NHTSA — Electrical System Problems

2012 Buick LaCrosse (Page 1 of 3)

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
51,596 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2012 Buick LaCrosse electrical problems

electrical problem

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2012 Buick LaCrosse Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #52

May 012024

LaCrosse

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Hello my car is stalling out and the stabilìtrak lights comes on with trak symbol. Car does not crank back up until the next day.. it keeps doing this after several days. Im scared to drive this car with the stalling when driving it... PLEASE help me fix this problem.

- Dallas , TX, USA

problem #51

Apr 252015

LaCrosse

  • 95,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Buick LaCrosse. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the park assists, and several unknown warning lights illuminated. In addition, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the RPM was elevated. The contact stated that the failure had been occurring and persistent for several years; however, the dealer had not been able to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a severe electrical failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.

- Huntingtown, MD, USA

problem #50

Jan 082023

LaCrosse

  • 122,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Buick Lacrosse. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shut off with the stabili-trak warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to two separate dealers and the contact was informed that the computer and the wiring harness needed to be replaced. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 11V40400 (Electronic Stability Control) that he linked to the failure. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 122,000.

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #49

Oct 152022

LaCrosse

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The charging system in my vehicle is no longer working. There's been a recall done for the charging system. It was fixed back in 2013 before long before I bought the vehicle. It's only been nine years since it's been fixed and now it's not working again. I'd like this matter to be looked into as I believe it's faulty at no fault of my own.

- Mc Comb, OH, USA

problem #48

Jul 042022

LaCrosse

  • miles
I was driving the LaCrosse in my neighborhood. A few minutes into the trip, I noticed a burning kind of smell. Then I saw smoke coming from the left side under the hood. I pulled over to the side of the road and exited the car to check, but the smoke quickly got worse and became flames. I then called 911.The police and fire department responded, and they were able to extinguish the fire. However, the front part of the car including the hood area and the passenger compartment was completely burned. It was a clear and mild summer day. And the car was travelling at relatively low speed on a local street, nothing unusual until the car suddenly started to smell, smoke, and burn. From the first burning smell to the car fire it took only a few minutes. The fire department investigation report states that the origin of the fire was "Left front of the engine compartment behind the left headlight and before the battery", and " the most likely cause was an electrical failure." I am the original owner of the car. It had been regularly maintained. The car had about 87,750 miles. It had not been involved in any accident.

- Livingston, NJ, USA

problem #47

Jul 012022

LaCrosse

  • miles
Stability control light keeps coming on the car shut downs in the middle of the road or it won-??t start I called Buick they say there is no recall but it shows on the NHTSA site 2012 Buick has a improperly calibrated faulty electric stabilitrack ESC campaign ID Number 11v404000 so I don-??t under stand why my car can-??t be fixed this very dangerous for me an my kids it they won-??t even look at my car

- Sanford , FL, USA

problem #46

Jun 292022

LaCrosse 6-cyl

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I have been dealing with this problem for over 7 months now. My Buick Lacrosse '12, while driving it (doesn't matter the speed) all of the suddent it starts locking and unlocking, immediately after the speed drops and the car comes to a complete stop. I have little children that ride with me in the car- while driving on the interstate this is a HUGE LIFE HAZARD, because I can't control when the car stops. I have taken it to multiple shops, non a single one of them can find anything wrong. No codes come up when they check for it. This is beyond frustrating. I see other Buicks have been recalled due to this issues. PLEASE HELP!! I am seriously concerned that me and my family could have a fatal accident because my car stops on the interstate with out warning. My name is [XXX], my husband is [XXX]- contact cell [XXX]. Address: [XXX]. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Bellevue, NE, USA

problem #45

May 112022

LaCrosse

  • miles
While driving stability trac, check engine light flashed and rpm, and speed gauges start going haywire. The car loses power even while accelerating, the steering wheel locks and car stalls. Then after 15-30 minutes the car starts fine and drives. Has happened at least 8 times. Took it to Buick dealer who ran diagnostic but unable to recreate codes but acknowledged a problem. Supposedly fixed it only to return the car a few days later. This is quite scary and dangerous as it happens without warning and while driving. Thankfully I wasn't on the expressway when it happened because all steering, power and brake function is lost.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #44

Oct 142021

LaCrosse

  • 154,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Buick LaCrosse. The contact stated while at a standstill, the vehicle failed to start-up. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V173000 (Electrical System) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was informed of failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 154,000.

- Pocahontas, IL, USA

problem #43

Jul 192021

LaCrosse

  • 128,000 miles
The contact's niece owns a 2012 Buick LaCrosse. The contact stated that while driving various speeds, the battery warning light would illuminate on the instrument panel as the vehicle would stall. The "service battery charging system" warning message would also appear on the instrument panel as the vehicle would fail to restart. The contact was able to assist his niece by towing the vehicle to his home and replacing the battery; however, the same failure occurred soon after replacement. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V173000 (Electrical System) however, upon contacting the manufacturer, he discovered that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 128,000.

