Reliable Auto DB

2015 Buick LaCrosse reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2015 Buick LaCrosse holds 44 complaints after 12 years, a rate of 3 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most LaCrosse years here — under the median of the other years, which is 5. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Frontal and Side and window.

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

44

Per year

3

Recalls

3

Years on the road

12

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Steering (12 of 44), then Electrical system (9) and Air bags (7). Those filings include 5 that report a crash and 3 that report an injury.

Next to 2014 and 2016

The 2014 LaCrosse has 63 complaints, 7 per year, and the 2016 has 48 complaints, 5 per year. The 2015 has fewer complaints per year than the 2014. The 2015 has fewer complaints per year than the 2016.

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 2015 Buick LaCrosse. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (3)

Recall air bags, frontal 2017-07-10 · NHTSA campaign 17V437000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse and Chevrolet Spark EV, Caprice PPV and SS vehicles, 2014-2017 Buick Encore and Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles, 2015-2016 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Trax, Suburban and Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL vehicles, and 2015-2017 GMC Sierra HD 2500 and 3500 vehicles. While being previously remedied for recall 16V-651, the affected vehicles may not have received the complete software update necessary to remedy the recall condition. Without the update, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. 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 17287.
Recall air bags, frontal 2016-09-08 · NHTSA campaign 16V651000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, 3500 HD, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles and 2014-2017 Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500, Trax, Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle, GMC Sierra 1500, Buick Encore, and 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Spark EV and SS vehicles. In the affected vehicles, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016. 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 16007.
Recall air bags, side and window 2015-10-16 · NHTSA campaign 15V666000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac XTS, Chevrolet Camaro, Equinox, Malibu, and GMC Terrain vehicles. The affected vehicles have front seat-mounted side impact air bags whose inflator may rupture upon its deployment.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the side impact air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began on October 19, 2015. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 01320.

Complaints by component (44 total)

Steering
12
Electrical system
9
Air bags
7
Service brakes
4
Exterior lighting
3
Fuel and propulsion system
2
Powertrain
2
Seat belts
2
Speed control
2
Electronic stability control (ESC)
1
Engine
1
Fuel system, gasoline
1
Hydraulic brakes
1
Interior lighting
1
Visibility and wipers
1
Show 7 more Show less
Crash-flagged

5

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

3

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

1201572016120178201832019520206202142022320232202442025
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "I had first seen a check engine light for a month and it would come on and off and sometimes it would stay off for about a week before it comes back on and do the same thing. I had noticed some slippage within the…"
    Powertrain · filed 2025-11-10
  • "The contact owns a 2015 Buick LaCrosse. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH on a main road and attempting to make a right turn, the contact noticed that the steering wheel had become increasingly difficult to…"
    Steering · filed 2025-06-11
  • "As I was driving around a corner, the steering wheel got hard, very hard and it no longer worked"
    Steering · filed 2025-04-29
  • "The contact owns a 2015 Buick LaCrosse. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 55 MPH, the vehicle jerked briefly before shifting into gear. The ABS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken…"
    Hydraulic brakes · filed 2025-04-29
  • "The contact owns a 2015 Buick LaCrosse. The contact stated that while stationary at a stop light and attempting to depress the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated while responding. The check engine warning light…"
    Powertrain · filed 2024-06-28

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2015 Buick Lacrosse 4 DR AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2015 Buick Lacrosse 4 DR FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2015 Buick Lacrosse eAssist 4 DR AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2015 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 18 28 21 MPG $3100
LaCrosse 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 18 28 21 MPG $3100
LaCrosse all-wheel drive 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 17 26 20 MPG $3250
LaCrosse eAssist 2.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) 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

Previous year 2014 Buick LaCrosse Next year 2016 Buick LaCrosse See every Buick LaCrosse model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2015 Buick LaCrosse reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2015 Buick LaCrosse holds 44 complaints after 12 years, a rate of 3 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most LaCrosse years here — under the median of the other years, which is 5. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Frontal and Side and window.

What are common problems with a 2015 Buick LaCrosse?

The complaints owners file most often name Steering (12 of 44), then Electrical system (9) and Air bags (7). Those filings include 5 that report a crash and 3 that report an injury.

Is the 2015 Buick LaCrosse more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2014 LaCrosse has 63 complaints, 7 per year, and the 2016 has 48 complaints, 5 per year. The 2015 has fewer complaints per year than the 2014. The 2015 has fewer complaints per year than the 2016.

Has the 2015 Buick LaCrosse been recalled?

The 2015 Buick LaCrosse has 3 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 2015 Buick LaCrosse?

Owners have filed 44 complaints about the 2015 Buick LaCrosse with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2015 Buick LaCrosse get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2015 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).