biggest complaint about your LaCrosse

[Voorhees]

I love my 2012 lacrosse! Trunk swich took a crap shortly after owning it but everything works till it doesn't. I was upset about water damage thru cabin filter on a crazy rain that had me in garage for 12hr removing all interior and cleaning and reinstalling but learned on my steep driveway to back car in. I do have to say the V6 has alot of balls and moves very well when u ask of it. My biggest gripe is the cheap puddle lights I put in look like shit after 2yrs. That's on me tho. $20 for 2 or $70 for 2 I went cheap. You get what u pay for and I paid for a Buick and got a sexy comfortable ride that moves quickly when asked. In comparison to my Lincoln is another story that I wont bore anyone with but I have to say I love my Buick along with the rest of my cars. Unfortunately there are alot of lacrosse Buicks in Chicago but I have different rims than the rest so mine gets alot of compliments besides the fact that I tend to try to keep all my rides fresh and clean. Dumb ? But keep in mind I'm new is there a pic area on this forum? I would really like to see other ppls Buicks.

 

[Globetrot1]

I have the first gen LaCrosse ... a 2008 to be exact.

I like it a lot but I do have some complaints.

First, almost all of the problems I've had have been with suspension and electrical components, just like the Consumer Reports (colored dots) system shows.

I've had to replace an intermediate steering shaft and finally did the all-in-one struts all the way around. In terms of electrical, I've had the following go out: low beams, door lock actuators, a few lights on the dash, and my recent ABS/Traction Control sensor and another sensor reading. My Series III 3800 V6 hasn't been as tight with oil consumption as was the Series I 3800 V6 in my last car. That one remained full until the next oil change. This one requires adding a little bit of oil, but at least it's staying constant.

In terms of cosmetics and creature comforts, I like most things but don't like the lack of a light under the hood, the lack of a keyed trunk lock (GP had it in 2004, but disappeared in 2005), and I don't like the fabric in the seats. First, it was only available as a pale gray or a pale tan. Then, while the main inserts have a pattern, the rest of the seats look like mouse fur ... a lot of mouse fur. It seems very durable, though. My '92 had nice ribbed upholstery in the seating area with more velour-like sides and they held up just fine for almost 300,000 miles.

What I like most is the seating position and configuration, the fit and finish (compared to more entry-level GM brands W-bodies), and the visibility in the 2005-2009 model. It goes without saying that I really like the power train. That's why I swooped down and bought one before the design was changed and the price went up.

 

[Marc P]

Number one for me is poor reliability. As I've chronicled on the forum in the past I've had to be towed twice due to electonic failures in my 2010 CXS. This is unforgiveable to me, I commute 100 miles a day to work in rural central Texas where cell reception is spotty and you are no-kidding stranded if the car fails. This is my main reason for replacing this vehicle next spring which should coincide with the end of the factory warranty.

The glitchy nav system (replace once already), self-opening trunk lid, poor interior storage, mysterious and alarming DIC messages ("Cruise Control Set to 117 MPH" when only going 70 MPH) and so on. You just never know what this car is going to do next... I guess I need more certainty in my daily transportation.

I thought it was just mine sometimes when i go to sit in the car the truck pops open, one question i have, does the car have a truck switch? Besides the remote

 

[Rich B.]

Our trunk switch is on lower driver side door, don’t know on prior years. Sounds like with troubles why prior owner traded, flood damage perhaps there? May of bought new; possibly too a bad harness connection, but Texas is a dry no humidity or corrosion area I though? I’d try unplugging, check, replug all harness that can be accessed, spray pins liberally with some WD40. That’s just my idea though.

Many years ago FinL bought a new Subaru. Same difference with unreliability; factory never fully connected one of the firewall harnesses, finally located lol.

 

[daa10fixer]

I was upset about water damage thru cabin filter on a crazy rain that had me in garage for 12hr removing all interior and cleaning and reinstalling but learned on my steep driveway to back car in.

Could you further explain what happened here? The front passenger floorboard of our 2012 is soaked with water. Recently after a couple of days with more than normal rain found the floorboard with standing water. We have an inclined drive, although I wouldn't characterize as steep, that we have been pulling up into and your's is closest I've found to what my situation is so far.

 

[EDSELRANGER]

I so hate the "caution" menu and required acceptance at every start up !!!

My 2015 does not show that 'Caution' advisory at every start up. I won't say that I wish it did, but at least then I'd know to cancel it as part of SOP.

Mine shows up pretty randomly. It ALWAYS shows up after I'm happily tooling down the road. It FORCES you to take your eyes and attention away from the road while you acknowledge the message telling you how dangerous it is to divert your eyes and attention away from the road. And because of the piss-poor touch-screen, an inordinate amount of attention is required.

