2018 Buick Lacrosse problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (3) · Electrical System (3) · Power Train (2)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Buick Lacrosse model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (3)
Power Train:automatic Transmission 2020-10-29 · campaign 20V668000 · 194,105 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse, 2018-2020 Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Terrain, 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, 2019-2020 Buick Encore, Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Acadia, and 2020 Cadillac XT6 vehicles. The start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing bolts.
Risk: Missing bolts on the start-stop accumulator endcap could result in a transmission oil leak and may progress to a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash. A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of fire.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the start-stop transmission accumulator and replace it if any bolts are missing, free of charge. The recall began December 15, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick Customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313440.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:disc:caliper 2018-08-30 · campaign 18V576000 · 210,628 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Equinox, Impala, Cruze, Volt and Bolt EV vehicles, GMC Terrain vehicles, Buick Lacrosse and Regal vehicles, Cadillac XTS and XTS Professional vehicles and 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons may have an insufficient coating causing gas pockets to form, potentially reducing rear brake performance.
Risk: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will bleed the vehicle's brake system, free of charge. The recall began October 11, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18279.
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump 2018-05-31 · campaign 18V358000 · 895 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2018 GMC Canyon, 2016-2017 Buick Envision, 2016-2018 Chevrolet Colorado and Malibu, 2017-2018 GMC Acadia, 2018 Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Equinox, and GMC Terrain vehicles. The high pressure fuel pump may detach from its mounting flange, possibly resulting in the pump damaging the high pressure fuel line.
Risk: A damaged fuel line can create a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the high pressure fuel pump, and high pressure fuel pipe, free of charge. The recall began July 2, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18188.
Service bulletins (992)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-26 · PIT5698F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this pi provides diagnostics tips on how the lin bus works and how to diagnosis it.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-04 · PIP4902W · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Unknown Or Other 2026-07-21 · PIT5099J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
pi to help diagnose a/c concern
Unknown Or Other 2026-04-01 · PIT3271Q · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-09 · PIP6104 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a gds2 session log and upload to a technical assistance case in cx connect.
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-09 · PIP4902V · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Showing the 6 most recent of 992 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-11-11 · Power Train“when i get to a stop sign, and a stop light, when trying to accelerate after a complete stop, the car would struggle to accelerate to go forward. where the shifting gears would start blinking, and the warning lights (engine power reduced, engine light, and the traction safety collision light) would display itself making it misfire and impossible t…”
2025-09-22 · Vehicle Speed Control:accelerator Pedal · 26,600 mi“the contact owns a 2018 buick lacrosse. the contact stated the hand controls were not working properly. while driving, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond. the engine power reduced message was displayed, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. after several attempts, the codes were reset, and the vehic…”
2024-11-05 · Engine“the 3.6 liter engine in my 2018 buick lacrosse avenir only has 53,939 when we experienced a thermostat failure. the engine temperature was dead cold, and the dual electric fans were running non-stop. when i scanned the trouble code, i found po128 which points to a faulty thermostat. because the thermostat is buried under the intake manifold, we …”
2024-06-11 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · 161,188 mi“the contact owns a 2018 buick lacrosse. the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate while the accelerator pedal was depressed. the contact pulled over and checked underneath the vehicle. the contact discovered that the start/stop accumulator endcap bolt had detached, causing transmission fluid to le…”
2023-12-23 · Engine“thermostat failure at 56,000 miles.…”
2023-11-09 · Electrical System · 100,000 mi“the contact owns a 2018 buick lacrosse. the contact stated that the key fob failed to open the doors and the vehicle was unable to be restarted. the failure had recurred on several occasions. the contact stated that the batteries in the key fob were replaced but the failure persisted. the local dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance …”
2023-05-25 · Power Train“i have brought my 2018 buick lacrosse to two different buick dealerships who say that even though a special instruction letter was recognized and a recall was observed, because my check light went out and the codes on the car where cleared, they will not fix either recall. on three different occasions, the car slowed down to a crawl speed, the chec…”
2022-01-19 · Vehicle Speed Control“when i tried to stop at the traffic light, the car suddenly accelerated and went forward. at that time, the car brake was engaged. on the same day; when i tried to go forward at the traffic light, the car suddenly accelerated. the dealer service center said, "we cannot find any issue with the transmission." …”
2020-01-27 · Electrical System“2018 buick lacrosse. consumer writes in regards to vehicle shutting off suddenly. *ld the consumer stated the battery was replaced, but the failure recurred. the dealer updated the software , but could not guarantee the failure would not recur. *js…”
2019-09-26 · Electrical System“i received a notice from gm that my vehicle with the electrical connection to the accelerator pedal which could cause a a reduced power and acceleration condition. however, this is not a recall and i should not seek a repair until i have evidence that my vehicle has this problem. this sounds like a serious safety risk to me. if this condition oc…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.