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Buick · NHTSA safety record

2013 Buick Lacrosse

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

128

Complaints

5

Crashes

3

Fires

5

Injuries

1

Deaths

Owners of the 2013 Buick Lacrosse have filed 128 safety complaints with NHTSA between February 2013 and July 2026. The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 53 of them (41%). The typical failure was reported at 58,998 miles, the median across the 73 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 4 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (4)

SUSPENSION:REAR

21V633000 · August 12, 2021

The 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 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 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
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.

General Motors, LLC · up to 32,894 vehicles across all model years covered

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

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

13V173000 · May 6, 2013

The 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.
The 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.
The 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.

General Motors LLC · up to 42,904 vehicles across all model years covered

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

13V097000 · March 15, 2013

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

General Motors LLC · up to 26,582 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations (2)

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Sands Chevrolet/Hybrid System Fire/Stall

AQ14001

Closed audit query · opened May 2, 2014 · closed May 22, 2016

the electrical system

NHTSA opened AQ14-001 to determine whether Sands Chevrolet of Surprise, Arizona complied with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, 49 U.S.C. Chapter 301 (Safety Act) and its implementing regulations. The Safety Act requires, among other things, that a manufacturer notify its dealers of defects related to motor vehicle safety and non-compliances with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and, in turn, that a dealer not sell and deliver a new vehicle subject to a recall unless the recall remedy has been performed (49 U.S.C. ?? 30112(a), 30120(i)).NHTSA issued an information request (IR) letter to Sands Chevrolet on May 5, 2014.Sands Chevrolet responded to this request on May 22, 2014.To ensure NHTSA?s information request encompassed all possible reference codes for General Motors recall 13V-173, NHTSA issued another IR letter to Sands Chevrolet on June 8, 2015.Again, a response letter was received on June 9, 2015.NHTSA?s investigation indicated that Sands Chevrolet did sell and deliver recalled vehicles that did not have the recall remedy completed at the time the vehicles were delivered to the customers.NHTSA therefore concluded that Sands Chevrolet was liable for civil penalties for violations of the Safety Act, pursuant to 49 U.S.C. ? 30165.Under a Settlement Agreement dated March 24, 2016, Sands Chevrolet represented that it improved its processes to verify that it checks every vehicle for recalls prior to delivery to the purchaser and that it has not sold and delivered any unremedied new motor vehicles since June 9, 2015.Sands Chevrolet also represented that it now also checks for open recalls on every customer vehicle brought in for service, and that it checks for open recalls on every used trade-in vehicle, regardless of make or model, and takes steps to have all used trade-in vehicles repaired prior to retail sale. Sands Chevrolet admitted to violating the law and must pay civil penalties in the amount of $40,000.This Audit Query is closed.

Generator Control Module Fires

RQ13003

Closed recall query · opened July 5, 2013 · closed July 22, 2014

the electrical system

On July 5, 2013 the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Recall Query RQ13-003 to investigate whether the service procedures utilized in recall bulletins 13136 and 13142 for safety recall 13V-173 were sufficient to identify the safety defect in the subject vehicles.These safety recalls were issue on May 3, 2013 to address the improper function of the Generator Control Module (GCM) in certain model year (MY) 2012-13 Buick LaCrosse and Regal and MY 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco equipped with eAssist.This condition may result in a loss of battery charge, engine stall and/or inability for the vehicle to start.In severe cases it may also lead to odor, smoke and possibly a fire in the trunk.During discussions with General Motors (GM), ODI was informed that the subject vehicles could be separated into 4 distinct build populations, or groups. Group A contained vehicles built from the start of production through 3/19/2012.Group B involved vehicles built from 3/20/2012 to 8/20/2012, group C from 8/21/2012 to 12/31/12, and group D from 1/1/2013 onwards.Bulletin 13136 instructed dealers to inspect and, if necessary, replace the GCM for vehicles in groups A or C.Bulletin 13142 instructed dealers to replace the GCM of any vehicle in group B.Group D vehicles were not recalled.All eAssist vehicles have a Powerpack which contains a BAS (belt alternator-starter) Power Inverter Module (BPIM)/Accessory Power Module (APM) and a 115-V Lithium-Ion battery.The Powerpack is known by GM's Part Description System as the GCM and Battery Module. The BPIM/APM contains 3 multi-layered printed circuit boards (PCBs) comprised of conductive layers separated by isolating layers.Vehicles built within the time periods of groups A and B had PCBs using single isolation layers.Vehicles build in group C had dual isolation layers on 1 of the 3 PCBs, and group D had all 3 PCBs built with dual insulation.Adding dual insulation to a PCB makes it more robust to material and manufacturing variations, and ultimately less susceptible to an electrical short circuit and subsequent failure.Through initial analysis of the GCM failures, GM identified that vehicles within group B contained PCBs that were contaminated during production due to increased production volumes that resulted in inadequate quality control.GM also noted that GCM failures occurred early in the life of the vehicle (typically <1000 miles).Therefore a service procedure was developed to replicate early life failures by subjecting the GCM to high current loads which would cause the identified failure mechanism (copper migration) to occur quickly and reveal any underlying PCB defect.Although groups A and C were built with PCBs containing single layer PCBs, they were built using better quality control, and as the data supports, experienced significantly lower failures.GM advised that for these reasons the two different service procedures were used in the Recall 13V-173 population.In response to ODI's Information Request (IR) GM submitted 234 unique reports related to the alleged problem. It was noted that 197 (84%) of the received reports fell into the group B population.The 2 fire incidents noted were events in which flames were evident and/or damage was experienced outside of the GCM. Both of these incidents involved group B vehicles. One hundred four warranty claims were also submitted in response to the IR, with 96 claims (92%) from group B.It was also noted that none of the claims from groups A or C occurred after the service procedure was conducted, and that the majority of the A or C incidents occurred during the service procedure.Given the data, ODI believes the ser

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 128.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 53 41%
ENGINE 30 23%
SUSPENSION 27 21%
STEERING 24 19%
POWER TRAIN 11 9%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 9 7%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 8 6%
AIR BAGS 5 4%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 5 4%
SERVICE BRAKES 4 3%
STRUCTURE 4 3%
SEATS 3 2%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2021 at 29.

