10

   “Vehicle was stalling at any speed and when coming to a stop, at least 6 times in a 6 month period. Also, dashboard functions were going haywire; fuel gauge going up and down, lights off and on, and RPM's up and down. Ttok vehicle to dealer who replaced wire harness, vehicle has not stalled since.”

   NHTSA complaint #886888, filed 2001-04
4. 4
   Electrical system

   Intermittent headlights and wiring faults

   • 11 complaints (9%)
   • median 50,274 mi at 5.9 yrs old (4 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2000–2006

   Complaints describe headlights going out while driving, taking the power accessories and horn with them, and dashboard gauges and lights behaving erratically. Some owners report blower and lights cutting out together, a burning-hot ignition key, or a fusebox that kept blowing fuses. Dealers are described as repairing a ground connection, replacing a wiring harness, or replacing the whole headlight assembly when the housing overheated. Reported from the first few years of ownership through older, higher-mileage cars; most complaints do not state mileage.

   What to check: Check that all exterior lights work and that dash gauges, blower and horn operate steadily. Ask whether the underhood ground and wiring harness have been repaired, and look for melted or discolored headlight housings.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Whenever the key is taken out of the ignition the key is burning hot, a sales man at Daewoo of n.dade told me that was normal and there was nothing that can be done. A service advisor at Daewoo of miami told my husband that is a recurring problem and that Daewoo has chosen not to recall the vehicles.”

   NHTSA complaint #750504, filed 2001-08

   “The headlight bulb blew out. This occurred because the headlight assembly overheated and broke. The entire headlight assembly had to be replaced instead of just replacing a bulb. The dealership indicated that this was a common problem with these vehicles.”

   NHTSA complaint #10094510, filed 2004-11, 50,000 miles
5. 5
   Brakes

   Brake and air bag concerns

   • 8 complaints (7%)
   • typically at 3.5 yrs old
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2001–2004

   Owners describe brake pedal pressure loss, locking wheels and rotors that could no longer be resurfaced, and in one case a brake hose recall with no dealer available to perform it. Air bag complaints describe warning lights staying on and, in a collision, air bags that did not deploy. Recall 01V180000 concerns the passenger-side A-pillar head impact requirement. Brake and air bag complaints come from low and moderate mileages, mostly in the first few years of ownership.

   Recall 01V180000

   What to check: Have the brakes inspected for rotor thickness and hose condition, and ask for records of the brake hose campaign. Confirm the air bag warning light goes out after the self-test at startup.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Upon applying light pressure to the brake pedal, it loose all pressure, locking the tires and spinning the vehicle out of control. As result impacted the middle wall that separates oposites lanes. Additional to this incident, the police officer who filled the accident report stated to me that he also was involve in a vehicle collision between his car and another Daewoo Leganza. Also this similar car lost the brakes.”

   NHTSA complaint #761119, filed 2002-04

   “While driving on black ice at 20-30 MPH vehicle skidded into a block of snow and hit a guardrail in which neither driver's side nor passenger's side air bags deployed. Vehicle was an total loss.”

   NHTSA complaint #880115, filed 2001-02

Buying note. This is an orphaned brand, so the practical questions are paperwork and parts: confirm which open recalls were actually completed and that service parts such as the camshaft sensor and brake hoses can still be sourced. Budget for a thorough pre-purchase inspection covering the engine sensor and wiring, brakes, lighting and air bag warning lights, since dealer support is limited.

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.