NHTSA Complaint #10246657 — 1999 BUICK PARK AVENUE

PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD FAILURE OCCURRED ON 1999 BUICK PARK AVENUE WITH APPROXIMATELY 45,000 MILES. COOLANT LEAKED INTO THE ENGINE AND RESULTED IN A MISFIRE CODE IN MULTIPLE CYLINDERS. SYMPTOMS EXPERIENCED BY THE DRIVER WERE A ROUGH IDLE AT START FOR 30 SECONDS, AND THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT WOULD COME ON, SOMETIMES STAYING ON AND SOMETIMES EXTINGUISHING AFTER 15 SECONDS. THE CAR WAS IMMEDIATELY DRIVEN FOR SERVICE. THE DEALER INITIALLY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A COMBINATION OF DIRTY FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM (CLEANED REGULARLY, BUT STILL NEEDED TO BE CLEANED AGAIN TO CONVINCE DEALER TO RULE OUT THIS PROBLEM). WHEN PROBLEM PERSISTED IN CYLINDER #6, THE PROBLEM WAS THEN DIAGNOSED AS A FAULTY FUEL INJECTOR WHICH WAS REPLACED. WHEN THE PROBLEM PERSISTED, IT WAS NOTICED THAT COOLANT HAD GOTTEN INTO CYLINDER #6 IN SMALL AMOUNTS AND CAUSE A MISFIRE. DEALER THEN DIAGNOSED PROBLEM AS THE PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD. WEB SEARCHING REVEALS THAT THIS IS A CHRONIC PROBLEM AS THE DESIGN WAS CHANGED FROM METAL TO PLASTIC. HOWEVER, THERE ARE NO CURRENT RECALLS ON THIS ISSUE. COST TO REPAIR IS APPROXIMATELY $1,700. *TR