Buick Recalls

General Motors is recalling 341 model year 2019-2020 Buick Regals.

The driver or passenger front seat frames may have a lower crossbar that was improperly welded.

Seats with improper welds may not provide adequate protection in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of an injury.

What to do

GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the crossbar welds on the front seats. If the crossbar is improperly welded, the seat will be replaced free of charge.

The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact Buick customer service at (800) 521-7300. GM's number for this recall is N192278300.

General Motors is recalling 768 model year 2016-2017 Buick Envisions.

An accessory NSV Universal Tablet Holder may have been installed incorrectly onto the front seat head restraints, preventing the head restraint posts from fully engaging in the seat back.

If so, the head restraints would fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 202a, "Head Restraints."

If the head restraint posts are not fully engaging in the seat back, the head restraint may loosen or dislodge, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.

What to do

GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the head restraints and tablet holders for the correct installation, reinstalling them as necessary, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's number for this recall is 17239/17258.

General Motors is recalling 327 model year 2016 Buick Envisions manufactured January 19, 2016, to March 18, 2016.

The master cylinder brake lines may crack and leak brake fluid, which could reduce braking performance and increase the risk of a crash.

What to do

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the master cylinder brake lines, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's number for this recall is 16169.

Buick has finally made it into Consumer Reports' "most reliable" brands, an honor it had been close to achieving for the last several years. It joins longtime leaders Lexus and Toyota on the podium.

Somewhere down below is the Honda Civic, which this year has been smacked with the "much-worse-than-average" reliability label because of problems with its power equipment and infotainment systems. It's particularly galling since the Civic was North American Car of the Year for 2016.

The findings were announced during a press conference before the Automotive Press Association in Detroit today.

Chevrolet ranks as the second-best domestic brand and is in 15th place overall among the 29 brands covered. 

Consumer Reports has been publishing brand reliability ratings since 2001 and U.S. brands have lagged behind Japanese and European imports nearly all of that time. 

“Buick’s achievement is commendable and sure to be a wake-up call to other manufacturers,” said Jake Fisher, Consumer Reports’ director of automotive testing. “One reason why the brand has been able to leapfrog others in the General Motors’ stable has been its limited vehicle lineup--with none of the pickups and truck-based SUVs that have negatively impacted Cadillac and Chevrolet.”     

Asian brands dominate   

All of the Asian nameplates scored among the top half of the 29 brands tested, accounting for seven of the top 10 spots. Lexus and Toyota continued their domination, finishing in first and second place for the fourth straight year. All nine Lexus models CR rated had better-than-average reliability, as would have Toyota, had it not been for the below average score of the redesigned 2016 Tacoma pickup truck.

Among the other Asian brands, Infiniti made the biggest gain, while Acura was up six spots and Nissan moved up two. All Mazda models remained above average except for the new CX-3 small SUV, which came in at average. Kia and Hyundai continue to surge up the rankings, coming in at five and seven this year. No Kia or Hyundai models scored below average.

Honda has continued with its erratic trajectory, making landfall at number 10 among all brands. Usually a top finisher known for reliability, the brand has been hurt by new introductions. In addition to the new Civic, the redesigned Pilot SUV was just average.

Infiniti continued its erratic ways, jumping 16 spots to number eight. The older QX50 SUV and Q70 sedan had top scores, but the newer QX60 SUV and Q50 sedan were below average. BMW also moved into the top 10, with the 5 Series, X5, and i3 improving to average.

Audi has had several years of upward progress, and it continues to rank in the top five. The new Q7 and the Q3 SUVs were very reliable. Other European brands continue their inconsistency.  Mercedes was one of the big movers, jumping four spots to number 17.

Volkswagen and Volvo tumbled. Aside from the Tiguan SUV, all other VW models had below average reliability. The redesigned XC90 led Volvo’s plunge to the bottom third ranking, with its touch-screen infotainment and climate systems being particularly problematic. 

August 28, 2008
General Motors is recalling 88,809 of the 2008 Buick Enclaves, 2007 to 2008 GMC Acadias and Saturn Outlooks to repair the windshield wipers.

The recall involves GM vehicles currently or previously registered in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and the District of Columbia.

The buildup of snow or ice on the windshield or wipers could restrict the movement of the wiper arm, according to the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) Web site.

"The wiper link may become detached from the motor shaft and the wipers many become inoperative," the safety agency warned, causing poor visibility and perhaps resulting in a crash.

GM dealers will install new parts required to remedy the windshield wiper defect when the recall gets underway in October.

Consumers can contact Buick at 1-866-608-8080, GMC at 1-866-996-9463, and Saturn at 1-800- 972-8876.

Honda is recalling 34,300 Fit subcompacts from the 2007 and 2008 model years because of a faulty wiring harness connected to the passenger side airbag sensor.

The sensor is designed to prevent the airbags from deploying when a child is seated in the front passenger seat.

Honda will replace the wiring harness.

The recall covers Fits that were sold or registered in 22 U.S. states that use road salt, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

"Salt from the snow on the driver's shoes will melt and may penetrate the carpet and leak into the wire harness," NHTSA reported. "Corrosion may occur and the wire may break, causing the SRS indicator light to illuminate."

A short-circuit, according to NHTSA can cause the front and side airbags to deploy in a crash, even if a child is in the seat.

This "will increase the risk of injury to small or out-of-position occupants," NHTSA reported on its Web site.

The recall covers Honda Fits sold or registered in these states: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.

