Comments: 1-15, 16-30, 31-45, 46-52
Wow, never would I imagine I would find so many people going through the exact same thing as I am right now. I own a 2001 Buick Lesabre custom with only 77,000 miles on it and have been having window problems over the last couple of months! I first noticed that the passenger side window wouldn't go down one day, then it started working again and all has been well. Then my daughter puts the drivers side back window down and lo and behold the thing would not go back up again! And to make matters worse, it started raining shortly thereafter. I had to run into a Target and buy some clear duct tape to pull the window up and tape it. I haven't even had time to have that looked at yet when, tonight, the other passenger side back window was put down and will not go back up. This one won't even allow me to pull it up to tape it, so now it's covered with a garbage bag! Reading what everyone has spent fixing these things, I don't think I'm going to be able to afford to fix mine!
What a wonderful advertisement for Buick to have their cars seen with taped up windows. Apparently I'm not alone...: (
Please excuse my grammar and spelling as I am writing this late at night :)
Just sent my wife and daughter out east to pick up a 2000 Buick Lesabre that we found on-line. I called them as they were making their way back home to ask what the car was like and how it was going. It's a very nice, beautiful car, but they had put down the passenger side front window down and it wouldn't go back up. I called the folks we had purchased the car from to see if he had any problem with it before, as he said everything worked. He said he had some trouble with that window last fall, and had also already replaced two window regulators on other doors on the same car. It has about 120,000 miles on the vehicle. Luckily after some miles later my wife got the window to raise enough to "wiggle" it back and forth and it raised back up again. I am very surprised to see so many having the same problems. Are there any Buick replacement window regulators out there that has remedied this problem?
I have a 2001 LeSabre and just had the passenger back window regulator fail for the second time in just over one year. My car has 120,000 miles. These should be recalled. This is just one more reason the domestic car companies receive the bad reputations they deserve. GM is aware of the problem and has done nothing to make it right.
I also am replacing a window regulator I have only had the car for three months It has 71000 miles this is bullcrap.
Bought a 2001 LeSabre about 2 years ago. Not the best car in the world, but still love the ride quality (most of the time) and it's very quiet (A+ quiet!!).
I thought I could out-smart the window regulators and never use them. HA HA. Set the window lock button to on from the driver door. This morning I noticed the passenger rear window down about 1/2 inch so I had to unlock the window and roll it up. It popped like it was crushing fine ice and fell to half open. Jokes on me now. I used a a couple of small plungers (baby on board type) to keep the window up-forget the tape-too messy.
As a side note, I am a automotive master technician and knew about the possibility of defective regulators shortly after my purchase of this car. So I guess I can't really be too mad about it.
Found replacement parts (probably non-GM/hopefully non-GM) for about $52. I will try to fabricate a repair first though. Working on all types of cars, window regulators are always breaking. I worked for Toyota/Lexus and saw tons of regulators break but you really never hear about that. I can tell from the way the Buick windows feel, when I did use them, that they were cheap. I do feel bad for anyone who has spent $400-500 to replace the parts with more bad GM parts!! That sucks.
Another thing I noticed is the rear regulators "feel" somewhat cheaper than the front. The engineers must have thought all of the old people who would buy these cars (target market) would never really use the windows that much and so they definitely wouldn't use the rear windows. For the record I'm 29, and I sure would like to have used the windows.
On the plus side the A/C and heater work so well. Since the windows were and are obviously designed to break, they could have provided a wedge or nice "Buick" embroidered cover for all four windows when they break to satisfy all of us. Nope. They could have stated in the owners manual: "WARNING!! To prolong the life of your power window motor and regulators, do not use if any of the following conditions apply: Hot, cold, or normal ambient temperatures, raining, snowing, hailing, no rain, no snow, no hail, sunny, cloudy, partly cloudy, dry outside, wet outside, high humidity, no humidity, high altitude, low altitude, driving fast, driving slow, stopped, turning, parked, if you are aged 0-120 years, are of any race known to man, male or female, if you own the car or not or for ANY other reason not listed here. Failure to follow these warnings listed could result in the non function of any or all of your power windows". They could have at least warned us!!
Hope this at least brings a smile to your face. Time to go spend my time/money to fix this mess!! I'm so excited!! Thanks Buick!!
