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Buick LucerneModel year report

2009 Buick Lucerne Problems

Compared with other Buick Lucerne years

Typical for this model

61/100 1.3× a typical year · 50 = typical

Nearby years with fewer complaints than typical and no open NHTSA investigation: 2010, 2011

Based only on NHTSA complaints, recalls and investigations. Not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold, and not a reliability rating. How this is calculated

Complaints
128filed with NHTSA
Median mileage
79,000miles, 107 complaints with mileage
Recalls
2campaigns on record
Trend
StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA crash rating
—overall rating starts with 2011 models
EPA fuel economy
20 mpgcombined, 3.9L 6-cyl FWD · 17 city / 26 hwy

Sources: NHTSA records for the 2009 Buick Lucerne (complaints, recalls, investigations), NHTSA crash tests, EPA fuel economy. Report an error

What owners report

Complaints about this model year center on the rear fuse box under the back seat: owners report a melted fuel pump relay, a no-start or stall condition, and sometimes a burning smell. Many of these appeared between roughly 50,000 and 130,000 miles, often after the car had been driven and then parked. A smaller group describes power steering that cuts out briefly in wet weather.

  1. Electrical system

    Fuel pump relay overheating and melting rear fuse box

    • 74 complaints (58%)
    • median 83,226 mi at 8.8 yrs old (62 state mileage)
    • 15 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • owner-quoted repair $723 (median of 8 quotes)
    • filed 2013–2026

    Owners describe a car that cranks but will not start, sometimes stalling or losing power while driving, with a burning smell or smoke from under the rear seat. On inspection, the fuel pump relay inside the rear electrical center is charred or melted into the fuse block. Some had the relay replaced first and the same failure returned, with reports of the fuse box, and in some cases the fuel pump or fuel module, also being replaced. Owners frequently mention a service bulletin, 15-NA-051, about the rear seat bracket contacting the electrical center, and report that the seat was modified or trimmed during repair. Scattered from about 50,000 to 130,000 miles, typically after a normal drive followed by a failed restart.

    Recall 14V3550001 related service bulletin

    What to check: Look under the rear seat at the fuse block for a scorched or discolored relay socket, and ask whether the relay, fuse box or seat bracket have been repaired. A service bulletin on a no-start condition involving the rear seat bracket and electrical center exists, so ask if that work was performed.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “I had just driven the car on a 2 hour trip with no issue. I drove that trip in the morning and that afternoon I went to start the car and the starter was going but the engine wouldn't start. I lifted the back seat to find an awful smell coming from the fuse box. I pulled the fuel pump fuse to find it singed. The vehicle will be needing a new fuse box and I'm still waiting to find the part.”

    NHTSA complaint #11088464, filed 2018-04, 82,000 miles

    “My 2009 Buick Lucerne would not start in my driveway on the morning of june 8, 2019. The mileage of the vehicle is 109466. The engine would crack but not start. I found that the relay for the fuel pump was burnt which is located under the rear seat in a fuse box. This was replaced and the vehicle started again and ran. That evening after driving approximately 160 miies, the vehicle shut off while traveling at a speed of 45 miles per hour. …”

    NHTSA complaint #11102356, filed 2018-06, 109,466 miles
  2. Fuel system

    Fuel pump or fuel module failure with no start or stall

    • 36 complaints (28%)
    • median 79,609 mi at 8.4 yrs old (29 state mileage)
    • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • filed 2015–2024

    Complaints describe a vehicle that will not start, or shuts off at speed, with no fuel pressure or no audible pump prime. Mechanics diagnosed a failed fuel pump and replaced the module assembly, sometimes more than once and sometimes together with the fuse block or relay. In several reports the fault kept returning after the pump was replaced, and owners describe a fuel odor near the front passenger side before a failed restart. Mostly reported between roughly 40,000 and 120,000 miles, with failures appearing both when parked and while driving.

    3 related service bulletins

    What to check: Ask if the fuel pump or fuel module has been replaced and whether the repair resolved the no-start complaint. Service bulletins address rough idle, extended crank and misfire, including injector cleaning, so ask whether that maintenance was done.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “Vehicle was stationary in driveway. Vehicle would not start. It had worked fine the day prior. The vehicle was cranking and clearly had power but would not turn over. I noticed that I could not hear the fuel pump prime when the key was turned. Like many others, I found the fuel pump relay to be charred like it had been burning. The fuse block was also melted at pin 30. This is such a fire hazard being under the back seat, dealing with the fuel pump, and overheating like it does. …”

