biggest complaint about your LaCrosse

[SmoothRide]

After owning nothing but Buicks since 1993 I am disappointed in the Lacrosse for many reasons. I guess I was spoiled with my earlier ones. My first Buicks were a 91 Park ave the a 93 Ultra then a 98. Then moved to the new Lesabres and next was a Lucerne and finally a Lecrosse. They have gotten smaller and far less comfortable and less head and leg room and visibility. The best thing about the Lecrosse is the looks. My knees are crammed against the door panel and console, The cheap chrome interior trim is peeling off the passanger door handle and around the console, the dash squeeked ( had to fix myself) there is no console storage, the two accessory plugs are only inches apart (one inside the console the other in the back of the console making my GPS impossible to plug in and fasten to the windshield without an extention, the back seat can only fit two people comfortably, if you put a childs car seat in the rear you need to put part of it in the raised edge of the seat in order to fasten the seat belt because the car seat is wider than the seating area, there is no trunk release button or rain sensitive wipers, The leather quality is FAR inferrior to the older ones and now with 49,000 miles my trunk opens regularly with my keyless start transmitter sitting on my kitchen counter. it happens several times a day. Some times when I close it it pops right back open. I called Buick and they lied to me and told me there is no recall or service bulletin on it. I gave him the service bulletin number (PI 0185C) and he said thats only for dealers to help them diagnose the problem. So they diagnose a problem they don't have. This will be my last Buick.

What year and model is your LaCrosse? I don't seem to experience with my 2007 quite the problems you mention. I have no interior chrome coming loose, no squeaks whatsoever in the dash (or anywhere), and what about the console storage? - I seem to have plenty. My back seat accommodates three people with no problem. I also have a trunk release control in the driver's door (I don't have rain sensitive wipers, but I do have only a CX). As for unpredictable remote fobs, I have learned to glue punched-out aluminum foil circles inside the backings of buttons on the rubber button insert (as well as clean the green circuit board thoroughly with isopropyl alcohol and a Q-tip) which restores the original predictable functioning of any auto-opening with the key fob. (I do this once a year.)

Advice: Do NOT rely on Buick dealerships to solve your problems. Forums like this and highly rated independent repair shops do a far better job...and much cheaper! Just my own experience, the dealerships just want you to trade your Buick in for a new one and start payments all over again - salesmen routinely approached me and actually ridiculed the age of my pristine '07 LaCrosse and goaded me to trade in for a new one while I was waiting for the second-rate, expensive maintenance I was getting (but won't submit to anymore). I won't buy another new Buick for those reasons, but my current Buick itself is a good car and can be repaired and maintained very well by highly rated independents.

 

[ps03gs]

2012 Lacrosse Touring. Wheel center caps were replaced under warranty at 35,000 miles as they were corroding. Also the windshield as it was delaminating in the corners. Less than two years later, both problems are back. If you have a supplier making junk for you, how is giving your customers more of the same junk fixing the problem?

 

[whatsupdoc]

First I need to say that I love my LaCrosses. I have a 2011 and a 2015. Having said that, I will add that neither are perfect. I'm posting here in case the LaCrosse design team takes note. I've already posted elsewhere about the unresponsive touch screen on the 2011. Others have posted about that also, and I can't understand the problem. If they got it right on the 2011 why doesn't it work on the 2015? This is a safety issue for me. I'm always needing to punch the thing several times and keep my eyes on the screen rather than the road. A Buick rep has contacted me and is being my advocate with the dealership where I bought the car, but it appears to be a hardware or software flaw that doesn't have a fix yet. Again - the 2011 works fine.

This is a computer/software issue. Depending upon when the 2015 was manufactured the computer was beefed up during some of the 2015 production run into 2016 (when the Apple Car Play and Android was made available).

Another design flaw in my opinion is the touch screen controls for adjusting the 2015 climate control temp. Again, I'm needing to take my eyes off the road to see if I touched the right place. I much prefer tactile buttons like on the older models.

No doubt I agree and it would have been an easy thing to do. But it would have cost them $$$ to implement it and such.

Finally, the push-button outside door locks. My wife and I usually exit the car at about the same time. One of us locks the doors and the other hits the lock button at about the same time and unlocks the doors. Many times we return to the car and it is unlocked because of this. I know that It seems to be a simple fix to simply wait and stare at the locks to see if they are in the engaged position, or to discuss with the wife who will lock the doors, but much of the exit/lock routine is hard-wired into both of our brains.

