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 2 of 4)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #56

May 142013

LaCrosse

  • miles

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

Automatic door locks sometimes lock sometimes they do not lock when I put car into drive the doors do not lock have to manually lock them the fob will not lock them either then days weeks later they work! this started with 40K miles I now have 56K miles on the car! car is put into storage each winter never driven in winter months I have read many complaints of this problem on your sight this is very upsetting nothing being done how come" being an electrician for over 30yrs. I am not letting a service man experiment on what could be! can not recall last time auto locks have been this bad! grandchildren ride in a car that does not lock! what is being done" weather stationary or in motion no matter what there is a problem.

- Clio, MI, USA

problem #55

May 112016

LaCrosse

  • 74,000 miles
2008 Buick Lacrosse - airbag light will come on near the speedometer while driving down the road. It will stay on for a couple minutes then shut off. There are 74,000 miles on the vehicle and I just bought it used from a Buick dealership. I'm assuming the problem was there with previous owners as well since it happened for the first time as I was driving the car home after purchasing. This happens even if there isn't anyone in the passenger seat at all. I have read numerous complaints about this online as when that light is on the airbag will not deploy in an accident. There are many stories of modules and other things being replaced but it not fixing the problem. This is clearly a safety issue that concerns me.

- Harbor Beach, MI, USA

problem #54

Dec 182015

LaCrosse

  • 145,000 miles
On Dec. 18th my wife and I were driving at night going to a christmas party when the low beam headlights went out without warning.I switched to the high beams as they were still functioning. We went the last mile to our destination on the high beams. I turned off the car to see if that would re'set the lights, it did not. We went to the party and came back to the car apx. 3 hours later. I started the car and the low beams came on..after about 1/2 mile they went out again..so I pulled over and shut off the car to see if they would come on upon re-start, they did not, so we continued on with high beams. After about 10 minutes the low beams came on for the rest of our trip home. The next day I researched the issue on-line and discovered a recall had been issued for this problem I contacted the local Buick dealer and was told they were of the problem but had no direction on how to fix it from G.M. my wife called another area Buick dealer and recieved the same reply..she was able to get a hold of G.M. and was told they were aware of the issue and would get back to us.. we never R got any recall notice from G.M. I had to print all the forms from the NHTSA web site.. seems to me that this a multi million dollar law suit waiting to happen after something really bad happens (it is only a matter of time). This problem is not just with te Buick Lacrosse there are other models involved.. so what can be done to get G.M. and their dealers to fix this?

- Greenville, NC, USA

problem #53

Mar 132015

LaCrosse

  • 51,097 miles

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

Three of the four door lock actuators failed at 51000 miles. The local Buick dealership removed the door panels and replace the left front, right front and right rear door lock actuators at the cost of $942. It is interesting that Buick is unable to manufacture a vehicle in which the door locks can last beyond seven years. My fourteen year old Ford Taurus has never had a problem with the door locks. General Motors and NHTSA need to review the issues posted regarding the 2008 Buick Lacrosse.

- Palm Harbor, FL, USA

problem #52

Sep 232015

LaCrosse

  • 34,447 miles
While driving on a side street @ 25mph near the parkway entrance my engine cut out without warning. I was able to coast to the side of the road. The engine cranked but would not restart. There was no check engine lite on or indication of a problem at anytime beforehand. The vehicle was towed to an independent service station where it was diagnosed and found that one of the ignition coils (cyl. 1 & 4) had melted and split and the ignition control module had burned out. (I have retained the old parts for future examination if needed). The cost of repair, parts and towing was $438. It was extremely fortunate that the breakdown occurred where it did because in a few minutes I would have been on a busy expressway and bridge. Note: Vehicle manufacture date was Sept. 2007 by GM of Canada

- Grand Island, NY, USA

problem #51

Sep 242015

LaCrosse

  • 56,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Buick Lacrosse. While driving at 25 mph, the low beam headlights failed without warning. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 14V755000 (exterior lighting). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 56,000.

- Patterson, NJ, USA

problem #50

Sep 102015

LaCrosse

  • miles

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

The contact owns a 2008 Buick Lacrosse. The contact stated that the speedometer failed to work without warning and was displaying an incorrect reading while the vehicle was in operation. The contact also noticed that there was an electrical short on the instrument panel, which impacted the lighting and various gauges as well as the light on the radio. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 14V355000 (electrical system), but did not receive a notification. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.

- Napoleonville, LA, USA

problem #49

Sep 062012

LaCrosse 6-cyl

  • 136,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Buick Lacrosse. While driving approximately 40 mph, the engine stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the coil and mother board needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was repaired, but the repairs were unknown. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 136,000. The VIN was not available. Updated 11/09/15 the consumer stated at the time of the first coil replacement, he asked the dealer if it was a common problem and the dealer stated it was not. After the first incident in 2012, in which the coil and mother board were replaced, the exact failure occurred in 2015. The consumer was informed the coil and mother board need to be replaced at a cost of $700. During both incidents, the vehicle shut down while in the midst of driving. Updated 01/05/16.

- Wyoming, MI, USA

problem #48

Jun 042013

LaCrosse

  • miles
Three of the four doors are refusing to lock or unlock with either the key fob or the switch on the two front doors creating a safety issue in the event of a wreck or fire. There are numerous complaints on a website that addresses this issue. The repair costs are obscene. Please give this your immediate consideration.....updated 12/10/15

- Clarksville , TN, USA

problem #47

Jul 012015

LaCrosse

  • 90,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Buick Lacrosse. While driving 25 mph, the vehicle hesitated as if it were about to stall and the check engine light illuminated. The contact mentioned that smoke started to emit from the rear passenger seat where a child safety seat was installed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that there was an electrical failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the coil needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000. The VIN was not available.

