IllustrationWHILE DRIVING THE CAR COMPLETELY SHUTS OFF AND I'VE HAD CLOSE CALLS. I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND SIDE STREET WHEN THIS HAPPENED.
2008 Buick Lacrosse
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2008 Buick Lacrosse do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 129.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Lacrosse years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
310–25K
5725–50K
5650–75K
3675–100K
16100–150K
4150K+
200 reports with mileage · 50 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 84 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 77 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Exterior Lighting. Review the 61 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
12 crash reports6 fire reports3 injury reports
Power Train complaints
5 reportsIVE BEEN COMPLAINING ABOUT THESE PROBLEMS SINCE I PURCHASED CAR. I HAVE A 2008 BUICK LACROSSE. SHAKING ,NOISES, WHEELS, TURN CAR ON AND IT TUNS OFF., IVE HAD 3 ENGINE LIGHTS COME ON SINCE IVE HAD CAR. P0300 CODE. PAID 495 FOR THIS CODE.VERY UPSET TO FIND OUT ITS A RECALL ON WHAT THEY FITS. AND THE CALL IS MESSING UP AGAIN.IVE ON…
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IVE BEEN COMPLAINING ABOUT THESE PROBLEMS SINCE I PURCHASED CAR. I HAVE A 2008 BUICK LACROSSE. SHAKING ,NOISES, WHEELS, TURN CAR ON AND IT TUNS OFF., IVE HAD 3 ENGINE LIGHTS COME ON SINCE IVE HAD CAR. P0300 CODE. PAID 495 FOR THIS CODE.VERY UPSET TO FIND OUT ITS A RECALL ON WHAT THEY FITS. AND THE CALL IS MESSING UP AGAIN.IVE ONLY HAD CAR BACK 6 DAYS. ROTORS HAVE A RECALL ON THEM. NO ONE HAS SENT ANY NOTICE. THIS NEED TAKING CARE OF ASAP. TURNING STEERING WHEEL AND HERE ALL KINDS OF CRACKS. TURN HEATER ON AND IM FREEZING FOR 30 MINS. BEFORE GET ANY HEAT. IM SCARED I MIGHT HAVE A WRECK. I CANT ROAD AT NIGHT WITH LIGHTS.
THE TRANSMISSION FAIILED WITHOUT NOTICE. HOPE IT DOES NOT HAPPEN WHILE AT A STOP LIGHT. I JUST BACKED INTO A PARKING SPACE WENT TO PULL OUT AND WAS NOT ABLE TO PUT THE CAR IN ANY DRIVE GEAR AT ALL. VEHICLE MILAGE 79850 MILES.
THE ENGINE DIED WITHOUT WARNING AND WOULD NOT RESTART. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ON A QUIET STREET AND SO I COULD STOP CURBSIDE. LIGHTS ETC. WORKED BUT POWER STEERING, POWER BRAKES, ENGINE WERE ALL DEAD. THE CAUSE WAS A CRACKED IGNITION COIL THAT SHORTED AND "FRIED" THE IGNITION MODULE. THIS WAS AN ORIGINAL-EQUIPMENT PART, PROBABLY …
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THE ENGINE DIED WITHOUT WARNING AND WOULD NOT RESTART. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ON A QUIET STREET AND SO I COULD STOP CURBSIDE. LIGHTS ETC. WORKED BUT POWER STEERING, POWER BRAKES, ENGINE WERE ALL DEAD. THE CAUSE WAS A CRACKED IGNITION COIL THAT SHORTED AND "FRIED" THE IGNITION MODULE. THIS WAS AN ORIGINAL-EQUIPMENT PART, PROBABLY A DELPHI GN10123 (FROM MY INTERNET RESEARCH; I COULD BE WRONG). HAD THIS HAPPENED ON A HIGH-SPEED ROAD, THE RESULTS COULD HAVE BEEN DISASTROUS. *TR
FOR THE THIRD TIME, THIS VEHICLE HAS DIED AT A STANDSTILL FOR NO APPARENT REASON. IT WILL BE PERFORMING WELL UNTIL PARKED. AFTER A SPAN OF TIME, IT WILL NOT RESTART. WHEN THE KEY IS INSERTED INTO THE IGNITION, THE MOTOR WILL NOT CATCH OR TURN OVER, THE KEY WILL FREEZE OR LOCK IN THE IGNITION IN THE "ON" POSITION, NOTHING IN THE …
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FOR THE THIRD TIME, THIS VEHICLE HAS DIED AT A STANDSTILL FOR NO APPARENT REASON. IT WILL BE PERFORMING WELL UNTIL PARKED. AFTER A SPAN OF TIME, IT WILL NOT RESTART. WHEN THE KEY IS INSERTED INTO THE IGNITION, THE MOTOR WILL NOT CATCH OR TURN OVER, THE KEY WILL FREEZE OR LOCK IN THE IGNITION IN THE "ON" POSITION, NOTHING IN THE VEHICLE CAN BE OPERATED - GEAR SHIFT, RADIO/PLAYER, DOOR LOCKS, TRUNK LID, ETC., ETC. ETC. THE CAR IS COMPLETELY SEIZED UP. INSPECTION WILL DISCLOSE THAT BATTERY, INCLUDING BRAND NEW BATTERY, IS DEAD ( NO VOLTAGE WHATSOEVER). ONLY WAY TO RESTART VEHICLE IS TO RECHARGE BATTERY. THIS HAS HAPPENED THREE TIMES OVER SPAN OF 9 TO 10 MONTHS. WHEN BATTERY IS RECHARGED, VEHICLE WILL OPERATE FOR MONTHS UNTIL IT IS DEAD AGAIN. SOMETHING IS DRAINING THE BATTERY, BUT THERE NO LOGICAL EXPLANATION; NOTHING SUCH AS RADIO, LIGHTS, ETC., IS BEING LEFT ON. SOME AUTO REPAIR PEOPLE BELIEVE THERE IS A SHORT IN THE CAR'S WIRING HARNESS; OTHERS BELIEVE THE DEFECTIVE IGNITION SYSTEM IS AT FAULT. *JS
Official recalls
215V519000 · Exterior Lighting:headlights
Aug 14, 2015
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: 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.
14V355000 · Electrical System:ignition
Jun 23, 2014
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: 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.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1RQ17002 · Loss Of Headlights
Opened Apr 24, 2017 · Closed Mar 29, 2021
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Exterior Lighting:headlights
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 vehicles concerning the headlights and the HDM that controls them.Under normal electrical load and environmental conditions, the HDM can overheat inside the Underhood Electrical Center (UEC). This can cause the module to fail and result in a simultaneous loss of both low beam headlights and both daytime running lights (DRLs), often with no warning or prior detectability to the driver. This failure can be intermittent or permanent. No other exterior lights are affected. High beams, turn signals, brake lights, and reverse lights are still operational.General Motors addressed this issue with 2 recalls (14V755 & 15V519) and a special coverage program (N172091910). In view of the recalls and special coverage program implemented by GM and the vehicle high beams continuing to operate, ODI has tentatively concluded that the actions taken by GM mitigate any unreasonable risk to safety posed by HDM failure in the subject vehicles.Accordingly, the investigation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances.The ODI reports cited above are available for review online at NHTSA.gov under the identification numbers in the attached document.