The Lemon Index

All cars · Buick LaCrosse · 2013

2013 Buick LaCrosse. Advanced data.

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

Lemon Index39100 = average car
Complaints25NHTSA, first 3 years
Sold48,798U.S. model year
Per 100K sold51complaints
Complaint rank#2 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 4,900 and 30,852 miles. Median 20,700, from 22 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
Electrical36%
Engine24%
Fuel system16%
Transmission & drivetrain16%
Steering12%

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

Severity, all complaints

TotalCrashesFiresInjuriesDeathsTows
2531211

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.

  • 21V633000 Aug 2021 Suspension / Rear

    Defect. General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Buick Regal, Chevrolet Malibu, and 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 contacted by road de

    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. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on September 30, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 3, 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 N212330130.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 13V097000 Mar 2013 Power Train / Automatic Transmission

    Defect. General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Buick LaCrosse vehicles, manufactured between April 25, 2012, through March 6, 2013, and model year 2013 Cadillac SRX vehicles, manufactured between May 29, 2012, through February 18, 2013 for failing to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 102, "Transmission Shift Lever Sequence, Starter Interlock, and Transmission Braking Effect." A software problem may cause the transmission to inadvertently shift to Sport mode removing any transmission-related engine braking effect.

    Risk. If engine braking is unexpectedly removed, it may increase the risk of a vehicle crash.

    Remedy. GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the transmission control module free of charge. The recall began on April 3, 2013. Cadillac owners may call 1-866-982-2339. Buick owners may call 1-866-694-6546.

NHTSA investigations

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

Manufacturer communications 1951

Buick filed 1951 service communications for this car with NHTSA.

  • Chevrolet/buick: electronic brake control module (ebcm) has issue with electronic power…
  • Service update for inventory vehicles only loss of battery charge
  • On some trucks and passenger vehicles, accessory power outlets (apo) and trailer lighting are

Crash ratings by version

VersionOverallFrontSideRollover
Buick Lacrosse 4 DR FWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆
Buick Lacrosse 4 DR AWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆
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 (S6)FWD25 / 36 / 29Regular$2,150
3.6L 6-cylAuto (S6)FWD17 / 27 / 21Regular$2,950
3.6L 6-cylAuto (S6)AWD17 / 25 / 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
2016551827,582Speed control

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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