The Lemon Index

All cars · Buick LaCrosse · 2012

2012 Buick LaCrosse. Advanced data.

The raw numbers: engines, recall campaign numbers, failure mileage and manufacturer communications.

Lemon Index88100 = average car
Complaints57NHTSA, first 3 years
Sold57,076U.S. model year
Per 100K sold100complaints
Complaint rank#11 of 12among the 12 scored Buick LaCrosse model years (2005–2017); #1 = fewest complaints per car sold, not the YouTube rank

Failure mileage by system

Half of owners who gave a mileage reported the problem between 1,000 and 20,008 miles. Median 9,000, from 46 complaints with a mileage.

Mileage owners typed into their NHTSA complaint, all complaints for this model year. People report some problems late, so read it as a range.

Complaints by system

SystemShare of complaints
Electrical30%
Transmission & drivetrain26%
Engine21%
Body structure11%
Steering11%

One complaint can name more than one system, so shares can add to more than 100%.

Severity, all complaints

TotalCrashesFiresInjuriesDeathsTows
5751300

As reported by owners to NHTSA. Not verified.

Recall campaigns 5

  • 21V00F000 Dec 2021 Suspension / Rear

    Defect. General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Buick Lacrosse, 2012-2013 Buick Regal, and 2013 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles sold or ever registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin. These vehicles may have rear toe links that received an improper amount of electrocoating (e-coat) corrosion protection, which could cause the e-coat to become brittle and brea

    Risk. A rear toe link fracture may reduce the driver's ability to control the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy. Dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links and adjuster fasteners, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 27, 2022. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N212346640. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recalls 20V-764 and 21V-633.

  • 20V764000 Dec 2020 Suspension / Rear

    Defect. General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2012-2013 Buick Regal, 2013 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2010-2013 Buick Lacrosse vehicles sold or ever registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin. These vehicles may have rear toe links that received excessive electrocoating (e-coat) corrosion protection, which could cause the e-coat to become brittle and break away when

    Risk. A rear toe link fracture may reduce the driver's ability to control the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy. GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links and adjuster fasteners free of charge. Parts are not currently available. Owners were mailed an interim notification on January 27, 2021, and April 15, 2021. A third notification was mailed on August 19, 201. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.

  • 14V447000 Jul 2014 Seats / Front Assembly / Power Adjust

    Defect. General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Buick LaCrosse, Regal and Chevrolet Camaro, as well as certain 2010-2012 Cadillac SRX, Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles, equipped with power height adjustable driver and passenger seats. In the affected vehicles, the bolt that secures the driver's and passenger's power front seat height adjuster may fall out causing the seat to drop suddenly to the lowest vertical position.

    Risk. If the driver's seat unexpectedly drops, the distraction and altered seat position may affect the drivers' control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy. GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the height adjuster shoulder bolts, free of charge. The manufacturer distributed interim letters to owners on September 11, 2014. The recall began on December 26, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), or 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14

  • 13V173000 May 2013 Electrical System

    Defect. General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 and 2013 Buick LaCrosse and Regal, and model year 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco vehicles equipped with eAssist. These vehicles may have a condition in which the Generator Control Module (GCM) may not function properly. This could cause a gradual loss of battery charge and the illumination of the malfunction indicator light.

    Risk. If the vehicle is continued to be driven, the engine may stall and/or the vehicle may not start. In addition, there may be a burning or melting odor, smoke, and possibly a fire in the trunk.

    Remedy. GM will notify owners and dealers will test the GCM and replace it, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on June 11, 2013. Owners may contact GM at 1-800-521-7300. GM's recall campaign number is 13136.

  • 11V404000 Aug 2011 Electronic Stability Control (Esc)

    Defect. GM IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 BUICK LACROSSE PASSENGER VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JUNE 9, 2011, THROUGH JULY 2, 2011, FOR FAILING TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 126, "ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL SYSTEMS (ESC)." THE STABILITRAK SYSTEM HAS AN INCORRECT CALIBRATION THAT MAY CAUSE THE SYSTEM TO NOT PROPERLY DETECT IF A SENSOR WERE TO MALFUNCTION, AND THE WARNING LIGHT INDICATING THAT THE SYSTEM IS NOT OPERATING WOULD NOT ILLUMINATE, AS REQUIRED IN THE SAFETY STANDARD.

    Risk. THE IMPROPER DIAGNOSING MAY CAUSE THE ESC TO FALSELY ACTIVATE, RESULTING IN SUDDEN CHANGES IN VEHICLE HANDLING AND DECELERATION, PARTICULARLY AT HIGHER SPEEDS, WHICH MAY CAUSE THE DRIVER DIFFICULTY IN MAINTAINING THE VEHICLE'S DESIRED PATH OF TRAVEL AND DESIRED VEHICLE SPEED, AND COULD RESULT IN A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

    Remedy. GM DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE ELECTRONIC BRAKE CONTROL MODULE FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080.

NHTSA investigations

StatusSubjectOpenedClosed
ClosedSands chevrolet/hybrid system fire/stall20142016
ClosedGenerator control module fires20132014

Manufacturer communications 1831

Buick filed 1831 service communications for this car with NHTSA.

  • Buick/chevrolet: the cooling fan may be inoperative due to low system voltage with the battery…
  • Gmc/buick/chevrolet: transmission slips when in reverse or not in reverse, 3rd gear or no 3rd…
  • Gmc/chevrolet/buick: transmission pump needs inspecting due to engine cranking but fails to…

Crash ratings by version

VersionOverallFrontSideRollover
Buick Lacrosse 4 DR AWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆
Buick Lacrosse 4 DR FWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆
Buick Lacrosse eAssist 4 DR AWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆
Buick Lacrosse eAssist 4 DR FWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆

Safety equipment

Electronic stabilityForward collision warningLane departure warning
StandardNoNo

Engines and drivetrains 3

EngineTransmissionDriveCity / hwy / combinedFuelFuel cost/yr
2.4L 4-cyl hybridAuto (AV-S6)FWD24 / 35 / 28Regular$2,200
3.6L 6-cylAuto (S6)FWD17 / 27 / 21Regular$2,950
3.6L 6-cylAuto (S6)AWD16 / 26 / 20Regular$3,100

EPA test versions for this model year. Fuel cost is the EPA's current estimate, not the price in that year.

Nearby model years

YearLemon IndexComplaintsSoldTop system
2010855761,178Electrical
2011674858,474Electrical
2012885757,076Electrical
2013392548,798Electrical
2014442551,468Electrical
2015381742,035Airbags

Sources: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications; EPA fuel economy data; YouTube video titles. Complaints are owner reports, not proof of a defect.

Updated · Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com). Get the data

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