1997 Buick Lesabre: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 514 complaints
514
Total Complaints
96,000mi
Median Mileage
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
Top Issue
30
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

58,250 25th Percentile
96,000 Median Mileage
139,905 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
45
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE
22
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
21
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
20
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
16
AIR BAGS
16
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM
14
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:CARBURETOR SYSTEM
13
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
12
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
12

Severity Assessment

30
Crashes
49
Fires
26
Injuries
1
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"REAR SEAT BELT BUCKLES LOCATED UNDER THE PASSENGERS ON OUTSIDE SEATING, MAKING IT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO BUCKLE BY PERSONS USING THEM. *AK"
"THE REAR SEAT BELTS ARE TO SHORT TO GO AROUND A CHILD SEAT OR A PERSON. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK"
"FRONT SUSPENSION, WHEN DRIVING AT SPEED 40 TO 70MPH, VIBRATION IN THE FRONT, CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL OF VEHICLE. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28