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2011 Buick Lacrosse Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 169 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Buick Lacrosse, most often about the engine (21% of complaints, typically around 60,000 miles). It is 7th of 15 Lacrosse model years by number of complaints and has 4 recalls.
Most common 2011 Buick Lacrosse problems
Engine
35 complaints · 21%Half of these problems showed up before 60,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system.
2011 Buick Lacrosse (60,000 miles - properly maintained by 73 year old man) broke down on interstate hwy. While vacationing in knoxville, tn - Buick begins to stall and the engine light came on (was flickering and no acceleration). We stopped immediately at a gas station and called aaa - who towed US to a certified…
Engine suddenly stopped while beginning to exit from an eight lane highway (680). Couldn't restart. Had car towed to dealership. They replaced my battery for $361.77, in order to start the car and diagnose the problem. They called the next day to inform me that I needed a new engine...for $9000.00!!! On a car that was…
Electrical
32 complaints · 19%Half of these problems showed up before 55,500 miles. Parts named most often: wiring, instrument cluster/panel, 12v/24v/48v battery, adas.
Car was parked in our garage at 2:30 pm. I went into the garage at 7:45 pm and found it extremely hot (115f), opened the garage doors and tried to start the car to get it out of the garage. Would not start and called aaa for a tow. Aaa suggested calling police & fire. Police came and they called fire dept. Temp under…
The contact owns a 2011 Buick Lacrosse. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The battery was recharged and later replaced. In addition, the contact stated that when approaching traffic the vehicle stalled without warning. The instrument panel displayed several warning messages before the vehicle…
Suspension
27 complaints · 16%Half of these problems showed up before 63,000 miles. Parts named most often: front, rear.
Recall notice mailed to me dated january 2021. Gm recall #: n202308930. Rear suspension of toe links and adjuster fasteners require replacing in order to control the car. The gm recall center correspondence was dated december 10, 2020. I have contacted the status of this recall on 3/17/21, 4/2/21, and 4/29/21 with the…
The contact owns a 2011 Buick Lacrosse. While driving various speeds or applying the brakes, the contact heard a loud thumping noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The dealer replaced both rear brakes, struts, and shocks; however, the failure recurred. The failure…
Visibility and wipers
23 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 79,000 miles. Parts named most often: defroster/defogger/hvac system, sun/moon roof assembly.
Sunroof exploded outward going 70mph on interstate. No cars around me no birds or other things. Road perfectly smooth straight direction of travel. No bad weather and all windows raised at the time. Scared me to death. Everything was normal up until the time it exploded. I thought it was a bullet at first.
Ii cannot control the defroster or fan control. The VIN. No. Says this was on recall . But the Buick dealer in my area said it no a recall on 2011 Buick Lacrosse. They want a hundred dollars to correct this problem . Sometimes this work and other with no luck. Isome times have to wait up to 20 to 30 minute before I…
Transmission
19 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 44,500 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission.
The contact owns a 2011 Buick Lacrosse. The contact stated that the vehicle began to leak fuel from under the housing unit. Whenever the contact attempted to accelerate from a stop, it would jerk and hesitate before accelerating. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer where it was diagnosed, but not repaired. The…
The car was just purchased on 112619 and the day I bought I got warning light on dash next day car is in reduced power mode, took back to carmax to have this issue resolved they cleaned tps adv it was dirty poor contact. Two days later the light is back on this time the car is sent to Buick dealership in gilbert they…
Brakes
18 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 52,000 miles.
While attempting to stop at stop sign by applying brakes vehicle failed to stop then accelerated. While applying brakes as much as possible brakes still failed with vehicle plying through field and coming to rest only when plowing into an embankment,
While accelerating from a stop at an intersection and intitating a trn on a city street, the engine stopped and lost power steering and power brakes. The engine had to be jumped and a rod knock sound occurred. The engine later siezed up permanently at the service center. The vehicle was well maintained and oil levels…
Steering
12 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 45,000 miles.
I was driving down our local expressway with our children and the tilt steering locking level gave way and my steering wheel became unstable, moving about. Lost control of tilt and telescopic locking on the wheel.
Steering freezes up in mostly damp, wet days when driving very slow into parking area's.....steering completely locks...cannot move wheel at all....after a minute or less, I hear a noise and the wheel is unlocked... Happened numerous times over last two months , but seems to be happening more past few weeks...I am…
Other or unspecified
12 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 48,000 miles.
The truck pops all the way open/up when the car is turned off or while I am driving at a slow speed. It has happened so many times but I can not duplicate it so I can get it fixed by gm.
Twice after filling up with gas, my car was oils not start at the pump. Each time I had to wait several minutes before it would actually start. The second time it happened, I waited, it started then immediately quit again. There is a very hard start when it attempts to start as well. The engine light came on then…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2011 Buick Lacrosse recalls
Suspension: rear
Risk: A rear toe link fracture may reduce the driver's ability to control the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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 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.
Suspension: rear
Risk: A rear toe link fracture may reduce the driver's ability to control the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Seats: power adjust
Risk: If the driver's seat unexpectedly drops, the distraction and altered seat position may affect the drivers' control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will replace the height adjuster shoulder bolts, free of charge. The manufacturer distributed interim letters to owners on september 11, 2014. The recall began on december 26, 2014. Owners may contact gm customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (buick), 1-800-458-8006 (cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (chevrolet), or 1-800-462-8782 (gmc). Gm's number for this recall is 14271.
Full defect summary
General motors llc (gm) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 buick lacrosse, regal and chevrolet camaro, as well as certain 2010-2012 cadillac srx, chevrolet equinox and gmc terrain vehicles, equipped with power height adjustable driver and passenger seats. In the affected vehicles, the bolt that secures the driver's and passenger's power front seat height adjuster may fall out causing the seat to drop suddenly to the lowest vertical position.
Visibility and wipers: electrical heating element
Risk: If this condition affects the defrost system when it is required, it may decrease the driver's visibility, and could result in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will reprogram the ecc module free of charge. The safety recall began on march 11, 2011. Owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080, cadillac at 1-866-982-2339 or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.
Full defect summary
General motors is recalling certain model year 2011 buick lacrosse and cadillac srx vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 103, "windshield defrosting and defogging systems". On these vehicles, the software in the electronic climate control (ecc) module may disable the ability to adjust the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system settings. If this happens, the driver will not be able to control the heating, cooling, and ventilation for the vehicle.
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.
Questions about the 2011 Buick Lacrosse
- What are the most common problems with the 2011 Buick Lacrosse?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: engine (35 complaints, typically around 60,000 miles); electrical (32 complaints, typically around 55,500 miles); suspension (27 complaints, typically around 63,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2011 Buick Lacrosse have?
- 4 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from December 22, 2021 (suspension). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2011 a bad year for the Buick Lacrosse?
- It is 7th of 15 Lacrosse model years by number of complaints, with 169 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.