1988 Buick Lesabre problems & reliability
21 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1988 Buick Lesabre. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1988 Buick Lesabre vehicles were involved in 2 fatal crashes with 2 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Steering → | 12 | 57% |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 14% |
| Electrical System | 2 | 10% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 10% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 5% |
| Structure | 1 | 5% |
| Tires | 1 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl*the contact owns a 1988 buick lesabre. The contact stated that all of the seat belts failed to engage. The dealer has not inspected the vehicle. The vin and engine size were unknown. The failure mileage was 60,000 and current mileage was 73,000.”
Seat Belts · filed Sep 27, 2007
“Recurring brake repairs: replacement of rear brake cylinders, brake shoes, machine drums. Mileage at each repair 10,953, 17,124, 25642, 37,753, 48,245. *ak”
Service Brakes, Hydraulic · filed Jun 17, 2007
“The steering has been hard since day one and consumer has been patching up vehicle to keep it running. The consumer took the vehicle to a mechanic and was told that the manufacturer made an aluminum rod for that year vehicle. It is rack and pinion steering. *ak *cb *nlm”
Steering · filed Jun 12, 2003
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- BRAKE FAILURE
Engineering Analysis EA90017 · opened Mar 26, 1990 · closed Apr 22, 1991
- ANTI LOCK BRAKES
Preliminary Evaluation PE89098 · opened Mar 10, 1989 · closed May 17, 1989
- THROTTLE NON-RETURN
Compliance Investigation C89001 · opened Mar 6, 1989 · closed Jan 16, 1990
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1988 Buick Lesabre in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1988 Buick Lesabre?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.