1998 BUICK PARK AVENUE Electrical System Problems

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 BUICK PARK AVENUE. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 1 MPH IN A PARKING LOT WHEN THE HEATER AND REAR DEFROSTER WAS ENGAGED. THE CONTACT THEN SMELLED A BURNING ODOR FROM INSIDE THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED SMALL FLAMES EMITTING FROM THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW PANEL. THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF AND THE FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED AND DISCONNECTED THE DEFROSTER WIRES. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN FROM THE SCENE AND WAS NEITHER DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

Mileage: 140,000

1998 BUICK PARK AVENUE ULTRA SECURITY LIGHT COMES ON. *TS THE MECHANIC STATED THE DOOR MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND THE SECURITY MODULE WAS PROBABLY DEFECTIVE. *JB

Mileage: 30,654

I PURCHASED 1998 BUICK PARK AVENUE, FROM SANDERSON LINCOLN-MERCURY DEALERSHIP, GLENDALE, AZ 85301, ON FEBRUARY 24, 2005. SUBSEQUENTLY, I EXPERIENCED A MECHANICAL BREAK-DOWN ON APRIL 30, 2005. HENCE, I HAVE DISCERNED THAT THERE WERE TWO RECALLS ISSUED ON FEBRUARY 24, 2004, CAMPAIGN NUMBER 04V0900000 AND CAMPAIGN NUMBER 00V17000 ON APRIL 18, 2000. I AM WRITING BECAUSE I HAVE EXPERIENCED BOTH DEFECTS. THE FORMER CAMPAIGN CAUSED ME TO EXPEND $900. FOR REPAIRS FOR A CRACKED MANIFOLD AND THE LATTER WAS RECENTLY EXPERIENCE WHEN THE FRONT SEAT PASSENGER COULD NOT ATTACH THE SAFETY SEAT BELT BECAUSE IT HAD JAMMED. PLEASE ADVISE AS TO WHAT MY RECOURSES SHOULD BE? POWER BUICK, SCOTTSDALE, AZ, NEVER ADVISE ME OF A RECALL THAT IS CONSISTENT WITH THE AUTO'S BREAKDOWN...BUT DID CHARGE ME $887.44 FOR THE REPAIR COSTS. *NM

Mileage: 68,179

MY 1998 BUICK PARK AVENUE WOULDN'T START BECAUSE OF A LINE THAT LEAKED ANTI-FREEZE INTO THE CYLINDERS OF THE ENGINE. AFTER I TOOK IT TO THE MECHANINC AND TALKING WITH A PARTS FOREMAN AT A LOCAL DEALERSHIP I FOUND OUT THAT THIS WAS QUITE COMMON. IF IT IS COMMON WHY ISN'T THERE A RECALL AND WHY AREN'T THE BEING FIXED FREE OF COST TO US OWNERS?

VEHICLE BATTERY FAILED. CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO EXIT THE VEHICLE. DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED AT THIS TIME. *AK THE BATTERY CABLE CAME LOOSE WHILE THE CONSUMER WAS SITTING IN THE VEHICLE. AS A RESULT THE CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO EXIT THE VEHICLE USING THE POWER DOOR LOCKS. THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO EXIT THE VEHICLE BY UNLOCKING THE DOORS MANUALLY. *NM

Mileage: 89,500

VEHICLE'S MANIFOLD IS CRACKED. *MR THE VEHICLE WOULDN'T START AND A NEW BATTERY WAS NEEDED. IT WAS FOUND THAT THE MANIFOLD HAD CRACKED. THE CONSUMER REQUESTED REIMBURSEMENT DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE WARRANTY INSURANCE DENIED COVERAGE. THE CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL LETTER SEVERAL MONTHS AFTER THE PROBLEM OCCURRED. *SC THE STARTED HOUSING WAS ALSO CRACKED. THE CONSUMER HAS SINCE TRADED THE VEHICLE. *JB

