5th Oct 2008, 16:00

Yesterday the sub-frame of my '95 LeSabre fell off and the engine fell down a few inches. This car has only 50k miles on it. It has been well maintained, periodically inspected, generally cherished. That such a major, potentially fatal failure could occur, without warning signs that trained professional mechanics look for, is astonishing to me. No vehicle is designed to last forever, but the parts that keep the motor off the pavement ought at least to outlast the tires.

7th Oct 2008, 19:05

Needless to say, I'm shocked to see so many cases of this happening. My mom took her 1996 Park Avenue in for inspection, and came back telling me that it failed, because the engine cradle mounts were rusted. I put it up on blocks, slid underneath, and whoa...there's an accident waiting to happen! Both the bolt and the lower washer were rusted away, the driver's side of the cradle was out of line and hanging down about an inch lower than it should be. Holy smokes... like previous posters have said...you're risking your life and the lives of others if you risk driving in this condition. My advice... If you've got a Buick like this, get those mounts inspected! Very unsafe! This car is off the road until repairs can be made... and like someone else said, finding parts appears to be a problem. If anyone knows of repair kits being sold, please post the source.

1st Nov 2008, 09:53

Same thing here; 1998 LeSabre, my 2 and 4 year olds in the car, lost steering after a loud bang!!! I can't believe GM won't step up? I guess someone's gonna have to die first...

18th Dec 2008, 09:04

I was driving my 94 LeSabre this morning.

Stopped at a red light, I accelerated and "POP". I lost control of my steering and was suddenly driving right into oncoming traffic. Talk about scary! I nearly hit another car head on! I had to wait for traffic to clear to drive my car off the middle of the road.

People were looking at me like I was a bad driver. Such dirty looks they gave me!

The tow-truck driver lifted my car and said "That's what the problem is". He pointed directly behind the driver side wheel at part of the frame hanging loose. "Your engine cradle rusted out." "I fixed one of those last week for a guy."

So now, after a frightening morning, I am at home waiting for the mechanic to call me back.

I might not be traveling for Christmas this year. : ($1000+ for repair work is going to do some damage to my bank account.

28th Dec 2008, 21:40

I was just doing some searching to see if there are any cars out there like mine, and I stumbled across this forum.

I have a 95 LeSabre limited. It has the usual brake line and fuel line rust/rot. The right subframe rotted right along the seam all the way from front to rear.

I let my son use the car. The first day he called me with symptoms of pulling right sharply when braking. Then said he was pulling into the driveway and the wheel started rubbing. He showed me what he saw. The sub frame mounts on the right rear of the frame had rotted out completely, so there wasn't anything holding the subframe to the body. That was just the beginning.

When I jacked the car up and pulled the wheel, I was absolutely shocked. The front right side of the frame/cradle had split right down the middle and peeled out towards the wheel. So the wheel was actually turning slightly right with the steering wheel straight. It split like a wishbone and the whole right side is rotted, so I can't see any place to weld since there's no solid frame nearby. The left side is fine. Can't figure that one.

I connected a winch between control arm and the front of the subframe, and pulled the split part back together. I put a temporary clamp until I take it to the welder. The car has a lot of miles left so it kills me to junk it.

Earlier this year, I had a 91 Park Avenue with the usual rot above the rear strut tower, but nothing wrong with the subframe. So you're not the only one with the problem.

I'd like to hear from somebody who's attempted a repair on the frame. I laugh at all these people who make comments about our car's ages. They must have the luxury of buying new cars every few years. What would they say to a guy who wants to recondition an old car? Do they tell him the car is too old also?

13th Jan 2009, 21:27

1998 Buick Lesabre, same problem as listed above. I looked under the car and a 2-3 inch metal washer fell off the sub frame bushing. I think Buick should make a recall and fix these problems.

JB

Custer Park, IL.

16th Jan 2009, 15:05

Grateful I found this site. I took my Buick Park Ave 1998 in for it's routine oil change and was shown the frame cradle, which is rusted on all 4 sides, internal and external surface. I was astounded. Service manager advised me not to drive the car as it was very unsafe. Am now looking for a new/used car I'm not happy at all. I have been going to this dealership for service on all my cars for 25+ years. This rust problem had been told to manager previously, another problem. My question here, is or was there a recall for this problem? Thanks.

17th Jan 2009, 09:53

Probably because it effects cars in the Northen states were there's lots of snow. and the fact that it takes years for this to happen. I have no rust problems. I'm in the south though. But you would think they would get it right they are located in Michigan. Go figure.

18th Jan 2009, 20:12

I have a 94 Buick Park Avenue in Canada, I felt a clicking in the steering one day on the way to work, went out at lunch and when I returned the frame fell out in the parking lot. Now I realize this is an older vehicle, but it ran great and the body was good. Now I do not expect any money from GM, but there should be a recall to have these vehicles that are still on the road looked at. If the sub frame drops out while you are driving, you can only hit the brakes and wait for the airbag to go off. The sad part is I still see many of these vehicles on the road, how many will die before something is done?

14th Feb 2009, 18:07

This is a serious problem! Jacked my wife's 95' LeSabre up to rotate tires and a cradle bushing fell off. Checked the rest and all were shot. Car is now grounded which is sad as it is in perfect running condition. Here's the good and bad news. All parts (bushings, bolts, spacers) are available from GM for around $200.00 except for the retainers (big washers) that hold the whole thing together. My guess is they used up the inventory of retainers doing warranty and recall service. I would just use simple hardware store washers except they are shaped like little hats. What to do? Fabricate? GM parts places are no help.