VehicleVerdict

2014 Buick LaCrosse problems

Verdict · NHTSA data

A typical year for this model

The 2014 Buick LaCrosse is a recall-heavy year with an otherwise ordinary complaint record: 5 NHTSA recall campaigns apply, yet its 89 owner complaints run below the LaCrosse median. The recalls matter more than the complaint count here — verify every campaign was completed before buying.

No single system dominates the record — complaints spread across electrical system (18), steering (12), and other (10), which usually points to general build quality rather than one defect. In government crash testing it earned 5 of 5 NCAP stars overall.

89

NHTSA complaints

5

Recalls

0

Investigations

12

Crash-involved

1

Fires reported

6

Injuries

0

Deaths

5

NCAP overall · of 5 stars

How does 2014 compare to other LaCrosse years?

LaCrosse NHTSA complaints by model year, 2014 highlighted414 complaints2005: 414 complaints2006: 383 complaints2007: 326 complaints2008: 343 complaints2009: 146 complaints2010: 278 complaints2011: 243 complaints2012: 301 complaints2013: 198 complaints2014: 89 complaints2015: 54 complaints2016: 60 complaints2017: 42 complaints2018: 19 complaints2019: 8 complaints
LaCrosse NHTSA complaints by model year, 2014 highlighted. Red bars are years to avoid.

See all LaCrosse years to avoid →

What are the most common 2014 Buick LaCrosse problems?

ComponentComplaintsShare
Electrical System1820%
Steering1213%
Other1011%
Airbags89%
Tires & Wheels67%
Brakes67%
Lighting56%
Seat Belts44%
Engine44%
Transmission44%
Body & Structure33%
Speed Control33%
Suspension22%
Visibility & Wipers22%
Fuel System11%
Driver Assistance11%

Does the 2014 Buick LaCrosse have recalls?

5 NHTSA recall campaigns on file. Recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.

17V437000Seat BeltsJuly 10, 2017 · 40,683 units

Defect

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.

16V651000Seat BeltsSeptember 8, 2016 · 3,640,162 units

Defect

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.

14V317000Electrical SystemJune 12, 2014 · 14,765 units

Defect

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Buick LaCrosse vehicles manufactured April 30, 2013, to September 1, 2013. In the affected vehicles, a wiring splice in the driver's door may corrode and break, resulting in the absence of an audible chime to notify the driver if the door is opened while the key is in the ignition. Additionally, the Retained Accessory Power (RAP) module may stay active for ten minutes allowing the operation of the passenger windows, rear windows, and sunroof. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention," and 118, "Power-Operated Window, Partition, and Roof Panel Systems."

Consequence

Without an audible indicator, the driver may not be aware that the driver's door is open while the key is in the ignition, increasing the risk of a vehicle rollaway. If the passenger windows, rear windows, and sunroof can function when the vehicle is turned off and the driver is not in the vehicle, there is an increased risk of injury if an unsupervised occupant operates the power closures.

Remedy

GM will notify owners and dealers will inspect the driver door window motor harness, and replace the electrical splice, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began August 2014. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. General Motors number for this recall is 14235.

14V240000BrakesMay 8, 2014 · 8,208 units

Defect

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Buick Lacrosse vehicles manufactured January 29, 2014, through March 31, 2014 and 2014 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured February 7, 2014, through March 31, 2014, and equipped with 17 inch front brake rotors. The affected vehicles may have had brake rotors intended for the rear of the car accidentally installed on the front. The rear rotors, while the same diameter, are thinner and may result in a front brake pad detaching from the caliper.

Consequence

If a brake pad detaches from caliper, there may be a sudden reduction in braking, lengthening the distance required to stop the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front brake rotors, and install the correct rotors with new brake pads, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on June 20, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick) or 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet). GM's number for this recall is 14128.

