2009 Buick Lacrosse

THE OWNER HAD BEEN SMELLING A BAD ODOR WHEN SHE ARRIVED AT HER DESTINATION IN A MALL PARKING LOT. THE ODOR DID NOT FADE WHEN THE VEHICLE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF AND SUBSEQUENTLY OPENED THE HOOD. BLACK SMOKE WAS SEEN COMING FROM THE FUSE BLOCK. UPON REMOVING THE COVER TO THE FUSE BLOCK, THE OWNER OBSERVED A SMALL FIRE WHICH CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE WIRING HARNESS. THE VEHICLE WAS LATER EXAMINED BY AN INDEPENDENT ENGINEERING CONSULTANT WHO IDENTIFIED THE ORIGIN OF THE FIRE. THE ORIGIN WAS PLACED AT THE # 35 POSITION IN THE FUSE BLOCK WHICH WAS OCCUPIED BY THE HDM MODULE. IT WAS LATER LEARNED FROM THE OWNER THAT AN UNEXPLAINED HEADLIGHT OUTAGE HAD OCCURRED SOMETIME PRIOR TO THE FIRE AND THAT TURNING OFF THE ENGINE AND RESTARTING THE VEHICLE CAUSED THE HEADLIGHTS TO COME ON AGAIN. THE EVENT NEVER OCCURRED AGAIN. IT WAS FURTHER DETERMINED THAT THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL INSTANCES OF HIGHLIGHT FAILURE THAT HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO NHTSA AND ARE AVAILABLE IN THE "COMPLAINTS" SECTION OF A SEARCH FOR RECALLS OF THIS VEHICLE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 BUICK LACROSSE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HEAD LIGHTS FAILED TO WORK. THE FAILURE WOULD RECUR SPORADICALLY OVER A ONE MONTH PERIOD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO INSTALLED A RELAY. THE CONTACT COULD NOT CONFIRM IS THE REPAIR REMEDIED THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 29,000.

WHILE DRIVING THE LOW BEAMS SUDDENLY WENT OUT. IT HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES. THE HIGH BEAMS WORK BUT NOT LOW. TAKEN TO DEALERS(TWO DIFFERENT GM DEALERS) TWICE (STILL UNDER WARRANTY) BUT COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG AND WOULD NOT WORK ON IT IF NOT HAPPENING AT TIME WE BRING IT IN. THEIR REPAIR DEPARTMENT CLOSED AT 6 SO IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO BRING IT IN WHEN HAPPENS AFTER DARK. THE INTERNET IS FULL OF PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS HAPPENING AND HOW DANGEROUS IT IS BUT GM DEALERSHIPS REFUSE TO DO ANYTHING.

I HAVE ONLY HAD THIS CAR 5 MONTHS AND I BOUGHT IT AT 55K MILES. WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 11:00PM ON A RAINY NIGHT I WAS STOPPED BY A STATE TROOPER WHO SAID MY HEADLIGHTS SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING. THE GOOD PART IS- THE TROOPER ACTUALLY SAW MY HEADLIGHTS WERE ORIGINALLY ON BUT HE STATED THAT AS I APPROACHED HIM "THEY JUST WENT OFF". HE PULLED ME OVER JUST TO MAKE SURE I WAS OK, BUT HE SAID THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND I COULD CAUSE A COLLISION WHILE DRIVING WITHOUT HEADLIGHTS. FUNNY THING IS, THE HIGH BEAM LIGHTS WORKED JUST FINE, BUT THE LOW BEAM -REGULAR HEADLIGHTS WOULD NOT COME ON AT ALL. THEN, IRONICALLY, WHILE HE WAS RUNNING MY DRIVERS LICENSE,MY HEADLIGHTS POPPED BACK ON. THIS IS VERY SCARY. THIS INCIDENT HAS HAPPENED TO ME MULTIPLE TIMES WHILE DRIVING THIS CAR AT NIGHT, AND MOST RECENTLY ON A CLEAR SUMMER NIGHT, I WAS ON A HIGHWAY WHICH HAD NO STREET LAMPS AND ONCE AGAIN, THE LOW BEAM HEADLAMPS COMPLETELY SHUT OFF, LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO NOTICE IT SINCE I WAS THE ONLY CAR ON THE HIGHWAY AND THAT WAS MY ONLY LIGHT, SO I IMMEDIATELY CUT MY HIGH BEAM LIGHTS ON, BUT AGAIN, THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM. THE BRIGHT LAMPS WORKED PROPERLY, BUT MY REGULAR HEADLAMPS WOULD NOT CUT ON AT ALL. I PULLED INTO A GAS STATION AND AFTER ABOUT 20-30 MINUTES, THE HEADLIGHTS EVENTUALLY TURNED BACK ON WITHOUT ME DOING ANYTHING. AS OF TODAY, I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS CAR AT NIGHT UNLESS I HAVE THE HIGH BEAM LIGHTS ON BECAUSE I NEVER KNOW WHEN THEY ARE GOING TO CUT OFF. THE PROBLEM IS I DISTRACT OTHER DRIVERS WITH MY HIGH BEAM HEADLIGHTS SO IT CAUSES ANOTHER SAFETY ISSUE. I HAVE GOOGLED THIS ISSUE AND FOUND THAT MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME ISSUE WITH THEIR BUICK LACROSSE, I AM CONCERNED ABOUT WHETHER BUICK HAS LOOKED INTO THIS ISSUE. *TR