2011 BUICK LUCERNE Complaints

Vehicle purchased used through Carvana. Battery installed at purchase was approximately 10 years old and later failed, causing starting issues and an instance of power loss while driving that left the vehicle stranded. Battery has been replaced and original battery retained.

The vehicle’s instrument cluster appears to be a non-original unit that may not be correct for the model year. The cluster is responsible for displaying the odometer and communicating with other vehicle systems. After purchase, I observed that diagnostic scan tools could not consistently access or communicate with multiple modules, and an experienced mechanic indicated the instrument cluster may be incompatible with the vehicle’s configuration. Because the odometer reading is displayed through this component, there is concern that the mileage may not be independently verifiable. The vehicle otherwise operates, but diagnostic communication inconsistencies raise questions about the reliability of system-level data. Additionally, there does not appear to be any service documentation indicating that the instrument cluster or odometer system was replaced, repaired, or recalibrated. This creates uncertainty regarding how the current mileage reading was established. The inability to fully verify mileage and system data may affect maintenance accuracy, resale valuation, and overall confidence in vehicle information.

Fuel pump relay is overheating to dangerously high temperatures. At least 211 F degrees. Causes the fuel pump fuse to melt leaving me stranded. Immediate replacement of the 20 AMP fuse is necessary to get the car running again. The fuel pump relay gets really hot even if the AC is not on. Waited for hour and a half in near 100 F degree heat for a tow truck to it home. I’m lucky the car did not catch on fire. I know quite a few of the Buick Lucerne’s have had recalls regarding this item. Picture of the actual car is included. No police report was necessary as this was a breakdown situation. This has utterly disrupted my life because I do not have access to a car with good air conditioning until this problem is repaired.

The contact owns a 2011 Buick Lucerne. The contact stated that while using the front driver's side interior door handle to exit the vehicle, there was an abnormal cracking sound coming from the door. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the front driver's side door handle was replaced approximately 4-5 times. The vehicle was recently repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000.

Passenger rear tire blew out the side wall all around the tire. The dealer that installed the tire has it for warranty. It was an large noise and I was able to pull to the side of the road immediately without loosing control. Yes the problem was reported to the dealer that put the new Falken tires on my car in September of 2025. The tires only had about 2,000 miles. My tire has tire pressure monitors on it, they did not alert me to a low tire pressure. I do have a few pictures of the tire showing the whole side wall blew out all around the tire. I am concerned for the safety of my family and anyone else that has this tire. I still have 4 of these tires on my car and I am worried that if another one blew out, it could end up in a serious crash.

Several malfunction indicator lights in dash appeared suddenly. Car would not start after shutting off. Finally started and drove to repair shop. Diagnosed as faulty ride height sensor. Shop searched for part at several dealers and online and found the part was discontinued in 2021. I contacted Buick and was offered $1500 off on a new GM car. I have not received any suggestions on how to repair the car or remove malfunction indicator lights which I specifically asked for. The repair shop is waiting for me to find the part and I have not been able to find one. Dealers have no answer and neither does Buick. The repair shop says it will start if sensor is unplugged but suspension will not work and dash will still have malfunction indicator lights. It is my opinion to operate under these conditions, it would definitely be hazardous.

The contact owns a 2011 Buick Lucerne. The contact stated that after several attempts the vehicle failed to start-up without warning. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to the circuit board which was in the rear back seat. The contact stated that the rear seat latches had rubbed against the circuit box, causing the circuit to overheat. The circuit board was replaced. The contact then stated that upon entering his vehicle while in a parking lot, blueish colored smoke was coming from the vehicle. The contact removed the back seat and saw that the circuit board had started melting. The Police were first called to the scene and the Fire Department then arrived and was able to extinguish the smoke before the circuit board caught on fire. Neither a Police report nor a Fire report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it remained. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and a case was filed. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was 198,000.

ABS LIGHT AND STABILITY CONTROL LIGHT ON. SO I HAVE NO ABS FUNCTION OF THE BRAKES. HAD FRONT WHEEL BEARING REPLACED BUT DIDN'T FIX THE ISSUE. ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL MODULE LIGHT STILL ON.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 BUICK LUCERNE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE BRAKE LINE WAS FRACTURED. THE CONTACT NOTICED THE FAILURE WHILE HIS WIFE WAS REVERSING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOORBOARD. THE CONTACT ADDED BRAKE FLUID TO THE VEHICLE AND DROVE TO HIS DESTINATION. THE VEHICLE WAS LATER TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE TECHNICIAN SAW BRAKE FLUID LEAKING FROM THE BRAKE LINE. THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE BRAKE HOSE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE CONTACT MENTION THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE BRAKE HOSE SHOWED EVIDENCE OF A FRACTURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 102,465.

BRAKE LINE EXPERIENCED A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE RESULTING IN A RAPID LOSS OF ALL BRAKE FLUID AND COMPLETE LOSS OF BRAKES WHILE ON A CITY STREET. CAR WAS TOWED TO THE REPAIR SHOP WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT ALL BRAKE LINES WERE SEVERELY RUSTED FROM THE OUTSIDE AND ONE HAD FAILED. THIS CAR WAS ALWAYS GARAGE KEPT AND VERY INFREQUENTLY DRIVEN ON SALTED STREETS. ALL BRAKE HAD TO BE REPLACED. I THINK IT IS UNREASONABLE THAT BRAKE LINES SHOULD RUST OUT AND CAUSE SUCH A FAILURE. SOMEONE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED. A PERSON DOES NOT THINK OF THEIR BRAKE LINES AS REQUIRING CONSTANT INSPECTION, LIKE ONE MIGHT KEEP AN EYE ON THE TREAD ON THEIR TIRES.