Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2002 Buick LeSabre, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Visibility115
- Structure51
- Air bags37
- Electrical system24
- Engine and engine cooling18
- Engine16
- Power train13
- Steering13
- Service brakes, hydraulic13
- Unknown or other11
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 18 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 55 2002 LeSabre vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 47 people died inside them, and 5 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2002 Buick LeSabre failed the safety check 2.84% of the time — 42% more often than the average 2002 passenger car (2.00%). Median odometer at inspection: 107,959 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 1 variant: combined 11.4 L/100 km (about 21 mpg US), CO₂ 262 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| LeSabre · Full-size · Regular gasoline | 13.5 | 8.8 | 11.4 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
3 Transport Canada recalls for the 2002 Buick LeSabre.
| 2002151 13 Aug 2002 | Airbag Certain vehicles may have a driver's side airbag inflator that could fracture at a weld during a deployment. Pieces of the inflator could strike and injure veh… |
| 2002042 8 Mar 2002 | Steering Certain passenger vehicles were built with missing or under-torqued steering gear attachment bolts. If a bolt is missing, the driver may notice uneven steering … |
| 2001272 14 Nov 2001 | Other Certain vehicles have an improperly programmed vehicle theft deterrent system. Correction: dealers will reprogram the system. |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
CERTAIN PASSENGER, MINI VANS, AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES HAVE AN AIR BAG INFLATOR ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE THAT COULD FRACTURE AT A WELD DURING A DEPLOYMENT.
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES WERE BUILT WITH MISSING OR UNDER-TORQUED STEERING GEAR ATTACHMENT BOLTS. IF A BOLT IS MISSING, THE DRIVER MAY NOTICE UNEVEN STEERING RESPONSE OR UNUSUAL NOISES DURING TURNS.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Buick told its dealers about the 2002 Buick LeSabre: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 637304 | ENGINEERING IS IN THE PROCESS OF TESTING A NEW ADHESIVE FOR CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS THAT THE TRUNK INTERIOR CLOSEOUT PANELS ARE FALLING DOWN. *TT |
| 637278 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE A CONDITION WHERE THE CLOSEOUT PANEL INSIDE THE TRUNK, BETWEEN THE TRUNK AND THE REAR SEAT, MAY FALL DOWN. *TT |
| 637263 | BRIEF INFORMATION REGARDING DISTORTED / OVERHEATED TAIL LAMP LENS. *TT |
| 637240 | BRIEF SERVICE INFORMATION REGARDING THE ANTILOCK BRAKE LIGHT COMING ON AND MULTIPLE CODES SET. *TT |
| 636653 | SUBJECT REGARDING ISSUES WITH THE PS3 BASE WHEEL COVERS. *TT |
| 636539 | ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE DE150 DUAL PLAY RADIO, IT IS POSSIBLE TO LOSE THE CASSETTE AUDIO WHEN THE IGNITION KEY IS CYCLED FROM THE OFF POSITION TO THE ACCESSORY POSITION THEN BACK TO OFF AND BACK TO ACCESSORY. *TT |
| 635008 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT THAT THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON (SES) INDICATOR IS ILLUMINATED AND THAT WHILE THE LIGHT IS ILLUMINATED, TRANSMISSION SHIFTS ARE EXTREMELY HARSH. *TT |
| 635006 | INFORMATION ON SERVICING 4T65-E TRANSAXLE SPACER PLATE AND GASKETS FOR VARIOUS MODELS FROM 1997 THROUGH 2002. *TT |
| 634997 | INFORMATION ON SERVICING 4T65E TRANSAXLE SPACER PLATE AND GASKETS. *TT |
| 634993 | TECHNICAL INFORMATION REGARDING SHAKE / VIBRATION IN STEERING WHEEL, FLOOR, SEAT AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS ON SMOOTH ROADS. *TT |
| 634985 | CONCERNS WITH SLIPS, HARSH UPSHIFT OR GARAGE SHIFTS, LAUNCH SHUDDERS, FLARES, ERRATIC SHIFTS AND INTERMITTENT CONCERNS, DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE P1811 OR P0748 SET. *TT |
| 634981 | SUBJECT REGARDING SHAKE / VIBRATION IN STEERING WHEEL, FLOOR, SEAT AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS ON SMOOTH ROADS. *TT |
| 634954 | SUBJECT REGARDING REVISED DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE P0713. *TT |
| 634931 | SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT ON WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES P0716 AND / OR P0717, P0730, P0753, P0758, P1860, P1887 OR OTHER MISCELLANEOUS TRANSMISSION TROUBLE CODES SET. *TT |
| 634678 | SUBJECT REGARDNG THE ADDITION OF DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE U1500 FOR GENERATION 4 ONSTAR. *TT |
| 634672 | SUBJECT REGARDING FRONT SEAT BACK SQUEAK. *TT |
| 631820 | VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE AN INOPERATIVE CIGARETTE LIGHTER. *SLC |
| 631267 | INCORRECT TRANSMISSION SHIFTS, POOR PERFORMANCE OF ENGINE, TRANSMISSION SLIPPING, SES LAMP ILLUMINATED, DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES P0756 AND P0757. *SLC UPDATE. *TT |
| 631227 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT THAT THE OUTSIDE REARVIEW MIRRORS DO NOT RETURN TO THE MEMORY RECALL POSITION WHEN THE REMOTE KEYLESS ENTRY DOOR UNLOCK BUTTON IS USED. *SLC |
| 629738 | POWER STEERING FLUID LEAKS IN THE RACK AREA. *TT |
| 628862 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMPLAIN THAT THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON (SES) INDICATOR IS ILLUMINATED WITH HARSH TRANSMISSION SHIFTS. *TT |
| 628147 | INFORMATION ON KEY FOBS. *TT |
| 628128 | CONCERNS WITH RATTLE NOISE OR SQUEAK IN THE FRONT OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL CLUSTER AREA. *TT |
| 628104 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT A DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE AFTER INSTALLING A REPLACEMENT ABS EBCM. *TT |
| 627851 | INFORMATION REGARDING RIDE HEIGHT APPEARS LOW WITH REAR OF VEHICLE LOADED/ELECTRONIC LEVEL CONTROL DOES NOT OPERATE PROPERLY. *YH |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation