Reliable Auto DB

2013 Buick LaCrosse reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2013 Buick LaCrosse has 129 complaints with NHTSA after 14 years, or 6 per year. That is more complaints per year than most LaCrosse years here — over the median of the other years, which is 4. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Rear, Electrical system, and Automatic transmission.

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

129

Per year

6

Recalls

5

Years on the road

14

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (54 of 129), then Engine (30) and Suspension (27). Those filings include 5 that report a crash, 3 that report a fire, 3 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Next to 2012 and 2014

The 2012 LaCrosse has 206 complaints, 15 per year, and the 2014 has 63 complaints, 7 per year. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2014.

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 2013 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 2021-08-12 · NHTSA campaign 21V633000
Summary General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Buick Regal, Chevrolet Malibu, and 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 fracture.
Remedy Dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links and adjuster fasteners, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on September 30, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 3, 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 N212330130.
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 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 powertrain, automatic transmission 2013-03-15 · NHTSA campaign 13V097000
Summary General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Buick LaCrosse vehicles, manufactured between April 25, 2012, through March 6, 2013, and model year 2013 Cadillac SRX vehicles, manufactured between May 29, 2012, through February 18, 2013 for failing to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 102, "Transmission Shift Lever Sequence, Starter Interlock, and Transmission Braking Effect." A software problem may cause the transmission to inadvertently shift to Sport mode removing any transmission-related engine braking effect.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the transmission control module free of charge. The recall began on April 3, 2013. Cadillac owners may call 1-866-982-2339. Buick owners may call 1-866-694-6546.

Complaints by component (129 total)

Electrical system
54
Engine
30
Suspension
27
Steering
24
Powertrain
11
Fuel and propulsion system
8
Air bags
5
Electronic stability control (ESC)
5
Service brakes
4
Structure
4
Seats
3
Visibility and wipers
3
Equipment
2
Speed control
2
Wheels
2
Back-over prevention
1
Engine and engine cooling
1
Exterior lighting
1
Fuel system, gasoline
1
Tires
1
Visibility
1
Show 13 more Show less
Crash-flagged

5

Fire-flagged

3

Injury reports

3

Death reports

1

Complaints filed per year

92013520143201582016152017112018122019720202920217202252023620249202532026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2013 Buick LaCrosse on March 3, 2024. The vehicle was purchased from the dealer. The odometer was reported at 118,000 during the sale. The vehicle was recently taken to an…"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-08-17
  • "The contact owns a 2013 Buick LaCrosse. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced starting failures and was taken to Piedmont Tire & Auto, where the battery was replaced. The contact stated that while driving at…"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-07-15
  • "My vehicles started experiencing a Service Power Steering Code and Service Stabilitrak warning after I Replaced my Sway Bar Bushings and Sway Bar Links and Started Giving Me A Code On My Scan Tool Of CO55C:00, and Lost…"
    Steering, Electrical system · filed 2026-06-01
  • "Today is 8.26.2025, I took this car back and left it w/dealership: Let them figure it out! I told them 0ne month after purchase this car is constantly EMPTY with no/Oil. I should not be getting oil changes this often.…"
    Unknown or other, Engine · filed 2025-08-26
  • "I lost all steering control and lost control"
    Steering · filed 2025-07-29

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2013 Buick Lacrosse 4 DR AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2013 Buick Lacrosse 4 DR FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2013 Buick Lacrosse eAssist 4 DR AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2013 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 17 25 20 MPG $3250
LaCrosse eAssist 2.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 25 36 29 MPG $2250

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

Previous year 2012 Buick LaCrosse Next year 2014 Buick LaCrosse See every Buick LaCrosse model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2013 Buick LaCrosse reliable?

The 2013 Buick LaCrosse has 129 complaints with NHTSA after 14 years, or 6 per year. That is more complaints per year than most LaCrosse years here — over the median of the other years, which is 4. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Rear, Electrical system, and Automatic transmission.

What are common problems with a 2013 Buick LaCrosse?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (54 of 129), then Engine (30) and Suspension (27). Those filings include 5 that report a crash, 3 that report a fire, 3 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Is the 2013 Buick LaCrosse more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2012 LaCrosse has 206 complaints, 15 per year, and the 2014 has 63 complaints, 7 per year. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2014.

Has the 2013 Buick LaCrosse been recalled?

The 2013 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 2013 Buick LaCrosse?

Owners have filed 129 complaints about the 2013 Buick LaCrosse with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2013 Buick LaCrosse get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2013 Buick LaCrosse is 22.8 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).