😀 I just go automatic on this - in the settings there is a setting to allow the car to automatically lock itself - no need to press any buttons inside the car or on the key fob anymore to lock it. The only thing I don't like about it is that it'll lock 5 seconds after closing the door. I wish there was an option to adjust this timer for 10, 15, 20, 30 seconds. An easy software implementation option.

I also wish that there was a way to select EITHER regular cruise control or adaptive cruise. I love the adaptive CC, but there are times in hilly terrain that I don't like the downhill braking.

I agree on that one too but I simply disengage it when I need to do that or if I have a chump in front of me that needs to go faster or move out of the way I disengage the cruise control and then simply reengage the cruise control when the moment is good to do so.[/QUOTE]

 

[whatsupdoc]

2016 Buick LaCrosse Premium 2:

1. Hard ride with 20" wheels. The tires have such a thin sidewall, I believe THEY are the issue and not the wheels themselves. I have reduced the pressure to 30 PSI on each wheel COLD for a better ride. When the time comes they will get replaced with a better riding tire.

2. Wheels are susceptible to becoming out of round due to potholes and rough roads. Even after balancing, at high speed there was still some shimmy coming through the vehicle. This was also causing the rear view mirror to vibrate (no annoying sound). The dealer found three wheels out of round that could not be fixed and wanted 2K to replace them - ouch! For $697 I got these three OEM wheels from EBay and now the car is again riding as smooth as glass.

3. Temperature and fan controls. The touch input leaves little to be desired. Buttons would have been much better.

4. Various messages from the Buick Intellilink system which didn't need to be presented when starting up the car - I'm certain this is all caused by flakey software in the Intellilink system, even though it is much better than the '14 LaCrosse I had. Speaking of which, the battery on the '14 died only after 2 years and very well could have been the electronic ghost that car had.

5. I wish it had a power trunk like the comparable Lincoln MKZ.

6. I wish it had better and changeable interior color lighting like the comparable Lincoln MKZ.

 

[BHughes]

gas mileage

Just returned from a short road trip, (1000 Miles) AVG 37MPG on the first tank, balance on whole trip 34.6. 2017 LaCrosse. Absolutely love this vehicle. Very comfortable.

 

[elstanleyw]

My biggest complaint is buick knows there something wrong with the navigation system in 2010 and 2011 and they want the customer to eat the cost I'm confused as to why? They updated the system it go blank then they tell you you have replace it for 1300 dollars stop selling junk

 

[Kral]

Poor side and rear visibility. The TV camera helps when backing up, but when the sun shines on the display, it is unreadable.

 

[Ranvier]

2010 LaCrosse CXL AWD
88K miles

The chrome trim is really killing me. So much bubbling and don't know how I'm going to proceed with that. I take my car care quite seriously... Wonder if gentle heat could press those bubbles out...

Car could be lighter, but power delivery is good enough for what I look for.

No real other issues yet, love the interior design, the pushed back control console is a big plus for me. It feels quite roomy. Quality of the leather and stitching is quite nice.

 

[Onslow]

I recently traded in my 2012 Touring after six satisfying years. I purchased a 2017 FWD Premium with all the option packages (Dynamic drive, Driver confidence 2, Sun & Shade, etc.). I do like most aspects of the 2017 over the 2012 with just a few exceptions:
1.) Driver seat - on the 2012 I felt that I was sitting "in" the seat with very good lateral support. On the 2017 I feel that I am sitting "on" the seat with poor lateral support. Seem to slide around on the seat bottom in the corners, even with my seat belt cinched down tightly.
2.) Odd driving position - the driver seat is offset ~.5 inch to the right from the steering wheel center. I believe this was done to add a smidgen more crush space from the door for better side impact scores. And yes, I'm probably oversensitive to this.
3.) I'll combine two here since they are well known - low speed transmission shifts and the stop-start function. I believe that both are due to the fuel economy pressures that GM is under. The shift calibration seems to be overly aggressive in shifting up when it should be holding the gear it is in (or a lower gear). And while I can live with the stop-start, I would turn it off if I could. Think it will reflect negatively on the J.D. Power ratings.

That's about it. Pretty much like everything else about the car, including the electronic shift and the ride with the 20" tires (I prefer a firm ride over a soft one). Hope to keep this one at least as long as my 2012 and will hopefully be just as satisfied with it.

