Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
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).
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.
On May 13, 2016 I went to open the driver's side front door. The car was stationary. To my utter surprise, the handle came completely off! On May 25, I took it to reichard, dealership. Since the car has only 54, 589 miles on it I asked the dealer for assistance in paying to fix it. He refused, saying "we get a lot of these. The manufacturer used plastic instead of metal and the plastic breaks." I asked the advisor to call general motors. She did and reported back to me that GM would not do anything. One of the advisors told me that I can expect the other three door handles to break as well. Since the car only has 54K miles, how could that happen? I have three other cars and only drive the Lucerne a few times a year, mainly on out-of-town trips. Therefore, I have driven the car only about 5,500 miles per year. I consider this a defect in the design and manufacturing of this vehicle. …
I lost engine power as I was driving on i75 approximately 16 miles south of venice florida. One of the tires exploded and the whole wiring system was destroyed due to the tire explosion, as well as the back bumper. My vehicle was towed to the Buick dealer in venice florida. Repair costs including towing and rental car for the period my vehicle was being repaired elevated to approximately $1600.00. This does not include replacement of the back bumper which would cost an additional $1400.00 per Buick's quote. I was informed of a recall by Buick due to the exact reasons that LED to my accident and related costs. General motors is declining responsibility whereas I did experience the problems listed in the reasons for recall number 14299.
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.
Rear door(s) will not open from either the outside handle or the inside. This is definitely not related to the position of the child lock protection on the doors. It appears sporadically at first until, finally, nothing can be done to open the door(s). This is a extreme safety hazard if someone needs to get out of the car in a hurry (I.e. Fire, accident, etc.) one would have to crawl over the front seats to get out in this situation. This appears to be a common problem/complaint among Buick Lucerne owners (via the internet) and with various model years.
Tl contact owns a 2006 Buick Lucerne. The contact struck a deer and the roof was partially removed from the vehicle. Per the state farm insurance and the center line car star collision center the failure was caused because the wells did not hold, and the bonding adhesive did not bond properly. The contact filed a complaint with Buick. The current and failure mileage were 5,500. The consumer provided a multitude of pictures and also letters to the insurance company and the manufacturer pertaining to the incident. Updated 08/13/07
Both rear doors do not open. The latches have failed. It is impossible to get out of the backseat, unless you crawl through the front. The latches have latched forever. The door does not open from the inside or outside. It started intermittently with one door then the next. They have been closed now for over year with being unable to open them. We have three children who will be stuck in the back if there is an accident. This needs to be under extended warranty. This is unacceptable and is a safety hazard.
Http://buickforums.com/forums/threads/25659-2006-Lucerne-rear-door-lock my Buick has experienced the same problem experienced by others. The rear passenger door stops working. Apparently a mechanism problem that has been around for awhile. This would be a safety issue for passenger's in the rear seat who can not exit the car involved in an accident. With the volume of people experiencing this problem, this is obviously a manufacturing defect.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Buick Lucerne. The contact stated that the rear passenger door would not open from inside or outside the vehicle. The contact called budd baer Buick at [phone] and was informed that there were no recalls. The dealer suggested that the contact place a pick inside of the door to remedy the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,000.
Door does not open using either inner or outer door handle. I have seen many people complain about this issue on line. Buick has had this problem on multiple cars for multiple years. Safety issue big time when one cannot get out of the car quickly because door won't open. There are only 2 people in my family and thus the rear doors are very seldom used. Did not break from overuse, design problem.
Body complaints in other Lucerne years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2006 Buick Lucerne?
NHTSA has 59 complaints about the body & structure of the 2006 Buick Lucerne, 18% of the model year's 330 complaints. The component named most often is body (24 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Buick Lucerne body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure 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 body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 67,000 miles, and 31% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 0 fires and 7 injuries to body & structure 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.