Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1999 Buick Lesabre owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
My car is a 1999 Buick la sabre with a 3.8l engine. July/20/2012 my car had 80,000 miles on it when my engine started to miss. When I got it looked at by my friend I was told there was coolant in the cylinders. The engine had problems with the intake plenum leaking coolant, because of the EGR system. He then fixed the car. On November 20, 2014 my engine had 138,000 miles when it overheated on the highway. I found no coolant in the reservoir with coolant in the oil. When my friend looked at my car he said it was the plenum again, but this time the coolant in the oil May have wiped the main bearings. The overheating May have also warped the cylinder heads. He told me at the least there was damage done to the bearings. Being upset I looked online for information to find that this problem is common with that engine. Also that GM didn't acknowledge the problem. …
1999 Buick Lesabre v6 3.8l engine, 82,000 mi. Had been experiencing some surging, no other symptoms. 8/05 drove home, parked car, went out next morning and auto would not start. Towed to dealer service dept. Who found "water in cylinders". Used "stop leak" as temporary repair. 11/05 engine again locked, unable to start. Water in cylinders, water in oil. Contacted Buick customer service who suggested engine replacement or purchase of new vehicle. Independent mechanic informed me of "class action" suit due to faulty manifold intake and other engine defects. Have contacted attorney handling the suit. Suit involves "k" series 3.8l engines, various models and years. For now, I need a new engine. As realtor and mortgage lender, I work through my car!
Tl contact owns a 1999 Buick Lesabre. The contact stated that her vehicle shuts off and fails to restart. However, while driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle shut off and then restarted immediately. Later that same day, the contact stated that the vehicle would not restart for approximately an hour and a half. While idling at a traffic light, the vehicle shut off and took 15 minutes before it restarted. The failure continued to recur intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an electrical mechanic shop, but they could not identify the cause of the failure. The vehicle was also taken to Firestone and repaired; however, the failure recurred. The failure mileage was 55,000 and current mileage was 58,439.
Traveling about 65 - 70 MPH I noticed my speedometer went 'wacky', meaning it went down to 0 - 20 MPH and back up again to the speed I was traveling. Nothing else happened. The next time, maybe a week to a couple weeks later it did I it again, only I heard the doors unlock and it had died. Since then it has been happening more frequently. I have always been able to start it right back up. I can be out on the highway or in town. I usually put it into neutral, start it and keep going. It has happened as many times as 3 times a day, or it won't die for 3-4 days. I did have one especially dangerous situation with a semi-trailer truck behind me on the highway when the vehicle just died.
Tl* - the contact owns a 1999 Buick Lesabre. While driving 65 miles per hour, the contact's check engine and oil warning lights turned on, at which point, the engine stalled. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle and had the vehicle towed. The contact's current mileage is 37,000 miles. Per the contact the NHTSA website sited the incident is a common problem. Per the mechanic, the failure was due to the intake manifold flooding the engine. The contact stated that several components were damaged including the starter, spark plugs, and a gasket. The contact called general motors and was told that the intake manifold had previously been repaired in 2004.
Car was getting harder to start each time- red light (overheating) came on while on a trip- added 4 + qts of water- drove 15 miles- car would not start--added 3 + qts of water--tried several things to try to start--noticed oil level was up-- assumed coolant went into engine- removed 3 front spark plugs--coolant ran out of spark plug openings- car was towed 60 miles- intake manifold (warped), gaskets, & thermostat were replaced- starter replaced due to broken housing (from attempting to start water logged engine)- total expense approx $ 1,000
Consumer stated vehicle had been parked for several days, when the vehicle was finally started the motor cranked slowly as if the battery was low, and then the engine backfired loudly and did not start, fire was detected under the hood, upon examination of the engine, a disclosed failed plastic air intake most likely was the result of the backfire, fire from backfire escaped the ruptured plenum and spread to the rest uf the underhood area and eventually to the passenger area of the vehicle.
While driving the vehicle stalled. The driver pulled over and turned the vehicle off, but was unable to restart it. Vehicle was then towed to the dealership, but the mechanic determined that the problem could not be duplicated. Vehicle would stall while driving at any speed. The fuel pressure regulator was replaced under recall 03054 and the ignition control module was also replace but neither of these repairs corrected the problem.
In approx 2010 my Buick Lesabre had issues starting and would occasionally stop operating during travel. All ignition functions would cease to work. Towed to Buick dealership to resolve and replaced ignition switch. This year a similar action happened where the car would not start. Again at the dealership the ignition switch was replaced. Is this ignition switch issue included in the GM recall?
Simple facts when rear ended the seats on 1999 Buick Lesabre broke back sending in back seat,seat belt nearly killed me , and the jack placed on the right wing flew in the front seat...... Then in 2002 the car caused a major explosion nearly killing me with a flying Buick sign caught on fire the tires .....etc problem ....intake manifold the car only had little mileage and yes was well maintained
NHTSA investigations
Engine compartment fires
Engine complaints in other Lesabre years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 1999 Buick Lesabre?
NHTSA has 73 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 1999 Buick Lesabre, 35% of the model year's 209 complaints. The component named most often is engine › gasoline (38 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Buick Lesabre engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 1999 Buick Lesabre, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1999 Buick Lesabre engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 80,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 10 fires and 1 injury to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.