NHTSA — Electrical System Problems

2008 Buick LaCrosse (Page 1 of 4)

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 5
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
49,003 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2008 Buick LaCrosse electrical problems

electrical problem

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2008 Buick LaCrosse Owner Comments (Page 1 of 4)

problem #76

Aug 082021

LaCrosse

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Door locks somtimes would lock or unlock and other times not work at all. Made it a issue when parking or entering the car. I had to replace the lock mechanism in the doors. The car has 99135 miles on it but should not have a problem especally the back doors since they are not used very often.

- North Fort Myers, FL, USA

problem #75

Nov 132020

LaCrosse

  • 125,000 miles
The front headlights and running lights just go off for no reason. When driving home on night the headlights went off for no reason. The nest day, they worked. They continue to work, but the night they went out was very disturbing. The vehicle was in motion, on state hgwy, getting ready to turn to the right.

- Summerville, SC, USA

problem #74

Mar 282019

LaCrosse

  • miles
The air bag light comes on frequently, but mainly during hot summer days and has came on several times since we purchased the vehicle March of 2019. The light comes on when we are stationary and while driving. When doing research, this seems to be a common problem with other consumers vehicles. I had read it was an electrical issue and in my opinion this is very dangerous and should be a recall. Another issue we have that I also seen was a common issue with Lacrosse owners, is the power locks. None of my lock work properly, all of them have to be manually locked and unlocked. Today, December 10, 2019, we noticed that when I tried getting out of the car the door would not open. Door was unlocked and had been unlocked. My boyfriend tried opening the door from the outside and it would not open. I tried to lock it and unlock it again, I tried pushing the door really hard to see if it would pop open and no luck. I think there should be a lot more recalls on this vehicle as I've had this issues as well as many others.

- Modesto, CA, USA

problem #73

Nov 132019

LaCrosse

  • 100,600 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I just purchased this car last week and I noticed when I hit the lock on the fob, my alarm would sound, but my door looks wouldn't close. So I tried it in my car as well with the locks on the door and nothing. The unlock works perfect by the way (fob & door locks). I manually lock my doors at night and in the morning, the locks will work a few times, and then stop again. Also the doors do not lock when you take the care out of park.

- Cleona, PA, USA

problem #72

Jan 012018

LaCrosse

  • 82,000 miles
First issue car will shut off driving down the freeway doing 60 70 miles an hour it will just shut off and I have to coast to the side and wait and wait till it starts again very dangerous. Next issue is the airbag light flashes on and off I'm assuming do I do to a pressure sensor in the passenger seat which I have a daughter that sits in the passenger seat and I don't know if the airbag is working or not. Next problem are the door locks they lock they don't lock the left rear does not work I have to manually pull it up and push it down if I want it locked the key fob warning is always on my dash saying key fob battery is low I replaced it I replace the key fob itself it just works when it wants to. Next problem the check engine light comes on goes off comes on goes off and therefore I cannot use my remote start if the check engine light is on it has been checked there's nothing wrong with the car nothing shows up if you check the gauges I don't know what to do I paid a lot of money for my remote start cannot use it and I'm in Minnesota. I need my car fixed it's reliable it's a good car it's what I drive it's my car I have a daughter's life at stake in my car I expect it to be trusted in the car that I bought after reading all the complaints on the site regarding the same issues that my car is having I am hoping literally hoping that your company is willing to fix these issues in my car and all the other people that are waiting in line cuz this is ridiculous

- Brainerd, MN, USA

problem #71

Aug 162019

LaCrosse

  • 50,912 miles
The power door locks do not work properly even when using the interior switches. Most of the time, doors must be locked or unlocked manually ! our 2008 Buick Lacrosse cxl has less than 51,000 miles and should not have this problem. This is a very serious safety issue because I've read that people were trapped/ unable to get out of their Lacrosse when trip was done.

