2016 Buick LACROSSE - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2016 Buick Lacrosse has received an outstanding overall safety rating of 5 stars from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This car excelled in all crash tests including front crash, side crash, and rollover, further solidifying its reputation as a safe vehicle on the road. Additionally, the Buick Lacrosse comes equipped with electronic stability control as a standard feature, which enhances the car's stability and handling in various driving conditions.

In terms of advanced safety features, the Buick Lacrosse offers optional forward collision warning and lane departure warning systems, which provide an extra layer of protection for the driver and passengers.

Despite its exceptional safety ratings, it is worth noting that there have been 36 complaints reported for the 2016 Buick Lacrosse. Additionally, there have been 2 recalls issued for this model. While the car's safety features are impressive, it is important for owners to stay informed about any potential issues and address them promptly to ensure the continued safety of the vehicle.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

36

Recall Count

2

Investigation Count

0

Safety Rating

5/5

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Safety Features

2016 Buick Lacrosse 4 DR FWD Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2016 Buick Lacrosse 4 DR FWD

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.

Standard
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.

Optional
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.

Optional

2016 Buick Lacrosse 4 DR FWD Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2016 Buick Lacrosse 4 DR FWD 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 2016 Score 2019 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated 5 5
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 5 5 5
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5 4

Side Crash Ratings

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

Test 2005 Score 2016 Score 2019 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated 5 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 3 5 4
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 3 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated 5 5
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated 5 5

Rollover Ratings

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

Test 2005 Score 2016 Score 2019 Score
Rollover Rating Not Rated 4 5
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated 4 5

Complaints for the 2016 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:
"i lost power steering while driving 70 mph on a two-lane highway in wyoming. there were no warnings before the incident, but a service power steering light came on at the same time it quit working. one mechanic shop did a diagnosis on the car. i was told that the electric gear power steering motor needs to be replaced along the whole rack and pinion that it's attached to has to be replaced because of the way it's designed. i found out that 2,000 of these same model and year of cars had a recall on them for this exact problem, but my car's vin wasn't included in that recall. after doing thorough research on the internet, i have found that this is a common issue with these cars, and it's obvious that the manufacturer should have included more cars in the recall. i have just turned 77,000 miles on my car, and i have been given a $4,000 estimate to get it repaired. it is completely undrivable at this time."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2024-11-12

Complaint:
"while navigating a curve, my power steering quit, nearly causing me to hit an oncoming car in the opposite lane. i stop and search the car for issues but found none. the care returned to normal steering and two days later, i had a vehicle pull out in front of me, while quickly avoiding the other car, my power steering quit working again. luckily, i was able to overcome the steering but it certainly shocked me. this is a most definite safety concern that must be looked at closer before someone seriously gets hurt."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-01-11

Complaint:
"i was driving on a main street. received power steering fluid message and then steering well locked up. could not manuever it. had to pull over to call for assistance, to no avail. the manual states it is a electrical power issue. i've taken this car in numerous of times for various services, specially the "jerking" of the car. i've discovered there was a recall for the power steering today was announced a few years ago but never gotten a letter to have mine checked. i just recently picked my car up from servicing and there is no notation of needing power steering fluid. i feel like this is a dangerous issue especially if had locked up on the highway!"
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-06-08

Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2016 buick lacrosse. the contact stated while attempting to drive from a complete stop, the steering wheel locked, almost causing a collision. a message indicating power steering failure was displayed. the police department assisted the contact with driving the vehicle to the side of the road. the contact stated upon turning off and restarting the vehicle, the power steering responded as needed. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the power steering control module (pscm) needed to be updated. the vehicle was repaired. the dealer was not notified of the failure. the manufacturer was notified of the failure via mail. the failure mileage was approximately 23,098. the contact stated that she paid for the repairs according to the technical service bulletin that applies to her vehicle."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-09-12

Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2016 buick lacrosse. the contact stated that upon reversing, he noticed that the steering wheel had lost power steering functionality. the “power steering failure” warning light was illuminated. the contact stated that he was able to forcefully steer the steering wheel and drove to his residence that was not too far away. the contact stated that the next day, he restarted the vehicle and he noticed that the vehicle had regained power steering functionality. the vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the power steering control module had failed. the dealer reprogrammed the power steering control module. the contact drove the vehicle to his residence. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign number: 17v116000 (steering) however, the vehicle year was not included. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 28,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2022-05-01

Complaint:
"service: power steering drive with care as i turned on my street. as i turned to park the steering wheel was very hard to turn. went to check power steering fluid, no power steering pump. this vehicle has electric power steering, however fuse #23 is a 10 am fuse but it was good. there is no 80 amp fuse on the battery post. this is a hazard and should be fixed."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2022-12-01

Complaint:
"2016 buick lacrosse. consumer writes in regards to loss of power steering. *ld *tr"
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2020-05-01

Recalls for the 2016 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 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."
Consequence:
A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
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.

Component(s) Involved: AIR BAGS > FRONTAL
Date of incident: 2016-09-08

Recall:
"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."
Consequence:
A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
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.

Component(s) Involved: AIR BAGS > FRONTAL
Date of incident: 2017-07-10

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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