2005 BUICK LACROSSE Complaints

DRIVING HOME AT NIGHT, THE HEADLIGHTS OF THE CAR SUDDENLY WENT OUT. I REMEMBERED READING THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED WITH SOME ONE ELSE WITH THE SAME MODEL CAR. I TURNED THE HIGH BEAMS ON AND THEY WORKED. THE INCIDENT HAS NOT RE-OCCURRED. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BUICK LACROSSE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A TSB REGARDING A CLUNKING NOISE (SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER 4105, NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 10020049 (STEERING:COLUMN)). THE FAILURE OCCURS WHENEVER THE STEERING WHEEL IS TURNED. THE TSB STATED THAT THE FAILURE CAN BE RESOLVED BY GREASING THE WHEEL AND WAS DUE TO INSUFFICIENT LUBRICATION OF THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT. THE FAILURE BEGAN AT 41,000 MILES IN 2007 WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPAIRED THE VEHICLE ACCORDING TO THE TSB; HOWEVER, THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE FAILURE WOULD OCCUR AGAIN. CURRENTLY, AT 66,000 MILES, THE FAILURE IS RECURRING. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS CORRECTED THE FIRST TIME AND THEY WOULD NOT REPAIR IT AGAIN SINCE IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. THE CONTACT BELIEVES A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED SINCE IT IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 41,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 67,000. UPDATED 01/08/09 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT HAS INADEQUATE LUBRICATION, WHICH CAUSE A CLUNKING NOISE. THE CONSUMER STATED THE NOISE HAS RETURNED. UPDATED 01/09/09. *JB

WHILE DRIVING HOME AT NIGHT ON THE HIGHWAY MY HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT I TRIED TURNING THEM OFF AND THEN BACK ON NOTHING HAPPENED SO I DROVE HOME USING MY FLASHERS SO NO ONE WOULD HIT ME. TOOK INTO THE DEALER AND THEY CHECKED THE CAR OUT AND THE HEADLIGHTS WERE NOW WORKING THEY TOLD ME THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO ANYTHING UNLESS IT HAPPENS WHEN THEY HAVE IT IN THE REPAIR SHOP. THEY STATED IT'S LIKE FINDING A NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK. GREAT RESPONSE . SINCE THEN IT HAS HAPPENED THREE MORE TIMES THE MOST RECENT WAS YESTERDAY. I AM ABLE TO PUT MY HIGH BEAMS ON BUT WHILE DRIVING IT'S SCARY BECAUSE I AM CONSTANTLY BEING FLASHED BY CARS DUE TO THE USE OF THEM . MY JOB IS 35 MIN AWAY FROM HOME AND THERE ARE THREE NIGHTS PER WEEK THAT I DRIVE HOME IN THE EVENING AND MY DRIVING IS ON THE HIGHWAY WHICH IS A MAJOR INTERSTATE. I'M WAITING FOR THE POLICE TO PULL ME OVER ONE TIME FOR USING THEM. I AM CONTACTING THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN TOMORROW WHICH IS DEC 15, 2008. *TR

I HAVE A 2005 BUICK LACROSSE CXL WITH ONLY 20,000 MILES ON IT. I'VE HAD TO HAVE THE STEERING COLUMN RELUBRICATED TWICE IN 2 YRS. IT RATTLES, OR STARTS TO RATTLE AFTER ONLY 6,000 MILES FROM THE LAST SERVICE. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A FACTORY DEFECT, AND I WOULD LIKE A PERMANENT FIX TO THIS PROBLEM. NO WONDER HONDA OUTSELLS BUICK IN AMERICA. FOR SHAME!! *TR

WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. 40 MPH THE HEADLIGHTS WHILE ON LOW BEAM WENT OUT. NO PARKING LIGHTS, NO LOW BEAMS. UPON GETTING TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WE DISCOVERED THAT THE HIGH-BEAMS STILL WORKED. THE FIRST TIME A 12,000 MILES IT NEVER DID IT AGAIN UNTIL LAST NIGHT AT 48,000 MILES. AGAIN NO LOWS OR PARKING BUT HIGH BEAMS GOT US HOME THE NEXT MORNING ALL WAS WORKING. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BUICK LACROSSE. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE OIL LEVEL ON HIS VEHICLE WAS STEADILY DECREASING EVERYTIME THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND WAS INFORMED THAT NO SERVICE COULD BE PERFORMED FOR THE OIL CONSUMPTION FAILURE UNTIL THE VEHICLE CONSUMES MORE THAN ONE QUART OF OIL EVERY 2,000 MILES. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER. SPEED WAS NOT A FACTOR. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 27,340 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,000. UPDATED 09/16/08 *BF UPDATED 09/19/08. *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BUICK LACROSSE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE IS UNABLE TO READ THE INSTRUMENTAL PANEL GAUGES AT DUSK OR DAWN. IN ORDER TO READ THE GAUGES, THE HEADLIGHTS MUST BE TURNED OFF. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE FAILURE IS DUE TO A FAULTY DESIGN AND THERE WAS NO REPAIR AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER IS AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND ENGINEERS ARE CONDUCTING AN EVALUATION. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 24,367 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 19,622. UPDATED 05/05/08 *BF UPDATED 05/05/08