- Osceola, IN, USA

problem #70

Jun 152013

LaCrosse

  • 50,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Car is stationary. At approximately 50000 mi. (and 6 yrs of age) all four door locks started randomly and intermittently sticking. Symptom is that, once inside the car and doors are locked, doors will not unlock and handles do do not open the doors from the inside. Solution was to open the window and attempt to open from outside which sometimes worked. This is a safety issue. If there is an accident or passengers are otherwise in distress, cannot exit the car. Have seen repeated reports of this issue with this car. Should be investigated. Safety issue.

- Pinellas Park, FL, USA

problem #69

Feb 272018

LaCrosse

  • miles
I submit this complaint on behalf of my senior citizen mother who is 75 years old. My mom had a very scary experience & got locked inside of her Buick car for over 1/2 hour & could not unlock any of 4 car doors from inside to escape out of her car. Plus, key would not turn in ignition & car wheel locked up. It was winter season !! car was stationery. All car windows were rolled up so my mom could not get any heat nor fresh air. My mom could have froze to death inside of her car !! more scary -- we have no idea when it can happen again nor how long the next lockout will last !! clearly this is a safety issue !! especially for a senior citizen person. We are amazed that Buick did not yet issue a recall for this type of incident. I found Buick forums on the internet where hundreds of other people complained of same related problems !! I emailed all 7 websites to bcr. Some people cannot even unlock driver car door to into get into driver's seat !! they have to enter their cars thru passenger & crawl over to passenger car seat or enter from backseat of the car !! obviously Buick & GM never did anything yet about this scary & annoying problem !! on March 16 2018 I opened a new case #8-4000469674 with Buick customer relations (bcr). They flagged this as a safety issue !! bcr said Buick will only work with a Buick car dealer on this issue if my mom brings her car to a Buick car dealer. So we made an appt for this Monday, April 16 8:30am at fox valley Buick (fvb) in St. Charles, il to get her Buick car diagnosed !! bcr will work with fvb & cem (customer experience manager). Clearly -- this is a very serious safety issue !! in hot heat or winter cold -- a person can literally suffocate or freeze being a trapped prisoner inside of their car !!! 2 bcr reps failed to call me back over 4 days. One bcr rep was supervisor. But I was diligent & I followed up with bcr !!

- Palatine, IL, USA

problem #68

Oct 262017

LaCrosse

  • 99,545 miles
I had driven to the store, when I tried to exit the vehicle the driver's door wouldn't open from the inside or outside. The driver's door lock actuator failed in a way that prevented the door from opening. I tried using the inner and outer handles, I also tried using the door lock switch and the manual lock nob. I had to exit the vehicle by crawling over the center console to use the passenger side door. I was finally able to open the driver's door the next day by rapidly locking and unlocking the door using the manual lock nob a good 30 times. The car is a four door and none of the automatic locks work. The car also has 99500 miles. The fact that all four locks have failed is one thing, it's the fact that they can leave you unable to use your door in case of an accident that is the major safety hazard. Fixing just the driver's door is costing me $525 at a local Buick dealership. A quick google search revealed that this is a problem across all GM w-body cars from about 2006 to 2009.

- Uxbridge, MA, USA

problem #67

Oct 132017

LaCrosse

  • 89,900 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Buick Lacrosse. While reversing out of the driveway, the contact noticed that the instrument panel lighting was not illuminated. The contact was unsure if the headlamps were operable. The contact stated that the headlights failed approximately one year ago when the vehicle was serviced per NHTSA campaign number: 15V519000 (exterior lighting) at kendall Chevrolet of eugene (846 goodpasture island rd, eugene, or 97401(855) 982-8922). The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic testing or repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 89,900.

- Eugene, OR, USA

problem #66

May 132017

LaCrosse

  • 49,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

-door locks won't work with switches, key bof, and sometimes manually. Car had 49000 miles and was eight years old when problem began. Problem occurs while driving and stationary. Dealership estimate to repair is $900. Concerned that will not be able to exit vehicle in a emergency situation. -interior display lighting goes dim when headlights come on. Can not see some of the displayed information during daylight. Dealership said it could not be repaired.

