Reliable Auto DB

2012 Buick LaCrosse reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2012 Buick LaCrosse holds 206 complaints after 15 years, a rate of 15 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 8 LaCrosse years on this site. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Rear, Power adjuster, and Electrical system.

2012 Buick LaCrosse
Photo by Navigator84, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0
Complaints

206

Per year

15

Recalls

5

Years on the road

15

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (62 of 206), then Engine (46) and Suspension (31). Those filings include 10 that report a crash, 4 that report a fire, and 5 that report an injury.

Next to 2013

The 2013 LaCrosse has 129 complaints, 6 per year. The 2012 has more complaints per year than the 2013.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2012 Buick LaCrosse. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (5)

Recall suspension, rear 2021-12-22 · NHTSA campaign 21V00F000
Summary General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Buick Lacrosse, 2012-2013 Buick Regal, and 2013 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles sold or ever registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin. These vehicles may have rear toe links that received an improper amount of electrocoating (e-coat) corrosion protection, which could cause the e-coat to become brittle and break away when contacted by road debris. Over time, the e-coat may chip away, exposing the metal toe link and making it more susceptible to corrosion. Corrosion may eventually cause the toe link to thin and ultimately fracture.
Remedy Dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links and adjuster fasteners, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 27, 2022. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N212346640. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recalls 20V-764 and 21V-633.
Recall suspension, rear 2020-12-21 · NHTSA campaign 20V764000
Summary General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2012-2013 Buick Regal, 2013 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2010-2013 Buick Lacrosse vehicles sold or ever registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin. These vehicles may have rear toe links that received excessive electrocoating (e-coat) corrosion protection, which could cause the e-coat to become brittle and break away when contacted by road debris. Over time, the e-coat may chip away, exposing the metal toe link and making it more susceptible to corrosion. Corrosion may eventually cause the toe link to thin and ultimately to fracture.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links and adjuster fasteners free of charge. Parts are not currently available. Owners were mailed an interim notification on January 27, 2021, and April 15, 2021. A third notification was mailed on August 19, 201. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202308930.
Recall seats, front assembly, power adjuster 2014-07-23 · NHTSA campaign 14V447000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Buick LaCrosse, Regal and Chevrolet Camaro, as well as certain 2010-2012 Cadillac SRX, Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles, equipped with power height adjustable driver and passenger seats. In the affected vehicles, the bolt that secures the driver's and passenger's power front seat height adjuster may fall out causing the seat to drop suddenly to the lowest vertical position.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the height adjuster shoulder bolts, free of charge. The manufacturer distributed interim letters to owners on September 11, 2014. The recall began on December 26, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), or 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14271.
Recall Electrical system 2013-05-06 · NHTSA campaign 13V173000
Summary General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 and 2013 Buick LaCrosse and Regal, and model year 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco vehicles equipped with eAssist. These vehicles may have a condition in which the Generator Control Module (GCM) may not function properly. This could cause a gradual loss of battery charge and the illumination of the malfunction indicator light.
Remedy GM will notify owners and dealers will test the GCM and replace it, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on June 11, 2013. Owners may contact GM at 1-800-521-7300. GM's recall campaign number is 13136.
Recall Electronic stability control (ESC) 2011-08-03 · NHTSA campaign 11V404000
Summary GM IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 BUICK LACROSSE PASSENGER VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JUNE 9, 2011, THROUGH JULY 2, 2011, FOR FAILING TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 126, "ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL SYSTEMS (ESC)." THE STABILITRAK SYSTEM HAS AN INCORRECT CALIBRATION THAT MAY CAUSE THE SYSTEM TO NOT PROPERLY DETECT IF A SENSOR WERE TO MALFUNCTION, AND THE WARNING LIGHT INDICATING THAT THE SYSTEM IS NOT OPERATING WOULD NOT ILLUMINATE, AS REQUIRED IN THE SAFETY STANDARD.
Remedy GM DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE ELECTRONIC BRAKE CONTROL MODULE FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080.

