2012 Buick Lacrosse Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2012 LaCrosse most often describe the car shutting off or losing power while driving, frequently accompanied by a battery charging message or a service StabiliTrak warning, and sometimes with loss of power steering and power assist for the brakes. A second recurring theme is a rear suspension concern tied to a rear toe-link recall, with several owners reporting that parts were not yet available when they asked. Complaints span a wide mileage range, from very low miles to well past 150,000.

1. 1
   Engine

   Engine stalls or shuts off while driving

   Mentioned in 9 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe the vehicle cutting off at speed, at a stop, or while turning, sometimes with the check engine, battery charging, or service StabiliTrak messages appearing first. Several owners say the car restarts after a short wait and then runs normally, and some report losing power steering and brake assist during the shutdown. Owners describe repeated dealer visits where no fault code could be found or the failure could not be duplicated. Reported from low mileage to well past 150,000 miles, with many complaints between roughly 40,000 and 130,000 miles.

   What to check: Ask for any stored diagnostic codes and service history related to stalling, and test drive enough to include highway speed and stop-and-go driving. Have a shop check the charging system and battery condition.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving in traffic on city street during rush hour traffic my vehicle completed shut down no warning, engine light popped on, the wheel became stiff the brakes became stiff. I put it in park, turned the ignition offend started it up again, it started right up and I continued driving for another 4 miles engine light remained on. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11179946, filed 2019-02, 130,031 miles

   “The engine light had come on and I went to a repair shop to have it repaired. I was told to bring it back the next day and on my way back the charging light came on. I was on the highway doing 70 miles an hour in a curve when all systems went down the instrument panel lit up and I lost braking, steering and all other functions. And I was very lucky to not have wrecked the car. This is a very dangerous situation that needs to be corrected.”

   NHTSA complaint #11115703, filed 2018-08, 50,000 miles
2. 2
   Electrical system

   Battery drain, charging light, and no-start

   Mentioned in 8 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners report the battery or service charging system warning coming on, the car failing to start or dying at low speed, and batteries being replaced without solving the problem. Some complaints describe alternator replacement, and others link the symptom to the eAssist generator control module recall. Several owners note that the car sometimes restarts on its own after sitting for a while. Most often reported between roughly 40,000 and 155,000 miles, including cold-morning no-starts.

   Recall 13V1730001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Confirm whether the eAssist generator control module recall was performed on the vehicle, and have the battery and charging system load-tested before purchase.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Sometimes car is dead in the morning, unable to jumpstart, 1 hour later car starts right up, drives fine for a while then dies, has died while waiting at a stop sign. I have taken it to two auto shops including the dealer. The first auto shop could find nothing wrong, the dealer told me it was my battery (which was only 1 year old). He replaced the battery but my car continues to randomly die.”

   NHTSA complaint #11353294, filed 2020-09, 90,000 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.”

   NHTSA complaint #11437230, filed 2021-10, 154,000 miles
3. 3
   Electronic stability control

   StabiliTrak warning with power loss or hard braking

   Mentioned in 8 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners report the service StabiliTrak message appearing with reduced engine power, the car slowing or stalling, and in some cases abrupt braking or a pull to one side. Some describe the vehicle decelerating unexpectedly at highway speed. Repairs mentioned in complaints include the electronic brake control module, throttle body, and wiring harness, with mixed results. Reported across a broad range from about 35,000 to 235,000 miles.

   Recall 11V404000

   What to check: Ask whether the StabiliTrak calibration recall applies to the vehicle and was performed, and scan for stored stability control and ABS codes.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was driving down a highway when out of no where my 2012 Buick Lacrosse had an engine reduced speed signal come on and I checked the menu to see what it was about and it said the stability track needed to be serviced and I googled what this meant and on google, google read that other Buick Lacrosse of the same year had a recall when I called about the recall for my car I was told that my car hasn't had any recalls when I just read on google that the same car and year had a recall for the same problem.”

   NHTSA complaint #11320385, filed 2020-04, 113,000 miles

   “My 2012 Buick lacrosses newest problem is one that actually scares me. I can be driving along at 65 miles an hour and it will kinda jerk a couple of times, then usually it will flash 'service the stability track' then I lose power steering and it dies. I'm lucky if I can make it to the side of the road.I live in a rural area and the highways around here are two lane with minimum shoulders. So when the car does this it is dangerous. It has happened 5 times now. It will restart after about 15-30 minutes and drive just fine. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11258473, filed 2019-09, 106,000 miles
4. 4
   Suspension

   Rear suspension noise, looseness, or toe-link concern

   Mentioned in 7 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe grinding or clunking from the rear, the rear end feeling loose over bumps, and the car wandering or being hard to steer at speed. Several owners reference the rear toe-link recalls and state that the dealer told them parts for the repair were not yet available. A few describe a rear suspension component breaking while driving. Mostly reported between roughly 60,000 and 210,000 miles, often on higher-mileage cars.

   Recall 21V00F000Recall 20V764000

   What to check: Ask whether the rear toe-link recall repairs were completed and have the rear suspension inspected for play, noise, or corrosion before buying.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was driving my car down a interstate highway when all of a sudden the stability track can on my dash and the car freaked out and breaked really hard ! I stated to spin out and then a loud crack the lower control arm broke on the rear right side . We almost really lost our lives! This is the 12 time this has happen and the mechanics tell me nothing is wrong they can see!! I'm taking it to Buick to see what they say this should be recalled asap! Somebody will get severely hurt soon omg”

   NHTSA complaint #11342049, filed 2020-07, 235,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2012 Buick LaCrosse. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V764000 (Suspension) however, the dealer informed the contact that the part for the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the rear end of the vehicle seemed loosened whenever the vehicle hit a bump while driving at various speeds. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11439862, filed 2021-11, 152,000 miles
5. 5
   Other or unknown

   Rough idle or hard starting after refueling (purge valve)

   Mentioned in 4 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners describe hard starting and stalling shortly after filling the tank, sometimes continuing intermittently for months. One complaint states a dealer recommended replacing the purge valve solenoid, and another notes a fuel rail pressure sensor reading out of range. Repair attempts described in the complaints did not always resolve the symptom. Reported between roughly 60,000 and 120,000 miles.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Fill the tank during a test drive and check for hard starting, and ask whether the purge valve or evaporative system has been serviced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My vehicle is stalling and takes a long time to crank after re-fueling. I took the vehicle to a local dealership and they are suggesting that the purge valve selonoid needs to be replaced, how may other complaints have been reported? Please advise if there will be any action taken regarding this. As soon as possible.”

   NHTSA complaint #11144858, filed 2018-11, 100,000 miles

   “Whenever I put fuel in the car it has a hard time starting and will also stall occasionally. It's been happening since june 2018 and I have had a mechanic try to fix it and they can't figure out what's causing it to do this. Are there any recalls for this.”

   NHTSA complaint #11141010, filed 2018-10, 120,000 miles

Buying note. Check that the rear toe-link and eAssist recalls were completed, then have a shop scan for stored codes and test drive at highway speed to watch for stalling or StabiliTrak messages. Records showing battery, charging system, and suspension work are worth asking for.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Counts refer to that sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.