- Bellaire, MI, USA

problem #65

Nov 252014

LaCrosse

  • miles
The contact owns a 2008 Buick Lacrosse. The contact stated that the headlights failed to function several times. The dealer (parker Buick GMC, 4813 arendell St, morehead city, nc 28557, 252-726-5103) indicated that they replaced the hdm three times, but the headlights and daytime running lamps continued to not function. The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 15V519000 (exterior lighting). The dealer stated that they had no information on the recall remedy. The manufacturer was notified that the dealer failed to remedy the recall after three repairs. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was not available. Parts distribution disconnect.

- Newport, NC, USA

problem #64

Jun 142017

LaCrosse

  • 48,800 miles
I have more then one issue. First important issue. While driving down a state road with a peed limit of 50 at 50 mph. My car lost power check engine light came on and the warning light says engine reduced power all acceleration was lost was able to drive at about 30 and was close to a repair shop so got ther they diagnosed a throttle seal. Fixed and repaired December 30, 2016. 6/14/2017 while driving at 35 mph the same thing happened again. I have returned to the shop and discussed with GM service center they say no special notice about this issue but I see numerous complaints about the same issue in forums on line. Issue 2. the lights on the dash speed, warning info, radio light dim for no reason. Issue 3 door locks do not work from key fob or inside car have to work manually the passenger side air bag turns off even when some one in the seat. I have had this repaired once but continues to to this

- Humble, TX, USA

problem #63

Apr 042017

LaCrosse

  • miles
The contact owns a 2008 Buick Lacrosse. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign numbers: 15V519000 (exterior lighting) and 14V355000 (electrical system). The parts for the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The contact had not experienced a failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. Parts distribution disconnect.

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #62

Jan 112017

LaCrosse 6-cyl

  • 80,000 miles
My 2008 Buick was recalled by Buick for safety recall 14291 as instructed I made an appoint at central Buick in norwood MA for 08:00 1/11/17 on arrival they took my papers and decided they couldn't do this safety recall on the headlights because the car had a "branded title". I bought this car 5 years ago and it does have a reconstructed title in mass due to a prior accident that was fixed and inspected prior to my buying the car. I don't see why Buick refused to replace this relay. It's a safety issue when the headlights refuse to work due to this defective relay. I have twice replaced this relay with standard replacement parts only to have them again fail. Please review and advise updated 07/13/2017

- Quincy, MA, USA

problem #61

Jan 022017

LaCrosse 6-cyl

  • miles
2008 Buick Lacrosse. Consumer writes in regards to brake system failure, incomplete ignition module recall repairs.

- Springfield, MA, USA

problem #60

Jan 052013

LaCrosse

  • miles
Electric door locks work intermittently

- Wyandotte, MI, USA

problem #59

Oct 052016

LaCrosse

  • 49,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Buick Lacrosse. The contact stated that the vehicle's doors were not locking correctly. The contact would have to manually lock the doors and then activate the locks with the key in order to secure the door locks. The dealer diagnosed that the failure was common and the actuator failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 49,000.

- Abbottstown, PA, USA

problem #58

Jun 222016

LaCrosse

  • 90,696 miles
The contact owned a 2008 Buick Lacrosse. While driving approximately 30 mph and making a left turn, the power steering and brakes seized without warning. As a result, the vehicle crashed into a concrete pole, gas meter, and tree; however, the engine continued to rev. The contact had to make several attempts to turn off the vehicle. The air bags deployed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed. The driver received facial and hand injuries and the passenger received stomach injuries. Medical attention was required for the passenger. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact's insurance company believed the failure was related to NHTSA campaign number: 14V355000 (electrical system). The failure mileage was 90,696.

- Prescott Valley, AZ, USA

problem #57

Jun 212016

LaCrosse

  • 70,000 miles
All four door lock latches failed at around 70,000 miles. The local Buick dealership stated that all 4 sensors were bad and repair them for $1,600. Buick has a parts quality issue or a design problem. Poses a safety issue if in an accident.

- Bonaire, GA, USA

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