The Lemon Index
Buick Lucerne reliability: problems and recalls.
Owners filed 943 complaints about the 2006 to 2011 Buick Lucerne with the government, most about electrical.
No Lemon Index score yet: we don't have reliable sales numbers for this car, so here's what YouTube owners say, next to the raw complaint counts.
YouTube rank and complaints, by model year
YouTube rank: we read 199 YouTube videos about the Buick Lucerne and ranked each year with 10 or more videos by how much they praise it vs. how much they talk about problems. It measures tone, not failure rates. Complaints are the raw number owners filed with NHTSA: popular years draw more partly because more were sold, and without usable sales figures we can't turn them into a per-car score.
What owners say on YouTube
2006–2011 Lucerne · 199 most-watched videos
Owners praise
Owners complain about
Before you buy, watch
Praise and complaints: the share of each generation's most-watched videos that mention a topic with a praise or trouble word next to it, in the title or what's said. YouTube rank: how positive owners and reviewers sound, compared with every car of the same model year. It measures tone, not failure rates. Videos belong to their creators; we link to them.
Complaints and recalls by model year
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 330 | 4 |
| 2007 | 164 | 4 |
| 2008 | 218 | 3 |
| 2009 | 128 | 2 |
| 2010 | 54 | 2 |
| 2011 | 49 | 2 |
Popular years draw more complaints partly because more were sold. We don't have usable sales for this model, so these are counts, not a score.
What owners complain about
| System | Share of complaints |
|---|---|
| Electrical | 31% |
| Fuel or ev drive system | 8% |
| Body structure | 8% |
| Steering | 6% |
| Airbags | 6% |
| Engine | 6% |
When problems show up
Half of the owners who gave a mileage reported the problem between 18,000 and 90,000 miles. The middle report was at 60,000 miles, from 720 complaints.
How serious
| Crashes | Fires | Injury reports | Death reports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 74 | 50 | 48 | 1 |
As reported by owners to NHTSA. Not verified.
In owners' words
2006 Lucerne instrument panel lights are hard to see during the day.
2006 Buick Lucerne owner · NHTSA complaint 10170152
2008 Buick Lucerne. Consumer writes regarding recall and class action suit involving gm
2008 Buick Lucerne owner · NHTSA complaint 10345527
2007 Buick Lucerne instrument panel can not be seen in the daylight. Customer states that the dealer said the vehicle was working to gmc specifications.
2007 Buick Lucerne owner · NHTSA complaint 10204896
Recalls 6
14V355000 Jun 2014 Electrical System / Ignition
This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Buick LaCrosse, 2006-2011 Buick Lucerne, 2000-2005 Cadillac DeVille, 2006-2011 Cadillac DTS, 2006-2014 Chevrolet Impala, and 2006-2007 Chevrolet Monte Carlo vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the weight on the key ring and road conditions or some other jarring event may caus
Fix. GM will notify owners, and dealers will install two key rings and an insert in the key slot or a cover over the key head on all ignition keys, free of charge. The recall began on September 23, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), and 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet). GM's number for this recall is 14299.
10V553000 Nov 2010 Electrical System / 12V/24V/48V Battery / Cables
GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2010-2011 DTS AND BUICK LUCERNE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH V8 ENGINES. THE STARTER OR ALTERNATOR CABLE IS IN CONTACT WITH THE POWER STEERING RETURN LINE. IF EITHER THE STARTER OR ALTERNATOR CABLE IS CONTACTING THE POWER STEERING RETURN LINE, THE CABLE COULD WEAR THROUGH THE LINE, CAUSING A POWER STEERING FLUID LEAK.
