1991 Buick Lesabre problems & reliability
30 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1991 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.
1 complaint report injuries (3 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1991 Buick Lesabre vehicles were involved in 1 fatal crash with 1 occupant death. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System → | 10 | 33% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 6 | 20% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 5 | 17% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 3 | 10% |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 10% |
| Power Train | 2 | 7% |
| Seats | 2 | 7% |
| Tires | 2 | 7% |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 3% |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl*the contact owns a 1991 buick lesabre. The vehicle has four cooper futura 2000 radial lte tires, size p2-05/70r14 (na). In december of 2008, the vehicle drove roughly as if an alignment were needed. The vehicle would shake and, as a result, two bolts detached from the transmission. The contact replaced three of the…”
Suspension · filed May 14, 2009
“My daughter turned on the car and moved the driver's seat forward. She smelled smoke and got out of the car. The car filled with smoke and a fire broke out under the seat. The fire department came and extinguished the fire. The fire destroyed the computer and electrical system in the vehicle. *tr”
Seats · filed Nov 20, 2008
“An illegal inspection was done on one of my vehicles -using another car at this location, putting in information on my vehicle & passing said vehicle as being legal to drive & properly inspected-I have heard from several different people that this location does these types of inspections quite frequently. The owner…”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Feb 23, 2008
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- BRAKE CALIPER CORROSION
Preliminary Evaluation PE92039 · opened Apr 15, 1992 · closed Aug 14, 1992
Technical service bulletins
3 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1991 Buick Lesabre.
Expanded Availability for Remanufacture and Return (R&R) Electronic Control Modules
130089009 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 1, 2013
Excessive vibration of electrochromic inside rearview mirror. *tw
731608 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 1, 1997
Little to no air flow from side window defroster ducts. *tw
931531 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 1, 1993
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1991 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 1991 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.