    NHTSA complaint #10817149, filed 2015-12, 60,000 miles

    “6/2/15 vehicle would not start, full power and crank but would not engage. Car towed to Buick dealer where I purchased car. Ck ECM codes - none ck ign and fuel system - no fuel pressure - ck fuel deliver system found fuel pump failure. Replaced fuel module assembly. $624.00. 6/08/15 vehicle wouldn't start. Pulled relay for fuel pump and put it back in and it started. I drove it back to the dealership. They checked fuel pump relay, found rear fuse panel damaged due to poor connection at fuel pump relay. Replaced rear fuse block. Cost $291.00. …”

    NHTSA complaint #10725973, filed 2015-06, 58,268 miles
  3. Body and structure

    Interior door handle breaks; door locks stop working

    • 9 complaints (7%)
    • median 114,556 mi at 8.1 yrs old (8 state mileage, few)
    • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • filed 2013–2020

    Complaints describe the plastic interior driver door lever cracking where it connects to the latch, sometimes more than once on replacement parts, leaving the occupant unable to open the door from inside. Others report that the doors will not unlock with the key fob and that dealers recommended replacing the door actuators. Reported from around 37,000 miles into the 120,000-mile range, with the handle failures recurring on replacement parts.

    What to check: Open and close every door from the inside and outside, and check that the key fob locks and unlocks each door reliably.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “Interior driver door lever broke 3rd time in same location. This was a replacement for a replacement purchased in april 2016. Same at breaking point. Material and design is very poor. Driver is trapped in car without a way to rapidly open the door in an emergency to escape. Replacements parts are hard to find indicating this part fails often. Other door lever parts on other doors in this car are readily available.”

    NHTSA complaint #10937275, filed 2016-12, 122,000 miles

    “Interior driver door lever broke again in same location. This was a replacement for the oem part that broke in april. Same breaking point. Material and design is very poor. Driver is trapped in car without a way to rapidly open the door in an emergency to escape.”

    NHTSA complaint #10937272, filed 2016-12, 119,000 miles

Buying note. These cars are older, so the condition of the rear fuse block and fuel system matters more than mileage. Before buying, have a mechanic look under the rear seat at the fuse block and confirm any related repairs are documented.

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.

NHTSA recorded 128 consumer complaints for the 2009 Buick Lucerne. 107 of the complaints include a mileage, and 21% of those were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the median is 79,000 miles. Of all complaints, 6 involved a crash, 17 a fire, 5 an injury, according to the filers. NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns and 956 technical service bulletins for this model year. Compared with the other 3 Buick Lucerne model years that have at least 25 complaints and are old enough to compare, this one scores 61 out of 100, where 50 is a typical year for the model (typical for this model). The comparison allows for the era and for how long each year has had to collect complaints, but not for how many vehicles were sold.

Which parts are reported most

Complaints can name more than one part, so the counts add up to more than the total. Select a part to see its complaints, recalls and bulletins.

Also reported: Engine cooling (3), Latches, locks and linkages (3), Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors) (3), Seats (2), Transmission and drivetrain (2), Wheels (2), Exterior lighting (1), Seat belts (1), Suspension (1), Tires (1).

Example complaints

Electrical system: “Fuel pump relay burned out 3 times in less than a month, and the car would not start, causing the fuse block to burn. The first time, the vehicle was parked in the garage, and wouldnt start one morning, causing me to have to call off work. The next time, vehicle was in motion, on a city street, on my way to work one morning, and the power steering and acceleration died, causing me to have no control of the vehicle.”

NHTSA complaint #10909615, filed 2016-09, 62,000 miles

Fuel system: “Car is stationary and stinks like plastic is burning, turns over but won't start. Checked fuse box and found fuel pump relay and fuse box blackened and burnt. This is wife,s car she uses to take my daughter and friends to soccer so ii want to know if I replace relay and fuse box is it fixed or am I putting my family and others at risk. Gm says nothing about issue so I do not know. 60,000 miles.”

NHTSA complaint #11083981, filed 2018-04, 60,000 miles

Body and structure: “Going down highway 70 MPH straightaway car stalled able to get to side of highway pulled off seat found fuse box temp hot when cooled down noticed fuel relay switch burnt out. Common problem with car due to engineering of seat brackets hitting fuse box and damaging it. This is the second time in 5 years fuse box has been replaced by certified dealership. Obviously problem is with the engineering of seat bracket but apparently dealer does not take me seriously and did not trim seat clips per my specific request bc there is only a bulletin from GM 15-na-051 not a recall. …”

NHTSA complaint #11230244, filed 2019-07, 208,000 miles

Engine: “While driving in petoskey the car started to miss an backfiring then the motor stop running. I couldn't stop or steer the car. After I got the car finely stopped the car wouldn't start up an I could smell like wire burning. I had the car delivered to an auto shop brown motors in harbor springs mi. After the diagnosis they found that the fuse block under the rear seat was burned up at the fuel pump fuse, an was on fire at one time.. The fuse block was beyond fixing an needed a new one installed. …”

NHTSA complaint #10680899, filed 2015-02, 108,290 miles

Mileage when problems were reported

21% of the 107 complaints with a mileage were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the middle half falls between 60,000 and 103,000 miles.