Fix. DEALERS WILL SECURE AND IF NECESSARY REROUTE THE LINES TO PREVENT CONTACT. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 19, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339, BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080 AND AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
10V240000 Jun 2010 Electrical System
GM IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2009 BUICK, LUCERNE; CADILLAC DTS; HUMMER H2; MODEL YEAR 2008-2009 BUICK ENCLAVE; CADILLAC CTS; MODEL YEAR 2007-2009 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE ESV, ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, SILVERADO, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; GMC ACADIA, SIERRA, YUKON, YUKON XL; SATURN OUTLOOK; AND MODEL YEAR 2009 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A HEATED WASHER FLUID SYSTEM (HWFS). A RECALL WAS IMPLEMENTED IN 2008 TO ADD A FUSE TO THE CONTROL CIRCUIT HARNESS TO ADDRESS THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES OF A PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD (PCB) ELECTRICAL SHORT. HOWEVER, THERE HAVE BEEN N
Fix. DEALERS WILL PERMANENTLY DISABLE AND REMOVE THE HEATED WASHER FLUID MODULE. AN UPDATED PAGE FOR THE OWNER MANUAL WILL BE PROVIDED AND INSERTED IN THE OWNER MANUAL TO DOCUMENT THAT THE FEATURE HAS BEEN PERMANENTLY DISABLED AND REMOVED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 11, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, SA
08V441000 Aug 2008 Electrical System
GM IS RECALLING 857,735 MY 2006-2008 BUICK LUCERNE; CADILLAC DTS; HUMMER H2; MY 2007-2008 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE ESV, ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, SILVERADO, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; GMC ACADIA, SIERRA, YUKON, YUKON XL, SATURN OUTLOOK; AND MY 2008 BUICK ENCLAVE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A HEATED WIPER WASHER FLUID SYSTEM. A SHORT CIRCUIT ON THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD FOR THE WASHER FLUID HEATER MAY OVERHEAT THE CONTROL-CIRCUIT GROUND WIRE.
Fix. DEALERS WILL INSTALL A WIRE HARNESS WITH AN IN-LINE FUSE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080; CADILLAC AT 1-800-982-2339 OR HTTP://WWW.CADILLAC.COM; CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438; SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876 OR HTTP://WWW.SATURN.COM, GMC AT 1-866-996-9436; OR HUMMER AT 1-800-732-5493; OR THROUGH THEIR WEBSITE AT <A HREF=HTTP://WWW.GMOWN
07V468000 Oct 2007 Structure / Body / Roof And Pillars
CERTAIN VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 118, 'POWER OPERATED WINDOW, PARTITION, AND ROOF PANEL SYSTEMS.' UNDER THE STANDARD, THE SUNROOF MAY ONLY BE CLOSED WHEN THE IGNITION IS ON, OR AFTER THE IGNITION IS TURNED OFF, BUT BEFORE EITHER OF THE FRONT DOORS ARE OPENED. THE AFFECTED VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT A CONDITION WHERE THE SUNROOF CAN BE CLOSED AFTER THE IGNITION IS TURNED OFF AND THE DOORS ARE OPENED.
Fix. DEALERS WILL INSTALL A WIRE HARNESS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 29, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339.
06V105000 Apr 2006 Steering / Hydraulic Power Assist / Hose, Piping, And Connections
ON CERTAIN VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A V8 ENGINE,THE POWER STEERING HOSE CONNECTORS MAY HAVE BEEN INADEQUATELY CRIMPED WHICH COULD RESULT IN A FLUID LEAK.
Fix. DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE POWER STEERING GEAR INLET HOSE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 29, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080 OR CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339.
Recall repairs are free at any dealer. Check the exact car's VIN for open recalls.
Quick answers
What are the most common Buick Lucerne problems?
In owner complaints to the government, the top areas are electrical, fuel or EV drive system, body structure.
How many recalls does the Buick Lucerne have?
6 safety recalls on record for the 2006 to 2011 models.
Source: NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, YouTube videos (titles and channels link to them). We don't give this model a Lemon Index because we don't have its sales by year yet. Complaints are owner reports, not proof of a defect.
Updated · Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com)
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