2006 Buick Lucerne
The Verdict
The 2006 Buick Lucerne has 330 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are body (138 complaints) and electrical (121 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 41/100, it earns a "Proceed with Caution" rating. If you're shopping for a Buick Lucerne, consider the 2011 model year which has 85% fewer complaints.
Safe Bet
The 2011 has 85% fewer complaints
View the 2011 Buick Lucerne dashboard →
Klunk Score: Proceed with Caution
About average for complaint volume. Research the specific issues before buying.
How is this calculated?
The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.
Recalls 3
Active safety recalls from NHTSA for this vehicle year.
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,...
Risk
THIS MAY CAUSE OTHER ELECTRICAL FEATURES TO MALFUNCTION, CREATE AN ODOR, OR CAUSE SMOKE INCREASING THE RISK OF A FIRE.
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:/...
Reported Apr 10, 2026
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, ESCALAD...
Risk
IT IS POSSIBLE FOR THE HEATED WASHER MODULE TO IGNITE AND A FIRE MAY OCCUR.
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 ...
Reported Apr 6, 2010
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.
Risk
IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR, POWER STEERING ASSIST MAY BE LOST AND INCREASED STEERING EFFORT WOULD BE REQUIRED AT LOW SPEEDS. ALSO, IF THE POWER STEERING FLUID WERE TO CONTACT HOT ENGINE PARTS, AN ENGIN...
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.
Reported May 4, 2006
Get notified if a recall hits this car.
We email you when NHTSA issues a new recall on the 2006 Buick Lucerne. No spam, no marketing.
Under the Hood
Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.
By Category
By Severity
Worst Problems
Complaints
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.
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.
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
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.
passenger air bags are not working
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.
I have a 2006 buick lucerne that loses power randomly as I'm driving whether its pulling outbjnto traffic, which could cause injuries possibly even death, or maintain a certain speed for any amount of time , it just randomly loses power and wont go for however long until it starts to accelerate again . Also if I'm at a red light or stopped waiting to pull out somewhere , although I have my foot on the break, my car begins to accelerate and almost pulling me out into traffic. I have a service engine light and the code reads h02s heating control circuit sensor but I've yet to have it inspected because there isn't a recall for my car on that problem even though I've heard and read many complaints with the same or similar issues
ALUMINUM V8 ENGINE LEAKING OIL PROFUSELY. NOW GETTING SMOKE AND ODOR WHILE DRIVING. MY CONCERN IS THAT OIL IS LEAKING ON TO THE HOT EXHAUST MANIFOLD AND COULD POSSIBLY IGNITE. I SUSPECT ENGINE BOLTS NEED TO BE RETORQUED WHICH WOULD NECESSITATE ENGINE REMOVAL TO ACCOMPLISH. THIS IS A MAJOR DESIGN FLAW WHICH NEEDS CORRECTING. LEAKS OCCUR DURING ALL PHASES OF OPERATION. THE LEAKS FIRST BECAME EVIDENT SEVERAL YEARS AGO AND HAVE PROGRESSIVELY WORSENED SINCE.
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.
EVERY BUICK I HAVE EVERY HAD, HAD POWER STEERING ISSUES, INCLUDING MY NEWEST ONE. I JUST GOT A OIL CHANGE AND THEY TOPPED OFF EVERYTHING, YET MY POWER STEERING SOUNDS HORRIBLE WHEN TURNING.
INTERMITTENT FAILURE OF WINDSCREEN WIPERS ON A RANDOM BASIS
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.
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.
THE DOORS, SPECIFICALLY REAR DOORS, IN THIS VEHICLE GET STUCK IN AN OPEN OR CLOSED POSITION. IT APPEARS TO BE A DEFECT THAT CAUSES THE DOOR LATCH TO STAY IN THE CLOSED POSITION, TRAPPING CHILDREN OR OTHER PASSENGERS IN THE BACK SEAT, OR PREVENTING THE DOOR FROM CLOSING. FROM INTERNET RESEARCH, THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE WITH THE LUCERNE (NOT JUST 2006) AND THE LACROSSE. FIRST WE HAD THE PASSENGER REAR DOOR GET STUCK CLOSED. AFTER A MONTH OR SO OF UNLOCKING AND LOCKING THE DOORS, IT STARTED WORKING AGAIN RANDOMLY, BUT A FEW MONTHS LATER, BECAME STUCK CLOSED AGAIN WITH NO TRIGGER. WE CONTINUED TO USE THE DRIVER'S SIDE REAR DOOR, BUT ABOUT A YEAR LATER, IT GOT STUCK OPEN. AT FIRST THE DOOR WOULDN'T OPEN FOR MY SON, BUT I PULLED ON THE HANDLE FROM THE OUTSIDE WHILE HE PUSHED FROM THE INSIDE, AND WE GOT IT OPEN. WHEN I TRIED TO CLOSE THE DOOR, IT BOUNCED BACK. THE LATCH IS STUCK IN THE CLOSED POSITION. THE CHILD SAFETY LOCK IS NOT ENGAGED. THE DOORS WILL NOT OPEN FROM INSIDE OR OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE LOCKS FUNCTION NORMALLY MANUALLY, WITH THE KEY FOB, AND BY PRESSING THE DRIVER'S BUTTON. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND OFF DURING ALL INCIDENCES.
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
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.
STEERING WHEEL IS TURNT TO RIGHT AND THE ONLY THE FRONT LIGHT COME ON NOT THE BACK AND MY ALARM IS MESSING WITH WITH THE COMPUTER AND THE GAS
ELECTRONICS SHUT DOWN WHILE DRIVING. NHTSA# 10972355 NHTSA ID# 10908198
STEERING AND BRAKES FAIL AT LOW SPEED TURNS AND WHEN GOING THROUGH PUDDLES OF WATER. VERY DANGEROUS. UNABLE TO OPERATE VEHICLE WHEN RAINING. UNSAFE CONDITIONS. HAPPENS CONTINUOUSLY. NO SPECIFIC DATE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 BUICK LUCERNE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE LINE WAS REPLACED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TAKEN TO SUBURBAN BUICK GMC OF FERNDALE (21800 WOODWARD AVE, FERNDALE, MI 48220, (248) 547-6100) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE REAR BRAKE LINE HAD BEEN REPLACED AND TIED TO THE SWAY BAR. THE BRAKE LINE WAS NOT COMPLETELY INSTALLED FROM THE ENGINE TO THE BRAKES, WHICH COULD CAUSE BRAKE FLUID TO LEAK. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 56,620.
330 total