- Montgomery, AL, USA

problem #46

Jul 012011

LaCrosse

  • 70,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2008 Buick Lacrosse. The contact stated that the pts warning indicator illuminated and the seats overheated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was confirmed that the seat sensor and the pts module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The contact mentioned that the pts module was replaced on two other occasions. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

- Hewitt, TX, USA

problem #45

Jul 242015

LaCrosse

  • 64,000 miles
I bought this lovely car and thought I got a great deal-now I wonder what I was thinking!! the car drove home from the dealership beautifully, but after 5 days of owning it I was driving down a major highway at 70mph and the headlights shut off. I now have that problem any time I drive at night. The passenger air bag light goes off and on while the seat is occupied and last night I looked outside, only to discover that my headlights were on. Nothing I did would make them stay off other than disconnecting the battery. The electrical on this car is obviously a nightmare and I will be looking in to trading this car as soon as possible :(

- Greenwood, MO, USA

problem #44

Apr 152015

LaCrosse 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 55,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Buick Lacrosse. The contact stated that all four of the doors became inoperable when she attempted to use the key fob. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 55,000. Updated 09/18/15 updated 11/22/2017

- Altoona, PA, USA

problem #43

Jan 152015

LaCrosse

  • 90,000 miles
The car's air bag light by the speedometer has been illuminating intermittently at various speeds whether there is a passenger in the passenger seat or not. The passenger seat air bag on/off light near glove compartment turns to off when the speedometer air bag light illuminates. In June, I took the car into an independent mechanic to get the problem fixed. Unfortunately, the computer doesn't store a code for this problem. The mechanic tried to improve the connection to the passenger seat and "relearned" the computer; however, the problem still occurs. Mechanic said it "might" be a $1,000 fix which involves part of the passenger seat cushion itself! it cost me $100 to find out this much and attempt a correction, but $1,000 is ridiculous; especially for a "maybe" fix. I see others are having this problem, too. I've already had the ignition switch key fix at the dealership. I also already had the problem with the headlights turning off as we were driving down the road; our independent mechanic fixed that and I'm still waiting for the GM reimbursement on that. Hoping we can get GM to fix this air bag problem before it causes injuries.

- Waterford, WI, USA

problem #42

May 122015

LaCrosse

  • 32,000 miles
The air bag indicator light on the dash keeps going on and off, indicating the air bags are off, then on. It doesn't matter if someone is in the passenger seat or not. When someone is in the passenger seat, more times than not it indicates the air bag is off

- Grandville, MI, USA

problem #41

May 152013

LaCrosse 6-cyl

  • 40,000 miles
Driving along when all of a sudden warning came on, and car slowed almost to a stop, got message on dash that traction stability was a problem. Problem went away and several months later, car slowed down on the garden state parkway, had to leave the road, the problem became more of a problem as the months went by, took to the dealer had to replace the sensor, it may have been related to the key problem, which was corrected by the dealer so far so good. Now the door locks are failing, rear passenger was the first to go, now front locks not working properly, what is wrong with this Buick I only have a little over 50,0000 miles on the car.

- South Amboy, NJ, USA

problem #40

Mar 252015

LaCrosse 6-cyl

  • 27,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Buick Lacrosse. While traveling approximately 65 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was able to merge to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer, who diagnosed that the ignition control module failed and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 27,000. Updated 8/10/15 updated 10/11/2017

- Toledo, OH, USA

problem #39

Nov 202014

LaCrosse 6-cyl

  • 39,024 miles
2008 Buick Lacrosse. Consumer writes in regards to customer reimbursement request form for ignition recall. The consumer stated the headlights would go out while driving.

- Sun City, AZ, USA

problem #38

Jan 302015

LaCrosse 6-cyl

  • 55,700 miles
I turned the key in the ignition to start the car. Immediately, a very large roar ( like an airplane) occurred just as the engine started. I turned off the ignition fearful of damage to the engine, not knowing what might happen. It would not restart. It was towed to the dealership to have it repaired. The ignition coil had ruptured, ignition module was knocked out. The cost for repair: $800+. two weeks later, the engine light lit up on the dash board display. I returned to the dealership for investigation. The second repair diagnosis repair required the replacement of the fuel pump, the oil pressure sender pump and the air injector pump ( no charge for this). Cost: $1004.81. When I tried to drive it home, the engine light lit up again so I returned to the dealership. This time there was a need to replace a emission valve.( no charge). Five days later, the engine light lit up again. Diagnosis: Code PO411, air injector pump malfunction. Will schedule repair next week ( February 14-21) this ignition coil malfunction caused electrical failures to electronic module, the fuel pump, the air injector pump, the oil pressure pump and the emission valve so far, at great cost to the consumer. More importantly, the fear is that the ignition coil rupture and resulting failure could have caused an engine fire. The sound was deafening and felt like an explosion. I have never experienced this kind of problem with any other of my automobiles. It was a frightening experience.

- Golden, CO, USA

problem #37

Jul 152013

LaCrosse

  • 117,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Buick Lacrosse. The contact stated that the key fob failed to operate the door locks. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that all door locks and the keyless entry module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 117,000. The VIN was not available.

- Lithia Springs, GA, USA

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