What 204 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Buick Lacrosse Hybrid

2012 Buick LaCrosse V6 (Fairfax Plant). The vehicle suffered a sudden, complete loss of engine power and forward propulsion while traveling at highway speed, cutting off mid-drive with no warning. This occurred alongside a persistent StabiliTrak malfunction; the dash showed repeated "Service StabiliTrak" warnings before the failure, then turned bright orange with multiple warning lights and a message instructing me to activate my turn signal and pull over before RPMs dropped to zero. Because power cut out instantly, my [XXX] son (passenger) and I were trapped in the center lane of a dense, multi-lane highway. I was forced to dodge high-speed traffic and coast the dead vehicle across multiple active lanes to reach the shoulder, creating an imminent collision risk to us and other drivers. We were then stranded on the narrow shoulder awaiting a tow, with traffic passing within feet at highway speed. Both my son and I have CMT2A (Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease), a neuromuscular disability limiting mobility; we were incapable of quickly evacuating the vehicle or reaching safety up the embankment, leaving us trapped in a highly dangerous position. No official inspection or diagnosis has been performed yet. My dash displayed the same "Service StabiliTrak" warning referenced in NHTSA Campaign 11V404000, though my VIN was excluded from that recall, and my failure went beyond the handling/deceleration issue described in that recall to a complete loss of propulsion. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11749557

SOMETIMES CAR IS DEAD IN THE MORNING, UNABLE TO JUMPSTART, 1 HOUR LATER CAR STARTS RIGHT UP, DRIVES FINE FOR A WHILE THEN DIES, HAS DIED WHILE WAITING AT A STOP SIGN. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO TWO AUTO SHOPS INCLUDING THE DEALER. THE FIRST AUTO SHOP COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG, THE DEALER TOLD ME IT WAS MY BATTERY (WHICH WAS ONLY 1 YEAR OLD). HE REPLACED THE BATTERY BUT MY CAR CONTINUES TO RANDOMLY DIE.

NHTSA ODI 11353294

AFFECTING ALL 2.4L GM MOTORS- THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD WILL CRACK JUST BEFORE THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER AND LEAK DEADLY EXHAUST FUMES INTO THE CABIN. YOU MAY EXPERIENCE A SMELL AT FIRST BUT THEN IT GOES AWAY AND SYMPTOMS WILL TYPICALLY INCLUDE HEADACHE, NAUSEA AND VOMITING. SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION IMMEDIATE AS CARBON MONOXIDE IS ODORLESS AND COLORLESS AND DEADLY. THIS HAS BEEN SEEN ON MULTIPLE VEHICLES A WEEK IN THE SHOP.

NHTSA ODI 11173893

MY VEHICLE IS STALLING AND TAKES A LONG TIME TO CRANK AFTER RE-FUELING. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND THEY ARE SUGGESTING THAT THE PURGE VALVE SELONOID NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, HOW MAY OTHER COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN REPORTED? PLEASE ADVISE IF THERE WILL BE ANY ACTION TAKEN REGARDING THIS. AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

NHTSA ODI 11144858

WHENEVER I PUT FUEL IN THE CAR IT HAS A HARD TIME STARTING AND WILL ALSO STALL OCCASIONALLY. IT'S BEEN HAPPENING SINCE JUNE 2018 AND I HAVE HAD A MECHANIC TRY TO FIX IT AND THEY CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT'S CAUSING IT TO DO THIS. ARE THERE ANY RECALLS FOR THIS.

NHTSA ODI 11141010

PURGE SOLENOID VALVE HAD TO BE REPLACED THE DEFECTIVE DEVICE CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO LOOSE POWER WHILE DRIVING AND CAUSED LONG ENGINE CRANKING AFTER RE-FUELING THE VEHICLE.

NHTSA ODI 11096970

WHILE DRIVING DOWNHILL, IN MOUNTAINS, I WAS TURNING RIGHT ON A CURVE AT 60 MPH WHEN I LOST ALL ACCELERATION. THE VEHICLE SLOWED TO APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH IN ABOUT 10 SECONDS. THE MOTOR WAS STILL RUNNING BUT AT AN IDLE SPEED. AFTER ABOUT 15 SECONDS, THE ACCELERATOR STARTED WORKING AGAIN. CARS WERE BEHIND ME HONKING, IT SCARED THE --- OUT OF ME. THE NEXT TIME IT HAPPENED (4.23.2015), I WAS CHANGING FREEWAYS, TURNING TO THE RIGHT AT ABOUT 30 MPH, THE ACCELERATOR AGAIN STOPPED WORKING WITH 4 CARS BEHIND ME, ONE ALMOST HIT ME IN THE REAR, THERE WAS NO PLACE TO PULL OFF TO. THEN AFTER ABOUT 15 SECONDS THE ACCELERATOR STARTED TO RESPOND AGAIN, SO I COULD DRIVE AGAIN, I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND INFORMED THEM WHAT HAD HAPPENED, THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD NOT HEARD OF ANY PROBLEM AS I REPORTED. THEY DID AN INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE, CHECKED CONNECTIONS OF WIRING. I INFORMED THEM OF THE SAME PROBLEMS REPORTED ON THE INTERNET THAT I FOUND, THEY SAID YOU CAN'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ ON THE INTERNET? THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10712934

DIESEL FUEL WAS ACCIDENTALLY FUELED INTO THE CAR AT A GAS STATION HAVING A "HYBRID" PUMP--ONE HAVING TWO NOZZLES. WHILE THIS WAS A MISTAKE ON THE DRIVERS PART, A DIESEL FUEL NOZZLE IS DESIGNED NOT TO FIT INTO A CAR WITH A GASOLINE ENGINE. THIS ERROR SHOULD HAVE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE. ON THIS BUICK, THIS IS NOT THE CASE. A DIESEL HOSE CAN BE FITTED INTO THE FILLER PIPE AND LEFT THERE UNATTENDED AND WILL FILL THE TANK. THE SAFETY DANGER IN THIS IS THAT THE CAR WILL STALL WHEN THE UNLEADED FUEL ALREADY IN THE FUEL LINES RUNS OUT AND THE ENGINE RECEIVES CONTAMINATED FUEL. WE WERE LUCKY AND THE CAR REACHED HOME FIRST AND THEN COULD NOT BE RESTARTED. OTHERWISE, THE CAR WOULD HAVE STALLED ON THE ROAD, THE POWER STEERING WOULD HAVE FAILED, AND THE CAR COULD EASILY HAVE BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT. THIS CONDITION COST $1145 TO REPAIR. UPDATED 1/16/15 *JS

NHTSA ODI 10598286