Completely ridiculous.

 

[Voorhees]

Could you further explain what happened here? The front passenger floorboard of our 2012 is soaked with water. Recently after a couple of days with more than normal rain found the floorboard with standing water. We have an inclined drive, although I wouldn't characterize as steep, that we have been pulling up into and your's is closest I've found to what my situation is so far.

Well sounds same to what u said. Steep driveway (i have seen steeper driveways but mine does have decent incline)also i have overhang from garage that covered hood of car so possible thatwater from roof added+ heavy rain had standing water in cabin. After deep cleaning there is no sign that it happened. Saw water marking due to heavy detailer spray on passenger kick panel. Pulled filter to find it damp. Had heavy rains since but now back car up driveway and never had problem again. If u have sent in car due to damage there is a car bomb that works great. Try turning your car around and see if it ever happens again. Hope that helps. If not message me and i can try to answer specific questions.

 

[daa10fixer]

Well sounds same to what u said. Steep driveway (i have seen steeper driveways but mine does have decent incline)also i have overhang from garage that covered hood of car so possible thatwater from roof added+ heavy rain had standing water in cabin. After deep cleaning there is no sign that it happened. Saw water marking due to heavy detailer spray on passenger kick panel. Pulled filter to find it damp. Had heavy rains since but now back car up driveway and never had problem again. If u have sent in car due to damage there is a car bomb that works great. Try turning your car around and see if it ever happens again. Hope that helps. If not message me and i can try to answer specific questions.

Thanks for the quick response. I pulled the cabin air filter, but it wasn't damp. Even poured water on the outside where the fresh air intake is to make sure drain wasn't clogged there and overflowing in, but nothing. Checked the drain behind the center console for the evaporator to see if it was clogged but it's clear. Going to pull passenger seat out tomorrow so I can peel carpet back to get a fan in to start drying it all out. But running out of ideas where it's coming from.

 

[Voorhees]

Thanks for the quick response. I pulled the cabin air filter, but it wasn't damp. Even poured water on the outside where the fresh air intake is to make sure drain wasn't clogged there and overflowing in, but nothing. Checked the drain behind the center console for the evaporator to see if it was clogged but it's clear. Going to pull passenger seat out tomorrow so I can peel carpet back to get a fan in to start drying it all out. But running out of ideas where it's coming from.

Anytime. I never got water from washing car in same driveway but dont have the flooding abilities of heavy storm. I pulled both fronts and bench out and certain parts of carpet are hard to remove and very thick. I pressed carpet and foam together to push out water with shop vac. Also ran portable heater and fan in car to help dry. Good luck.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Bhodi's Buick wrote:

"So here's a complaint. The LaCrosse is like Rodney Dangerfield, It gets NO RESPECT.

"After reading every review out their online, and watching every professional.. and painstaking amateur YouTube Video Reviews as well...

"The reputation of: GM, Buick, Full Size Cars, and the Generation 1 LaCrosse itself; seems rather difficult to sway or speak positively of based on all the prior perceptions.

"If memory has it, the Gen 2 Lacrosse ( Invicta Concept ) was developed using the ES 350 and BMW 5 Series as performance benchmarks to exceed and conquer those Asian and European Imports that typical American Buyers were leaving GM for back in 2008 - 09 Post GM Bankruptcy.

"The LaCrosse was going win back American Buyers from Lexus, Toyota, Nissan, Audi, BMW, Infiniti, Acura etc. by producing a superior luxury car with superior performance and technology.

"GM really did succeed in this mission and endeavor, however.....
"Consumers still perceived GM as pushing out crap, and Buick was crap for old folks."

Agreed: no respect. I came just two months ago from a 2015 BMW 3 Series, and find my '16 LaCrosse to be almost as much fun to drive and to travel around in. The only thing I wish the LaCrosse had that the BMW did was the "open all windows by holding unlock on key fob" and "close all windows by holding the 'lock' on the door handles" feature. It would be nice, after the car has been sitting in vicious heat, to roll the windows down while I load my briefcase into the car and take down the sunshades. And yes, I admit, I wish it got better gas mileage; the BMW's turbo four got 25-27 mpg overall, while so far the LaCrosse

(I keep wanting to call it "the Roadmaster")

is getting about 21-22. But the BMW took premium; I figure I'm pretty close to breaking even on that. And the LaCrosse has 60 more HP.

But try to tell people who've never driven a modern Buick that they can compare with a Lexus or BMW, and they laugh.

I blame in big part GM's ad campaigns for Buick. "I don't see a Buick." "That's not a Buick." Ignoring the sporty image and power of Regal. Or using aging sports figures to hype LaCrosse and Verano. (O'Neal tried to sell the idea that even he had lots of room in a LaCrosse, but anybody with eyes could see he didn't.) No wonder people don't think "Buick" if they go upscale car shopping!

