2002 Buick Park Avenue: problems, recalls and reliability

“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 buick park avenue. While driving 45 mph, the steering wheel began to move independently from left to right without warning, causing the contact to crash into a ditch. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The contact sustained whiplash and bruises that did not require medical attention. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was deemed destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 130,000.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jul 2015

“I have been smelling oil burning smell when I drive my car for a while. Today I took the car to my mechanic and he told me it's "upper intake manifold/coolant leak. He found recalls on previous years. He advised me to talk to gm. Gm didn't find any recall on my VIN and told me I can't be covered. However I found many complains by owners of other models and years. It is possible that 2002 models were not reported to be covered by a recall. Gm connected me to a buick dealer in my area. The person who I spoke with was very rude and uncooperative. *tr”Owner report · Engine · Jan 2015

“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 buick park avenue. The contact stated that while servicing the vehicle, the dealer found a leak in the lower intake gasket. The upper intake was found to be deformed and caused a cooling fluid leak. The vehicle was repaired. The failure was not reported to the manufacturer. The failure mileage and current mileage was 45,000.”Owner report · Engine · Jun 2013

“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 buick park avenue. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, smoke and flames were seen from the rear driver's side. The fire department was contacted to extinguish the fire. A fire report was filed with no injuries reported. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic where however, the vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure and current mileage was 132,000. *tr”Owner report · Electrical System · Mar 2013

“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 buick park avenue. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the contact noticed smoke and flames coming from the rear window defroster on the driver's side. The contact stated he was driving with the defroster on for about 45 minutes when the window started to smoke. The vehicle was destroyed. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire and a fire report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the incident. The failure mileage was 195,000. *tr”Owner report · Electrical System · Feb 2013

“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 buick park avenue. The contact stated that while traveling 50 mph, the power steering failed as the engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart and resumed as normal. The failure recurred on four different occasions. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was diagnosed that the crank sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 49,000 and the current mileage was 51,000. Dr”Owner report · Engine · Sep 2012

“Drove 2.5 miles from store,parked in driveway ,went in house, 3mins later heard explosion,car engine in flames,burned for 20 mins until fire dept extinguished. *kb”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Nov 2011