2008 Buick Lacrosse

A FEW DAYS AFTER PURCHASING A 2008 BUICK LACROSSE FROM THE LOCAL DEALER, THE DASHBOARD AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON. DIDN'T THINK MUCH ABOUT IT UNTIL IT HAPPENED SEVERAL MORE TIMES, SO I HEADED TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR HELP. THEY INSTRUCTED ME NOT TO PUT ANYTHING IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT BECAUSE THE CAR WOULD SENSE THE WEIGHT AND THINK THERE IS A PERSON THERE. SO I DIDN'T, BUT I DID NOTICE THE INDICATOR ABOVE THE RADIO THAT SENSES A PERSON IN THE PASSENGER SEAT DIDN'T TURN RED DURING THIS TIME. THEN THE GAME BEGAN. I WOULD PUT MY LUNCH BOX IN THE SEAT ON THE WAY TO WORK, SOMETIMES THE AIR BAG LIGHT WOULD COME ON, SOMETIMES IT WOULDN'T. AND, I FOUND THERE IS A DELAY IN THE SWITCH, WHEN ADDING OR REMOVING THE LUNCH BOX. SOMETIMES AFTER REMOVING THE LUNCH BOX THE AIR BAG LIGHT WOULD STAY ON, OR JUST COME ON WHEN IT WANTED TO. FOUND OUT HOW TO FIX THAT PROBLEM ALSO, ALBEIT TEMPORARILY. TAKE YOUR FINGERS AND FIRMLY PUSH 4-5 TIMES ALONG THE STITCHING IN THE CENTER OF THE SEAT. WILL TAKE A FEW SECONDS AND THE LIGHT MAY, OR MAY NOT, GO OUT. OR, A QUICK STOP TO GRAB A DRINK WILL RESET THE LIGHT. THE PROBLEM IS, FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, IF YOU GET IN A CRASH WHILE THE LIGHT IS ON THERE IS A PRETTY GOOD CHANCE YOUR AIRBAGS WILL NOT DEPLOY. AS A MATTER OF FACT, I OWNED A 1994 FORD AEROSTAR VAN WHICH I TOOK TO THE DEALER WHEN THE AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON. THEY WOULD NOT LET ME DRIVE THE VAN, FOR FEAR THE AIR BAGS WOULD NOT WORK IN A CRASH, AND GAVE ME A LOANER WHILE THEY FIXED THE PROBLEM. I DID NOTICE BUICK HAS SERVICE BULLETINS ON THE AIR BAG PROBLEM, STATING "PROBLEM COULD BE CAUSED BY LOOSE, MISSING, OR BROKEN CONNECTOR POSITION ASSURANCE (CPA) RETAINER. " (SB-08-09-41-002C) CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT WOULD BE THE HOLD-UP IN FIXING THE PROBLEM, JUST HOPING I AM NOT THE FIRST STATISTIC. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BUICK LACROSSE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG INDICATOR ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTIFICATION FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V355000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BUICK LACROSSE. DURING THE DAYTIME, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTING WAS VERY DIM, WHICH MADE IT DIFFICULT TO VIEW THE GAUGES. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS WORKING UP TO STANDARD AND THAT THE DESIGN OF THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE ALTERED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5. UPDATED 10/03/14*LJ UPDATED 3/10/2015 *JS

WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM STORE MY WIFE AND I SMELLED SOMETHING BURNING THREE BLOCKS FROM HOME. WE GOT HOME AND I CHECKED UNDER THE HOOD AND THE RELAY/FUSE BLOCK ON THE PASSENGER SIDE WAS HOT AND SLIGHTLY SMOLDERING. I WAITED A WHILE AND THE POPPED OFF THE FUSE BLOCK COVER AND SAW THE HDM MODULE (ACCORDING TO THE DIAGRAM IN THE MANUAL) HAD MELTED AND FUSED TO THE BLOCK. THE MELTING AND BURNING HAD ALSO AFFECTED THE SURROUNDING RELAYS AND FUSES. I IMMEDIATELY DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY AND SCRAPED AWAY THE BURNT, FUSED PORTION OF THE HDM RELAY AND VISUALLY CHECKED THE FUSES WHICH WERE SINGED OR PARTIALLY MELTED AND REPLACED THE BAD ONES. I DO NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO CHECK THE RELAYS WITH. MY WIFE IS ON OXYGEN 24-7 AND HAD A TANK IN THE PASSENGER FRONT WITH HER AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT WHICH, IF A FIRE HAD SPREAD, COULD HAVE BECOME A CATASTROPHIC INCIDENT. AFTER CLEANING OUT THE BURNT PORTION OF THE FUSE BOX OF CHARRED REMAINS FROM THE HDM MODULE, I RE-CONNECTED THE BATTERY CABLES AND WAS ABLE TO START THE VEHICLE WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE HEADLIGHTS WOULD NOT WORK AND SOME GAUGES APPEAR TO BE ERRATIC IN THEIR READINGS ( FUEL TANK AND MILEAGE). I THEN GOT ONLINE AND FOUND MANY 2006 THRU 2011 BUICK'S HAVE REPORTED THIS VERY SAME PROBLEM BUT NO RECALL ( TO MY KNOWLEDGE) HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THIS HIGHLY DANGEROUS AND POSSIBLY CATASTROPHIC ISSUE INHERENT IN GM AND SPECIFICALLY BUICK PRODUCTS. I PURCHASED THIS CAR NEW AND I HAVE NEVER RECEIVED A NOTICE OR RECALL OF ANY KIND. I AM IN THE PROCESS OF HAVING DIAGNOSTICS AND REPAIRS DONE BY AN AUTHORIZED GM DEALER AND WILL KNOW MORE (HOPEFULLY) IN THE NEAR FUTURE. *TR

ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND CAR GOES REAL SLOW, THEN IT WONT MOVE. DOORS WONT LOCK/UNLOCK WITH REMOTE AND THEY WONT AUTOMATICALLY LOCK/UNLOCK IN PARK OR WHEN YOU START DRIVING. AIR BAG LIGHT FOR PASSENGER SIDE COMES ON AND OFF, WHEN SOMEONE IS SITTING THERE. BACK TIRES WORE OFF ON INSIDES HAD TO REPLACE THEM. I DON'T FEEL SAFE ANYMORE. DEALER SAID I SHOULD BE NOTIFIED OF RECALLS SO IT CAN GET MY BUICK REPAIRED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BUICK LACROSSE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG, ABS, AND BRAKE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THE VEHICLE FAILED TO TURN ON UNLESS THE KEYS WERE JIGGLE IN THE IGNITION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A MECHANIC WHO CONFIRMED THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 43,000.