- Philadelphia, MS, USA

problem #42

Jul 032021

LaCrosse

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

A message popped up on my dash that said service charging system right before it died and I haven't been able to get it running since cause the 12v battery keeps draining and when I charge the battery separately then reinstall it and start the vehicle I can smell something burning from an unknown place

- Dimmitt, TX, USA

problem #41

Jan 182021

LaCrosse 6-cyl

  • 90,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Buick Lacrosse. The contact stated while the vehicle was stationary, cranks up when the key is in the ignition and there is a swishing noise around the steering wheel. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to J M jackson Chevrolet Buick (18996 us-84, andalusia, al 36421) to be diagnosed. The mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

- Dozier, AL, USA

problem #40

Apr 062021

LaCrosse

  • 100,000 miles
I was driving my car to my house an my car started acting funny. While driving randomly 2 lights came on saying service brake assist and service stabili track. It became extremely hard to steer, the automatic brakes stopped working and it cut off on the highway. I put it in neutral and got to the side of the road. When I cut it back on it had the following warning lights; service brake assist, service stabili track. I almost died and my girl had to pay for a tow truck for me to get home and I was right up the street. I feel like it dangerous and when I told GMC they said its nothing they could do. It is several recalls with vehicles just like mine that are the same year with the same problems but they said they would not help me. My car is not drivable and I can not afford to get all the things fixed that were recalls. I am immobile and it is causing harm to me financially. I trusted GMC and I feel like they should do right by consumers.

- Simpsonville, SC, USA

problem #39

Mar 102021

LaCrosse

  • 122,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Buick Lacrosse. The contact stated while driving at 45 mph when the vehicle lost power without warning. The contact stated he stopped the vehicle by crashing into a curb. The vehicle was unable to be restarted. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to local dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with, NHTSA campaign number: 13V173000 (electrical system) however the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not informed of failure. The failure mileage was approximately 122,000.

- Alpena, MI, USA

problem #38

Mar 102021

LaCrosse

  • 122,000 miles
While going around curves the engine lost power several time. Check engine light came on, power steering failed, power brakes failed and engine restarted on its own after a few seconds.

- Charleston, WV, USA

problem #37

Oct 012020

LaCrosse

  • miles
My vehicle keeps dying and mechanic said that its my generator control I see this year has recall but why is my vehicle not covered, started happing months ago

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #36

Oct 012020

LaCrosse

  • 34,800 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Buick Lacrosse. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled with the low battery service warning light illuminated. The contact stated that upon his own inspection, he attached the vehicle to a code reader and no defects were discovered. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA campaign number: 13V173000 (electrical system) which he linked to the failure. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 34,800.

- Bellevue, NE, USA

problem #35

Feb 012020

LaCrosse

  • 150,460 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Buick Lacrosse. The contact stated while driving at low speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact boosted the battery and drove to her residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the alternator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated while driving at 65 mph, the service battery charging system warning light illuminated. The contact stated she continued to drive the vehicle. The contact replaced the battery and the warning light disappeared. The contact stated while driving 40 mph, the steering wheel was difficult to turn with the service battery charging system warning light illuminated. The vehicle stalled. The vehicle was not drivable. The vehicle was towed to her boyfriend's residence. The vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic and was informed that an unknown electrical wiring needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated 2 weeks later, the service battery charging system warning light illuminated again. The vehicle was taken to local dealer hiley Buick GMC of fort worth located at 3535 w loop 820 S, fort worth, tx 76116, (817) 349-6235, where it was diagnosed with needing a generator module to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 13V173000 (electrical system) however the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had been informed of failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,460.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

problem #34

Nov 152016

LaCrosse

  • 43,000 miles
While driving on a city street at 20 mph the engine started knocking and the service charging system light came on. A few minutes later as I was backing into a parking spot in a parking lot at work the car shut off and would not restart. I had the car towed home and a mechanic looked at it and seen that the engine was hydro-locked which he was able to unlock. After checking the spark plugs, coils, valve cover, timing, oil, coolant, alternator, starter, battery, fuse block and wiring harness, the plugs needed replaced, there was metal shavings in the oil and some type of fluid in some of the sensor plugs on the motor. After replacing the plugs and oil and oil filter and cleaning other components I was driving the car to the store and the malfunction light came on along with service charging system and service stability trak I stopped at autozone to have them scan the engine and the code came back with malfunction with spark plug #3 so I bought a new plug and on the way home about 10 mins after leaving autozone the car completely shut down in the middle of the road. My mechanic came and we were able to get it to restart and get it back home which was only a few blocks. After doing another tuneup and getting it to drive again 2 blocks from my place a rod went right through the front bottom of the engine block which then required for a new engine. I called GM, Buick, the car lot I got the car from and everyone said there was no longer a warranty on the vehicle so the only choice I would have was to pay $10,000 for a new engine not including labor price. My car insurance didn't cover mechanical failures either so I was stuck with a $30,000 car that wasn't drivable. Cause is unknown. I bought this car in Jan. 2015 with 31,000 miles on it and this happened in Nov 2015 with 40 some thousand miles on it. Routine maintenance was kept up to date also.

- Cedar Rapids, IA, USA

problem #33

Aug 012015

LaCrosse

  • miles
The contact owns a 2012 Buick Lacrosse. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled while traveling at various speeds without warning. The contact had taken the vehicle to rick hendrick Chevrolet charleston (1500 savannah hwy, charleston, SC 29407) where he was informed that the vehicle was under NHTSA campaign number: 13V173000 (electrical system) but that the recall was closed. They diagnosed the vehicle with a defective starter. The starter was replaced. The contact stated that the failure persisted despite the repair. The contact took the vehicle back to the same dealer. Upon inspection, the mechanic diagnosed the vehicle with a defective generator control module which the contact linked to NHTSA campaign number: 13V173000 (electrical system). The contact spoke to a service manager who informed him that the defective part on his vehicle was not replaced. The dealer refused to service the vehicle under the recall. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure and provided no assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Mt Pleasant, SC, USA

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