Reliable Auto DB

2016 Buick LaCrosse reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2016 Buick LaCrosse has 48 complaints with NHTSA after 11 years, or 5 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 2 recalls on file, including Frontal.

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

48

Per year

5

Recalls

2

Years on the road

11

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Steering (12 of 48), then Powertrain (7) and Air bags (6). Those filings include 5 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 3 that report an injury.

Next to 2015 and 2017

The 2015 LaCrosse has 44 complaints, 3 per year, and the 2017 has 34 complaints, 4 per year. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2017.

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 2016 Buick LaCrosse. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (2)

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.

Complaints by component (48 total)

Steering
12
Powertrain
7
Air bags
6
Speed control
6
Service brakes
4
Electrical system
3
Engine
3
Forward collision avoidance
3
Fuel and propulsion system
2
Seat belts
2
Engine and engine cooling
1
Equipment
1
Exterior lighting
1
Fuel system, gasoline
1
Latches, locks, and linkages
1
Seats
1
Structure
1
Suspension
1
Tires
1
Visibility and wipers
1
Show 12 more Show less
Crash-flagged

5

Fire-flagged

2

Injury reports

3

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

5201652017420184201922020320215202282023220245202552026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "I was in a front end collision where the damages were over $20,000.00 and the air bags did not deploy."
    Air bags, Seat belts, Forward collision avoidance · filed 2026-08-24
  • "The volt meter on the dashboard keeps dropping below 14 volts and 13.5 volts. The car has been checked by Buick and my mechanic no issues found. Buick has no idea why it keeps doing it neither does my mechanic. The…"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-08-19
  • "On June 22,2026, I was involved in a frontal impact collision while traveling at approximately 35 mph. The vehicle suffered a catastrophic failure of the entire occupant restraint system. Despite a severe, high-speed…"
    Air bags, Seat belts · filed 2026-06-22
  • "While driving down the road goin around 45 mph all of a sudden my steering wheel got so stiff I could hardly steer the car off the road and out of traffic. I didn't hit anything, my power steering just stopped. I put…"
    Steering · filed 2026-05-10
  • "The contact owns a 2016 Buick Lacrosse. The contact stated that the fuel pump was previously replaced due to the vehicle stalling while driving. The contact stated that the tailgate unintendedly opened while the vehicle…"
    Fuel system, gasoline, Powertrain, Electrical system · filed 2026-02-26

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2016 Buick Lacrosse 4 DR AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2016 Buick Lacrosse 4 DR FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2016 Buick Lacrosse eAssist 4 DR AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2016 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 2015 Buick LaCrosse Next year 2017 Buick LaCrosse See every Buick LaCrosse model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2016 Buick LaCrosse reliable?

The 2016 Buick LaCrosse has 48 complaints with NHTSA after 11 years, or 5 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 2 recalls on file, including Frontal.

What are common problems with a 2016 Buick LaCrosse?

The complaints owners file most often name Steering (12 of 48), then Powertrain (7) and Air bags (6). Those filings include 5 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 3 that report an injury.

Is the 2016 Buick LaCrosse more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2015 LaCrosse has 44 complaints, 3 per year, and the 2017 has 34 complaints, 4 per year. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2017.

Has the 2016 Buick LaCrosse been recalled?

The 2016 Buick LaCrosse has 2 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 2016 Buick LaCrosse?

Owners have filed 48 complaints about the 2016 Buick LaCrosse with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2016 Buick LaCrosse get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2016 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).