NHTSA Complaint #10250976 — 2004 BUICK LESABRE

MY 2004 BUICK LESABRE LIMITED HAD ABOUT 49,000 MILES WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE GAS GAUGE STOPPED WORKING. IT IS MOST OFTEN PEGGED IN THE 6 O'CLOCK POSITION, WHICH ALSO IS AFFECTING THE HEAT GAUGE. I CALLED BUICK, AFTER CONFERRING WITH MY MECHANIC WHO ASSURED ME IT WAS THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER AND NOT THE FUEL SENSOR IN THE TANK. BUICK MADE IT SOUND AS IF THEY WERE GOING TO FIX THE PROBLEM IF I JUMPED THROUGH THEIR HOOPS AND TAKE IT TO A DEALER AND PAY $85.00 TO PUT IT ON THE COMPUTER. THE COMPUTER CONFIRMED THAT IT WAS A MALFUNCTIONING INSTRUMENT CLUSTER, AFTER WAITING A WEEK, BUICK CALLED ME BACK AND SAID THEY WERE NOT GOING TO FIX THE PROBLEM AND THAT IT WAS UP TO ME TO PAY THE OVER $600 TO REPLACE THE CLUSTER. I HAVE NOT DONE SO AS OF YET. NOW THE SPEEDOMETER IS TOTALLY USELESS. THE CAR NOW HAS 52,000 MILES AND ON A RECENT ROAD TRIP, THE GAUGE QUIT WORKING ALL TOGETHER. I CONSIDER IT LUCK THAT I HAVE NOT GOTTEN A TICKET YET. I CAN LIVE WITHOUT A FUEL GAUGE SINCE THE DASH COMPUTER TELLS ME HOW FAR I CAN TRAVEL BEFORE RUNNING OUT OF GAS. I CANNOT, HOWEVER, LIVE WITHOUT A SPEEDOMETER. IT HAS NOW BECOME A SAFETY ISSUE. I KNOW FROM SEARCHING THE WEB, INCLUDING THIS WEB SITE, THAT BUICK IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. I JUST DON'T KNOW WHY THEY ARE SO TOTALLY AGAINST FIXING IT. I ONLY HAVE ONE MORE GAUGE TO GO BEFORE THE DASH IS TOTALLY INOPERABLE AND THAT IS THE TACHOMETER. I HAVE BEEN NOTICING A PULSE IN THAT RECENTLY AS WELL SO I'M SURE ITS JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THAT GOES OUT AS WELL. *TR