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2014 Buick Lacrosse

Buyable, but go in with open eyes: this car has specific known issues to check before money changes hands.

Recalls, complaint breakdown & inspection checklist, all in a shareable PDF

63 owner complaints · 5 recalls · data verified July 27, 2026 · source: NHTSA

Cautionwillitcar.com

Buy-rated alternatives from this era

Other 20122016 cars in the same rough price bracket with a clean, matured Buy verdict, worth cross-shopping before you commit to the 2014 Buick Lacrosse.

2016
BMW 740i
Buy100/100
2014
Mercedes-benz B-class E-cell
Buy100/100
2013
Nissan Quest
Buy100/100

Why caution?

5 recall campaigns (3 safety-critical). Confirm every one shows "remedy completed" on the seller's VIN.

Very few owner complaints for its age and sales volume.

Score breakdown, by factor

Full methodology →

#355 of 572Among the 2014 models with a matured record, the 2014 Buick Lacrosse ranks #355, scoring higher than 13% of them. See the 2014 ranking →

Complaint volume92
Severity74
Recall load61
Trend74

Complaints filed per year

Fading = early teething worked out. Climbing = problems aging in.

20142026 YTD

How it crashes

NHTSA’s own crash tests, separate from the reliability score above.

5/5 overall

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Rating · 2014 Buick Lacrosse 4 DR FWD

Front crash
Side crash
Rollover

Rollover risk in a single-vehicle crash: 12%

Stability control: StandardForward collision warning: OptionalLane departure warning: Optional

No open NHTSA defect investigations on file.

NHTSA crash-test photo, 2014 Buick Lacrosse 4 DR FWD

Source: nhtsa.gov/ratings. Star ratings compare vehicles within the same class and size, not across every car on the road.

The road ahead

What breaks on a 2014 Buick Lacrosse, plotted where owners report it happening.

030k mi60k mi90k mi120k mi

Also reported (mileage varies): Electrical system (14) · Steering (12) · Airbags (8) · Brakes (6)

Mileage medians come from owners who mentioned an odometer reading in their NHTSA complaint. Treat them as a rough guide.

Electrical system

22%

14 complaints · 3 in the last 2 years

I got locked in the car and couldn't get out for about 4 minutes. I had the key with me, it wouldn't start or unlock the doors or roll down the windows.

Read the electrical system complaints →

Steering

19%

12 complaints · 1 in the last 2 years

Steering became stiff while driving and locked up once the car was parked. Could have locked while I was on the road. There was a message "power steering issue - conta…

Read the steering complaints →

Airbags

13%

8 complaints · 1 in the last 2 years

REAR ENDED IN AN ACCIDENT & MY AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY

Read the airbags complaints →

Brakes

10%

6 complaints · 1 in the last 2 years

Auto insurance company informed safety regulations due to recalls on this vehicle.

Read the brakes complaints →

Check it against this car’s mileage

Type the odometer reading on the actual car you’re looking at to see which of these problem areas owners tend to report before it, around it, or after it.

miles

Too few owners named a mileage on this model to place issues against an odometer yet.

Read all 63 owner complaints in their own words → · just the 8 crash/fire/injury reports →

Recalls (5)

Safety recall repairs are free at the brand’s franchised dealers. Before buying, run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and make the seller show the work was done.

Air Bags · 17V437000

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.

Risk: 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.

Fix: 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.

Air Bags · 16V651000

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.

Risk: 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.

Fix: 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.

Electrical System · 14V317000

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."

Risk: 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.

Fix: 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.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic · 14V240000

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.

Risk: 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.

Fix: 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.

Power Train · 14V092000

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."

Risk: 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.

Fix: 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.

Questions to ask the seller

Questions worth asking the seller of this Buick before you buy, drawn from its public record:

  1. NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 2014 Buick Lacrosse. Can you run this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and confirm each one shows "Remedy Completed"?
  2. Owners of this model report electrical system problems more than anything else. Has this car shown any electrical system symptoms, and are there repair records for it?
  3. Owners of this model report steering problems more than anything else. Has this car shown any steering symptoms, and are there repair records for it?
  4. Has this car been in any accident or had any structural, airbag, or flood-related repair? Do you have a clean title and a recent history report (Carfax / AutoCheck)?
  5. How many owners has it had, do you have the maintenance records, and why are you selling it?
  6. Are you open to me having an independent mechanic inspect it before we settle on a price?

Before you hand over money

Verify the recall work was done

NHTSA’s free lookup shows whether this exact car had its recall remedies completed.

Free NHTSA VIN check

Get a pre-purchase inspection

A $150 to $250 independent inspection of this exact 2014 Buick LACROSSE beats every score on the internet, including ours.

What to ask for

Not set on the 2014? See how every Lacrosse model year scores →

Cross-shopping? Compare the 2014 Buick Lacrosse against another car →

What owners say

Real owners of this exact model-year, shown separately from the NHTSA score. If they disagree, that’s worth knowing.

See what owners are saying about other cars →

The fine print: this verdict is computed from public NHTSA complaint and recall records for the 2014 Buick Lacrosse as a model, not for any individual car. A well-maintained example of an “Avoid” can outlast a neglected “Buy”. Informational only, so always get a professional pre-purchase inspection.