 

[70 Olds nut]

I have several complaints of my 2913 Lacross. I agree with the foot room issue. On long trips, I usually have to remove my shoes to have enough room to be comfortable. Road noise is a big one. Road surface make interior noise almost unbearable. I think the low profile tires is the contributing factor. My newest issue is a drive train noise in the right front. Noise occurs during acceleration and deceleration. On level road and cruise on, noise is not noticeable. Does anyone else have this issue?

 

[Mad*Max]

no noise in my 2010 - rides very quiet and smooth - was even quieter when I had the OEM Goodyears

I have several complaints of my 2913 Lacross. I agree with the foot room issue. On long trips, I usually have to remove my shoes to have enough room to be comfortable. Road noise is a big one. Road surface make interior noise almost unbearable. I think the low profile tires is the contributing factor. My newest issue is a drive train noise in the right front. Noise occurs during acceleration and deceleration. On level road and cruise on, noise is not noticeable. Does anyone else have this issue?

 

[Henman]

I have a 2005 Allure or as I call it Allemon!!!
Let's start at the front and work our way back. First we are greeted with that stupid thermostatic block heater cord designed by a tard! It forces me to start my car without a block heater until it drops to -18C or 0F. Lord help you if you cut it off and watch your temp guage drop to zero with cooling fans running constantly.
Next we get to the power steering reservoir and it is down between the firewall and engine in the land of never get there.
Next lets go to the paint around the wheel openings and on the entire car in general. A tiny stone chip turns into paint shattering like glass and peeling. Simply garbage!!
Next is the stupid location for the windshield wipers tucked down under the hood in that stupid pocket that fills with leaves and in winter snow and ice. Try and get that out of there and hopefully the accumulated snow and ice doesn't wreck your windshield washer flimsy plastic tube.........too late!!
A week ago my stabilizer bar snapped by the link and Dorman says the 927-100 will not fit. P!$$ poor design from the get go.
Next I will strongly agree with POS visibility and lane changing and parallel parking is a disaster forcing me to get in and out to see how close I am other than using the reflection from store windows to see😡😡
Now let's always look at the perpetual check engine light that is always on and instead of it appearing as an engine it should be a $ sign. This also disables the command start another POS because it only keeps the car running for about 10 minutes and when it's 40 below this doesn't cut it. Speaking of command start, it always turns on the stupid rear window defroster and if it is covered with snow and ice, the water from the melting runs down into the trunk and freezes it shut. I laugh about all of the complaints of the trunk always opening and at least it is opening when you don't want it to. What do you do if it is frozen shut and you need your spare tire??😡
Next I go to the POS OnStar antenna above the dome light above the console. Mine leaks like there is a siz inch hole in the roof. Expensive to replace for something I never use.
The cruise control is also total garbage and it is extremely aggressive so the car dives into the gas for every little hill etc. and the transmission always downshifts with the engine roaring. Lord help you if you hit a swarm of mosquitos! It will probably open the engine. Up wide open!! Lastly I had my Pewick parked in a garage for a few months because I got tired of the $ light being on and the battery became slightly discharged. Appeared totally dead which it wasn't, the alarm came on with my key in the ignition when I popped the hood or should I say Pandora's box. I could not shut off the alarm and WTF the ignition switch locked preventing me from removing the key. Now I fricken loose it and remove the battery cable to shut this crap off and phone the Buick dealer and the first thing he says my battery is a bit low and only boosting will shut this stupidity off. Okay my key can't be removed with the alarm blaring and if the key cannot be removed PLEASE SOMEBODY STEAL THIS POS!! Nope a thief wouldn't be that stupid!! When all of this was happening I thought I had major wiring problems. Nope just GM Tardation where they dictate what they feel you should do or have to do!!!!!! This will be my last GM product and on a scale of 1-10 I give it a 1 because there is no zero on that scale. I used to be gruntled now I'm disgruntled!!
PS I forgot about the park brakes and when I got the car I applied them and they wouldn't release. Okay what's wrong here? Seized cables? WRONG ANSWER. Seized park brake activator screws in the stupid calipers and both sides. No shield over these spring covered screws and crap from the front wheels flys against them. I kept pumping the pedal and manually twisted the arm back and forth until the drivers side freed up but no luck with the passenger side. GM wants $280 and here is a new caliper and pads that were damaged from dragging. Two years later I'm changing my winter tires to summer and with the pedal down hard I discover the passenger side wheel turns😡😡. The arm and screw on the new caliper is seized and the pads are bitched. Out comes the wallet again!! On a positive note, in summer I drive a 1950 Mercury Sport Sedan still running the flathead V8 and running on 6 volts with bias ply Firestone Deluxe Champion wide white walls. I bought this car when I was in my mid 20's and now I'm 56. It runs every day and I don't have a stack of recall notices piling up for it. A fellow I know bought a 2006 Buick like mine and I said your check engine light will come on soon LMAO. Two weeks later he was quoted $600 to replace the engine coolant sender and thermostat!! I said to him a month later in one of our local restaurants and said "I found a cure for our check engine lights" He had a surprised look and said "what did you do???" I pointed to the window and said look outside. My 67 year old Mercury with the visor hanging over the windshield was parked out front. I said it doesn't have a check engine light, no computer, a stack of recall notices and the big laugh was when I said I even have a starter button on the dash like many newer cars have.