14V092000TransmissionFebruary 21, 2014 · 355 units

Defect

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Buick Regal, LaCrosse, Verano, and Enclave, and Chevrolet Impala, Malibu, Cruze, and Traverse, and GMC Acadia vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions. In the affected vehicles, the transmission shift cable adjuster may disengage from the transmission shift lever. As such, these vehicles do not conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 102, "Transmission Shift Lever Sequence, Starter Interlock, and Transmission Braking Effect." They also fail to conform to FMVSS number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."

Consequence

If a vehicle's shift cable disengages from the transmission shift lever, a driver may be unable to shift gear positions and the indicated shift position may not represent the gear position the vehicle is in. Should a disengagement occur while the vehicle is being driven, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, the driver may be able to shift the lever to the "PARK" position, but the vehicle transmission may not be in the "PARK" gear position. If the vehicle is not in the "PARK" position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.

Remedy

General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace any affected transmission shift cable adjusters, free of charge. The recall began on April 10, 2014. Chevrolet owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-222-1020, Buick owners at 1-800-521-7300, and GMC owners at 1-800-462-8782. General Motors' number associated with this recall is 14048.

Consumer complaints filed with NHTSA

Representative excerpts, cleaned of personal information. These are consumer statements, not verified defects.

2014 recall# 14235 having electrical issue with driver side window, car radio and dash stay active for 10 minutes driver door don’t chime every issue for 2014 Buick lacrosse keep being told there is not recall for my car every issue is from the driver side door electrical splice and driver door…

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Electrical System · January 2, 2019

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 BUICK LACROSSE. WHILE THE CONTACT'S WIFE WAS BACKING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY, THE STEERING SEIZED, AND THE ABS AND SERVICE STEERING WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER TO BE DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE…

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Steering · September 18, 2018

WAS STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, TURNED RIGHT ONTO A BRIDGE JUST 15 TO 20 FEET AND THE FORWARD COLLISION ALERT LOCKED UP BRAKING SYSTEM. THERE WERE NO CARS IN FRONT OF ME OR BEHIND ME AT THAT TIME (THANKFULLY, BECAUSE IT WOULD HAVE CAUSED A CRASH). THE BRIDGE IS CONSTRUCTED OF STEEL AND ALSO HAS A…

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Other · December 5, 2014

ON THE WAY HOME FROM A CELEBRATION IN OUR TOWN, I HIT A DEER. I IMMEDIATELY HEARD A LOUD COUPLE OF BANGS, NOT JUST FROM THE IMPACT AND SMOKE WAS COMING OUT FROM THE STEERING COLUMN AND GLOVEBOX. ONSTAR CALLED IMMEDIATELY AND SAID THAT MY AIRBAGS HAD DEPLOYED AND THEY ASKED IF I NEEDED HELP. THE…

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Airbags · July 18, 2015 · crash

WAS IN A ACCIDENT 2/16 SPEED LIMIT 40 DRIVING ON CITY STREET. CAR IN FRONT OF ME STOPPED IN MIDDLE OF THE RD AND STARTED BACKING UP TRIED TO AVOID COLLISION AND STILL HAD IMPACT. THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AND THE CAR ENGINE SEEMED TO ACCELERATE INSTEAD OF SLOW DOWN. I HAD THIS HAPPEN ONE TIME…

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Brakes · February 16, 2019 · crash

2014 Buick LaCrosse — common questions

Is the 2014 Buick LaCrosse reliable?

Its record is better than the model's norm: 89 NHTSA complaints, below the typical LaCrosse year, with 5 recalls and no open investigations.

What are the most common 2014 LaCrosse problems?

According to NHTSA complaint data, the leading problem areas are electrical system (18 complaints), steering (12 complaints), other (10 complaints).

Does the 2014 Buick LaCrosse have recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns affecting the 2014 Buick LaCrosse. Recall repairs are free at franchised dealers; check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to confirm the work was done.

Which Buick LaCrosse years should you avoid?

Based on complaint rates and open investigations, the LaCrosse years to avoid are 2005, 2006, 2008, 2007, 2012. The cleanest record among LaCrosse years belongs to 2019.

How safe is the 2014 Buick LaCrosse?

In NHTSA's NCAP crash testing, the 2014 Buick LaCrosse earned an overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.