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2008 Buick LacrosseProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 251 owner complaints about the 2008 Buick Lacrosse, most often about the electrical system. It is covered by 2 safety recalls, and for recall 15V-519 the manufacturer reports only 47% of affected cars repaired.

2008 Buick Lacrosse
43
CarFlaw IndexSolid year1.3× the Lacrosse median · #4 of 14 years by complaints
Safety recalls2Lowest repair rate 47%Owner complaints25121 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage56kElectrical system, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through October 29, 2026. Updated daily. Photo: IFCAR, Public domain.

Complaints by system

Where the 2008 Buick Lacrosse has problems

251 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Electrical system857
Air bags772
Exterior lighting623
Engine170
Latches/locks/linkages140
Steering143
Service brakes104
Vehicle speed control101
Seats61
12 other systems333

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

2 recalls

2008 Buick Lacrosse recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

47%repaired · 2017 Q3

Exterior lighting: headlights

Recall 15V-519 · Aug 14, 2015 · 429,170 vehicles · 200,381 repaired

Risk. Headlamps that do not illuminate reduce the driver's ability to see the roadway and reduce the vehicle's visibility to oncoming vehicles, both of which…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

62%repaired · 2016 Q2

Electrical system: ignition

Recall 14V-355 · Jun 23, 2014 · 3,141,731 vehicles · 1,943,372 repaired

Risk. If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Buick.

Mileage at failure

When do electrical system problems start?

56kmiles, median

Based on the odometer reading in 62 electrical system complaints. 89% were reported before 100,000 miles.

median0k50k100k150k200k+
10under 30k miles55under 100k miles7100k miles or more
Owner-reported costs

What owners say repairs cost

Dollar amounts owners wrote in their complaints when describing a repair or a quote. These are not price estimates; a system is shown only when at least 8 owners mentioned a cost.

Air bags

13 owners mentioned a cost

$1,000median

Middle half: $900 – $1,200

Electrical system

10 owners mentioned a cost

$971median

Middle half: $788 – $1,003

If a problem is covered by a recall, the dealer fixes it for free. Some manufacturers also reimburse owners who paid for a repair before a recall was announced.

Best & worst years

2008 vs. every other Lacrosse year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Lacrosse median. How we score

'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
NHTSA crash tests

2008 Buick Lacrosse safety ratings

2008 Buick LaCrosse 4-DR in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

2008 Buick Lacrosse frontal crash test, NHTSA
Frontal crashNot rated
  • Stability control: Optional
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No
1 investigation

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 2008 Buick Lacrosse, and the recalls they led to.

  1. Loss of HeadlightsRQ17002 · closed Mar 29, 2021
    No recall
In owners' words

What Lacrosse owners report

Recent electrical system complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

Door locks somtimes would lock or unlock and other times not work at all. Made it a issue when parking or entering the car. I had to replace the lock mechanism in the doors. The car has 99135 miles on it but should not have a problem especally the back doors since they are not used very often.
Complaint 11428220 · Aug 8, 2021
THE FRONT HEADLIGHTS AND RUNNING LIGHTS JUST GO OFF FOR NO REASON. WHEN DRIVING HOME ON NIGHT THE HEADLIGHTS WENT OFF FOR NO REASON. THE NEST DAY, THEY WORKED. THEY CONTINUE TO WORK, BUT THE NIGHT THEY WENT OUT WAS VERY DISTURBING. THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, ON STATE HGWY, GETTING READY TO TURN TO…
Complaint 11389290 · Jan 21, 2021 · 125,000 miles
THE AIR BAG LIGHT COMES ON FREQUENTLY, BUT MAINLY DURING HOT SUMMER DAYS AND HAS CAME ON SEVERAL TIMES SINCE WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE MARCH OF 2019. THE LIGHT COMES ON WHEN WE ARE STATIONARY AND WHILE DRIVING. WHEN DOING RESEARCH, THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH OTHER CONSUMERS VEHICLES. I…
Complaint 11288250 · Dec 10, 2019

Own a 2008 Lacrosse?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.