 

[plagmah]

I think the rear visibility is poor due to thick pillars. I added a backup camera for this reason

 

[Barry Macon]

Hello Everyone ,
I have a 2011 LaCrosse CXS and my question is that my touch screen will not keep the correct time (have reset it every time) and that the screen go's black for 30 sec when backing up.I have purchased another display (thinking this would solve my problem..not) so,do I need to purchase the den or can I up grade my 2011 to a 2013 touch screen ..I need help

 

[ATX Lacrosse Canuck]

Hi Everyone. Just bought a 2017 Lacrosse Premium with all the goodies but 20" wheels & AWD. Had the car for a few weeks now and put about 1400 miles on it, including a trip from Austin to Houston. This is my 1st Buick ever and 1st domestic car since my 2005 Chevy Silverado.

Complaints are:

1. Engine start/stop. During stop and Go traffic it's not too bad. I have figured out if I break not too fast or slow I don't get the jerking others report. A bit of a nuisance to adjust to the car but ok. Biggest gripe is parking. Engine shuts off as I pull into my driveway then starts back up when I push the Park button. It's just annoying and not saving gas. Also, if i get into too much stop and start i will just shift to N while stopped so engine will run, bypassing the engine deactivation. Bonus though is I park on a slight grade at home and the parking break automatically engages... a nice feature. It also disengaged automatically when I leave home. But for the stop start feature they should program a 2 second delay to keep the engine in while parking or quick stops in traffic.

2. Seating position. Having a hard time finding a comfortable spot. It's like my upper torso is too far forward, so would like to lessen the forward curve of the upper back of the seat. Also, the ventilated seats could push out more of that icy cold A.C. My friends F150 has the best vented seats ever. My wife's Highlanders are good too.

3. This car is an absolute joy on the highway with the Adaptive CC on follow the car in front from 70 to 50 mph as I go through various towns but not so much on the windy, bumpy streets of Austin. I do more city vs highway driving.

4. Lane keep assist pushes the steering wheel when there is a transition on the road that is curved and road surface color changes from dark asphalt to light concrete. Instead of keeping in the lane it pushes to follow the surface color change. Quite surprising at first but easy enough to turn the function off with the center console button. I do think this is a serious safety concern though.

5. Pre collision warning oversensitivity. We have a section of road on my daily commute home with a double lane left turn on a tight downhill right curve in the road. As I pass the cars waiting to turn left, I get the red crash symbol in the HUD and seat vibration. Not sure if I can turn this off.

6. Bose audio inconsistent bass. I am a SiriusXM subscriber. In my old car, a Toyota, the bass note was pretty consistent across all channels, including 70s, the blend, caliente. In the Lacrosse, modern music sounds great but the 70s, some 80s and country sound tinny. I crank the bass and it's not much different. Also adjusting the center point to normal or driver doesn't seem to help. I like the center point audio setting the best. Unforeseen bonus, The Beatles have never sounded better!!!!! 😎

7. Navigation. I love the screen and the silky smooth movement. Route selection however, on my way home from Houston neglected to avoid a road detour. Google however did so I was able to avoid it and reroute. Seems like a software update maybe??? Also love that it's touch vs the mouse or touchpad in Lexus and BMW.

