The 1998 Buick Lesabre has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 910,873 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 518 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine and engine cooling. Last updated July 5, 2026.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 3800 V6 (L36) ENGINES AND CERTAIN DELPHI FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS, THE REGULATORS HAVE A MUCH HIGHER THAN USUAL RATE OF FUEL LEAKS. A LEAK CAN ALLOW FUEL TO ENTER THE INTAKE MANIFOLD THROUGH A VACUUM LINE. IF THE ENGINE DOES NOT START WHEN CRANKED, THE FUEL FROM THE…
Consequence
THE BACKFIRE CAN RUPTURE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. THE RUPTURE OF THE INTAKE MANIFOLD CAN DISPLACE A FUEL LINE, PULLING AN INJECTOR OUT OF PLACE, AND CAUSING A FUEL LEAK AND POSSIBLE FIRE.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL NEW FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS WITH IMPROVED DIAPHRAGMS. THE RECALL WILL BE CONDUCTED IN PHASED MAILINGS. PHASE 1 BEGAN ON JUNE 30, 2004, AND PHASE 2 BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 30, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-630-6537, OR PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668.
Complaints by component
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
54
1crashes28fires
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE
51
2fires2injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
40
5fires
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
32
2fires
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY
26
1crashes3fires2injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
22
1fires
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
21
1crashes3fires1injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
15
1crashes
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR
14
4fires
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:CARBURETOR SYSTEM
11
Total complaints518
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The contact owns a 1998 buick lesabre. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 04v090000 (fuel system, gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.…”
“The contact owns a 1998 buick lesabre. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 04v090000 (fuel system, gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.…”
“I recently purchased this vehicle used. Upon inspection, I discovered that the brake lines are severely corroded and require replacement. On further inspection, I discovered that the engine cradle, bushings, and fastening hardware are severely corroded as well. The rest of the vehicle is not…”
“I recently purchased this vehicle used. Upon inspection, I discovered that the brake lines are severely corroded and require replacement. On further inspection, I discovered that the engine cradle, bushings, and fastening hardware are severely corroded as well. The rest of the vehicle is not…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1998 buick lesabre. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine cradle was severely corroded and needed to be replaced. The dealer was not…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1998 buick lesabre. The contact stated that the check engine warning indicator illuminated. In addition, once the vehicle reached the odometer mileage of 99,999, it failed. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1998 buick lesabre. The contact stated that the check engine warning indicator illuminated. In addition, once the vehicle reached the odometer mileage of 99,999, it failed. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.”
“The sub frame (sometimes called engine cradle) bushings, retainers, and the sub frame itself wherein they mount, are decayed. Some bushings and retainers are completely missing. Having investigated the requirements for repair, I have found that nearly all gm cars with this mounting system are…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationEA02030 Opened 2002-10-22 · closed 2004-03-09
ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES
EA02-030 IS CLOSED WITH GMEA02-030 IS CLOSED WITH GM?S ACTIONS IN 03V-473 AND 04V-090 RECALLING APPROXIMATELY 529,000 MY 1998-99 C- AND H-BODY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH DEFECTIVE FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS.THESE VEHICLES WERE EQUIPPED WITH PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLDS THAT ARE UNABLE TO CONTAIN PRESSURES THAT OCCUR IN SOME…
InvestigationEA02030 Opened 2002-10-22 · closed 2004-03-09
ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES
EA02-030 IS CLOSED WITH GMEA02-030 IS CLOSED WITH GM?S ACTIONS IN 03V-473 AND 04V-090 RECALLING APPROXIMATELY 529,000 MY 1998-99 C- AND H-BODY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH DEFECTIVE FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS.THESE VEHICLES WERE EQUIPPED WITH PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLDS THAT ARE UNABLE TO CONTAIN PRESSURES THAT OCCUR IN SOME…
InvestigationEA02030 Opened 2002-10-22 · closed 2004-03-09
ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES
EA02-030 IS CLOSED WITH GMEA02-030 IS CLOSED WITH GM?S ACTIONS IN 03V-473 AND 04V-090 RECALLING APPROXIMATELY 529,000 MY 1998-99 C- AND H-BODY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH DEFECTIVE FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS.THESE VEHICLES WERE EQUIPPED WITH PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLDS THAT ARE UNABLE TO CONTAIN PRESSURES THAT OCCUR IN SOME…
InvestigationPE02050 Opened 2002-06-13 · closed 2002-10-22
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1998 Buick Lesabre as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.