Loss of coolant internally to combustion/compression chambers, hydro locked engine, thick smoke from engine exhaust, coolant mixing into oil, unstable temperature requiring vehicle stoppage to avoid overheating/fire, car will not run. Intake manifold failure and head gasket damage.

- Washington, D.C. 20016-2668, DC, USA

1998 Buick Park Avenue. Consumer requests reimbursement for repairs made to vehicle the consumer stated the vehicle began leaking oil on July 3, 2006. The dealer removed and replaced the intake gasket. On July 9, 2009 the catalytic converter and thermostat were replaced at a cost of $ $395.91. Two months later the same problem resurfaced.

- Topeka, KS, USA

1. engine stalled - skipped, missed. Loss of antifreeze. Finally completely died and had to be towed. 2. occurred twice 3. replaced intake manifold assembly twice in less than 1 year.

- Jasper, AL, USA

The contact owns a 1998 Buick Park Avenue. Whenever the contact would start the vehicle, hhe noticed that it would turn on for several seconds and then immediately shut off. When he attempted to restart the vehicle, he heard a loud pop coming from the engine. The dealer stated that the intake manifolds needed to be replaced. On September 22, 2008, while driving 45 mph, the vehicle would not gain speed. The contact noticed sparks coming from the rear of the vehicle and pulled to the side of the road. Flames began to appear underneath the hood. The fire department was called to the scene. The current mileage was 130,000 and failure mileage was 120,000. Updated 10/30/2008.

- Greensboro, NC, USA

The plastic intake manifold gasket cracked like it does on all of the 3.8 litre engines G.M. needs to cover this expensive repair when they have known about this for some time.

- Lapeer, MI, USA

Greetings, I procured a car from the twin city Buick dealership on 3046 airport highway [alcoa tn 37701] to purchase a nice used car for my son. The salesman, was nice enough to show me / steer me in the direction of a 1998 Buick park ave with 30K original miles. We ran a background check on the miles and car history report and with a handshake called the deal done. My son used the car for one year and put about 10K miles on the vehicle he noticed that the temperature gauge was getting a little warmer than normal. The car was checked out at clifton Buick dealership in rockwood Tennessee my son was at summer camp in rockwood Tennessee as a boy scout leader for the last two summers and it was discovered that the plenum gasket device was defective. In addition, anti-freeze was discovered leaking into the engine as well. The bill to get ben's car back on the road was in $568.06 about two weeks later the engine light came back on and I had to go back to the dealership. It was a faulty sensor discovered and most likely attributed to the anti-freeze leaking through the tailpipe as was suggested by the dealer. This cost was $315.66. Finally, about a week goes by and now the oil light came on. Again we are at the dealer and discovered it was not the anti-freeze but damage to the engine from the plenum issue. The cost to trouble-shoot the car was $82.60. Additional detail provided by the dealer is $3,360 to replace the engine with a used engine that has 68K miles and 1 year warranty or $4,453 to replace the engine with a rebuilt one that has a 3 year 100K mile warranty. The dealership recommended the rebuilt one. Updated 12/12/07

- Maryville, TN, USA

On May 6, 2006 we were coming back to spartanburg, SC from the beach. We were about 7 miles from kingsree, SC. After leaving a service station, we started getting "check engine" messages. We went back to the service station to see what was wrong. We had no coolant. I put a gallon of coolant in and decided to go into kingstree, SC in case there was more trouble. Just as we got to kingstree, SC we stopped at another station after getting more "check engine" messages. Again, we were out of coolant and now the car would not start. A wrecker towed it to a garage. The mechanic said he was fairly certain of what the problem was because Buick had been having lots of trouble with a particular part. He then confirmed that it was the upper intake. He replaced the upper intake part with a revised part from Buick and assured us we would not have any more trouble with the coolant. This cost $571.48 and a 6 hour delay. The consequences could have been much more serious if we had not been near a service station. Buick refuses to pay or acknowledge they have a problem with the intake.

- Spartanburg, SC, USA

1998 Buick Park Avenue had the water pump, fuel pressure regulator, oil pressure switch, left door lock control bezel, tensioner pulley and bearing replaced.** answer required***. the gas gauge needle jumped past the full mark then all the way back around to empty. The plastic upper intake plenum was replaced because it had warped from the heat and started to leak.

