Buick Lacrosse

447 complaints across 8 scored model years and 16 recall campaigns.

Which years to avoid

Ownership label · Buick Lacrosse Full report

Grade 2010–2017

2012 vs model median 1.8×

Model median3× median

Electrical 20

Engine 18

Drivetrain 15

Avoid

2011 · 2012

Best

2016 · 2017

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Severity-weighted complaint volume and grade by model year for the Buick Lacrosse
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2010	1.71×	92	D
2011	1.79×	77	D
2012	1.78×	98	D
2013	1.10×	57	C
2014	0.90×	44	C
2015	0.50×	24	B
2016	0.45×	22	B
2017	0.32×	25	A

What it costs to run

EPA figures for the most recent model year on record.

EPA fuel economy and drivetrain
Combined MPG	24
City / Highway	20.5 / 30
Engine	3.6L, 6 cyl
Drive	Front-Wheel Drive
Annual fuel cost	$2,550

Recalls

16 campaigns on record.

Recall campaigns, largest first
Campaign	Component	Model years	Units affected
16V651000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL	2014–2016	3,640,162
14V447000	SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:POWER ADJUST	2011, 2012	414,333
20V764000	SUSPENSION:REAR	2010–2013	220,006
13V173000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	2012, 2013	42,904
17V437000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL	2014–2016	40,683
21V633000	SUSPENSION:REAR	2013	32,894
13V097000	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION	2013	26,582
14V317000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	2014	14,765

+ 8 further campaigns

Others in Full-Size Cars

Same body and size class. Each grade describes that model against its own history — these are not ranked against each other.

Other models in the same segment
Model	Years to avoid	Grade
Acura RLX	none flagged	C
Audi A6	2019	C
Audi A7	2019	C
Audi A8	none flagged	C
BMW 5 Series	20112012	B
BMW 7 Series	2012	B
Cadillac XTS	2013	C
Chevrolet Impala	20112014	C

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2012 Lacrosse

Complaints in window: 98
Severity-weighted: 155.5
Model median (weighted): 88
vs model median: 1.78×
Recall campaigns (weighted): 5
Open investigations: 0

Score 43.1 D