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Buick · NHTSA safety record

2010 Buick Lacrosse

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 189 safety complaints about the 2010 Buick Lacrosse with the US government. Of those, 6 describe a crash, 9 mention a fire, 8 people were injured and no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering the suspension.

The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 46 complaints, 24% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 55,430 miles, the median across the 143 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers December 2009 to June 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

189 complaints on file

189

Complaints

6

Describe a crash

9

Mention fire

8

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 46 · 24%
ENGINE 44 · 23%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 23 · 12%
POWER TRAIN 17 · 9%
STEERING 17 · 9%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 17 · 9%
AIR BAGS 16 · 8%
SERVICE BRAKES 15 · 8%
SUSPENSION 14 · 7%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 13 · 7%
STRUCTURE 9 · 5%
VISIBILITY 9 · 5%
0 19 38

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 189.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2014 at 27.

32 24 16 8
09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2009 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2010 Buick LACROSSE, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test 4-DR w/SAB
Overall Not rated
Frontal crash Not rated
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash Not rated
Side barrier Not rated
Side pole Not rated
Rollover
Chance of rollover 11.8%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

NHTSA made its frontal crash test harder for the 2011 model year, and says ratings from before that change should not be compared with ratings after it. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

1 on file

SUSPENSION:REAR

20V764000 · December 21, 2020

The 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 contacted by road debris. Over time, the e-coat may chip away, exposing the metal toe link and making it more susceptible to corrosion. Corrosion may eventually cause the toe link to thin and ultimately to fracture.
The risk
A rear toe link fracture may reduce the driver's ability to control the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The 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. GM's number for this recall is N202308930.

General Motors, LLC · up to 220,006 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

STRUCTURE:BODY

3 injured · crash · towed · 37,000 miles

TAKATA RECALL I WAS IN AN ACCIDENT ON OCT 16, 2018. I WAS ON THE STREET SITTING AT A RED LIGHT WHEN A VEHICLE HIT ME FROM THE REAR WHICH MADE ME HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE AND MY AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY.

NHTSA complaint 11151885. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

2 injured · 117,000 miles

SOLD A LEMON CAR BY DRIVETIME FINANCED THROUGH BRIDGECREST FINANCIAL LLC I PURCHASED THE CAR 12/22/2016 AND HAVE BEEN REPORTING PROBLEMS SINCE I DROVE OFF THE LOT. I LIVE BEYOND 300 MILES OF THE LOCATION WHERE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE

NHTSA complaint 11048454. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 73,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 BUICK LACROSSE. WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE LOST ALL STEERING ABILITY. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE SPUN OUT OF CONTROL AND CRASHED INTO A MEDIAN. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT WAS INJURED AND REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE CRASH. THE VIN WAS INVALID. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 73,000.

NHTSA complaint 10955284. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING

1 injured · crash · 83,000 miles

LOST STEERING ON MY 2007 BUICK LACROSSE ON THE HIGHWAY WHILE TAKEN A SHARP TURN THE STEERING WOULD NOT TURN WHICH RESULTED IN A HIGH SPEED CRASH. *TR

NHTSA complaint 10367100. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
Two warming lights come on when I turn the steering wheel - the ABS and the stability control light. When I turn the steering wheel both of these lights turn on. I viewed a video about this problem and the suggestion was made that the problem could be a safety issue and that it might be corrected by setting the car on a level spot and then turning the key to the on position (but not starting it) and then turn the steering wheel as far as it would go to the right and then to the left as far as it will go. Then turn the key to turn the car on. The problem I had trying that was that the steering wheel seemed to be locked in its neutral position so I was unable to perform that fix.

NHTSA complaint 11742746. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I purchased a vehicle August 2, 2024 from Kingdom auto sales. The car was inspected July 2024 in which it passed shortly after the car wouldn’t go over 40 mph. It would say it’s an over speed. The car runs hot and the parking assist light won’t go off May 25, 2025 I was driving on the highway in the car lost power and the speed was reduced after getting off the highway lost control of the steering wheel due to the stability and hit a guard rail. no reports was made. I contacted the dealership in which I haven’t been contacted and problem not resolved.

NHTSA complaint 11705471. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
The transmission (randomly) fails to upshift. 1st to 2nd gear. Cold or hot. Start or in morion. Transmission was last serviced at 120,000 miles.

NHTSA complaint 11656881. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

250,000 miles

The contact owns a 2010 Buick LaCrosse. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 MPH with the A/C activated, there was a loud shattering sound coming from the roof of the vehicle. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and inspected, and the contact became aware that the sunroof had exploded. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 250,000.

NHTSA complaint 11651377. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SUSPENSION

156,000 miles

The contact owns a 2010 Buick Lacrosse. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal sound from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V00F000 (SUSPENSION). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 156,000.

NHTSA complaint 11620348. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
THE SAID VEHICLE WAS BEING SERVICED AT LOGANVILLE AUTO CENTER. WHEN I WENT TO PICK IT UP ON FEBRUARY 9, 2024, THE MECHANIC CAME OUT AND SHOWED ME THAT TWO OF THE TUBES WERE LEAKING AND THIS WOULD BECOME A SERIOUS PROBLEM. HE GAVE A RECALL SHEET ISSUED ON DECEMBER 13, 2023 THAT THERE WAS A RECALL INVOLVING OUR CAR FOR THIS VERY SAME ISSUE. I CALLED GM THE NEXT DAY AND THEY STATED THAT OUR CAR DIDN'T COME OUT OF THE BARN THEY WERE RECALLING. I EXPLAINED TO THEM IT WAS ALREADY HAPPENING TO OUR CAR AND THE PERSON STATED THAT OUR VIN NUMBER MAY BE ADDED LATER. I CALLED ON APRIL 8TH AND THEY STATED IT HAD NOT BEEN ADDED TO THE RECALL LIST. THIS CAR ONBLY HAS 61,230 MILES ON IT. THIS IS A SERIOUS

NHTSA complaint 11583260, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Buick Lacrosse

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2018 12 3 —
2017 36 2 —
2016 48 2 —
2015 44 3 —
2014 63 5 —
2013 129 4 1
2012 206 4 —
2011 169 3 —

Other 2010 Buick models

Enclave 275 Lucerne 54

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Buick on this site — 63 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst