2005 Buick LACROSSE - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2005 Buick LaCrosse has not received an overall safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). However, it has impressive 5-star ratings for both the driver and passenger sides in front crash tests, indicating excellent protection in the event of a head-on collision. On the other hand, the car received a 3-star rating for both the driver and passenger sides in side crash tests, suggesting room for improvement in side impact protection.

Additionally, this Buick LaCrosse offers optional electronic stability control, which can help the driver maintain control of the vehicle in challenging road conditions. However, it does not feature forward collision warning or lane departure warning systems, which could assist in preventing accidents caused by front-end collisions or unintentional lane departure.

On the downside, there have been 313 complaints reported for this model, which is a significant number. Moreover, the car has been subject to 5 recalls, indicating potential safety issues that needed to be addressed by the manufacturer.

In conclusion, while the 2005 Buick LaCrosse shows strength in front crash protection and offers optional stability control for added safety, the lack of an overall safety rating, lower side crash ratings, absence of advanced safety features, high number of complaints, and multiple recalls highlight areas where improvements could be made to enhance the overall safety of this vehicle.

auto generated summary, may be inaccurate.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

313

Recall Count

5

Investigation Count

0

Safety Rating

Not Rated

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Safety Features

2005 Buick LaCrosse 4-DR Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2005 Buick LaCrosse 4-DR

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Optional
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2005 Buick LaCrosse 4-DR Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2005 Buick LaCrosse 4-DR Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2005 Score 2019 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated 5
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 5 5
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 4

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2005 Score 2019 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 3 4
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 3 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated 5
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated 5

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2005 Score 2019 Score
Rollover Rating Not Rated 5
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated 5

Complaints for the 2005 Buick LACROSSE

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"had my daughter's 2005 buick lacrosse hdm replaced for the recall and 3 months later the low-beams went out again. i took the car back to the dealer and they said the recall was done and now i would have to pay. the hdm failed while my daughter was driving home at night."
Components Involved: EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Date of incident: 2018-02-08
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2005 buick lacrosse. the contact stated that the headlights did not illuminate when the vehicle was started. the contact stated that the failure was repaired per an unknown recall in october of 2016. an unknown dealer was contacted and stated that the failure was not recall related. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure was not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 135,000."
Components Involved: EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Date of incident: 2017-08-12
Complaint:
"low beam headlights are out, also no daytime running lights. they go out at random, without warning. replaced hdm module, did no help."
Components Involved: EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Date of incident: 2018-03-12
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2005 buick lacrosse. the contact stated that the low beam headlamps failed to operate. the failure occurred without warning. the vehicle was repaired per nhtsa campaign number: 15v519000 (exterior lighting), but the failure recurred. the contact stated that the connector failed twice after having the recall repair performed. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 137,000."
Components Involved: EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Date of incident: 2017-09-09
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2005 buick lacrosse. while driving 45 mph, the low beam headlamps failed to operate. the contact received a notification of nhtsa campaign number: 14v755000 (exterior lighting); however, the parts for the recall repair were not available. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was not notified of the issue. the failure mileage was unknown. parts distribution disconnect."
Components Involved: EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Date of incident: 2017-03-03
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2005 buick lacrosse. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v519000 (exterior lighting); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was not notified of the issue. the contact had not experienced a failure."
Components Involved: EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Date of incident: 2016-02-05
Complaint:
"2005 buick lacrosse. consumer writes in regards to replacement parts still on back order to repair head lamp driver module recall notice. *smd the consumer stated the head lamp was finally replaced. *jb updated 09/22/16.*jb"
Components Involved: EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Date of incident: 2016-02-05
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2005 buick lacrosse. the vin was included in nhtsa campaign number: 14v755000 (exterior lighting). the notification indicated that the parts were available; however, the dealer indicated that the parts were not available. the manufacturer was not notified of the issue. the contact had not experienced a failure. parts distribution disconnect."
Components Involved: EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Date of incident: 2017-04-05
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2005 buick lacrosse. the contact stated that the low beam headlamps failed to operate without warning. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign numbers: 14v755000 (exterior lighting) and 15v319000 (exterior lighting); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 105,000. parts distribution disconnect."
Components Involved: EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Date of incident: 2017-09-05
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2005 buick lacrosse. while driving approximately 5 mph, the headlights failed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the headlight module needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage and vin were unknown."
Components Involved: EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Date of incident: 2014-08-12

Recalls for the 2005 Buick LACROSSE

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"general motors llc (gm) is recalling certain model year 2007 pontiac grand prix, 2006-2009 buick lacrosse, 2006-2007 buick rainier, chevrolet trailblazer, gmc envoy, 2006 chevrolet trailblazer ext, gmc envoy xl, 2006-2008 isuzu ascender, and saab 9-7x vehicles. in the affected vehicles, the headlamp driver module (hdm) may overheat and fail, causing the headlamps and daytime running lights to not illuminate."
Consequence:
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 increase the risk of a vehicle crash.
Remedy:

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the HDM, free of charge. The recall began on May 17, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. GM's number for this recall is 14291.

Component(s) Involved: EXTERIOR LIGHTING > HEADLIGHTS
Date of incident: 2015-08-14

BUICK Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

BUICK ranks 20 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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