2006 Buick Lucerne: problems, recalls and reliability
4 recalls and 330 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is electrical system (23% of complaints); the 2007 model year looks more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Jun 2014
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 330 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The airbag lights on and there is an electrical issue also that causes the car to smoke and nearly catch fire, as soon as the battery is reconnected. Therefore rendering it non drivable. It's the same problems that are associated with the 2006 Lucern,s. When i look up the year make and model it says there should be a recall but once you put in the vin it nothing comes up.The vehicle is readily available upon request but has not been inspected by anyone else.”Owner report · Air Bags · Aug 2024
“My power steering went out so my mechanic checked it out and said my pump went out so I bought a new power steering pump and pulley had it put on and that didn't fix the problem. The next day I went out of town to visit family and my car caught on fire due to the power steering fluid leaked all out on the motor and got hot enough to catch on fire. then my ignition stoped going all the way in park so I would have to disconect my battery cables so that it wouldn't run my battery down. The car wouldn't go all the way up in park making the ignition key wouldn't turn back far enough to shut my car off and lights”Owner report · Engine · Sep 2022
“The contact owns a 2006 Buick Lucerne. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.”Owner report · Air Bags · Sep 2022
Show 7 more owner reports
“The car cuts off whwn you're driving it without warning. I have had the crankshaft position sensor replaced two times and it continues to fail. There are even reports in the internet that list this as a problem with this vehicle. I am afraid that someone will hit me from the rear and cause me injury or death. I am about to have this sensor replaced for a third time. It's absolutely ridiculous that I have to keep spending money out of my pocket for the same thing over and over again. This incident is a continual problem. It doesn't matter if you're stopped or driving it just happens out of the blue with no warning.”Owner report · Engine · Jan 2022
“I have 2006 buick lucerne.i paid over 800 dollars get brakes fixed.now they saying messed up again power steering messed up.the front passenger side where tire hits bump makes nise like strut.power steering fluid leaking brake fliud leaking.air bags.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Feb 2021
“Front passenger door latch has come loose multiple times while in the vehicle. It temporarily fixes itself, then randomly occurs again. Door will not open from the inside or outside. This is definitely a hazard in an accident. This isn't the first lucerne that I've driven with this problem and it's quite common. There is no safety lock on the door for this to keep happening.”Owner report · Structure · Jan 2021
“While backing the vehicle out of my driveway, it lost all power steering and the fluid gushed from under the car. Now the there is no power steering.”Owner report · Steering · Aug 2020
“Car drains my battery and it messed up my alternator. I replaced both and once again my battery keeps being drained. I took it to the shop and the mechanic ran a diagnostic test and about 10 codes popped up saying electrical problem. Other models of this buick has been recalled for the same electrical problem. Il drive my car and it will completely cut off on me and the check engine light comes on. Il find my paper work from the mechanic if needed. This has been happening for months now. It didnt happen just once. So I cant drive the car until its fixed.”Owner report · Electronic Stability Control (Esc) · Mar 2020
“Periodically at cruising speed of 50 to 60 miles an hour, speedometer will fluctuate wildly between 25 and 40 mph. When it does this transmission does not know what gear to be in, and in the event that the speedometer needle goes all the way to zero, it will not engage when you press the gas pedal even if you're in gear, only thing you can do is pull off and shut it down and wait several seconds to a few minutes for it to engage once again when you start it back up. This is an 06 buick lucerne with automatic transmission and 3.8 v6”Owner report · Electrical System · Jan 2020
“The door locks don't operate as it was designed due to a binding lock rod grommet preventing the lock rod from actuating the lock. This was not due to any accident nor was the car traveling to initiate this problem.”Owner report · Structure · Jan 2020
When filing, owners marked a crash in 29 of these complaints and injuries in 23 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 4 campaigns
This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Buick LaCrosse, 2006-2011 Buick Lucerne, 2000-2005 Cadillac DeVille, 2006-2011 Cadillac DTS, 2006-2014 Chevrolet Impala, and 2006-2007 Chevrolet Monte Carlo vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the weight on the key ring and road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will install two key rings and an insert in the key slot or a cover over the key head on all ignition keys, free of charge. The recall began on September 23, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), and 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet). GM's number for this recall is 14299.
GM IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2009 BUICK, LUCERNE; CADILLAC DTS; HUMMER H2; MODEL YEAR 2008-2009 BUICK ENCLAVE; CADILLAC CTS; MODEL YEAR 2007-2009 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE ESV, ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, SILVERADO, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; GMC ACADIA, SIERRA, YUKON, YUKON XL; SATURN OUTLOOK; AND MODEL YEAR 2009 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A HEATED WASHER FLUID SYSTEM (HWFS). A RECALL WAS IMPLEMENTED IN 2008 TO ADD A FUSE TO THE CONTROL CIRCUIT HARNESS TO ADDRESS THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES OF A PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD (PCB) ELECTRICAL SHORT. HOWEVER, THERE HAVE BEEN NEW REPORTS OF THERMAL INCIDENTS ON HWFS MODULES AFTER THIS IMPROVEMENT WAS INSTALLED. THESE INCIDENTS RESULTED FROM A NEW FAILURE MODE ATTRIBUTED TO THE DEVICE'S THERMAL PROTECTION FEATURE. THE SIGNIFICANCE VARIES FROM MINOR DISTORTION TO CONSIDERABLE MELTING OF THE PLASTIC AROUND THE HWFS FLUID CHAMBER.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL PERMANENTLY DISABLE AND REMOVE THE HEATED WASHER FLUID MODULE. AN UPDATED PAGE FOR THE OWNER MANUAL WILL BE PROVIDED AND INSERTED IN THE OWNER MANUAL TO DOCUMENT THAT THE FEATURE HAS BEEN PERMANENTLY DISABLED AND REMOVED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 11, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463 AND HUMMER AT 1-800-732-5493 OR AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
GM IS RECALLING 857,735 MY 2006-2008 BUICK LUCERNE; CADILLAC DTS; HUMMER H2; MY 2007-2008 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE ESV, ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, SILVERADO, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; GMC ACADIA, SIERRA, YUKON, YUKON XL, SATURN OUTLOOK; AND MY 2008 BUICK ENCLAVE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A HEATED WIPER WASHER FLUID SYSTEM. A SHORT CIRCUIT ON THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD FOR THE WASHER FLUID HEATER MAY OVERHEAT THE CONTROL-CIRCUIT GROUND WIRE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A WIRE HARNESS WITH AN IN-LINE FUSE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080; CADILLAC AT 1-800-982-2339 OR HTTP://WWW.CADILLAC.COM; CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438; SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876 OR HTTP://WWW.SATURN.COM, GMC AT 1-866-996-9436; OR HUMMER AT 1-800-732-5493; OR THROUGH THEIR WEBSITE AT <A HREF=HTTP://WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM>HTTP://WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM</A> .
ON CERTAIN VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A V8 ENGINE,THE POWER STEERING HOSE CONNECTORS MAY HAVE BEEN INADEQUATELY CRIMPED WHICH COULD RESULT IN A FLUID LEAK.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE POWER STEERING GEAR INLET HOSE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 29, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080 OR CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339.
How other years compare
Check your exact Lucerne by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2006 Buick Lucerne reliable?
NHTSA has 330 owner complaints and 4 recall campaigns on record for the 2006 Buick Lucerne. The most complained-about area is electrical system (23% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2006 Buick Lucerne problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 61,000 miles or less.
Does the 2006 Buick Lucerne have open recalls?
4 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning electrical system:ignition. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.