YearToAvoid

2014 Buick LaCrosse Problems, Recalls & Reliability

Verdict

Caution

Complaint Index

56/100

#5 most-complained of 10 LaCrosse years

The 2014 Buick LaCrosse has a Complaint Index of 56 and ranks 5th worst of 10 model years, earning a Caution rating. NHTSA lists 63 complaints, 5 recalls, and a top problem area of Electrical System, with airbags accounting for 6 of 7 crashes.

Complaints
63
Recalls
5
Crashes / fires
7 / 1
Injuries / deaths
4 / 0
NHTSA overall rating
5 / 5 ★
EPA combined MPG
21
18 city / 28 hwy

Top 2014 Buick LaCrosse problems

NHTSA owner complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Electrical System19 (30%)
  2. Steering12 (19%)
  3. Other10 (16%)
  4. Brakes9 (14%)
  5. Airbags8 (13%)
  6. Engine7 (11%)
  7. Suspension, Wheels & Tires7 (11%)
  8. Seat Belts4 (6%)
  9. Transmission & Powertrain4 (6%)
  10. Structure & Body3 (5%)

What owners report

  • Owners report airbags failing to deploy in low or moderate-speed collisions, sometimes resulting in injuries.
  • Headlight low beams and ballasts fail or provide inadequate light coverage, with dealers unable to correct the defect.
  • The instrument panel has gone blank for several seconds at highway speed before resetting, without the car stalling.
  • A seat belt pretensioner deployed with smoke coming from the steering column and glovebox after a collision.
  • Condensation forms on the inside of the windshield in warm weather, obscuring visibility according to dealer diagnosis.
  • A headlight trim piece has detached and caused a fire near the headlamp assembly.
2014 Buick LaCrosse complaints: complaints filed per quarter72014 Q22015 Q42017 Q12018 Q22019 Q32021 Q12023 Q22025 Q2
87 complaints filed with NHTSA from 2014 Q2 to 2026 Q3; peak 2015 Q3 (7).

2014 Buick LaCrosse recalls

5 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.

  1. NHTSA 17V437000Jul 10, 2017Seat Belts40,683 vehicles

    Seat belts:pretensioner

    General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse and Chevrolet Spark EV, Caprice PPV and SS vehicles, 2014-2017 Buick Encore and Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles, 2015-2016 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Trax, Suburban and Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL vehicles, and 2015-2017 GMC Sierra HD 2500 and 3500 vehicles. While being previously remedied for recall 16V-651, the affected vehicles may not have received the complete software update necessary to remedy the recall condition. Without the update, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.

    Risk: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.

    Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 17287.

  2. NHTSA 16V651000Sep 8, 2016Airbags3,640,162 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive

    General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, 3500 HD, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles and 2014-2017 Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500, Trax, Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle, GMC Sierra 1500, Buick Encore, and 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Spark EV and SS vehicles. In the affected vehicles, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.

    Risk: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.

    Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16007.

  3. NHTSA 14V317000Jun 12, 2014Electrical System14,765 vehicles

    Electrical system

    General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Buick LaCrosse vehicles manufactured April 30, 2013, to September 1, 2013. In the affected vehicles, a wiring splice in the driver's door may corrode and break, resulting in the absence of an audible chime to notify the driver if the door is opened while the key is in the ignition. Additionally, the Retained Accessory Power (RAP) module may stay active for ten minutes allowing the operation of the passenger windows, rear windows, and sunroof. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention," and 118, "Power-Operated Window, Partition, and Roof Panel Systems."

    Risk: Without an audible indicator, the driver may not be aware that the driver's door is open while the key is in the ignition, increasing the risk of a vehicle rollaway. If the passenger windows, rear windows, and sunroof can function when the vehicle is turned off and the driver is not in the vehicle, there is an increased risk of injury if an unsupervised occupant operates the power closures.

    Remedy: GM will notify owners and dealers will inspect the driver door window motor harness, and replace the electrical splice, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began August 2014. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. General Motors number for this recall is 14235.

See all 5 recalls for the 2014 Buick LaCrosse →

2014 Buick LaCrosse fuel economy and fuel cost

City
18 MPG
Highway
28 MPG
Combined
21 MPG
Annual fuel cost (EPA)
$3,100
15,000 mi/yr
Fuel
Gasoline or E85
Current regular gas
$4.32/gal
national avg.

EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.

2014 compared with other LaCrosse years

Complaint Index by model year (0 = fewest issues, 100 = most)02550751002010201120122013201420152016201720182019
Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best
YearVerdictIndexComplaintsRecallsMPG
2012Avoid89206521
2013Caution67129521
2014Caution5663521
2015Good3344321
2016Good4448221

All Buick LaCrosse years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2014 Buick LaCrosse reliable compared to other LaCrosse years?
It ranks 5th worst out of 10 model years with a Complaint Index of 56 and a Caution verdict, better than 2010-2012 (Avoid) but worse than 2015-2019 (Good or Best).
What is the top problem area for the 2014 Buick LaCrosse?
Electrical System complaints lead with 19 complaints, 30% of the total, including one fire, at a median mileage of 26,500.
Does the 2014 Buick LaCrosse have any recalls?
NHTSA lists 5 recalls covering seat belts, airbags, electrical wiring, brakes, and transmission shift cable adjusters; none are do-not-drive recalls.
Are airbags a concern on the 2014 LaCrosse?
Yes. Airbags account for 8 complaints and 6 of the model year's 7 reported crashes, with a median failure mileage of 30,915.
How does the 2014 LaCrosse compare to the 2013 and 2015 model years?
2013 had a higher Complaint Index of 67 (Caution) and more complaints at 129, while 2015 improved to an index of 33 with a Good verdict.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.