DEALERS WILL INSTALL NEW FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS WITH IMPROVED DIAPHRAGMS. THE RECALL WILL BE CONDUCTED IN PHASED MAILINGS. PHASE 1 BEGAN ON JUNE 30, 2004, AND PHASE 2 BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 30, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-630-6537, OR PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 3800 V6 (L36) ENGINES AND CERTAIN DELPHI FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS, THE REGULATORS HAVE A MUCH HIGHER THAN USUAL RATE OF FUEL LEAKS. A LEAK CAN ALLOW FUEL TO ENTER THE INTAKE MANIFOLD THROUGH A VACUUM LINE. IF THE ENGINE DOES NOT START WHEN CRANKED, THE FUEL FROM THE LEAKING REGULATOR AND A MISTIMED SPARK CAN CAUSE A BACKFIRE.
Serious99V355000
Exterior Lighting:Headlights
DRIVER VISIBILITY MAY BE IMPAIRED raises the risk of A CRASH.
Remedy & full details
AN INSERT CONTAINING INSTRUCTIONS FOR OPTICALLY AIMING THE HEADLAMPS WILL BE PROVIDED TO OWNERS FOR THE OWNER'S MANUAL. OWNERS SHOULD FOLLOW THE PROCEDURE IN THE INSERT FOR HEADLAMP AIM ADJUSTMENT, RATHER THAN USING THE HORIZONTAL VHAD INDICATOR.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE VEHICLES DO NOT CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THE HEAD LAMP ADJUSTMENT DEVICE HORIZONTAL ADJUSTER MAY NOT MOVE THE HEAD LAMP REFLECTOR WHEN THE SHAFT IS ROTATED IN A NORMAL MANNER DURING AIMING.
Serious99V301000
Steering:Linkages:Tie Rod Assembly
SEPARATION OF A TIE ROD CAN CAUSE UNEXPECTED STEERING INPUT raises the risk of A CRASH.
Remedy & full details
DEALERS WILL CHECK AND ADJUST THE VEHICLE TOE-IN AND TIGHTEN THE INNER TIE ROD NUTS TO THE SPECIFIED TORQUE.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE INNER TIE ROD NUTS ARE LOOSE AND CAN RESULT IN SEPARATION OF A TIE ROD.
Moderate99V238000
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Power Assist:Vacuum
IF THESE NUTS ARE LOOSE, THE BRAKE PEDAL MAY BE LOW, THE ASSEMBLY MAY BE LOOSE, THE BRAKES MAY NOT RELEASE, AND IF THE NUTS BACK COMPLETELY OFF, BRAKING MAY BE LOST.
Remedy & full details
DEALERS WILL REPLACE ANY MISSING BRAKE BOOSTER TO BRAKE PEDAL ASSEMBLY NUTS AND TIGHTEN ALL FOUR (4) NUTS TO SPECIFIED TORQUE.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE BRAKE BOOSTER TO PEDAL ASSEMBLY ATTACHMENT NUTS MAY BE LOOSE.
Moderate00V114000
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components
WHEN THE REAR BRAKE PROPORTIONING, ANTILOCK BRAKE, TRACTION CONTROL, OR STABILITY CONTROL FEATURE IS ACTIVATED IN SOME DRIVING SITUATIONS, THE FEATURE MAY NOT PERFORM AS DESIGNED.
Remedy & full details
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE ABS HYDRAULIC MODULATOR UNIT AND IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE HYDRAULIC MODULATOR.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. SOME OF THESE VEHICLES HAVE INTERNAL FLUID LEAKS IN THE BRAKE HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT.
Complaint volume
Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.
What owners reported happened
33Crashes
43Fires
26Injuries
0Deaths
Across 849 complaints. Severity Index 0.35.
Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.
What owners report most
Visibility:Power Window Devices And Controls — 203 reports
Electrical System — 36 reports
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline — 32 reports
Steering — 24 reports
Electrical System:Horn — 22 reports
Tires — 21 reports
Power Train:Automatic Transmission — 19 reports
Fuel System, Gasoline — 18 reports
Visibility — 18 reports
Engine — 18 reports
What to do
Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.
Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.
Questions
Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?
Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.
Do I pay for recall repairs?
No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.
Why are there complaints but no recalls?
Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.
From the same data desk
Independent sites, same maintainer, same open-data standards.