NHTSA Complaint #10221825 — 1999 BUICK LESABRE

WIFE'S 1999 BUICK LESABRE WITH 90,000 MILES ON IT WAS BURNING ANTIFREEZE IN ENGINE. I WAS TOLD BY A CERTIFIED GM MECHANIC TO TRY TIGHTENING THROTTLE BODY MOUNTING NUTS BECAUSE BEING TOO LOOSE WAS A COMMON PROBLEM FROM THE FACTORY. DID THAT 6 MONTHS AGO AND IT SEEMED TO HELP EVEN THOUGH THE MANIFOLD THROTTLE BODY MOUNTING SURFACE WAS WARPED DUE TO THE ENGINE HEAT. OVER THE PAST MONTH THE CAR BECAME INCREASINGLY HARD TO START, BURNED LARGE AMOUNTS OF ANTIFREEZE, AND WOULD STALL INTERMITTENTLY. ON MARCH 13, 2008 I TOOK THE INTAKE MANIFOLD OFF THE ENGINE AND FOUND ANTIFREEZE IN THE INTAKE DUCT GOING TO THE AIR FILTER AND ANTIFREEZE POOLED IN THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. THIS WAS CAUSED BY TWO SEPARATE DEFECTS, THE UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET NOT SEALING PROPERLY TO THE LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD (WAS LEAKING IN TWO DIFFERENT SPOTS) AND THE LEAKING THROTTLE BODY TO INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET (WAS LEAKING COOLANT INTO THE INTAKE DUCT TO AIR FILTER), WHICH WAS CAUSED BY EXCESS HEAT FROM THE EGR PIPE WARPING THE UPPER MANIFOLD. ANOTHER SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH THE UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD WAS THE HEAT FROM THE EGR PIPE ERODED THE MANIFOLD TO A POINT THAT IT WOULD CAUSE LEAKING COOLANT TO ENTER THE INTAKE MANIFOLD IN THE NEAR FUTURE. THIS SEEMS TO ME TO BE A SAFETY CONCERN NOT ONLY FROM A STANDPOINT OF THE CAR STALLING AND BECOMING HARD TO STEER BUT I WORK IN THE OUTDOORS IN REMOTE LOCATIONS IN SUB ZERO WEATHER IN THE WINTER. I AM ALWAYS PREPARED FOR THE POSSIBILITY THAT MY CAR WON'T START AND I WILL HAVE TO WALK MILES TO THE NEAREST PHONE BUT SOMEBODY ELSE MAY NOT BE PREPARED AND IT LOOKS LIKE THIS DEFECT MIGHT BE DANGEROUS IF NOT FIXED. I REPLACED THE UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD AND GASKETS WITH AN AFTERMARKET ONE AND THE CAR IS FINE NOW. *TR