2013 LaCrosse Multiple System Failures While Driving

[FrogFan]

Hi all,

Well, after almost 10 years of an almost trouble-free experience with this car, I had what appears to be a major issue this afternoon while driving. I thought I'd stop by here for advice. I suspect I'm going to have to take in to dealer tomorrow and hold my breath.

While driving about 45 mph, my doors suddenly unlocked, I got messages in the DIC that my parking assist was unavailable and my side detection system was unavailable. The outdoor mirror obstruction indicators were illuminated on both mirrors and the transmission downshifted into a lower gear. The parking brake warning light illuminated.

Luckily, I was almost at home at the time and the speed limit was low enough that I did not have to race the engine to drive home. I can't imagine what might have happened if I had been on the freeway or tollway when this occurred.

I got the car home, shut it off, then turned it on again. The systems were still down. The transmission shifts into reverse roughly and when it's put into drive, it will move forward, but I don't know which gear it is engaging. Higher than normal revs are necessary to get the car moving forward. The gear-shift indicator light does not illuminate. Also, the "malfunction indicator" (aka "check engine" light) is on.

I've never seen a problem like this reported here before. I've had issues with problems reported in the DIC before but they've always gone away when I turn off the car and turn it back on. No such luck this time.

Any advice would be appreciated; I suspect I'll need to limp it to the dealer tomorrow.

 

[MelsRegal]

Do you have a code scanner?
Did you check battery cable connections?

 

[FrogFan]

Do you have a code scanner?
Did you check battery cable connections?

Thanks for the response.

I don't have a code scanner. My son-in-law has one that he uses on his late model GMC dually. Would that work? Should I buy one myself, or just bite the bullet and take it to the dealer?

I just checked the battery cable connections and they're clean and tight.

I reckon it's got to be some kind of computer problem, but I can't understand how such a problem could be tied to so many different systems.

 

[MelsRegal]

Your son-in-law's scanner will work

 

[richardnewton]

Can you check the battery voltage at the terminals with a voltmeter? With engine off. Then with engine on.

 

[FrogFan]

Can you check the battery voltage at the terminals with a voltmeter? With engine off. Then with engine on.

Engine off: 12.7
Engine on: 14.6

Also, when I just started it up, it ran at about 3K RPM for a few seconds before settling down to normal idle speed. I suspect that's because the engine was "cold" and there is something wrong with the computer. (But I have no idea what's going on.)

 

[PulpFriction]

Well, after almost 10 years of an almost trouble-free experience with this car, I had what appears to be a major issue this afternoon while driving. ...
Any advice would be appreciated; I suspect I'll need to limp it to the dealer tomorrow.

Has the battery ever been replaced? A dying battery causes all kinds of electrical weirdness. If it's old, just replace it and eliminate any doubt. It's pointless to try to diagnose electrical problems with a iffy battery.

 

[FrogFan]

Has the battery ever been replaced? A dying battery causes all kinds of electrical weirdness. If it's old, just replace it and eliminate any doubt. It's pointless to try to diagnose electrical problems with a iffy battery.

I've replaced the battery twice. This one is only a couple months old. I do understand that a dying battery creates weird issues. I've experienced a few of those. This seems to be a very different thing though.

 

[richardnewton]

Do you have the 2.4 or 3.6 engine?

Also, why not check the voltage at the battery terminals with the engine on and all accessories on.

The code scanner is the next obvious step as that can provide some excellent clues.

FYI - On modern cars, low voltage & bad grounds can be a good source of broad, intermittent electronics failures. A few of us had different random system faults which were resolved by removing some ground nuts and wire ring terminals; then sanding the connection bits, cleaning the connections, reconnecting. I think Buick painted over some ground wires and it took just a bit of moisture to cause too much oxidation; there might be a service note on this issue but there are some posts here to search.

FYI - A few owners had cars with intermittent engine stalling or transmission issues on the road, so search those posts for ideas.

 

[MelsRegal]

Do you have the 2.4 or 3.6 engine?