I own a 2001 Buick LeSabre. Just the other day my son and I were backing in our yard when we heard this strange noise from behind us... Well when I got into the car the next morning I noticed the back driver side window was down and when I went to put it up, it would not go. I spent about an hour tearing it apart to find out that the part would cost me $160+ to fix it myself. Right now I have a wedge in the window to keep it up. I am going to order one off the Internet for $35.00. Just hope it holds up.
I did not realize that Buick had this problem... and I agree this should be a recall!! Come on Buick... Recall the window regulators. This is my first regulator to go bad. But from the sounds of it, all will be going shortly, and they all seem to go between 77,000 and 100,000 miles. My car is now just shy of 90,000 miles.
Knowing this is a common problem, I asked a gentlemen at work who has one if he had any problems with his windows. He had and said his mechanic told them that the part is only expected to last for around 80,000 miles.
If anyone knows where to find the directions about replacing the regulators, could you please post it? We have to replace both front and rear passenger side. Since the $1100.00 as quoted by the dealership is not coming from us, we need to know how to replace them.
I too have had problems with a regulator breaking. It is a small plastic piece in the part. I bought a regulator on ebay for around $55 including the motor. Took a $10 tool from Advance Auto and about 30 min to 1 hour to replace. Not a big deal to replace if you are fairly mechanically inclined. Google it and you can find the diagrams. Shame Buick has not agreed this is a design problem. Way too many people having the same problem. My Toyota's don't fall apart like this car has. Good luck.
It is true that these windows should last the life of the car, but unfortunately they do not. Yes, I agree that Buick installed cheap window parts. But to be honest, the Camry I had had cheap parts installed also. I had more problems with that Camry than with my Buick. The only real problem here is that the local GM dealer will charge us $86.00 to tell you that it will cost you $600.00 to have one window regulator installed. I am buying the replacement parts for these windows from www.DirectAuto.com for $60.00 and will do it myself or find a local mechanic. I will continue to enjoy my Buick since it has had a better that average repair record.
It is nice to see someone with the voice of reason. It kind of makes me mad when I read about people who say they will be trading their Buick for a Japanese brand because they have had a few power windows fail in a car that is close to 10 years old. If you do some homework you can replace these very cheaply. People who continue to go to the dealer time and time again and pay hundreds of dollars to have the same thing fixed should be mad at themselves.
2001 Buick LeSabre Limited.
40,000 miles transmission went out.
50,000 miles almost all lights in radio/AC/heater panel burned out - $1100.00 repair bill.
60,000 miles driver side heated seat no longer works.
70,000 miles both rear window regulators went out. Fixed for a mere $1300.00.
80,000 miles barely runs.
I will never purchase another GM AC product, and hopefully they will go under and no one else will have to either.
We own a 2002 Buick Le Sabre. When we purchased the car, it had 24,000 miles and looked like a brand new car off the showroom floor. Now with 54,000 miles, we had to replace three windows because the window fell into the door, and it would not roll back up. The first one cost us $640 at the dealership. The second window cost us $590 at our service repair garage, and the last cost us $ 120, for by that time, by watching the repair, we installed it ourselves. We hope the fourth one does not go.
Up to now we have always had Buicks, and we have always had good cars with very little problems. This particular Buick already has cost us more in repairs due to factory defect than any Buick we have ever owned. Buick should face up to their poorly designed windows and give us a rebate regardless of warranties.
PURCHASED 2001 LeSabre Custom new. Now has 42000 miles.
Have replaced drivers window twice. Rear passenger window once. Front passenger window once.
I'm done with GM. We never let the windows up or down. Dealer said GM doesn't think GM is responsible. I've heard enough.
Hi,
My Mother in Law has a Buick LeSabre 2001 custom. Has 120,000 miles. Her rear passenger rear window also has failed. She is looking to trade in got a quote for $539.00 to repair. I see on Ebay and other online auto part distributors can get motor and actuator for under $60.00. tools required should be another $40 or so.
Found this link
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Whats_the_procedure_for_replacing_a_2001_buick_lesabre_window_regulator_on_the_rear_passenger_side_power_window
He also sent me the PDF file with some pictures.
I am going to try to fix this myself.