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BUICK LACROSSE. WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 20-30 MPH, THE VEHICLE HESITATED WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE SPEED WOULD INCREASE AFTER DRIVING 3-4 MILES. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED AFTER BEING PARKED FOR HOURS, IT IDLED ROUGHLY AND THE "TRACTION CONTROL" AND "ENGINE POWER REDUCED" WARNING INDICATOR LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE DEALER REPROGRAMMED THE PCM, BUT THE FAILURE CONTINUED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ANOTHER DEALER AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 15,800. UPDATED 3/19/08 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE RUNS ROUGH AND WOULD NOT GO OVER 40MPH. THE DEALER PERFORMED BRAKE PEDAL RECALL. THE CONSUMER STATED THERE WAS A CLUNKING NOISE IN THE STEERING COLUMN. UPDATED 03/19/08 *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BUICK LACROSSE. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND THE DRIVER INFORMATION CENTER ARE DIFFICULT TO READ DURING THE DAY OR EARLY MORNINGS BECAUSE THE SENSORS ARE DIM. THE DEALER REPLACED THE LIGHT CLUSTER SWITCHES AND STATED THAT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND INFORMATION CENTER WERE DESIGNED WITH DIM LIGHTING; THEREFORE, REPLACEMENTS WOULD NOT CORRECT THE FAILURE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 15,500 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 14,000. UPDATED 02-25-08 *BF THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT WAS REPLACED DUE TO A NOISE BEING HEARD IN THE STEERING WHILE DRIVING. THE STARTER MOTOR WAS REPLACED. UPDATED *JB

AFTER OWNING THE CAR FOR EST 2 YRS, I NOTICED THE INFO CNTR BEGAN TO NOT WORK PROPERLY. THE ILLUMINATION IN THE INFO CNTR & RADIO AREA WILL INTERMITTENTLY NOT LIGHT UP. THERE ARE OCCASIONS WHERE THIS W/B LIT & THEN GO OUT AS I DRIVE, OR VICE VERSA. W/ THE CAR BEING UNDER WARRANTY, I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALERSHIP LAST SUMMER, THEY WERE UNABLE TO RECREATE THE PROB. I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH GM (CASE #71-567506079) ON 10/23/07. THEY INDICATED THEY WERE UNAWARE OF ANY POTENTIAL PROBS WITH THE INFO CNTR. 7/07, I BEGAN KEEPING TRACK WHEN THE PROB OCCURRED. W/ MY WARRANTY ABT TO EXPIRE, I BROUGHT THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP 1/4/08, ALONG WITH DOCUMENTATION OF WHEN THE PROB OCCURRED. AGAIN, THEY COULD NOT RECREATE PROB & GAVE ME A STATEMENT FROM GM THAT PROVIDED A POSSIBLE DIAGNOSIS. "CONDITION" CUSTOMER COMMENT OF I/P DIFFICULT TO SEE AT DUSK OR DAWN. RECOMMENDATION: CAUSE: "THE AMBIENT LIGHT SENSOR MAY SENSE THAT IT IS SUFFICIENTLY DARK UNDER THESE CONDITIONS THAT THE BCM WILL ACTIVATE THE AUTOMATIC HEADLAMPS. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, NORMAL I/P DIMMING OCCURS, CAUSING THE CUSTOMER CONCERN." CORRECTION: "THIS IS NORMAL OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE AND THERE IS NO CORRECTION FOR THIS CONCERN. ENGINEERING IS EVALUATING THIS FEATURE BUT IT IS UNCLEAR AT THIS TIME IF ANY CHANGE WILL BE POSSIBLE." TO THIS I ASK: 1) WHY DID THIS "CONCERN" ONLY RECENTLY DEVELOP? I DID NOT HAVE THIS "CONCERN" IN THE 1ST YR I OWNED THE CAR. 2) PER MY DOC THE "CONCERN" (22 INSTANCES FROM 7/27/07 TO 12/24/07) OCCURRED UNDER THESE CONDITIONS: 41% CLOUDY/OVERCAST, 14% DUSK/DAWN AND 45% SUNNY, THEREBY REPUTING THE "NORMAL OPERATION AT DUSK/DAWN". 3) WHY IS IT THE ILLUMINATION MAY NOT BE ON WHEN I START THE CAR, BUT 4 MILES DOWN THE ROAD IT COMES ON, OR VICE VERSA? 4) HOW IS IT WHEN I SPOKE TO THE REP BACK IN OCT THEY WERE UNAWARE OF ANY "CONCERNS", YET, IN DEC THEIR "ENGINEERS ARE EVALUATING THE FEATURE"? TO THIS DATE, THE "CONCERN" HAS YET TO BE RESOLVED AND 3 MORE OCCURRENCES HAVE COME ABOUT. *TR