RoadVitals

2012 Buick Lacrosse Fuel system Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the fuel system system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Fuel system reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
8
Latest Jul 10, 2026
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
4%
of 205 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
0
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2012 Buick Lacrosse submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 8 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming fuel system

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

BrakesEngineFuel system
Filed Jul 10, 2026

2012 Buick LaCrosse V6 (Fairfax Plant). The vehicle suffered a sudden, complete loss of engine power and forward propulsion while traveling at highway speed, cutting off mid-drive with no warning. This occurred alongside a persistent StabiliTrak malfunction; the dash showed repeated "Service StabiliTrak" warnings before the failure, then turned bright orange with multiple warning lights and a message instructing me to activate my turn signal and pull over before RPMs dropped to zero. Because power cut out instantly, my [XXX] son (passenger) and I were trapped in the center lane of a dense, multi-lane highway. I was forced to dodge high-speed traffic and coast the dead vehicle across multiple active lanes to reach the shoulder, creating an imminent collision risk to us and other drivers. We were then stranded on the narrow shoulder awaiting a tow, with traffic passing within feet at highway speed. Both my son and I have CMT2A (Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease), a neuromuscular disability limiting mobility; we were incapable of quickly evacuating the vehicle or reaching safety up the embankment, leaving us trapped in a highly dangerous position. No official inspection or diagnosis has been performed yet. My dash displayed the same "Service StabiliTrak" warning referenced in NHTSA Campaign 11V404000, though my VIN was excluded from that recall, and my failure went beyond the handling/deceleration issue described in that recall to a complete loss of propulsion. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID
11749557
Incident
Jul 9, 2026
Fuel system
Filed Sep 5, 2020

SOMETIMES CAR IS DEAD IN THE MORNING, UNABLE TO JUMPSTART, 1 HOUR LATER CAR STARTS RIGHT UP, DRIVES FINE FOR A WHILE THEN DIES, HAS DIED WHILE WAITING AT A STOP SIGN. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO TWO AUTO SHOPS INCLUDING THE DEALER. THE FIRST AUTO SHOP COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG, THE DEALER TOLD ME IT WAS MY BATTERY (WHICH WAS ONLY 1 YEAR OLD). HE REPLACED THE BATTERY BUT MY CAR CONTINUES TO RANDOMLY DIE.

NHTSA ID
11353294
Incident
Aug 28, 2020
Mileage
90,000 mi
Fuel system
Filed Feb 4, 2019

AFFECTING ALL 2.4L GM MOTORS- THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD WILL CRACK JUST BEFORE THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER AND LEAK DEADLY EXHAUST FUMES INTO THE CABIN. YOU MAY EXPERIENCE A SMELL AT FIRST BUT THEN IT GOES AWAY AND SYMPTOMS WILL TYPICALLY INCLUDE HEADACHE, NAUSEA AND VOMITING. SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION IMMEDIATE AS CARBON MONOXIDE IS ODORLESS AND COLORLESS AND DEADLY. THIS HAS BEEN SEEN ON MULTIPLE VEHICLES A WEEK IN THE SHOP.

NHTSA ID
11173893
Incident
Jan 1, 2019
Mileage
50,000 mi
Fuel systemInterior & seats
Filed Nov 2, 2018

MY VEHICLE IS STALLING AND TAKES A LONG TIME TO CRANK AFTER RE-FUELING. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND THEY ARE SUGGESTING THAT THE PURGE VALVE SELONOID NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, HOW MAY OTHER COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN REPORTED? PLEASE ADVISE IF THERE WILL BE ANY ACTION TAKEN REGARDING THIS. AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

NHTSA ID
11144858
Incident
Oct 1, 2018
Mileage
100,000 mi
Driver assistanceFuel system
Filed Oct 17, 2018

WHENEVER I PUT FUEL IN THE CAR IT HAS A HARD TIME STARTING AND WILL ALSO STALL OCCASIONALLY. IT'S BEEN HAPPENING SINCE JUNE 2018 AND I HAVE HAD A MECHANIC TRY TO FIX IT AND THEY CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT'S CAUSING IT TO DO THIS. ARE THERE ANY RECALLS FOR THIS.

