2009 Buick Lacrosse Headlight Problems

Which parts fail

• Headlights
  2

Components named in complaints (headlights, tail lights, turn signals, interior lights).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  26%
• 25k–50k
  1029%
• 50k–75k
  1131%
• 75k–100k
  617%
• 100k–150k
  514%
• 150k+
  13%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2009 Buick Lacrosse owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Buick Lacrosse. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number:14V755000 (exterior lighting); however, the contact stated that the recall remedy was not effective. When the contact opened up the panel where the module was replaced, he discovered that the fuse panel was burning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the fuse panel needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 94,000. Updated 04/13/15 updated 9/21/2017

Driving home at 11 pm in the dark and lost headlights completely first time in sept 2014 then again in October 2014 and most recently 3 times in May 2015 all 3 times I was driving 55 MPH in the dark and last one was in pouring rain.. Luckily there were street lights each time ..I pulled over quickly ,blindly as the dash lights went out, too, so I couldn't see where the 4 way flashers were to turn them on ..I got out and looked got back in shut car off started it back up and the headlights came back on ..the most recent time and the first time I had no high beams either ..literally no lights for 30 seconds to 3 minutes .. Had there been traffic I May have been in an accident or if not for streetlight in pouring rain I would have ended up in a ditch or worse .. …

Was going down highway at night and my headlights suddenly went off ,I had to drive about 4 miles with no headlights and blinkers flashing. As I pulled into my stop and put car in park ,lights came back on. I drove back home no problem . Called dealer on Monday they made an appt. For me on Wednesday May 6,2015 and they replaced headlight internal switch and charged me 121.69+ tax also said battery was testing bad so another 99.95+ tax .now since I don't drive much and especially not at night it was a while longer ,but in July I experienced it again same thing ,except this time I pulled off highway and was messing with light switch and figured out I could turn switch from auto on to manual on and my bright lights would work. I tried getting it fixed but this time l&m motors said they couldn't find anything wrong but if I had the problem again to swing by and let them see. …

We have experienced multiple electrical problems with our 2009 Buick Lacrosse. It first appeared as a bad battery which was replaced. Using the in-car digital readout, we began to see strange voltage readings in the car. The voltage would some times read as low as 12.6 volts and then would start a steady climb up to 14.4 volts. It might stay that way for hours or might slowly drop to the low level. At the low level, we have noticed that multiple items like the speed control and the air conditioning would not work until the voltage was at the high level. We have had an episode where the low beam would not operate until I switched the high beam on and them switched to low beam. We have received the recall noticed on that item. Other strange things are happening like the radio changing stations on its own. The passenger seat indicator reads false at times when traveling. …

The owner had been smelling a bad odor when she arrived at her destination in a mall parking lot. The odor did not fade when the vehicle engine was turned off and subsequently opened the hood. Black smoke was seen coming from the fuse block. Upon removing the cover to the fuse block, the owner observed a small fire which caused damage to the wiring harness. The vehicle was later examined by an independent engineering consultant who identified the origin of the fire. The origin was placed at the # 35 position in the fuse block which was occupied by the hdm module. It was later learned from the owner that an unexplained headlight outage had occurred sometime prior to the fire and that turning off the engine and restarting the vehicle caused the headlights to come on again. The event never occurred again. …

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Buick Lacrosse. The contact stated that the low beam headlights failed to work without warning. The contact had to apply the high beams each time the failure occurred. The authorized dealer was notified of the failure more than three months before the recall notification was received. The contact was informed that there was currently no permanent remedy to repair the vehicle. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 14V755000 (exterior lighting) and stated that the remedy was still under development. The dealer was unable to provide a specific date for when the remedy would become available. The manufacturer was contacted and was not able to provide a permanent remedy for the recall repair. The contact continued to experience the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 47,000. Updated 5/20/15 updated 10/4/2017

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Buick Lacrosse. While driving approximately 50 MPH, the front head lamps and daytime running lights failed without warning. The contact had to activate the high beams to increase his visibility. The front head lamps and day time running lights would no longer illuminate; therefore, the contact had to activate the high beams while driving at night. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. 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 made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 148,000. Updated 11/18/15 updated 12/09/15

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Buick Lacrosse. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the low beam head lights became inoperable without warning. The contact mentioned that the failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to a dealer however, the technician informed the contact that the part to repair the vehicle was unavailable. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V519000 (exterior lighting). The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 60,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available. Updated 04/22/16 updated 12/14/2017

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Buick Lacrosse. While driving at night, the headlights failed. In order to continue driving, the contact had to use the high beam lights to drive home. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the relay switch was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 14V755000 (exterior lighting) and stated that the part needed for the repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 104,000. VIN tools confirms parts not available.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Buick Lacrosse. While driving at approximately 70 MPH, the headlights failed to illuminate and the instrument panel became inoperable without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed, but was not repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 14V755000 (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 made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 79,000. Updated 01/27/16

Related recalls

Headlight complaints in other Lacrosse years