1999 Buick Lesabre problems & reliability
209 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1999 Buick Lesabre, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. 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.
15 complaints report injuries (19 injured, 2 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1999 Buick Lesabre vehicles were involved in 18 fatal crashes with 14 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 69 | 33% |
| Electrical System → | 28 | 13% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline → | 21 | 10% |
| Suspension → | 19 | 9% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic → | 17 | 8% |
| Power Train → | 15 | 7% |
| Air Bags → | 13 | 6% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 9 | 4% |
| Visibility | 9 | 4% |
| Steering | 8 | 4% |
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.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 76,000 miles (middle 50% between 49,565 and 97,500 miles), based on 79 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“As I was driving from the gas station I took a left and as I accelerated, the engine started to vibrate. I I had never noticed this before that day. So proceed to take my time carefully back to work. I examined the undercarriage of my 99 lesabre custom and that's where I noticed that the drivers side subframe bushings…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Apr 16, 2019
“I was sitting at a red light when my air bag from the steering column deployed in my face. I did not hit anything. It was on or about 1/25/18. About a week prior to this event my horn began to steadily blow inexplicably. I did not have any reason to suspect anything other than a malfunctioning horn so I disconnected…”
Air Bags · filed Feb 23, 2018
“Tl* the contact owns a 1999 buick lesabre. While driving various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was able to restart the vehicle 5 -10 minutes later. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the fuel pump was malfunctioning. The fuel pump was replaced. After the fuel…”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Aug 15, 2017
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES
Engineering Analysis EA02030 · opened Oct 22, 2002 · closed Mar 9, 2004 · led to recall 04V090000
- ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES
Preliminary Evaluation PE02050 · opened Jun 13, 2002 · closed Oct 22, 2002
- TRANSMISSION SHIFT LEVER SEQUENCE
Recall Query RQ99007 · opened May 26, 1999 · closed Feb 8, 2002 · led to recall 99V089000
Technical service bulletins
49 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1999 Buick Lesabre. The 10 most recent:
This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy transportation policy.
17-NA-073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 21, 2023
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 14, 2022
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 31, 2020
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco TheftLock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696E · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 22, 2019
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco TheftLock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 5, 2019
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco Theft Lock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 31, 2018
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 20, 2017
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 22, 2017
This technical bulletin provides a procedure to reprogram the media disc player with the latest calibrations to correct a condition of the rear entertainment system not operating as intended in colder ambient…
16NA260 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 26, 2016
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about cooler line fittings that come with the 4T65E General Motors remanufactured transmission may not be the same as Original equipment…
PIP5346 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 2, 2015
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
The 1999 Buick Lesabre has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
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 1999 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.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 76,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.