Also, why not check the voltage at the battery terminals with the engine on and all accessories on.

The code scanner is the next obvious step as that can provide some excellent clues.

FYI - On modern cars, low voltage & bad grounds can be a good source of broad, intermittent electronics failures. A few of us had different random system faults which were resolved by removing some ground nuts and wire ring terminals; then sanding the connection bits, cleaning the connections, reconnecting. I think Buick painted over some ground wires and it took just a bit of moisture to cause too much oxidation; there might be a service note on this issue but there are some posts here to search.

FYI - A few owners had cars with intermittent engine stalling or transmission issues on the road, so search those posts for ideas.

He posted the voltage reading in post 6

 

[FrogFan]

Do you have the 2.4 or 3.6 engine?

Also, why not check the voltage at the battery terminals with the engine on and all accessories on.

The code scanner is the next obvious step as that can provide some excellent clues.

FYI - On modern cars, low voltage & bad grounds can be a good source of broad, intermittent electronics failures. A few of us had different random system faults which were resolved by removing some ground nuts and wire ring terminals; then sanding the connection bits, cleaning the connections, reconnecting. I think Buick painted over some ground wires and it took just a bit of moisture to cause too much oxidation; there might be a service note on this issue but there are some posts here to search.

FYI - A few owners had cars with intermittent engine stalling or transmission issues on the road, so search those posts for ideas.

Thanks for the continued interest and suggestions.

Mine has the 3.6 engine.

I took the car in to the dealer this morning, so I don't have it now to check the battery with all accessories on.

I do understand about the need for good connections at the battery. I did check those, and they're perfectly clean and tight. I put the new battery in about 3 months ago (after experiencing some weirdness) and have not seen a problem since.

Regarding stalling/transmission issues, I've not experienced any stalling, but I have noticed what seem like "slipping" issues from the transmission -- very isolated and infrequent so I've ignored them. Yesterday's experience involved the transmission downshifting and the gear shift indicator light going out. There could very well be a transmission issue lurking here.

So, as I said above, I took the car in to the dealer this morning. When I got into the car to start it, I expected to get all the warnings and system unavailability notifications I had gotten yesterday, plus a high revving engine until warm up. I had started it yesterday immediately after shutting it down, then an hour later, then again three hours later. Each time I got the notifications.

Lo, this morning when I started the car, what to my wondering eyes did appear? Nothing but the check engine light! The car started, ran, and shifted normally all the way to the dealer -- about 10 miles. No notifications at all. All systems normal.

I suspect there are codes to be downloaded and analyzed, and that's what the dealer will focus on. I suppose that might have been something for me to check myself, but I reckon I know so little about how to use a scanner that It would be days before I learned how to use it properly, plus there would be a nonzero chance that I could goof something up. In the meantime, I actually need to a car to drive.

I will update this thread as I get feedback from the dealer. In the meantime, I'm thinking it's time to begin thinking about getting a different car.

 

[dequardo]

Similar issue happened to me once. I pulled a fuse for a few minutes. Unfortunately I can’t recall which one. It has never happened since.

 

[FrogFan]

Update from dealer: Scan showed transmission codes. Car was sent to the transmission tech for further diagnosis. It could be awhile before I hear back. The weather is terrible here and travel is next to impossible. Techs may struggle to get into the shop today and tomorrow.

The good news is I couldn't drive the car even if I had it because of all the sleet.

 

[NDL]

Update from dealer: Scan showed transmission codes. Car was sent to the transmission tech for further diagnosis. It could be awhile before I hear back. The weather is terrible here and travel is next to impossible. Techs may struggle to get into the shop today and tomorrow.

The good news is I couldn't drive the car even if I had it because of all the sleet.

I'm sorry that you're having issues with your Buick; please keep us updated?

How many miles are on your car?

I don't want to reply with anything else, because it'd be guesswork on my part; that they got codes is a good thing.

 

[FrogFan]

I'm sorry that you're having issues with your Buick; please keep us updated?

