Buick LaCrosse Years to Avoid — and the Years to Buy
Every Buick LaCrosse model year from 2005 to 2019, benchmarked against each other with 2,917 federal complaints, 25 recall campaigns, and the odometer readings owners put in their reports.
Avoid: 2006. These years top the LaCrosse's complaint rankings by volume and severity.
Safer bets: 2015–2017 — the quietest years with at least four years on the road.
The method in one line: every NHTSA complaint for this model is counted, weighted for crashes, fires, injuries, and deaths, and each year is measured against the LaCrosse's own worst year — full methodology.
The trouble strip
One cell per model year. The whole answer in one glance — click any year for the full report.
The defining problem
Electrical tops the Buick LaCrosse file with 1,093 complaints, concentrated in the 2005–2008 model years, most often reported around 66,000 miles. The year pages break down what fails and when.
Every year, ranked
| Year | Verdict | Complaints | Recalls | Top problem | Trouble index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Few reports | 8 | 2 | — | 1 |
| 2018 | Few reports | 19 | 3 | — | 3 |
| 2017 | Better year | 42 | 2 | Electrical | 8 |
| 2016 | Better year | 60 | 2 | Steering | 16 |
| 2015 | Better year | 54 | 3 | Electrical | 14 |
| 2014 | Typical | 90 | 5 | Electrical | 26 |
| 2013 | Below average | 200 | 5 | Electrical | 43 |
| 2012 | Below average | 308 | 5 | Electrical | 68 |
| 2011 | Below average | 244 | 4 | Engine | 66 |
| 2010 | Below average | 278 | 2 | Electrical | 67 |
| 2009 | Below average | 146 | 2 | Electrical | 35 |
| 2008 | Below average | 343 | 2 | Electrical | 76 |
| 2007 | Below average | 327 | 4 | Electrical | 77 |
| 2006 | Avoid | 383 | 4 | Electrical | 100 |
| 2005 | Below average | 415 | 5 | Electrical | 89 |
Technical service bulletins
Beyond complaints and recalls, 18,638 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, service campaigns, warranty extensions — are on file for the Buick LaCrosse. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Browse the Buick LaCrosse TSB list by year →
Questions buyers ask
What Buick LaCrosse years should I avoid?
Federal complaint records point to 2006 as the Buick LaCrosse years to avoid — they drew the highest volume of serious complaints relative to the model's other years.
What is the most common Buick LaCrosse problem?
Electrical tops the Buick LaCrosse file with 1,093 complaints, concentrated in the 2005–2008 model years, most often reported around 66,000 miles.
What are the best Buick LaCrosse years to buy used?
The quietest Buick LaCrosse years in federal records are 2015–2017 — each with at least four years on the road and well-below-average complaint volume for this model.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Counts cover the Buick LaCrosse only, scored against this model's own worst year — not against other models. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.