BUICK LUCERNE · model year

2006 BUICK LUCERNE

456 NHTSA complaints, 50 crash reports, and 4 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2006BUICKLUCERNE carries 456 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 50 crashes, 3 fires, 41 injuries, and 3 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2006 LUCERNE is electrical system with 70 filings, followed by steering (38) and air bags (33). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 4 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 1 investigation file overlapping the 2006 LUCERNE. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

456
Complaints
50
Crashes
3
Fires
41
Injuries
3
Deaths

Total Complaints

456 filings

Crashes Reported

50 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

Above median complaint volume — review patterns below.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM70
STEERING38
AIR BAGS33
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL25
STRUCTURE:BODY24
ENGINE21
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES20
STRUCTURE18
WHEELS16
INTERIOR LIGHTING13
STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR13
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL13
SUSPENSION11
SERVICE BRAKES11
POWER TRAIN10

Recalls (4)

08V44100028/08/2008

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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, SIERRA, YUKON, YUKON XL, SATURN OUTLOOK; AND MY 2008 BUICK ENCLAVE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A HEATED WIP

14V35500023/06/2014

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certai

06V10500005/04/2006

STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS

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.

10V24000004/06/2010

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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, ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, SILVERADO, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; GMC ACADIA, SIERRA, YUKON, YUKON XL; SATURN OUT

Recent Complaints

20240827AIR BAGS

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.

20240827ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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.

20230220SERVICE BRAKES

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.

20230220ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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.

20230220STEERING

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.

20230122FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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

20230122FireENGINE

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

20220902AIR BAGS

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.

20220709AIR BAGS

passenger air bags are not working

20220126ENGINE

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.

20210930ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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

20210930VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

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

20210209ENGINE

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.

Mileage: 70,000

20210116STRUCTURE:BODY

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.

Mileage: 172,997

20201119STEERING

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.

Mileage: 100,000

20200810STRUCTURE:BODY

INTERMITTENT FAILURE OF WINDSCREEN WIPERS ON A RANDOM BASIS

Mileage: 134,000

20200810ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

INTERMITTENT FAILURE OF WINDSCREEN WIPERS ON A RANDOM BASIS

Mileage: 134,000

20200810VISIBILITY/WIPER

INTERMITTENT FAILURE OF WINDSCREEN WIPERS ON A RANDOM BASIS

Mileage: 134,000

20200808STEERING

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.

Mileage: 80,000

20200327ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

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.

Mileage: 125,000

Compare 2006BUICKLUCERNE to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2006 BUICK LUCERNE have?
The 2006 BUICK LUCERNE has 456 NHTSA complaints, 50 crashes, 3 fires, 41 injuries, and 3 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2006 BUICK LUCERNE?
Yes, the 2006 BUICK LUCERNE has 4 recall(s). The most common affected component is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2006 BUICK LUCERNE?
The most-complained component for the 2006 BUICK LUCERNE is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM with 70 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include STEERING and AIR BAGS.
Is the 2006 BUICK LUCERNE safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.