How many miles are on your car?

I don't want to reply with anything else, because it'd be guesswork on my part; that they got codes is a good thing.

Thank you for your interest.

My car has 87K on the odometer. I bought the car brand new and put every single mile on it myself.

My ownership experience has been very good up to now, with some relatively minor problems along the way. I'm hopeful that the car can be put right so I don't need to buy a different one right now. The fact that Buick has decided to stop building sedans makes me sad. I would not even have to think about what my next car would be. But, that has been discussed extensively elsewhere. Oh, well!

I will update the group as I learn more. As I said earlier, that could be awhile due to the weather here. The roads are treacherous.

 

[NDL]

Thank you for your interest.

My car has 87K on the odometer. I bought the car brand new and put every single mile on it myself.

My ownership experience has been very good up to now, with some relatively minor problems along the way. I'm hopeful that the car can be put right so I don't need to buy a different one right now. The fact that Buick has decided to stop building sedans makes me sad. I would not even have to think about what my next car would be. But, that has been discussed extensively elsewhere. Oh, well!

I will update the group as I learn more. As I said earlier, that could be awhile due to the weather here. The roads are treacherous.

I wish you the very best! Since it's throwing codes, i'm sure that the diagnosis should require reasonable effort.

(And I too, am saddened that Buick dropped sedan production)

 

[FrogFan]

Well, I finally got the diagnosis: transmission oil cooler line is leaking into transmission control module causing a short. $1,198.33 to replace leaking lines and repair wiring

I didn't ask how the lines could start leaking. I guess once a short circuit happens in the control module, all kinds of alarms are sounded, but I don't know anything about it. Maybe the experts here could provide further insight?

 

[richardnewton]

If the car is in good condition and with only 87k miles, I would drop the $1,200 if you like the transmission shop.

In my area, a simple transmission fluid drain and fill is over $200. Replacing the broken lines would more than double that.

Removing the transmission oil from the boards, wires and connectors will be somewhat painful and time consuming. They may replace some corroded/failed/missing components, touch up some of the soldier joints, etc. Then will bench test the module. And check car with shop scanner and test drives.

With liquid damage, there always is the possibility that even the best techs can't repair some electronics and they need to be replaced due to unforeseen damage, at additional cost.

 

[FrogFan]

If the car is in good condition and with only 87k miles, I would drop the $1,200 if you like the transmission shop.

In my area, a simple transmission fluid drain and fill is over $200. Replacing the broken lines would more than double that.

Removing the transmission oil from the boards, wires and connectors will be somewhat painful and time consuming. They may replace some corroded/failed/missing components, touch up some of the soldier joints, etc. Then will bench test the module. And check car with shop scanner and test drives.

With liquid damage, there always is the possibility that even the best techs can't repair some electronics and they need to be replaced due to unforeseen damage, at additional cost.

The car is in good condition and it was a no-brainer for me to have them proceed with the work. I'm not sure if this dealership farms their transmission work out to another shop, but I've taken it to them since the car was new and they've always treated me fairly with good results.

The tech only mentioned cleaning up wires, nothing about PCBs, etc., and I'm sure that would be more money if a PCB was fried. I'm doubting that happened, though, because the car ran and drove normally the next morning, presumably after any oil drained off the wires in question. But I take your point. There may be more to the story that they discover as they do the repairs.

I'm still wondering what caused the leak, and why electrical wiring would be housed in a leak-prone area (if it indeed is leak prone).

It's interesting to contemplate how all the systems in the car are related to the point where such a problem caused so many disparate things to fail; e.g., the side detection system? Why that?

 

[richardnewton]

It's interesting to contemplate how all the systems in the car are related to the point where such a problem caused so many disparate things to fail; e.g., the side detection system? Why that?

Who knows. The schematics might tell a story.

Generally, many of the modules are tied in directly and indirectly. Strange things can happen, particularly with corrupted grounds and data lines; the engineers can't prepare for all failure scenarios.

Good luck!