8. Consumer Reports yesterday came out to roast the 2017 Lacrosse on Reliability. Transmission and electronics were the main gripes. I wonder if it is more user interface vs. Actual breakdown issues... I generally take CRs publications with a grain of salt but this one has me concerned. Like dinging Ford so heavily on reliability for their myconnect system. It worked, but wasn't easy. IMHO, reliability should grade functioning vs malfunctioning. Not difficult to use... my concern... will my new car malfunction?? CR went from 4 star predicted reliability to 1 star and the brand dropped 5 spots from 3rd to 8th, passed by KIA. I am literally losing sleep over this. I value reliability and took a leap of faith buying a 1st year new model release. Hope I don't get too familiar with the folks at the dealership!!

9. Need the screen for some climate controls like synching the dual zone temp. I do though appreciate climate button to bring it up directly on the screen.

10. Gas tank size. Mileage is great so far. I got about 35 mpg on my Houston trip. Just wish for more range on a highway cruiser like this.

That's about it I think. I don't have concerns of visibility, I think that is fine, and I love the little details of the car. Ambient lighting at night, adaptive headlights on turns, auto fan adjustment, great phone connectivity and sound (I actually have less dropped calls) and the LACK of auto wipers. I can't stand those things!!!

What I like/love:

1. The look. I love Lexus cars but their styling is too wild for me. Trying too hard to stand out. The Lacrosse is just a handsome car. Not flash or sexy.... just nice. I got the white one BTW.

2. Seat massage.... yes please more and thank God for a 4 year warranty because I am sure I will wear this system out soon.

3. Forward visibility. It's way better than my old car and SUVS.

4. The acceleration and power of the engine. This was my main reason for new car shopping. I don't need blistering acceleration... I had that in a previous WRX but wanted something that could accelerate briskly uphill from a stoplight without sounding like you're killing the car. The Lacrosse does this very well!

5. A.C. Living in Central TX, I am a big fan of GM's Icy Air. The Lacrosse is great in this respect. Once I get the windows tinted the 100 plus degree days of Texas summer will be much more bearable.

6. HUD. I love the clarity of this system and the fact I can change the info. I leave it on the Navigation setting for the most part. Just wish it could be adjusted left to right as well.

7. Android Auto. Never had this before. Love it!!!! Still sorting out all it can do but mostly like it for music connectivity.

8. High center console and armrest. Many reviews have complained it's like sitting in a bathtub. That is exactly why I love it. The car just surrounds me and is comforting in some way.

9. Wireless charging. This didn't work at first but does now, every time. Great feature!

10. Easy trunk release by hitting the rear Buick symbol. No more hunting under the ledge for that rubberized button.

Overall i love this car. My sweet spot is on a slightly windy highway road, moonroof open and stereo up!!! I just hope the bugs and gremlins stay away!!

Glad to be part of the forum.

 

[PurpleHaze]

I have a few complaints about my 2014 Lacrosse Premium II. (1) No power folding side mirrors (2) No auto hold on the EPB and (3) No console control knob for the upward slanted touch radio. All minor complaints, but two of the three was on my last car I traded in and does make life easier. The control knob is a real must in my option to prevent having to reach over to adjust the settings.

Other than those complaints the Lacrosse is a solid car. Buick is the best

 

[PurpleHaze]

I want add a new complaint!!!!!

Changing the light bulbs in this car. You have to disassemble the trunk trim to change the back up light bulbs, remove half the fender liner to access the fog light bulbs, and remove the air box, wiper reservoir and fuse box to access the HID bulbs. The Buick engineers did not make it easy to change bulbs in this car.

 

[Jason Molitor]

The super high cost to upgrade the navigation to have the latest info. $180 bucks!

 

[ClayBelt]

Light bulbs.

 

[prosconst]

I have a 2014 Lacrosse and been having issues with the car reading the key fob for the first start of the day so I have to put the fob in the glovebox to start. After the first start then it's fine the rest of the day. I've even tried parking it in different areas should there be interference with no luck. My car only has 15k miles and I've replaced the battery in the fob 3 times already in 6 months. I took the car in to get checked 6 weeks ago while under warranty and they couldn't find anything wrong with it so they just charged the car battery...go figure, not sure why they chose that for the fix. Anyways The problem has been getting progressively worse so I took it back in again but unfortunately the warranty has now expired so this time they cleared the codes and replaced the fob battery....that makes battery number 4 in my fob now in just over 6 months and they wouldn't cover it under the warranty even though I had previously taken it i for the exact same issue, and charged me $80.00. I am not convinced that the problem has been solved since they didn't do anything to fix the problem so now here I am 80.00 poorer and waiting for the next time it won't start. I love this car but it's getting under my skin, I need this thing to start every day!