The 2000, 2001, and 2002 Buick LeSabre models are solid, comfortable cars that are a familiar sight on the American landscape, and the model was produced by General Motors from 1959 to 2005. The LeSabre was even the No. 1 selling full-size sedan in the United States for many years in a row in the late 90s. Toward the end of the LeSabre’s production, it ran into major problems that sometimes actually have cheap solutions.

Problems with the old Buick LeSabre

Of all the things that could go wrong with a vehicle, the top complaints about the old Buick LeSabre have to do with the windows. In 3 different, years, the early Buick LeSabre had problems with the power windows, specifically, the power window regulator. The window operation would be sluggish or stop working entirely. This problem happened toward the end of the life of the Buick LeSabre line from 2000-2002.

In the year 2000, the problem occurred at around 75,650 miles and had a severity rating of “pretty bad” or 7.5 out of 10.  In 2001, owners reported the same problem at an average of 7.6 out of 10. The 2002 Buick LeSabre also had power window problems that were reported at an average of 80,000 miles and also has a severity rating of “pretty bad.” The average cost to repair the problem was between $300 and $400.

Complaints about the LeSabre window regulators

Customers had quite a lot to say about the power windows on their Buick LeSabres. One owner of a 2000 LeSabre said on CarComplaints.com that the driver’s side window completely dropped into the door when they touched the power window button on the highway. Another said they had problems with the window mechanism that had to be replaced twelve times. In fact, many owners complained that even the replacement parts made by Buick were faulty, and the problem had to be repaired multiple times. 

The problems with the power windows included the window falling down into the door, the window not going up smoothly, or needing to be “helped” up, and also windows being stuck closed and not responding when the button was pressed.

Many owners of the Buick LeSabre were especially unhappy when the difficulties with the 2000, 2001, and 2002 sedan’s power windows happened in extreme weather. Either in extreme winter temperatures and wind, or intense summer heat, being unable to keep the windows up meant the climate control system was useless.

A common solution to the Buick LeSabre’s power window issues

Owners of the Buick LeSabre resorted to a few different methods to solve the problem, none involving duct tape. In the majority of cases, LeSabre owners had to replace the power window regulators. Others had to remove and replace the whole window or replace the window motor.

A solution that didn’t really solve the problem but at least kept the window from falling down was to jam the window in the up position. A few owners got creative and reported a DIY hack of placing pieces of 2×4’s or wooden blocks in the tracks to hold the window up.

The Buick LeSabre is no longer being made, but in its day, it was a classic American sedan that holds a special place for Buick lovers. The early 2000s Buick LeSabre was the last of the custom, 4-door sedan that really didn’t have all that many complaints, except with the power windows. Although quite a nuisance and a very common problem, at least it isn’t an issue that costs a huge amount to fix.