2006 Buick Lucerne Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2006 Buick Lucerne most often write about rear door latches and lock mechanisms that stop working, and about power steering fluid leaks that leave the steering heavy. Electrical complaints are also common early in ownership, including dash gauges that are hard to read in daylight and intermittent shutdowns. Many reports arrive at lower mileage, while the door and steering complaints tend to appear later in the car's life.

1. 1
   Latches, locks and linkages

   Rear doors stuck locked or won't open

   • 59 complaints (18%)
   • median 77,270 mi at 9.0 yrs old (52 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2006–2021

   Owners describe rear doors that will not unlock or open from either the inside or the outside, sometimes working again briefly after banging on the door panel. In several reports the rear doors relock on their own or lock and unlock repeatedly while driving, and on some cars the theft-deterrent system kept the rear doors locked while parked. Complaints describe diagnosis as a failed lock assembly or a binding lock rod, with repairs quoted in the hundreds of dollars per door; some owners say the problem returned after a fix. Mostly reported between roughly 55,000 and 140,000 miles on cars several years old.

   What to check: Open and close each rear door several times from inside and outside, and cycle the power locks; ask whether any lock assemblies have already been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Door locks jam and can't open door. Locks can not be manually opened. Locked in vehicle. Reported 8/21/08 and fixed. 2/16/10 broke and I had to pay $400. 6/25/13 broke 3rd time and GM refused to refund me $400 and said vehicle had too much mileage. I was told to buy a new car. Numerous reports of faulty locks on internet.”

   NHTSA complaint #10596847, filed 2014-06, 35,043 miles

   “Front passenger door latch has come loose multiple times while in the vehicle. It temporarily fixes itself, then randomly occurs again. Door will not open from the inside or outside. This is definitely a hazard in an accident. This isn't the first Lucerne that I've driven with this problem and it's quite common. There is no safety lock on the door for this to keep happening.”

   NHTSA complaint #11388455, filed 2021-01, 172,997 miles
2. 2
   Electrical system

   Stalls or shuts off while driving

   • 34 complaints (10%)
   • median 60,000 mi at 8.0 yrs old (29 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2007–2019

   Complaints describe the engine quitting without warning, sometimes at speed, often with reduced-engine-power, check-throttle or service-traction-control messages and no power steering or brakes afterward. In some reports the car would not restart until the battery was disconnected to reset the system, and several dealers could not reproduce the problem or find stored codes. A related group of reports centers on the ignition switch, where the car would not shut off or the key was hard to turn and remove. Spread from very low mileage up to about 107,000 miles, with several reports under 70,000 miles.

   Recall 14V3550002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether recall 14V355000 (ignition) was completed, keep the key ring light, and have any stored codes read during a test drive.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have filed a prior claim with you on the ignition control module failure. Dealer replaced the entire module - GM subsequently issued recall for buicks, altho they are claiming the failure has to do with a slot/hole in a key. I had only the key and the lock fob on the key - I did not have lots of keys and other accessories linked to my key, nor did I hit a pothole or anything jarring. The car just died, no brakes, steering, unable to restart the car and I had to have it towed. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10618183, filed 2014-08, 121,000 miles

   “Vehicle is a 2006 Buick Lucerne cx with 40,000 miles. About 2 months ago it started to go dead without any warning. The first occurrence was jan 15, 2014 with my wife driving. The next shutdown on mar 4, 2014, occurred in rush hour traffic. There was an audible signal accompanied by a service traction control warning, followed immediately by a throttle control warning and complete engine shutdown. I was able to coast across 2 traffic lanes into a parking area with great difficulty while steering and braking without power assist. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10569063, filed 2014-03, 39,362 miles
3. 3
   Steering

   Power steering fluid leak and heavy steering

   • 21 complaints (6%)
   • median 55,604 mi at 9.1 yrs old (18 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2006–2023

   Owners report puddles or a sudden loss of power steering fluid, sometimes with a whining or grinding noise and steering that becomes hard to turn. Several complaints trace this to leaking power steering hose connectors, and one notes the vehicle was not covered by the hose-connector campaign. Other owners describe a catching or thumping feel through the wheel at low speed, which a dealer attributed to the steering shaft. Reported from about 33,000 to 126,000 miles, and sometimes suddenly while backing out or at low speed.

