NHTSA Complaint #10098631 — 1998 BUICK PARK AVENUE

I AM SUBMITTING THIS FOR MY FATHER-IN-LAW WHO IS 85 YEARS OLD. THERE IS A DEFECT IN GM 3800 ENGINES (VIN K-RPO L36) AT LEAST FROM 1995 TO 2003. GM IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND REFUSES TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS DEFECT WHICH MAY HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR CAUSING CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENTS. MY FATHER-IN-LAW WAS PASSING ANOTHER CAR AT ABOUT 70 MPH ON A TWO LANE COUNTRY ROAD WHEN THE ENGINE IN HIS 1998 BUICK PARK AVENUE LOCKED-UP. THE DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE WAS SEVERE ENOUGH TO REQUIRE THAT THE ENGINE BE REPLACED. THE LOCAL BUICK DEALER STATED THAT GM IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM WITH THESE ENGINES (IN FACT, IT'S RATHER WELL KNOWN AMONG AUTO MECHANICS), BUT HAS A POLICY OF NOT ASSISTING WITH REPAIRS AND HAS NOT RECALLED THE ENGINES. FORTUNATELY THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT IN THIS CASE, HOWEVER, THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR AN ACCIDENT TO OCCUR ANYTIME AN ENGINE LOCKS UP AT SPEED. I FEEL THAT THESE ENGINES SHOULD BE RECALLED AND MODIFIED/REPAIRED AT GM'S EXPENSE (THERE IS AN AFTER-MARKET KIT AVAILABLE WHICH IS AN INDICATOR OF THE EXTENT OF THE PROBLEM). THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE ENGINES CAN DEVELOP A LEAK NEAR OR UNDER THE THROTTLE BODY AREA OF THE UPPER (PLASTIC) INTAKE MANIFOLD. THE EGR PASSAGE MELTS THE UPPER INTAKE PLENUM WHICH RESULTS IN AN EXTERNAL (IF YOU ARE LUCKY) OR AN INTERNAL WATER LEAK. IF THE LEAK IS INTERNAL, THE ENGINE CAN ALMOST INSTANTLY LOCK-UP CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE AND POTENTIALLY CAUSING A CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENT. MY FATHER-IN-LAW'S CONNECTING RODS WERE BENT. *AK