2013 2021 2026
2013 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

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

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

1 death · 1 injured

MY MOTHER HAD STOPPED HER CAR IN MY DRIVEWAY . THE MOTOR WAS STILL RUNNING . SHE REACHED OVER INSIDE THE CAR AND PUSHED THE IGNITION BUTTON TO STOP THE MOTOR ( WHILE STANDING OUTSIDE THE CAR )THE CAR ROLLED BACK PULLING HER UNDER IT RUNNING HER OVER AND KILLED HER. I WAS KNOCKED DOWN BY THE DOOR AND DRUG INTO THE STREET

NHTSA complaint 10893734. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

3 injured · crash · towed

I WAS INVOLVED IN A HEAD-ON COLLISION ON THE FRWY GOING 63MILS PER HR. MY CAR IS A TOTAL LOSS. THIS CAR HAS 6 AIRBAGS "STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES"WHICH NONE OF THE 6 AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. I THINK THEY ALL ARE DEFECT AIRBAGS.

NHTSA complaint 11435477. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

1 injured · crash · towed · 30,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 BUICK LACROSSE. WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN INTO A PARKING SPACE, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE JUMPED THE PARKING BLOCK, JUMPED THE CURB, TRAVELED THROUGH A FLOWER BED AND CRASHED INTO THE PORCH OF A BUSINESS. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED CHIN, NECK, AND KNEE INJURIES THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000. UPDATED 05/24/16*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED BEFORE THE ACCIDENT HAPPENED, ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS WHILE SITTING A TRAFFIC LIGHT, THE ENGINE

NHTSA complaint 10852182, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

fire · towed

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 BUICK LACROSSE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL AS THE BATTERY WARNING LIGHT WOULD FLASH ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. DUE TO THE FAILURES, THE CONTACT HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO ROSS DOWNING BUICK GMC (1301 S MORRISON BLVD, HAMMOND, LA 70403) AND RAINBOW NORTHSHORE BUICK GMC, LLC (2925 N HWY 190, COVINGTON, LA 70433). BOTH DEALERS INFORMED HER THAT THERE WERE NO FAULTS WITH THE VEHICLE HOWEVER, THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED BY BOTH DEALERS. DESPITE THE BATTERY REPLACEMENT, THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE CONTACT CALLED AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO HER HOME, WHO INFORMED HER THAT THERE WAS BURNT WIRING CONNECTED TO THE BATTERY WHICH HE

NHTSA complaint 11395761, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

towed · 76,490 miles

The contact owns a 2013 Buick LaCrosse. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced starting failures and was taken to Piedmont Tire & Auto, where the battery was replaced. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal sound, and felt like the vehicle had struck a bump, and the steering locked up. The vehicle was taken back to Piedmont Tire & Auto, where it was diagnosed and determined that the ABS wheel speed sensor ring on the passenger’s side rear wheel bearing had fractured, and the passenger’s side rear wheel bearing and hub assembly were replaced. Additionally, the contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle

NHTSA complaint 11750562, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Today is 8.26.2025, I took this car back and left it w/dealership: Let them figure it out! I told them 0ne month after purchase this car is constantly EMPTY with no/Oil. I should not be getting oil changes this often. "Oh, it just burns more Oil and you bought a USED car"...Months later I hear smalls sounds, engine light comes on, then goes away, smoke begans to continue spreading behind the BUMPER building a permanent black spot on bumper! It smells, from time to time, plus car feels sluggish when driving past 50mph almost SCARED it will cut off** Now, I gather my funds that I don't have to SPEND (CASH) no CREDITCARD and I proceed to BELLE TIRE! I am on file within their system. (Receipts)

NHTSA complaint 11683040, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING

crash

I lost all steering control and lost control

NHTSA complaint 11676991. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Well the belt tensioner and the hybrid motor Drive Motor Performance and Hybrid Power train Control Module Requested MIL Illumination Yes not just any mechanic can work on the car because of the hybrid system is to much voltage And the check engine light came on the car

NHTSA complaint 11676340. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
My vehicles steering column locked up and I could not turn left this issue was recalled on other similar year make and models but my VIN number was excluded from the recall. I can not get a replacement part for it as the part is on back order in the meantime I can not drive this vehicle and have no recourse. I am seeking to get the manufacturer to produce the needed part so I can purchase and install it but they will not tell me when I can expect it it's been over a month and I can drive my car. How can I get some assistance in this matter. Please advise. Thank you. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint 11664678. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
Power steering locked up. GMC Vacaville ran a scan and confirmed C055C steering gear performance malfunction. There has been a recall on this issue and we are being told our VIN is not a part of the recall. The car has 119489 miles.

NHTSA complaint 11661317. 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 34 2
2016 46 2
2015 44 3
2014 63 5
2012 205 4
2011 169 3
2010 189 1

Other 2013 Buick models

Every Buick on this site — 60 vehicles, 172 recall campaigns and 1 open investigation .

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. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

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