9%0–104%10–257%25–5021%50–7531%75–10025%100–1502%150+
Share of complaints by mileage when the problem was reported, in thousands of miles (107 complaints with mileage). Red bars: under 50,000 miles. Bucket widths differ. Median: 79,000 miles.

Complaints by year filed

Trend: stable. Complaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.

’10’1320’16’19’22’26
Complaints by year the complaint was filed with NHTSA. Red bars: the last 3 full calendar years used for the trend. The current year (2026) is partial.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2009 Buick Lucerne. Frontal results are shown driver / passenger; rollover shows the star rating and NHTSA's estimated risk of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

VersionOverallFrontalSideSide poleRollover
Lucerne · sedan FWDnot rated5 / 5———

Driver aids listed by NHTSA for the 2009 model year: forward collision warning not available, lane departure warning optional, automatic emergency braking not available.

Ratings before the 2011 model year come from an older, less demanding test and are not comparable with ratings for 2011 and later.

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), nhtsa.gov/ratings.

Fuel economy and running cost

EPA ratings for each 2009 Buick Lucerne version. Annual fuel cost is the EPA's estimate at its current fuel prices for 15,000 miles a year (55% city driving).

VersionEngineTransmissionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yr
Lucerne FWD3.9L 6-cyl4-speed automatic172620$3,350
Lucerne FWD4.6L 8-cyl4-speed automatic152218$3,700
Lucerne FWD3.9L 6-cyl · flex-fuel4-speed automatic172621$3,200

Source: U.S. EPA and Department of Energy, fueleconomy.gov. Ratings are for comparing vehicles; real-world mileage varies with driving and conditions.

Recalls and investigations

Recall details for the 2009 Buick Lucerne → · Check a VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls

Technical service bulletins

TSBs are manufacturer notes to dealers about known repair procedures. They are not recalls and do not by themselves mean a vehicle has a fault. 956 on record; the latest 10 are shown.

See all 956 bulletins →

Other model years of the Buick Lucerne

YearComplaintsMedian miRecallsCrash ★MPGScore (50 = typical)Trend
20114938,74023–42135 · FewerFalling
20105456,5762—2032 · FewerFalling
200912879,0002—2061 · TypicalStable
200821866,3863—1880 · MoreStable
200716449,0004—20Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200633050,5964—20Not compared (before 2008)Falling

All Buick Lucerne model years · Best and worst years by complaints

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2009 Buick Lucerne?

Complaints about this model year center on the rear fuse box under the back seat: owners report a melted fuel pump relay, a no-start or stall condition, and sometimes a burning smell. The issues reported most often: Fuel pump relay overheating and melting rear fuse box; Fuel pump or fuel module failure with no start or stall; Interior door handle breaks; door locks stop working.

How many NHTSA complaints does the 2009 Buick Lucerne have?

NHTSA recorded 128 consumer complaints for the 2009 Buick Lucerne as of Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

What part of the 2009 Buick Lucerne is reported most often?

Electrical system is named most often, in 76 complaints (59% of the total), followed by fuel system with 45.

Has the 2009 Buick Lucerne been recalled?

NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for this model year. To check a specific vehicle, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What gas mileage does the 2009 Buick Lucerne get?

The EPA rates the 2009 Buick Lucerne (Lucerne, 3.9L 6-cyl) at 20 mpg combined, 17 city and 26 highway, with an estimated annual fuel cost of $3,350 at 15,000 miles a year. Other engine and drive versions are rated differently.

At what mileage are problems with the 2009 Buick Lucerne reported?

Among the 107 complaints that include a mileage, the median is 79,000 miles and the middle half falls between 60,000 and 103,000 miles; 21% were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles.

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Crash ratings are from NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program. Fuel economy is from the EPA and DOE (fueleconomy.gov).

Complaint counts come from NHTSA’s public complaint database; we count each complaint once. The source records for this vehicle are on nhtsa.gov. Scores and trends are our own summaries of that data, described in the methodology. This page is not legal, safety or repair advice: for a specific vehicle, check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and ask a qualified mechanic. See an error? Tell us.