NHTSA Complaint #10153742 — 2000 BUICK LESABRE

SUSPECTED TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS BEGAN BEFORE THE 36,000 WARRANTY RAN OUT, BUT, SINCE IT COULDN'T BE REPLICATED, I COULDN'T TAKE IT TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. NO PROBLEMS WERE EVER RECOGNIZED BY COMPUTER. THE FIRST TIME WAS WHEN BACKING FROM THE GARAGE, THE CAR LURCHED TO A NEAR STOP AS IF THE BRAKES HAD BEEN APPLIED. I PULLED FORWARD AND WHEN I BACKED UP, NO PROBLEMS WERE ENCOUNTERED. THE NEXT TIME, PROBABLY MONTHS LATER, HAPPENED WHEN MAKING A LEFT TURN OUT OF OUR DRIVEWAY UNDER VERY LITTLE ACCELERATION. IT FELT AS IF SOMETHING HAD BOUND UP, THEN, FREED UP 2 TIMES. NOTHING WAS NOTED AGAIN FOR MONTHS. SINCE NEW, THE CAR HAS NOT SHIFTED INTO OVERDRIVE UNTIL THE CAR REACHES AN ENGINE TEMPERATURE OF APPROXIMATELY 160 DEGREES. THE NEXT TIME I NOTICED A PROBLEM WAS WHEN TURNING RIGHT INTO A PARKING PLACE. THE CAR MADE A SINGLE LURCH, AS IF APPLYING THE BRAKES QUITE HARD, THEN PROCEEDED INTO THE PARKING PLACE. THAT WAS PROBABLY A MONTH AGO. DURING THE LAST 2 WEEKS I THINK I'VE NOTICED A SLIGHT VIBRATION WHEN THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTED INTO OVERDRIVE WHEN COMPLETELY WARMED UP. TWO DAYS AGO WHEN LEAVING A STOP LIGHT WITH TRAFFIC, THE CAR FELT LIKE I HIT A SLICK SPOT FOR A FRACTION OF A SECOND AND CONTINUED ON AS NORMAL. I GOT OUT ONTO A U.S. HWY AND WHEN I GOT UP TO ABOUT 55 MPH, I THINK WHEN THE CAR SHIFTED INTO OVERDRIVE IT DOWNSHIFTED ONCE AND THEN AGAIN, RATHER LIKE THE BRAKES WERE BEING APPLIED. I PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD THEN SLOWLY PICKED UP SPEED AGAIN. IT HAPPENED FOR A SECOND TIME. I SLOWLY DROVE TO THE NEXT EXIT AND AFTER STOPPING, HAD TROUBLE GETTING STARTED UP. FINALLY IT MOVED AS IF IT WERE IN ABOUT 3RD GEAR. AFTER THAT TIME, IT IS IN A FORWARD (3RD GEAR) EVEN WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE UP IN PARK AND WHEN IN NEUTRAL. IT HAS NO REVERSE. THE VEHICLE IS A 2000 LESABRE WITH ONLY 53,000 MILES ON IT. IT'S SUNDAY AND I HAVEN'T TAKEN IT TO SEE WHAT'S WRONG WITH IT YET. I'M VERY UPSET ABOUT IT. *JB