What 128 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Buick Lacrosse Hybrid

4/6/2013 MY 2013 BUICK LACROSSE 4 CYLINDER MODEL WAS PARKED IN DRIVEWAY. AT 9PM MY HUSBAND WENT OUTSIDE TO GET SOMETHING FROM THE CAR AND SAW THE CAR ON FIRE WITH FLAMES COMING FROM THE BACK END REAR BUMPER. BY THE TIME HE COULD GET A HOSE TO PUT OUT THE FIRE, THE BACK BUMPER, THE REAR SIDE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE AND THE REAR TAIL LIGHTS HAD ALL MELTED FROM THE HEAT. THE CAR HAS BEEN IN THE BODY SHOP SINCE 4/8/2013 AND NO WORK CAN BE DONE BECAUSE THE SHOP CAN NOT GET A CRITICAL PART FROM GM. THE PART IS THE WIRING HARNESS FOR THE EASSIST AND GM DOES NOT HAVE THIS PART IN THEIR PARTS INVENTORY. ON 5/6/2012, I CONTACTED GM CUSTOMER SERVICE AND WAS TOLD THAT THE DEALER CAN ORDER THE PART ONLY NO ONE CAN GIVE A DATE WHEN THE PART WILL BE AVAILABLE. I WAS TOLD IT COULD BE TWO WEEKS OR 6 MONTHS. THE WIRING HARNESS IS WIRED BY HAND AND GM ONLY HAS THE STOCK ON HAND FOR THEIR ASSEMBLY LINE. UNTIL I SAW THE 5/6/2013 ARTICLE ON THE FIRE RISK ASSOCIATED WITH THIS MODEL CAR, I HAD THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS ARSON. I NOW BELIEVE THAT I AM DEALING WITH A DEFECTIVE CAR AND NO ONE FROM GM TOLD ME OF A RECALL. I FOUND THE ARTICLE AS A RESULT OF A WEB SEARCH. I HAVE BEEN WITHOUT MY CAR FOR ONE MONTH AND MY INSURANCE COMPANY HAS TRIED TO WORK WITH THE DEALER TO GET DEFINITIVE INFORMATION ON WHEN PART CAN BE AVAILABLE. THE DEALER HAS TO INSTALL THE WIRING HARNESS PRIOR TO THE BODY SHOP DOING ANY WORK. NOW BASED ON ITS RECALL, I SUSPECT THAT THIS IS THE SOURCE OF THE FIRE. TOO COINCIDENTAL!..UPDATED 05/08/13 *BF UPDATED 05/15/13*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE FIRE WAS CAUSED BY ARSON. UPDATED 05/29/2013*JS *TR

NHTSA ODI 10510864

ON SATURDAY, APRIL 7,2013 MY WIFE PULLED INTO A PARKING SPACE AT A CONDO IN MARCO IS.FL. SHE WAS DRIVING OUR 2013 BUICK LACROSSE. KNOWING THAT THE LACROSSE HAS A LOW FRONT END,SHE SLOWS DOWN TO A CRAWL TO AVOID DRAGGING THE FRONT END ON THE PARKING LOT BLOCKS. SHE IS FAMILIAR WITH THIS PARKING LOT AS MY DAUGHTER LIVES THERE AND SHE HAS PARKED THERE OFTEN. THIS TIME UPON APPLYING THE BRAKES THE CAR DID NOT STOP,WENT OVER THE PARKING BLOCKS AND SEVERELY DAMAGED THE CAR.THE LACROSSE HAS BEEN CITED FOR A BRAKING PROBLEM BY THE NHTSA AND ISSUED A RECALL NOTICE #13053.THE RECALL SPECIFICALLY NOTES THAT,"A SOFTWARE PROBLEM MAY CAUSE THE TRANSMISSION TO INADVERTENTLY SHIFT TO SPORTS MODE REMOVING ANY TRANSMISSION- RELATED ENGINE BRAKING EFFECT." CONSEQUENTLY,"IF ENGINE BRAKING IS UNEXPECTEDLY REMOVED, IT MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH." UPON CONTACTING G.M. BUICK DIVISION, I WAS TOLD THAT MY VIN# WAS NOT CITED IN THE RECALL. FURTHER, THEY WANTED THAT I BRING THE CAR TO A BUICK DEALERSHIP FOR BRAKE ANALYSIS.THIS DEALERSHIP IS 40 MILES AWAY IN NAPLES,FL. I SUGGESTED THAT THEY(BUICK) INSPECT THE CAR AT THE REPAIR SHOP WHERE MY WIFE HAD IT TOWED TO AFTER THE ACCIDENT. AUTOCRAFT, THE REPAIR SHOP, ON MARCO IS.WOULD ALLOW THEM TO DO THEIR ANALYSIS THERE. AN ACCOMMODATION NOT UNIQUE TO THEM. BUICK HAS BALKED AT THIS ARRANGEMENT. WHILE BUICK SUGGESTS THAT THIS RECALL DID NOT COVER MY VIN#. I CAN ONLY WONDER IF THE RECALL SHOULD BE BROADEN IN SCOPE AS MY WIFE'S EXPERIENCE WOULD SUGGEST.IN RETROSPECT, I'M HAPPY THAT THIS HAPPENED IN A PARKING LOT AND NOT UNDER TRAFFIC RELATED CONDITIONS. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10505647

VEHICLE ENGINE LIGHT (MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP) CAME ON; 5 MINUTES LATER CHARGING SYSTEM LIGHT CAME ON WITH WARNING THAT "CHARGING SYSTEM NOT WORKING". SHORTLY THEREAFTER, POWER STEERING WENT OUT AND THEN ABS LIGHT CAME ON AND THEN CAR SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY. AFTER READING COMPLAINTS ABOUT 2012 BUICK LACROSSE LOOKED IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND FOUND THAT THE SERPENTINE BELT WAS SHREDDED. VEHICLE BEING TOWED TO DEALER IN MORNING. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10500074