1998 BUICK PARK AVENUE ALTERNATOR BEARING FREEZING UP.*MR WHILE DRIVING THE ALTERNATOR BEARING LOCK UP AND THE DRIVE BELT BROKE. THE DRIVER TEMPORARILY LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE BUT WAS ABLE TO REGAIN CONTROL. *NM

DRIVER STARTED THE VEHICLE AND HEARD A LOUD BANG. VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE UNDER THE HOOD. FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. *AK

Mileage: 48,000

CONSUMER REPORTED TO THE FIRE INVESTIGATOR, TOM SCHAEFER, THAT WHEN TRYING TO START VEHICLE AFTER SITTING ALL NIGHT HEARD A LOUD THUMP, AND THEN ALL OF THE LIGHTS ON THE DASH WENT OUT. SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. A FIRE STARTED IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. MR. SCHAEFER SAID THAT THE CONSUMER USED THE WORD THUMP NOT BANG TO DESCRIBE THE INITIAL INCIDENT. *AK

Mileage: 18,000

THERE WAS AN EXPLOSION UNDER HOOD. THIS OCCURRED WHEN KEY WAS TURNED IN THE IGNITION TO START THE VEHICLE. THE FIRE INSPECTOR WAS UNABLE TO LOCATE THE CAUSE OF THE EXPLOSION BECAUSE THE UNDER HOOD COMPONENTS WERE MELTED TOGETHER.*AK

Mileage: 60,000

VEHICLE PROBLEMS WITH START UP/ VEHICLE FIRE IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT. *MR THE BATTERY HAD GONE DEAD OVERNIGHT. (PRIOR TO THE DAY OF THE INCIDENT, THE BATTERY APPEARED TO BE CHARGED) THE ENGINE EXPLODED AS SOON AS THE KEY WAS TURNED ON. THERE WAS SLIPPAGE IN THE TRANSMISSION. THE INTAKE PLENTIUM, FUEL RAIL, THE IGNITION WIRES, 2 INJECTORS, ENGINE COVER SHIELD, OIL FILLER CAP, MAP SENSOR, PCV COVER, AND THE BATTERY ALL WERE REPLACED. *SCC *JB

THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED WHILE IN THE GARAGE WHEN WITHOUT WARNING THE VEHICLE "EXPLODED" UNDERNEATH THE HOOD. THE DEALER INDICATED THAT THE INTAKE MANIFOLD FRACTURED AND RESULTED IN THE FUEL RAIL BENDING. ONE OF THE FUEL LINE HOLDING CLIPS ALSO WAS BROKE. *NLM THE VEHICLE WOULD CRANK BUT WOULD NOT START. THE BATTERY HAD RUN DEAD AND WAS CHARGED, THE FUEL PRESSURE WAS CHECKED, THE ENGINE BACKFIRED AND HAD BLOWN THE INTAKE GASKET. THE INTAKE GASKET WAS REPLACED, THE SPARK PLUGS WERE REMOVED, THE CYLINDERS WERE BLOWN OUT, THE FUEL RAIL WAS STRAIGHTENED, THE LEAKING FUEL PRESSURE REGULATOR, AND FUEL FEED LINE/FUEL RAIL TO FUEL FILTER WAS REPLACED. BUICK DIVISION OF GM AGREED TO COVER 50 PERCENT OF THE REPAIR COST. SCC

Mileage: 42,496

WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING STARTED THE ENGINE CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS DEEMED TOTALED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY. THE INSURANCE COMPANY STATED THAT THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE WAS UNKNOWN BUT COULD HAVE BEEN EITHER ELECTRICAL OR FUEL RELATED. *NLM

WHEN CONSUMER TURNED THE KEYS IN THE IGNITION, THERE WAS A POPPING NOISE, THEN VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE DETAILS. MR

CONSUMER STATED THAT AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PARK THE VEHICLE BATTERY FELL FROM ITS POST. DEALER NOTIFIED. TS