- Eden Prairie, MN, USA

I am submitting this for my father-in-law who is 85 years old. There is a defect in GM 3800 engines (VIN K-RPO L36) at least from 1995 to 2003. GM is aware of the problem and refuses to do anything about this defect which may have the potential for causing catastrophic accidents. My father-in-law was passing another car at about 70 mph on a two lane country road when the engine in his 1998 Buick Park Avenue locked-up. The damage to the engine was severe enough to require that the engine be replaced. The local Buick dealer stated that GM is aware of the problem with these engines (in fact, it's rather well known among auto mechanics), but has a policy of not assisting with repairs and has not recalled the engines. Fortunately there was no accident in this case, however, there is the potential for an accident to occur anytime an engine locks up at speed. I feel that these engines should be recalled and modified/repaired at GM's expense (there is an after-market kit available which is an indicator of the extent of the problem). The problem is that the engines can develop a leak near or under the throttle body area of the upper (plastic) intake manifold. The egr passage melts the upper intake plenum which results in an external (if you are lucky) or an internal water leak. If the leak is internal, the engine can almost instantly lock-up causing damage to the engine and potentially causing a catastrophic accident. My father-in-law's connecting rods were bent.

- Savannah, GA, USA

The plastic upper intake manifold developed an internal crack, which leaked coolant into the combustion cylinders. The 3.8L V6 engine shut down and then hydrolocked. It was repaired by a certified Buick dealer. The day the vehicle was returned, within 20 miles of driving, the rear main bearing seal failed. The dealer felt it was caused by the coolant mixing with the oil. After this repair, the engine ran approximately 2000 miles and spun a main bearing, due to the coolant/oil mixture. This has been reported to Buick. They feel it is not their problem.

- Miamisburg, OH, USA

3.8L engine seized in mid-drive on highway. Towed and diagnosed by Buick dealer as corroded manifolds from dex cool. Replaced both manifolds. Replaced all gaskets on pans etc. Replaced fluids, oil and coolant, as well as plugs and cleaned all.

- Laguna Woods, CA, USA

3.8L engine intake manifold leaked, causing engine coolant to foul spark plugs disabling the vehicle.

- Reading, MA, USA

After buying my '98 Park Avenue, I noticed that after washing it on a couple of occasions that the paint had began to chip. I took it to a couple of paint shops and everyone said that this car should not have paint peeling and it was a defect because they could see the factory primer. My engine died without any warning. The teperature gauge didn't show that it was overheated and no smoke or steam came from under the hood. Right before the car stopped the dic showed : check coolant levels and even then it didn't beep as it should have. I have had a problem with my seat belts since purchasing this vehicle. They are continuously tangled and twisted when they cross the body. Moreover, my owner's manual has an illustration that states that my seatbelt usage is incorrect.

- Muncie, IN, USA

Failure of plastic upper intake manifold on 1998 Buick Park Avenue causing coolant to leak into engine cylinders. The repair bill cost $990. I have not seen any other manufacturer besides General Motors construct their intake manifolds out of plastic. The servicing dealership noted that they are replacing an average of 3 plastic intake manifolds each week due to plastic failure and antifreeze leaking into the engine cylinders. I think this needs to be investigated as this engine (3.8 liter) and plastic intake manifold have been and continue to be used in multiple GM vehicles from at least 1996 through the present.

- Springdale, AR, USA

Vehicle problems with start up/ vehicle fire in engine compartment. The battery had gone dead overnight. (prior to the day of the incident, the battery appeared to be charged) the engine exploded as soon as the key was turned on. There was slippage in the transmission. The intake plentium, fuel rail, the ignition wires, 2 injectors, engine cover shield, oil filler cap, map sensor, PCV cover, and the battery all were replaced.

- Naples, FL, USA

Consumer states that the intake manifold began leaking antifreeze in the vehicle's engine. Dealer replaced and the problem occurred again.

- Burleson, TX, USA

Intake manifold was leaking, resulting in a anti freeze leak over engine. Dealer has been contacted. Intake manifold, water pump, front rotors/pads, serpentine belt, tensioner pulley and plugs were replaced.

- Burleson, TX, USA