2005 BUICK LACROSSE Complaints

MY VEHICLE WAS EXPERIENCING CLUNKING WHENEVER I TURNED THE STEERING WHEEL WHILE DRIVING WITH LESS THAN 35,000 MILES ON IT. IT HAD BECOME PROGRESSIVELY WORSE OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS. THE STEERING ALSO FELT A BIT LOOSE. I CONTACTED GM FOR VEHICLE RECALLS AND THERE WAS ONE ON THE STEERING COLUMN BUT NOT FOR MY VEHICLE OR THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT WHICH AS IT TURNS OUT WAS THE DEFECTIVE PART AND THE SHAFT WAS LOOSE INTERNALLY. GM INSISTED I GO TO A GM DEALER FOR SERVICE TO SEE IF I "MIGHT" BE ELIGIBLE FOR REPLACEMENT ASSISTANCE. I TOLD THEM I HAD A CERTIFIED MECHANIC WHO WAS CLOSER AND LESS EXPENSIVE. I OFFERED TO SEND THEM THE DEFECTIVE PART AND THEY WERE NOT INTERESTED. GM STATED WHEN I FILED MY COMPLAINT WITH THEM THAT THEY WILL NOT REVIEW ANY VEHICLE ISSUES UNLESS SERVICED BY A GM DEALER. THEY ALSO OFFERED NO OPINION WHEN I TOLD THEM GM HAS MULTIPLE SERVICE BULLETINS ON THE CLUNKING ISSUE AND THIS DEFECTIVE PART. I KNOW OF AT LEAST 15 SIMILAR COMPLAINTS FILED WITH THE NHTSA. APPARENTLY, GM WON'T TAKE OWNERSHIP OF DEFECTIVE PARTS UNLESS SOMEONE LOSES STEERING, DIES AND THEY ARE SUED. SO MUCH FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE. I AM CURIOUS HOW MANY OTHER INTERMEDIATE SHAFTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED BY GM OR OTHER MECHANICS - MAYBE HUNDREDS OR THOUSANDS. I ALSO HAD TO REPLACE TWO FRONT DEFECTIVE OUTER TIE ROD ENDS AT 30,000 MILES AND THIS IS WITH GENTLE DRIVING. LOOKS LIKE ANOTHER DEFECTIVE PART AND DANGEROUS TOO IF NOT CAUGHT IN TIME.

I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE POWER STEERING PUMP, AND STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT, BOTH TIE ROD ENDS. THIS IS ALL STEERING RELATED ISSUES ON A BUICK LACROSSE 2005 THAT HAD ONLY 26,333 MILES. I FEEL THAT THIS AUTO SHOULD NOT HAVE HAD THESE PROBLEMS AT THIS MILEAGE. I SENT A COPY OF COMPLAINT TO GM THEY WILL DO NOTHING ABOUT ANY OF THESE PROBLEMS UNTIL THERE WOULD BE A RECALL. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. *TR UPDATED 10/06/11. *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BUICK LACROSSE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH AT NIGHT, THE CONTACT REALIZED HE COULD NOT SEE. THE HEADLIGHTS WERE AUTOMATIC AND HAD APPARENTLY TURNED OFF AFTER HE HAD BEEN DRIVING APPROXIMATELY THREE HOURS THAT NIGHT. THE CONTACT HAD TO USE THE HIGHBEAMS TO REACH HIS DESTINATION. THE CONTACT CALLED THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THERE WERE NO RELATED RECALLS. THE FAILURE HAD BEEN OCCURRING SINCE DECEMBER 2010. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN INSPECTED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 146,000.

3 TIMES IN PAST MONTH LOW BEAMS HEADLIGHTS WENT OFF FOR 1-2 MINUTES AND THEN CAME BACK ON. HIGH BEAMS WORK. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BUICK LACROSSE. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL EXHIBITED AN UNUSUAL CLICKING NOISE. IN ADDITION, WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES THERE WAS A SLIGHT JERK FELT IN THE STEERING WHEEL AND BRAKE PEDAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DIFFERENT DEALER FOR A SECOND OPINION WHERE THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 35,500.

LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS HAVE SPONTANEOUSLY FAILED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING. THE PROBLEM WASN'T FIRST NOTICED UNTIL LEAVING A WELL LIGHTED THOROUGHFARE ONTO AN UNLIGHTED SIDE STREET. HIGH BEAMS CONTINUED TO WORK, BUT LOW BEAMS COULD NOT BE TURNED BACK ON. THE NEXT DAY, LOW BEAMS SEEMED TO WORK WITHOUT ANY PROBLEM, BUT THEN WENT OFF UNEXPECTEDLY AGAIN FOR NO APPARENT REASON. HAD TO DRIVE HOME WITH HIGH BEAMS FOR THE DURATION OF THE TRIP. *TR

MY 2005 LACROSSE HAS 25,000 MILES AND I AM ABOUT TO TAKE IT IN FOR THE THIRD TIME FOR THE STEERING COLUMN GRINDING PROBLEM. GM BETTER FIGURE SOMETHING OUT BECAUSE FORDS ARE LOOKING BETTER THAN EVER. THE STEERING COLUMN HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE IN THE PREVIOUS VISITS. *TR

MY 2005 LACROSSE HAS 25000 MILES AND I AM ABOUT TO TAKE IT IN FOR THE THIRD TIME FOR THE STEERING COLUMN GRINDING PROBLEM. GM BETTER FIGURE SOMETHING OUT BECAUSE FORDS ARE LOOKING BETTER THAN EVER. ALL THEY SEEM TO DO IS LUBE THE STEERING COLUMN AND EXPECT YOU BACK LATER. *TR

I HAVE 53000 MILES ON THIS CAR AND IT'S BEEN CLUNKING EVERY TIME I TURN THE STEERING WHEEL LEFT OR RIGHT. I'M TOLD THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT. I'LL BE GETTING IT REPAIRED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. SHAME ON GM. THAT SAID, I'LL GUESS IM GOING WITH TOYOTA OR HONDA!! *TR

MY WIFE AND I WERE DRIVING OUR NEW (TO US) 2005 BUICK LACROSSE WITH THE REAR WINDOW DEFROSTER ON IN SANFORD, NC. IT WAS ON FOR APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES. THE REAR WINDOW EXPLODED INTO THE VEHICLE WHILE WE WERE DRIVING WITH WHAT APPEARED TO BE AN 8 INCH HOLE IN THE MIDDLE. WE BOUGHT THE CAR APPROXIMATELY 3 WEEKS AGO USED WITH A 30 DAY WARRANTY FROM STEVE JONES HONDA IN ABERDEEN NC. WE HAVEN'T EVEN MADE THE FIRST PAYMENT AND WE STILL HAVE A TEMPORARY TAG ON THE VEHICLE. THE DEALERSHIP REFUSED TO ASSIST IN ANY WAY WITH THE VEHICLE REPAIR AND NOW WE HAVE SPENT OVER $300 ON A NEW REAR WINDOW FOR OUR NEW CAR. THE WIRES IN THE DEFROSTER WERE OBSERVED TO BE A DIFFERENT COLOR IN THE CENTER OF THE WINDOW - DARK ORANGE / RED. THIS INCIDENT WAS VERY FRIGHTENING AND APPEARED TO SIMPLY BE A RESULT OF A MALFUNCTIONING REAR WINDOW DEFROSTER. WE HAD THE SHOP NOT HOOK UP THE DEFROSTER TO THE NEW WINDOW TO AVOID ANOTHER OF THESE INCIDENTS. WE COULD FIND NO RECALL INFORMATION FOR THIS ISSUE WITH THIS VEHICLE. THOUGH WE DID FIND ONE OTHER INCIDENT ONLINE OF THE EXACT THING OCCURRING TO A MOTHER WHO HAD THEIR INFANT CHILD IN THE BACK OF THEIR 2006 LACROSSE WHEN THIS OCCURRED. *TR