Problems with 2005 Buick LaCrosse ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

S10- direct reply- letter to the secretary from constituent regarding assistance with a safety recall of a 2005 buick lacrosse. *smd the consumer stated the air bag light would come on and then go off. the dealer stated it would cost $150 to replace the air bag module for the driver and passenger side. also, the vehicle stalled slightly when driving up a short hill. there was a noise coming from the front of the vehicle. the dealer concluded the fender was rubbing on the tire when turning left and they simply re-positioned the right front fender. on one occasion, when the consumer started the vehicle, he heard a strange noise and the steering wheel would not turn. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. it was determined, the power steering pump, transmission, water pump and engine were all leaking fluids. also, the wheel bearing needed to be replaced. *jb updated 12/17/15 *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 buick lacrosse. while driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle stalled. the dealer stated that the catalytic converter and alternator needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. the manufacturer was not notified. the vin and failure mileage were unknown.

A couple months ago it stalled, while my 17 year old daughter was driving it. there were no engine lights on. this happened to me a couple times and to my husband. it takes about 2-3 minutes before you can start it. the engine light will come on when it stalls, but goes off when started. without the engine light on, there is no the code to find out what is wrong. one time it stalled and when started, the engine light stayed on.. my husband took it to the gm dealer and we were told it was the battery. we bought brand new battery and installed it. same day the car would stall. i have read many stories about this problem with the 2005 buick lacrosse. people seem to have multiple problems it could be, but when replacing parts doesn't fix the stalling problem. i called gm and got a case number. we are told to keep driving it until the engine light stays on so we can get a diagnosis. when the car stalls at 20 mph or 55 mph, you have no control of the vehicle. gm won't do anything until there is a diagnosis. i asked gm if i could get a loaner car until my car is fixed and they just say the warranty is over, or it is a seven year old car, and of course won't do anything until it isdiagnosed.?? it is very dangerous, especially if no warning lights come on. i don't dare to drive it. my husband is the only one who drives it. we have another vehicle, which is gas hog that i have to drive. i can't afford a new car. i also can't afford to keep buying parts that don't fix the problem.my car is paid off. i am disabled and can't work. just waiting now for disability benefits. my car has low mileage and is in perfect condition. i am unable to drive my car that is registered and insured and gm will not help me. i think it is dangerous to tell us to drive the car until a engine light comes on. any resolutions? *tr

Traveling on interstate 57 during daytime hours. while cruising at 73 miles per hour in the right hand lane, the vehicle sputtered and lost all power. i coasted to a stop off the side of the road. i restarted the vehicle and everything seemed ok, so i continued on. a little later it sputtered again and started losing power. the power came back before it came to a complete stop. i called on star for a diagnostic check and they told me i had a fuel system problem and that if the car would run to continue that it was not a safety issue. they told me to take it to a dealer for repairs when i got home. i took the car worden-marten service center for repairs on march 23rd. to repair the car they: 1.replaced cat converter and oxygen sensor 125cgmpp- $750.47 a second incident occurred while traveling on interstate 57 during daytime hours. i was passing a semi tractor trailer with three cars following me while cruising at 73 miles per hour when the vehicle sputtered and lost all power putting me in a very dangerous situation. the vehicle coasted down to about 60 miles per hour before it kicked back in. i in the mean time had dropped back behind the semi with the three cars behind me and when i could i pulled back into the right hand lane. this was a very dangerous situation for me and my wife. i called on star for a diagnostic check and they told me that everything was ok. i took the car worden-marten service center for repairs again on april 19th to repair the car they: 1.replaced mass -air flow unit and sensor $ 131.39 who knows if it is fixed right this time? this was a very dangerous situation to be in for the car to fail. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 buick lacrosse. the contact stated that the oil light illuminated since the valve intake was blocked. the mechanic stated that the engine on the vehicle could be ruined if the problem was not corrected. the contact is concerned about the safety risk. according to the contact, the dexcool anti-freeze that was used will cause the oil valves to deteriorate and ruin the engine. the failure mileage was 37063. the current mileage was 38000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 buick lacrosse. the contact stated that when driving at any speed, the vehicle would intermittently jerk when changing gears and sporadically would fail to start. in addition, the rear defroster would take an abnormally long time to defrost the window and the air conditioning unit would independently turn off and on. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they were unable to diagnose the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 42,000 and the current mileage was unavailable.

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 buick lacrosse. the contact noticed that the oil level on his vehicle was steadily decreasing everytime the vehicle was driven. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that no service could be performed for the oil consumption failure until the vehicle consumes more than one quart of oil every 2,000 miles. the vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. speed was not a factor. the current mileage was 27,340 and failure mileage was 25,000. updated 09/16/08 *bf updated 09/19/08. *jb

When accelerating , entering a thru way or passing a car it feels like the car wants to stall. when pressure is applied to the gas pedal it takes a few seconds to kick in, my foot is going down on the pedal and the car is not responding at all. almost rear ended a few times when going up ramp to thru ways. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 buick lacrosse which was purchased on 10-14-2006. the headlights would work intermittently. the dealer made necessary repairs to the headlights by adding an unknown sensor, however a short occurred and the headlights have failed completely. the horn was also inoperable. she also stated that the water pump failed and was replaced by the dealer. all of the repairs were covered under her extended warranty plan. to date, no repairs have been made to the headlights to correct the failure. the failure mileage was 26,000 and the current was 78,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 buick lacrosse. while driving between 20-30 mph, the vehicle hesitated when the accelerator pedal was depressed. the speed would increase after driving 3-4 miles. when the vehicle was started after being parked for hours, it idled roughly and the "traction control" and "engine power reduced" warning indicator lights illuminated. the dealer reprogrammed the pcm, but the failure continued. the vehicle was taken to another dealer and they were unable to determine the cause of the failure. the failure mileage was 5,000 and current mileage was 15,800. updated 3/19/08 *cn the consumer stated the vehicle runs rough and would not go over 40mph. the dealer performed brake pedal recall. the consumer stated there was a clunking noise in the steering column. updated 03/19/08 *tr

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 10 mph toward an intersection on normal road conditions, the vehicle started shaking when brakes were applied. no warning light were illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealership who determined the rotors must be machined. after a visual inspection the contact noticed that all four tires were of a different brand; the dealership informed there was no concern about the different tire brands. also, the vehicle had an oil leak. the dealership determined the leak was from the oil filter and corrected it. after a few miles driven, the vehicle presented problems with the fuel pump and the dealership had to replace it. also, an exterior lighting problem was noticed which was detected due to wiring corrosion located in the trunk. after the repairs, the engine warning light illuminated; the dealership corrected the defect but after few miles, the warning light illuminated again. the manufacturer was contacted who provided the nhtsa phone number when asked for a resolution.