The 2002 Buick Lesabre has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 133,470 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 380 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the visibility. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
AIR BAGS02V2220002002-08-09133,221 affected
Defect
CERTAIN PASSENGER, MINI VANS, AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES HAVE AN AIR BAG INFLATOR ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE THAT COULD FRACTURE AT A WELD DURING A DEPLOYMENT.
Consequence
PIECES OF THE INFLATOR COULD STRIKE AND INJURE VEHICLE OCCUPANTS AND THE AIR BAG CUSHION WOULD NOT INFLATE FULLY, REDUCING THE CAPABILITY OF THE BAG TO PROTECT THE DRIVER.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT, AND REPLACE, IF NECESSARY, THE AIR BAG MODULE ASSEMBLY ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN AUGUST 15, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT BUICK AT…
STEERING02V0670002002-03-06249 affected
Defect
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES WERE BUILT WITH MISSING OR UNDER-TORQUED STEERING GEAR ATTACHMENT BOLTS. IF A BOLT IS MISSING, THE DRIVER MAY NOTICE UNEVEN STEERING RESPONSE OR UNUSUAL NOISES DURING TURNS.
Consequence
IF THE LEFT BOLT IS MISSING AND THE RIGHT MOUNTING STRAP FAILS, STEERING CONTROL IS LOST AND A VEHICLE CRASH COULD RESULT.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE VEHICLES FOR PRESENCE AND PROPER TORQUE OF BOTH STEERING GEAR BOLTS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN APRIL 5, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT BUICK AT…
Complaints by component
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
82
STRUCTURE
33
AIR BAGS
26
5crashes2injuries
VISIBILITY
21
ENGINE
16
8fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
11
1fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
11
STRUCTURE:BODY
10
1fires
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
9
4crashes4injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
9
1fires
Total complaints380
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The frame of my car fell out while I was driving on a high way after I had already reported the problem and had been denied services to get it fixed.”
“The frame of my car fell out while I was driving on a high way after I had already reported the problem and had been denied services to get it fixed.”
“The frame of my car fell out while I was driving on a high way after I had already reported the problem and had been denied services to get it fixed.”
“When I was getting ready to stop, I took my foot off of the gas pedal and was moving my foot over to the brake, the car suddenly speed up; I had to step on the brake extra hard to stop it. This has happened to me more than once. It doesn't happen all the time. I had one parking lot accident…”
“In a small town, approaching a stop sign at the highway crossroad with 2-3 vehicles in front of me. I removed my foot from the accelerator and started braking. The engine immediately revved, I moved my foot to try to raise the accelerator and it was all the way to the floor; it would not raise. I…”
“The heated seated on the front driver seat is burning a hole through the seat.”
“Cpsc: the heated seat in my vehicle has burned a hole through the seat.*dt the consumer stated the manufacturer was notified but, did not offer any assistance. *js”
“Was driving and as I pulled to redlight vehicle smelled of gas but burst into flames from the motor”
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…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2002 Buick Lesabre as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.