General Motors Corp. is recalling more than 207,000 Buick Regal and Pontiac Grand Prix sedans and urgently warning owners not to park them in garages or other structures because they can catch fire.

The fire-prone vehicles are the 1997-2003 Buick Regal GS and Grand Prix GDP models with 3.8-liter supercharged V-6 engines.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported on its Web site that, Fires may be caused by drops of engine oil being deposited on the exhaust manifold through hard braking.

A fire can start if the oil gets hot enough, NHTSA warned. The safety agency said that if the exhaust manifold is hot enough and the oil gets below a heat shield, "it may ignite into a small flame and in some cases fire may spread to the plastic spark plug wire channel."

Both NHTSA and GM strongly warned owners of the Pontiac and Buick vehicles not to park them in garages or other structures until the fire hazard is eliminated.

General Motors does not have sufficient parts to repair all of the Pontiac and Buick cars that are at risk of catching fire.

GM is advising Buick and Pontiac owners of the affected models by mail, telling them the vehicles are safe to drive but unsafe to be parked in garages or carports until the fire hazard is eliminated.

GM advised consumers that if they smell the car burning they should take the vehicle to a dealership for inspections.

Until GM is able to produce the parts to eliminate the fire hazard, NHTSA issued a strongly worded warning from the automaker on its Web site urging owners of the recalled Pontiacs and Buicks to observe the following important precautions from the automaker:

1. GM strongly recommends that owners do not park their vehicle in a garage, car port or other structure.

2. If owners notice a burning odor they should have the dealer inspect the vehicle. The dealer will perform the inspection without charge.

3. Owners should use premium 91-octane or higher gasoline in their Buick or Pontiac as recommended in the owner manual. The higher octane gasoline allows the engine to run cooler. Lower octane fuel increases temperatures under the hood increasing the risk of a fire.

GM reported to NHTSA that the company knows of 267 Buick and Pontiac vehicle fires and six injuries, five of them minor and one moderate. The hazard has caused 17 structure fires, according to GM.

GM is working with suppliers to get the parts to fix the problem, and owners will be notified as soon as the parts are available though GM executives gave no indication how long it would take to get the parts.

Consumers can contact NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153).

Long-standing problem

Consumers have reported fires with the Pontiac Grand Prix and Buick Regal to ConsumerAffairs.com for at least four years.

In 2006, a Virginia man watched as his Pontiac burned on the side of the road.

Within five minutes of parking his Pontiac Grand Prix, the car lit up a suburban Virginia highway in roaring orange flames that turned the car to charred metal, melted plastic and burned rubber.

There are roughly 2500,000 similar car fires reported in the U.S. each year, killing hundreds of people.

Here are several more GM fire reports sent to ConsumerAffairs.com.

In Brush Prairie, Washington last year, a Buick owner watched as his 2000 Regal caught fire. I drove my 2000 Buick Regal to lunch and returned home after driving approximately 50 miles, he wrote.

I parked car in front of garage. About 10 minutes after arriving home I heard an unusual noise outside. I went to the door and saw smoke rolling under eaves. I went outside to find fire coming out grill of car and flames reflecting under car, he reported.

ConsumersAffairs.Com received a similar report from a Pontiac owner in Arlington Heights, Illinois November 16, 2007. I own a Pontiac Grand Prix GTP. It started on fire. I had fire department to put fire out. Half of the car is burned, he told us.

On May 19, 2007 a Pontiac Grand Prix in New Jersey erupted into flames. It is noteworthy to say that before escaping the car, I looked at the temperature gauge, and it showed no increase in temperature, he told us.

The arson inspector who came after the fire was put out said that the fire seemed to be contributed to a short circuit in the car's electrical wires

On May 25, 2007 a 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix in Wisconsin began to smoke. I pulled over on a side road and within 10 minutes the car was completely on fire, the consumer reported. The car is destroyed. It got so hot the rims melted.

Roast pork

In what has to be one of the oddest events reported to ConsumerAffairs.com, a woman was driving with her family through Crockett, Virginia "when another vehicle coming in the opposite direction hit a 800-pound hog in the road sending it airborne.

"The hog hit the hood of our van deploying our airbags and destroying the front of our van." The van "ignited into flames ... in a matter of a couple minutes it was totally gutted. We are not sure what caused the fire and no one seems to know either," she told us.The person who owned the hog may not be held responsible but that is still under investigation by the Crockett police, she said.

As the many complaints to ConsumerAffairs.com demonstrate, cars can and do catch fire, both when they're running and when they're parked.

What to do

Here's what you can do if it happens to you:

• If possible, pull to the side of the road and turn off the ignition. Pulling to the side makes it possible for everyone to get out of the vehicle safely. Turn off the ignition to shut off the electric current and stop the flow of gasoline. Put the vehicle in park or set the emergency brake; you don't want the vehicle to move after your leave it.

• Do not open the hood because more oxygen can make the fire larger and expose you to a sudden flare-up.

• Make sure everyone gets out of the vehicle, but do not waste time and increase your risk by removing personal belongings. Move at least 100 feet away. Keep traffic in mind and keep everyone together. There is not only danger from the fire, but also from other vehicles moving in the area.

• Call 911. Firefighters are trained to combat vehicle fires. Never return to the vehicle to attempt to fight the fire yourself. Vehicle fires can be tricky, even for firefighters. Pressurized components can burst or explode, spilling or spraying highly flammable liquids, or eject projectiles that can cause serious injuries.