Buick Lesabre Reliability
4,860 NHTSA complaints (1982–2006). Complaint rate: 3449.3 per 1,000 vehicles.
Which Years to Buy & Avoid
Years auto-clustered by complaint volume relative to this model's median.
Bottom line: Avoid the 2000–2002 Buick Lesabre (63 crash-related complaints). The 2005–2006 models had significantly fewer reported issues. Most common issue across all years: VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS.
Avoid These Years
Average
Better Years
A model's reputation is just the start.
Even within the “good” years, individual cars can have hidden accidents, title issues, or odometer rollbacks. Check the actual VIN before you buy — full history report for $4.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).
Complaints by Model Year
NHTSA complaint count per model year
Common Buick Lesabre Problems
Most reported component complaints to NHTSA
| Component | Complaints | Crash % |
|---|---|---|
| VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS | 385 | 0.3% |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 253 | 1.2% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 186 | 1.1% |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | 183 | 13.7% |
| AIR BAGS | 153 | 19.6% |
| STRUCTURE | 144 | 1.4% |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 139 | 1.4% |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 137 | 0.7% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 121 | 3.3% |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 119 | 0.8% |
Year-by-Year Breakdown
NHTSA complaint count per model year — click any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
| Year | Generation | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984GOOD | — | 7 | 0 | 4 | View 1984View→ |
| 1985GOOD | — | 6 | 0 | — | View 1985View→ |
| 1986GOOD | — | 20 | 1 | — | View 1986View→ |
| 1987GOOD | — | 53 | 4 | 2 | View 1987View→ |
| 1988GOOD | — | 22 | 0 | — | View 1988View→ |
| 1989GOOD | — | 35 | 2 | 2 | View 1989View→ |
| 1990GOOD | — | 75 | 8 | — | View 1990View→ |
| 1991GOOD | — | 46 | 1 | 3 | View 1991View→ |
| 1992 | — | 245 | 18 | 26 | View 1992View→ |
| 1993 | — | 264 | 14 | 27 | View 1993View→ |
| 1994 | — | 220 | 38 | 6 | View 1994View→ |
| 1995 | — | 235 | 18 | 3 | View 1995View→ |
| 1996GOOD | — | 121 | 10 | — | View 1996View→ |
| 1997AVOID | — | 514 | 30 | 49 | View 1997View→ |
| 1998AVOID | — | 518 | 20 | 64 | View 1998View→ |
| 1999 | — | 268 | 26 | 36 | View 1999View→ |
| 2000AVOID | — | 849 | 33 | 43 | View 2000View→ |
| 2001AVOID | — | 460 | 13 | 25 | View 2001View→ |
| 2002AVOID | — | 380 | 17 | 16 | View 2002View→ |
| 2003 | — | 209 | 12 | 5 | View 2003View→ |
| 2004 | — | 212 | 4 | 6 | View 2004View→ |
| 2005GOOD | — | 95 | 9 | 3 | View 2005View→ |
| 2006GOOD | — | 4 | 0 | — | View 2006View→ |
See also: Buick Lesabreaccident & safety statistics from our vehicle history database.
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