NHTSA ID
11141010
Incident
Jun 1, 2018
Mileage
120,000 mi
Fuel system
Filed May 21, 2018

PURGE SOLENOID VALVE HAD TO BE REPLACED THE DEFECTIVE DEVICE CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO LOOSE POWER WHILE DRIVING AND CAUSED LONG ENGINE CRANKING AFTER RE-FUELING THE VEHICLE.

NHTSA ID
11096970
Incident
May 14, 2018
Mileage
93,397 mi
Fuel system
Filed Apr 26, 2015

WHILE DRIVING DOWNHILL, IN MOUNTAINS, I WAS TURNING RIGHT ON A CURVE AT 60 MPH WHEN I LOST ALL ACCELERATION. THE VEHICLE SLOWED TO APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH IN ABOUT 10 SECONDS. THE MOTOR WAS STILL RUNNING BUT AT AN IDLE SPEED. AFTER ABOUT 15 SECONDS, THE ACCELERATOR STARTED WORKING AGAIN. CARS WERE BEHIND ME HONKING, IT SCARED THE --- OUT OF ME. THE NEXT TIME IT HAPPENED (4.23.2015), I WAS CHANGING FREEWAYS, TURNING TO THE RIGHT AT ABOUT 30 MPH, THE ACCELERATOR AGAIN STOPPED WORKING WITH 4 CARS BEHIND ME, ONE ALMOST HIT ME IN THE REAR, THERE WAS NO PLACE TO PULL OFF TO. THEN AFTER ABOUT 15 SECONDS THE ACCELERATOR STARTED TO RESPOND AGAIN, SO I COULD DRIVE AGAIN, I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND INFORMED THEM WHAT HAD HAPPENED, THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD NOT HEARD OF ANY PROBLEM AS I REPORTED. THEY DID AN INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE, CHECKED CONNECTIONS OF WIRING. I INFORMED THEM OF THE SAME PROBLEMS REPORTED ON THE INTERNET THAT I FOUND, THEY SAID YOU CAN'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ ON THE INTERNET? THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ID
10712934
Incident
Apr 7, 2015
Mileage
25,802 mi
EngineFuel system
Filed Jun 14, 2014

DIESEL FUEL WAS ACCIDENTALLY FUELED INTO THE CAR AT A GAS STATION HAVING A "HYBRID" PUMP--ONE HAVING TWO NOZZLES. WHILE THIS WAS A MISTAKE ON THE DRIVERS PART, A DIESEL FUEL NOZZLE IS DESIGNED NOT TO FIT INTO A CAR WITH A GASOLINE ENGINE. THIS ERROR SHOULD HAVE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE. ON THIS BUICK, THIS IS NOT THE CASE. A DIESEL HOSE CAN BE FITTED INTO THE FILLER PIPE AND LEFT THERE UNATTENDED AND WILL FILL THE TANK. THE SAFETY DANGER IN THIS IS THAT THE CAR WILL STALL WHEN THE UNLEADED FUEL ALREADY IN THE FUEL LINES RUNS OUT AND THE ENGINE RECEIVES CONTAMINATED FUEL. WE WERE LUCKY AND THE CAR REACHED HOME FIRST AND THEN COULD NOT BE RESTARTED. OTHERWISE, THE CAR WOULD HAVE STALLED ON THE ROAD, THE POWER STEERING WOULD HAVE FAILED, AND THE CAR COULD EASILY HAVE BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT. THIS CONDITION COST $1145 TO REPAIR. UPDATED 1/16/15 *JS

NHTSA ID
10598286
Incident
Jun 10, 2014
Mileage
14,630 mi

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Other components reported on this vehicle

Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .