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2006 Buick Lacrosse Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 299 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006 Buick Lacrosse, most often about the lights (52% of complaints, typically around 89,500 miles). It is the 2nd most complained-about Lacrosse model year since 2000 and has 3 recalls.
Most common 2006 Buick Lacrosse problems
Lights
156 complaints · 52%Half of these problems showed up before 89,500 miles. Parts named most often: headlights.
Low beam headlights go out, sometimes they will not come back on until car ignition is turned off and back on sometimes they don't come back on at all, very dangerous, gm has a recall but they say my VIN number is not covered, I have talked to local dealer as well as general motors concerning this issue with no…
The contact owns a 2006 Buick Lacrosse. The contact stated that the low beam head lights were inoperable. The contact would have to engage the high beams for substantial illumination when driving at night. The dealer attempted to diagnose the failure, but was unsuccessful. The manufacturer was not contacted and the…
Electrical
83 complaints · 28%Half of these problems showed up before 77,000 miles. Parts named most often: ignition, instrument cluster/panel, wiring, starter assembly.
The contact owns a 2006 Buick Lacrosse. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning and crashed into another vehicle. The driver sustained fractured ribs and collar bone. A police report was filed of the incident. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the…
The contact owns a 2006 Buick Lacrosse. While driving various speeds, the contact heard an abnormal noise coming from the ignition and noticed a burning odor inside the vehicle. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure…
Air bags
38 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 62,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal.
The contact owns a 2006 Buick Lacrosse. The contact stated that while driving apprximately 30 MPH, the air bag light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the air bag sensor/module needed to be replaced in the front passenger seat. The…
2006 Buick Lacrosse passenger side airbag sensor not working. I purchased the vehicle used with 60,000 miles on it and was told at the time that the indicator light for the passenger side airbag was periodically displaying, but it was simply a problem with the indicator light. Now at 98,000 miles, I took the car in…
Steering
26 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 67,500 miles. Parts named most often: gear box, rack and pinion, linkages.
The contact owns a 2006 Buick Lacrosse. The contact stated that the headlights on the vehicle became inoperable without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15v519000 (exterior lighting); however, the part to do the recall repair was…
The steering is tight, hard to turn the front wheels. It makes a whining & grinding noise when turning. It sounds like it's rubbing against something in the steering column. I've had it to 3 mech's, plus I called Buick. They all said they didn't know what the problem was. It seems this is a problem with many 2006…
Engine
12 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 88,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine.
Driving at 45mph, smelled smoke from what appeared to be an electrical fire. Approximately 1/2 mile driving time, the engine and all power cut off. Got someone to help push the car off road when another person notice there was a fire coming from underneath the engine. Fire department was dispatched but engine was…
The contact owns a 2006 Buick Lacrosse. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled without warning while driving 35 MPH. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the failure was unable to be diagnosed. The manufacture was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired the approximate failure mileage was…
Suspension
11 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 77,500 miles. Parts named most often: front.
A certified mechanic inspected my 2006 Buick Lacrosse lx. He said that complete tie rod assembly was "worn out", and needed to be replaced. This should not be happening with a vehicle with 80,000 miles on it!
The contact owns a 2006 Buick Lacrosse. When the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for maintenance, it was diagnosed that the front end sway bar was corroded and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 74,000.…
Brakes
10 complaints · 3%Half of these problems showed up before 50,000 miles. Parts named most often: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, pedals and linkages.
Steering is almost impossible to turn at low speeds such as turning into a parking space. Occurs all the time. Applying the brake may play a part.
The contact owns a 2006 Buick Lacrosse. While driving various speeds, the contact had to pump the brake pedal several times in order for the vehicle to stop. The ABS and traction control warning indicators illuminated. Also, the instrument panel failed to remain illuminated in order for the contact to view necessary…
Visibility and wipers
7 complaints · 2%Half of these problems showed up before 81,000 miles. Parts named most often: windshield, defroster/defogger/hvac system, rearview mirrors/devices.
I was at local get-go getting food then I drove to pick up my 2 kids and my cousins son along with an cousin. I picked the kids up in garfield and them drove to wilkinsburgh to drop my cousin and her son off . As we drove close to her home I turned on the defrost because the whole car got foggy. I parked and then a…
I was driving and heard a loud pop looked back and realized there was a hole in my rear windshield, pulled over to see what happened there was no brick rock or any other object in the back seat and noticed the windshield was blown outward and it was almost dead center of the windshield.
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2006 Buick Lacrosse recalls
Lights: headlights
Risk: Headlamps that do not illuminate reduce the driver's ability to see the roadway and reduce the vehicle's visibility to oncoming vehicles, both of which increase the risk of a vehicle crash.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will replace the hdm, free of charge. The recall began on may 17, 2016. Owners may contact buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. Gm's number for this recall is 14291.
Full defect summary
General motors llc (gm) is recalling certain model year 2007 pontiac grand prix, 2006-2009 buick lacrosse, 2006-2007 buick rainier, chevrolet trailblazer, gmc envoy, 2006 chevrolet trailblazer ext, gmc envoy xl, 2006-2008 isuzu ascender, and saab 9-7x vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the headlamp driver module (hdm) may overheat and fail, causing the headlamps and daytime running lights to not illuminate.
Electrical: ignition
Risk: If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury. Additionally, a key knocked out of the run position will cause loss of engine power, power steering, and power braking, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
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.
Full defect summary
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 cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine.
Air bags: frontal
Risk: If the passenger sensing system malfunctions, the front air bag on the passenger side may be disabled when it should be enabled, or enabled when it should be disabled. In either case, in the event of a crash that requires air bag deployment, a front passenger's level of injury may be increased.
Fix: Because a replacement leather seat cover that is compatible with the passenger sensing system is not available, general motors (gm) will repurchase these vehicles in accordance with the terms stated in gm's letter to owners. The recall began on november 6, 2006. Owners should contact gm at 1-877-477-1022 to begin the process of repurchasing their vehicle.
Full defect summary
Certain vehicles originally built with cloth seats that were equipped with an automatic air bag passenger sensing system and later reupholstered with aftermarket leather seat cover kits are involved. Testing has indicated that the aftermarket leather seat covers can cause the passenger sensing system to malfunction.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Loss of headlights
Summary
The subject vehicles are model year (my) 2002-2009 chevrolet trailblazer, gmc envoy, 2004-2007 buick rainier, 2003-2008 isuzu ascender, 2005-2009 saab 9-7x, 2002-2004 oldsmobile bravada, 2003-2006 chevrolet ssr, 2005-2009 buick lacrosse, and 2006-2008 pontiac grand prix. This scope includes the trailblazer/envoy variants: 2002-2006 envoy xl/trailblazer ext and 2004-2005 envoy xuv. The original scope of this investigation was expanded to include all vehicles equipped with the subject headlight driver module (hdm). The focus of the investigation was to determine whether actions performed by general motors adequately addressed any unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety in the subject vehicle
Questions about the 2006 Buick Lacrosse
- What are the most common problems with the 2006 Buick Lacrosse?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: lights (156 complaints, typically around 89,500 miles); electrical (83 complaints, typically around 77,000 miles); air bags (38 complaints, typically around 62,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2006 Buick Lacrosse have?
- 3 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from August 14, 2015 (lights). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2006 a bad year for the Buick Lacrosse?
- It is the 2nd most complained-about Lacrosse model year since 2000, with 299 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.