Leaves more of them for us, the discerning buyers, both new and used. But what if Buick goes away like Pontiac and Olds?

 

[Benzadmiral]

. . . May of bought new; possibly too a bad harness connection, but Texas is a dry no humidity or corrosion area I though?. . .

A lot of Texas is dry -- but the closer you get to the Gulf Coast, the most moisture you have to inhale.

 

[Rich B.]

Roger that on climates. Now that I think of it the foreign wanna-be’s Don’t impress or interest me what-so-ever. I don’t know the different versions out there and never yearned for any of them. Guess I don’t care what others do or think, hmm has been my problem forever. Guess the world will still rotate just fine without my opinion.

No interest either for Cadillac or Lincoln, a status symbol? The secret to a millionaire is to not look, act and certainly not spend like one. Who me? Certainly not......

 

[Bhodi's Buick]

Bhodi's Buick wrote:

"So here's a complaint. The LaCrosse is like Rodney Dangerfield, It gets NO RESPECT.

"After reading every review out their online, and watching every professional.. and painstaking amateur YouTube Video Reviews as well...

"The reputation of: GM, Buick, Full Size Cars, and the Generation 1 LaCrosse itself; seems rather difficult to sway or speak positively of based on all the prior perceptions.

"If memory has it, the Gen 2 Lacrosse ( Invicta Concept ) was developed using the ES 350 and BMW 5 Series as performance benchmarks to exceed and conquer those Asian and European Imports that typical American Buyers were leaving GM for back in 2008 - 09 Post GM Bankruptcy.

"The LaCrosse was going win back American Buyers from Lexus, Toyota, Nissan, Audi, BMW, Infiniti, Acura etc. by producing a superior luxury car with superior performance and technology.

"GM really did succeed in this mission and endeavor, however.....
"Consumers still perceived GM as pushing out crap, and Buick was crap for old folks."

Agreed: no respect. I came just two months ago from a 2015 BMW 3 Series, and find my '16 LaCrosse to be almost as much fun to drive and to travel around in. The only thing I wish the LaCrosse had that the BMW did was the "open all windows by holding unlock on key fob" and "close all windows by holding the 'lock' on the door handles" feature. It would be nice, after the car has been sitting in vicious heat, to roll the windows down while I load my briefcase into the car and take down the sunshades. And yes, I admit, I wish it got better gas mileage; the BMW's turbo four got 25-27 mpg overall, while so far the LaCrosse

(I keep wanting to call it "the Roadmaster")

is getting about 21-22. But the BMW took premium; I figure I'm pretty close to breaking even on that. And the LaCrosse has 60 more HP.

But try to tell people who've never driven a modern Buick that they can compare with a Lexus or BMW, and they laugh.

I blame in big part GM's ad campaigns for Buick. "I don't see a Buick." "That's not a Buick." Ignoring the sporty image and power of Regal. Or using aging sports figures to hype LaCrosse and Verano. (O'Neal tried to sell the idea that even he had lots of room in a LaCrosse, but anybody with eyes could see he didn't.) No wonder people don't think "Buick" if they go upscale car shopping!

Leaves more of them for us, the discerning buyers, both new and used. But what if Buick goes away like Pontiac and Olds?

Buick stayed and Pontiac and Olds are gone because of China.
The Chinese Market loves big beautiful Buicks.
For 2020 the La Crosse is gone, finished, over in the USA, but still sold and improved upon for the Chinese GM buying market.

Americans simply aren't buying sedans anymore, or in numbers that justify their continued production.

I've had my '13 LaCrosse now for 9 months now, put on 12,000 hard driving commuting miles on it. It's needed nothing but an oil change.
The original factory Michelins with 33,000 miles on 'em have lots of tread life left.
It's performed beyond my expectations so far.

Appreciate your comparison to your old BMW 3.
I'd love to have a German Status car, as my daily commuter, but the thought of maintenance costs always scared me away.

Funny you call the LaCrosse the Roadmaster...
The word " LeSabre " has slipped out a few times for me.

Buick surely needs to seek out a fresh Ad Agency,
but...If all they're going to make anymore are Enclaves, Encore's and Envisions... Why Bother...

 

[tombalas]

"Americans simply aren't buying sedans anymore, or in numbers that justify their continued production."

Lots of companies still sell lots of sedans. But GM for whatever reason thinks they can make a lot more money selling trucks to their customers, so they don't even bother trying to market their cars. Their dealers, clearly getting the hint, stopped stocking them -- at least Buick dealers stopped bothering with any sedans around my neck of the woods. Which is a real shame because my LaCrosse is absolutely the best car I have ever owned - the darn thing is just flawless - so well designed and built - it drives like a dream. Sad that when it comes time for a new car I'll probably have to leave the GM family. My dad started buying them in 1959, and we've always had a GM car in the family since. But my dad always bought those huge GM coupes - never a sedan - and then those went extinct. Just another end of an another era I suppose.