Complaints by component (206 total)

Electrical system
62
Engine
46
Suspension
31
Electronic stability control (ESC)
25
Powertrain
24
Steering
24
Service brakes
16
Speed control
12
Fuel and propulsion system
8
Structure
7
Seats
6
Engine and engine cooling
5
Wheels
5
Air bags
4
Seat belts
4
Exterior lighting
3
Adaptive and mobility equipment
2
Equipment
2
Latches, locks, and linkages
2
Tires
1
Traction control
1
Visibility and wipers
1
Show 14 more Show less
Crash-flagged

10

Fire-flagged

4

Injury reports

5

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

120118201212201325201411201582016162017122018212019102020392021132022620231120244202592026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "**Subject:** Formal Safety Defect Complaint: Premature Failure of Completed Recall Remedy (NHTSA Campaign 13V173000 / GM Recall 13136) Resulting in Sudden Loss of Power Steering **VEHICLE INFORMATION** *…"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-09-17
  • "Shows service stability track"
    Electrical system, Unknown or other · filed 2026-07-30
  • "I was driving my car the engine turned off by itself everything locked up when i stop i tried to start it again and it just clicked, I thought it was the battery got a new battery started up drove it about a half mile…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-07-14
  • "I was driving my car the engine turned off by itself everything locked up when i stop i tried to start it again and it just clicked, I thought it was the battery got a new battery started up drove it about a half mile…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-07-14
  • "2012 Buick LaCrosse V6 (Fairfax Plant). The vehicle suffered a sudden, complete loss of engine power and forward propulsion while traveling at highway speed, cutting off mid-drive with no warning. This occurred…"
    Service brakes, Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-07-10

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2012 Buick Lacrosse 4 DR AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2012 Buick Lacrosse 4 DR FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2012 Buick Lacrosse eAssist 4 DR AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2012 Buick Lacrosse eAssist 4 DR FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
LaCrosse 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 17 27 21 MPG $3100
LaCrosse 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 17 27 21 MPG $3100
LaCrosse all-wheel drive 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 16 26 20 MPG $3250
LaCrosse eAssist 2.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (AV-S6) Front-wheel drive 24 35 28 MPG $2300

Specs and fitment

2nd generation, 2012–2016
Body styles Sedan
Oil 5W-30 (all temps); 0W-30 below -29°C , 5 qt capacity
Tire size 225/55R17, 235/50R18, 245/45R19 (trim dependent)

Compare

Next year 2013 Buick LaCrosse See every Buick LaCrosse model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2012 Buick LaCrosse reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2012 Buick LaCrosse holds 206 complaints after 15 years, a rate of 15 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 8 LaCrosse years on this site. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Rear, Power adjuster, and Electrical system.

What are common problems with a 2012 Buick LaCrosse?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (62 of 206), then Engine (46) and Suspension (31). Those filings include 10 that report a crash, 4 that report a fire, and 5 that report an injury.

Is the 2012 Buick LaCrosse more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 LaCrosse has 129 complaints, 6 per year. The 2012 has more complaints per year than the 2013.

Has the 2012 Buick LaCrosse been recalled?

The 2012 Buick LaCrosse has 5 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2012 Buick LaCrosse?

Owners have filed 206 complaints about the 2012 Buick LaCrosse with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2012 Buick LaCrosse get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2012 Buick LaCrosse is 22.5 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Buick LaCrosse take?

5W-30 at all temps; 0W-30 is listed for use below -29°C on both the 2012-2016 and 2017-2019 generations here.

What does recall 18V-576 cover on later LaCrosse?

Certain 2018-2019 LaCrosse vehicles among other GM models: the rear brake caliper piston seal may allow air into the hydraulic system and reduce braking performance. Dealers bleed the brake system.

When did the third-generation LaCrosse start?

Model year 2017 (through 2019 on this site).