Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 Buick Lucerne owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The airbag lights on and there is an electrical issue also that causes the car to smoke and nearly catch fire, as soon as the battery is reconnected. Therefore rendering it non drivable. It's the same problems that are associated with the 2006 Lucern,s. When i look up the year make and model it says there should be a recall but once you put in the vin it nothing comes up.The vehicle is readily available upon request but has not been inspected by anyone else.
The contact owns a 2006 Buick Lucerne. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Tl* the contact owned a 2006 Buick Lucerne. While driving 35 MPH, the air bag warning light illuminated and flickered off and on. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it could not be diagnosed, but the failure recurred. A few months later, the contact was rear ended by another vehicle in a drive thru. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was not filed and there were two injuries. The driver had back and neck injuries and the passenger had neck injuries. Both required medical attention. On another occasion, the contact crashed into another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The contact was injured. The contact had abdominal pain, left hip pain, and left shoulder bruises, which required medical attention. The vehicle was able to be driven home and was later deemed destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. …
Takata recall I was in an accident were I read ended a car because I was going around a corner and my breaks failed and my airbags did not deploy. I was going 25 in a residential area and took a corner to fast because my breaks failed. I hit a curb busted my passenger tire off and then hit a stationary car. The passenger side of my car was destroyed and the airbags failed to deploy. I had zero airbag replacement lights on everything with the car was fine and normal.
Defectives airbags. The side airbags didn't go off when I was hit on my driver side door. I dont feel safe in that vehicle. I was making a left turn and a truck was. Stopped at a yield sign where the road came to a t. I had the right of way to make my turn. As soon as I was making the turn the other driver drove foward hitting the driver side of my car totaled my driver door. The airbags on either side of the car never went off.
Tl* the contact owned a 2006 Buick Lucerne. While driving approximately 60 MPH, the contact crashed into the preceding vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The contact was injured and required medical attention. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to a junk yard. The failure mileage was unknown. Updated 06/29/16 updated 007/07/16.
My parents were involved in a front-end collision. Their car was totaled; the front end was smashed in so that they had to pry open the glove compartment to remove their personal papers and the key could not be removed from the ignition. The side airbags deployed; the front airbags never deployed. My fathers most severe injuries were due to the front airbags not deploying. This model is not part of the GM recall of cars whose front airbags did not deploy in front-end collisions. It's taken GM 10 years; 13 fatalities; and countless other injuries; to finally recall some models; but obviously not all. Shame on the NHTSA for not following through. Updated 05/12/14
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Buick Lucerne. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the driver's side tire became detached from the vehicle unexpectedly. The vehicle hydro-planed three times, swerved off the road and then crashed into a tree. There were no injuries. A police report was filed of the incident. The air bags failed to deploy with the force of the impact. The vehicle was towed to an independent auto facility temporarily. The vehicle had been previously diagnosed by an independent tire center that the entire frame was corroded. The manufacturer was not notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 168,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Buick Lucerne. The contact stated that the power steering and brakes failed to respond without warning. The failures caused the contact to crash and the vehicle was destroyed. A police report was filed and injuries were sustained from the crash that required medical attention. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000. Updated 09/02/14 the consumer stated the airbags did not deploy. The driver sustained broken bones, dislocated ankle, and a broken wrist. The passenger sustained injuries to the ribs. Updated 09/10/2014
While driving home on rereidental street( 31th near charles street) in rockford il. At 8:00 pm,crossing over charles street while the intersection light in my direction; and east bound vehicle dis-regared the light and crossed into my path turning left going south causing damage to the entire vehicle from the tires to the bumper. The empact turning the vehicle ( 2006 Buick lucrene 4 dr.) completely around. My main concern is that the air bags ( driver/pass) did not deport.... Question to you is there any steps I can take to settle this issue for compensation..the vehicle was a total lost.
Airbag complaints in other Lucerne years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2006 Buick Lucerne?
NHTSA has 35 complaints about the air bags of the 2006 Buick Lucerne, 11% of the model year's 330 complaints. The component named most often is frontal › sensor/control module (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Buick Lucerne airbag problems?
No. NHTSA lists no air bags recall for the 2006 Buick Lucerne, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2006 Buick Lucerne airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 81,000 miles, and 17% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 18 crashes, 0 fires and 18 injuries and 1 death to air bags problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.