UPON START-UP ATTEMPT - LOUD CLICKING NOISES, ALL INSTRUMENT GAUGES PEG , DIC RESETS ALL COUNTERS TO ZERO, DIC DISPLAYS "DRIVER UNKNOWN" WARNING - CAR STARTS. THIS CAN NOT BE A GOOD THING!*AK

ENGINE WOULD NOT START. CAR HAD TO BE TOWED TO DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR. R&R UPPER INTAKE, CLEAN WATER OF OF INTAKE, REPLACE PLUGS, MANIFOLD, COOLANT. OWNER NOTICED A DECREASE IN POWER WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAY AT 70MPH. EXITED INTERSTATE AND DROVE HOME (APROX. 1/4 MILE OR LESS). VEHICLE PARKED IN OWNER'S GARAGE. OWNER TRIED TO RESTART CAR AND ENGINE WOULD NOT TURN OVER.*AK

THE SEAT MATERIAL IS COLLAPSING, CONSUMER BELIEVES THIS PROBLEM TO BE A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN BECAUSE THE SEATS ARE CONNECTED TO THE SEAT BELT, WHICH ALSO AFFECT THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM CAUSING THE SEATS TO MOVE INTO ANOTHER POSITION, DISREGARDING PROGRAMMED SETTINGS, WHICH CAUSES THE MIRRORS TO CHANGE THEIR PRE-PROGRAMMED POSITION WHILE DRIVING, CONSUMER FEELS SHE HAS BEEN GETTING THE RUN AROUND FOR THE PAST SIX MONTHS.*JB EXAMPLES OF ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS INCLUDE: DOORS DO NOT LOCK, WINDOWS GET STUCK. *SLC CONSUMER STATES THAT THE SEATBELT WOULD NOT MOVE FROM ITS STANDARD POSITION. *SLC

RIGHT AFTER PUTTING THE KEY IN THE IGNITION, THERE WAS A LOUD NOISE AND THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE, FIRE WAS PUT OUT WITH AN EXTINGUISHER. *CJ

WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 55 MPH WHEN VEHICLE LOST ELECTRICAL POWER AND THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT A WARNING. CONSUMER PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, THEN RESTARTED THE VEHICLE. *AK *ML

THE ALTERNATOR FAILED. YH

THE BATTERY DIED. YH

WHEN APPLYING BRAKES ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM SHUT OFF. THERE WAS NO STEERING OR BRAKES, ETC. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALERSHIP TWICE FOR THIS PROBLEM. DEALERSHIP WAS NOT ABLE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK *ML

WHILE DRIVING AT 60 MPH, DRIVER JUST BARELY TOUCHED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND VEHICLE WENT DEAD. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. DEALER STATED THAT A FAULTY CELL IN THE BATTERY CAUSED THE PROBLEM. *AK *ML

WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 25-35MPH VEHICLE WOULD STALL OUT. WOULD HAVE NO PRIOR WARNING. NEARLY REARENDED. NEED TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL TO RESTART. AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. TOOK TO DEALERSHIP & MECHANIC PLACED A MONITOR ON VEHICLE. NOTHING HAPPENED. WAS ROAD TESTED & BATTERY DIED. FOUND A SHORT IN BATTERY & IT WAS CHANGED. THE VEHICLE FINALLY STALLED AGAIN WHILE AT STOP LIGHT.*AK

COMPUTER MODULE FAILED, AND THE MODULE HAS BEEN REPLACED 3 TIMES.ALSO, ABS CONSTANTLY BECOMES DEFECTIVE. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

ENGINE WON'T CRANK DUE TO STRIPPED WIRE UNDER DRIVER'S SEAT. YH

ELECTRICAL FAILURE CAUSED SEAT,CLOCK,RADIO AND AUTO LOCKS TO FAIL. YH

VEHICLE FAILED TO START AFTER SITTING IDLE FOR SIX DAYS.