   Recall 06V1050002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check the power steering fluid level and look for fluid on the hoses and the ground, and ask whether the hose-connector recall 06V105000 was performed for this vehicle.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Every Buick I have every had, had power steering issues, including my newest one. I just got a oil change and they topped off everything, yet my power steering sounds horrible when turning.”

   NHTSA complaint #11375425, filed 2020-11, 100,000 miles

   “Slow speed steering feels like something is catching, makes noise and does not feel right. Contacted dealer and they said there is a problem with the steering shaft but there is no recall on it so it would cost $300 plus to have it fixed, this is a GM defect from the factory that is common to the 2006 Lucerne and needs to have a recall before someone gets in a bad accident.”

   NHTSA complaint #10442176, filed 2012-01, 33,000 miles
4. 4
   Electrical system

   Dash gauges hard to read in daylight

   • 50 complaints (15%)
   • median 200 mi at 0.7 yrs old (41 state mileage)
   • filed 2006–2015

   Owners report that the instrument cluster is washed out by sunlight or too dimly lit to read during the day, making the speedometer and tachometer hard to see. Some took the car to a dealer and were told the lighting was normal for the design, while others had the dash lighting rewired to stay at full brightness. A few also mention a flickering or erratic speedometer. Mostly reported on nearly new cars, from delivery up to a few thousand miles.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Sit in the car on a sunny day and check whether the gauges are readable, and ask if any dashboard lighting work has been done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact stated the instrument cluster was obscured by the glare from sunlight. The vehicle was taken to a service dealer, who informed the contact that the structure of the dashboard panel was a manufacturing standard. The manufacturer was notified. Updated 10/17/2006 -”

   NHTSA complaint #10169428, filed 2006-09, 25 miles

   “The contact stated shortly after purchase it was discovered the dash panel gauges such as the tachometer and the speedometer were poorly lighted and made visibility limited. The vehicle was seen by a dealer. Contrary to the manufacturer's design, the dealer rewired the dash panel lighting and bypassed the dash dimmer switch so the lighting illuminated at the brightest possible level. As a result, the dash panel lights could not be dimmed. Updated 03/09/06”

   NHTSA complaint #10150699, filed 2006-02, 600 miles
5. 5
   Body and structure

   Chrome wheels corroding and losing air

   • 16 complaints (5%)
   • median 79,000 mi at 8.4 yrs old (14 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2009–2016

   Owners describe chrome peeling or corrosion around the valve stem openings and bead area of the wheels, which breaks the seal and lets tires lose pressure. Complaints mention the tire pressure warning light coming on repeatedly and repeated tire replacements, with dealers sometimes scraping the rims rather than replacing them. One owner reported several separate instances of air loss before the wheel corrosion was identified. Reported from roughly 47,000 to 120,000 miles.

   What to check: Inspect the chrome around the valve stems and wheel edges for flaking or corrosion, and check whether tires hold pressure over several days.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Vehicle has numerous issues over the years. 80k miles currently, tires leak air because of corrosion on the rims, this is my 2nd set of tires not counting the set the vehicle came with, breaks have been done twice, rotors have been replaced, both front door handles have come off, problems with the leveler, now door locks lock/unlock while driving but not just once (might happen 6-8 times). Local dealer & service station have performed repairs/replacements. Already been under 2 recalls.”

   NHTSA complaint #10896372, filed 2016-08, 80,000 miles

   “Chrome wheels corroding in valve stem openings causing tires to leak air pressure. Valve stem opening corroding away and not enough material left to seal valve stem in place!”

   NHTSA complaint #10334377, filed 2010-06, 47,000 miles

Buying note. Check the rear doors and power locks carefully and confirm the ignition and power steering hose recalls were completed for the specific vehicle. Budget for possible steering hose and wheel replacement, since both appear repeatedly in owner reports.

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. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the 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.