 

[Benzadmiral]

. . . My dad started buying them in 1959, and we've always had a GM car in the family since. But my dad always bought those huge GM coupes - never a sedan - and then those went extinct. Just another end of an another era I suppose.

Mine too: a '47 Cadillac fastback, a '58 Impala, a '66 Impala SS (the mildest kind of "super sport" you could imagine), and a '74 Monte Carlo. He almost always bought used, or new just before the latest model came out -- though he picked up his '66 in December of '65, so it must have been brand new.

I know how hard it will be to find another sedan. Probably I'll have to hang on to the LaCrosse for a while.

My complaints? I wish the car had a "roll the windows down when unlocking" feature; the door lock button is in an awkward place; and I wish the rear headrests could be folded down electrically. And . . . that's it.

Well, sure, as I said above, I could wish for better gas mileage. But in a trade-off between a tiny car with great gas mileage and a smooth comfortable vehicle that gulps a bit more fuel, I'll take the latter every time.

 

[hokiecolt]

Hi everyone! I just joined the forum. Was looking over the Lacrosse threads and thought I would put in my two cents. The only thing I would change on my new 2017 is the tires. I like the 20" wheels but the Bridgestone Potenza RE97AS' are very harsh. My plan is to replace the tires as soon as they wear out (Vredestein Quatrac Pro's). Other than that I've thrilled to have this car.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Roger that on climates. Now that I think of it the foreign wanna-be’s Don’t impress or interest me what-so-ever. I don’t know the different versions out there and never yearned for any of them. Guess I don’t care what others do or think, hmm has been my problem forever. Guess the world will still rotate just fine without my opinion.

No interest either for Cadillac or Lincoln, a status symbol? The secret to a millionaire is to not look, act and certainly not spend like one. Who me? Certainly not......

The tradition was for Buick to be a "doctor's car." In the days, I guess, when doctors still made house calls, a physician didn't want to be seen as gouging his patients, so no Cadillac; but he needed to look successful, so no Chevy or Pontiac. Buick was perfect. (I dunno where Oldsmobile came into that scheme, or how it got left out.)

 

[Rich B.]

LMAO so true, they jack up prices at the vets when seen driving a Buick. Have actually changed from one when quoted different prices (went higher) for neutering. Not me, the pups.

 

[82 pucci]

1) Door arm rests are a little narrow.
2) I've adjusted the lumbar as far away from me as possible and I can still feel it digging into my back after a few hours of sitting.
3) I never ever get 17 city mileage as stated on window sticker. I have
however achieved 27.1 highway average over past 1000 miles which crushes the expected 27 🙂
4) Sunroof tint could stand to be a little darker. That high tech electricly-switched opaque glass would have been a killer feature to implement.
5) I wish the car had intelligent cruise control.
6) In-dash Nav almost never matches google maps or Garmin and consistently suggests longer, poorly chosen routes. Not set to avoid anything so no idea why it suggests these longer routes. On the plus side, fantasy Nav lady sounds super hot 🙂
7) Ventilated seat fans could blow stronger.
8) Would very much like an interior trunk popper. I'm considering paying some ghetto car electronics shop to add one for me if they can convince me they won't blow up the car's brains in the process.
9) Storage is woefully lacking.

Despite these complaints, I absolutely love our LaCrosse. The positives are many, I would buy one in every color if my wife would let me!!

1000 miles over past 2 days and aside from the rare Caddy, Merc, BMW... our LaCrosse is pretty much the nicest car out here on I-70. Of course where I'm at right now in Columbia Missouri folks are still driving teal Chevy Berettas 🙂

On my lacrosse my trunk popper is holding the unlock button down for 3 or 5 second its an 05

 

[jetman2]

I bought my 2017 Essence this August with 22k miles and love it... mostly
I REALLY didn't like the Auto Stop feature and figured out a fix for that problem.

I also really don't like having to open the trunk to release the back seat opening to the trunk. I'm in outside sales and like many today carry a laptop in my car during the day. In an attempt to prevent my window being smashed and $1000+ laptop/backpack stolen, I like to stash it in my trunk out of sight. It would be so much easier if there was a backseat INTERIOR mounted seat back release. My old Impala had small cloth tabs you tugged on and the seat flipped forward. I'd shove my laptop in the trunk, flip the seat up and go. Now I carry my laptop to the back of the car and put it in the trunk from the rear of the car.... in full view if anyone is watching. It just seems like a safer design for preventing theft.... plus I'm lazy.