Buyer Research

2013 Buick LaCrosse — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $6,500–$10,500. There are 4 high-severity known issues you need to know before handing over a check.

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Kestrel Take

Last year before the 2014 facelift, same two drivetrains as the 2012 — the eAssist 2.4L mild hybrid or the 3.6L V6, both with a six-speed automatic — and a record of 129 complaints that is smaller than the 2012's but more lopsided: 42% of it is the electrical system, with all three of the year's fires. The complaints describe the dash and radio going black, a 'service battery' message, the power steering cutting out mid-turn, and the car dying at stop lights; on an eAssist car the generator control module recall is the first thing to rule out. The engine file is the 2.4L burning oil and its PCV system clogging, and the suspension file is owners waiting on parts for the salt-belt toe-link recall, which was issued three times for this year. Five recalls in all, and a transmission software one specific to 2013 builds. A car with the recalls closed, a load-tested charging system and a full dipstick is a comfortable, quiet buy at this price; the electrical cascade is the thing to catch on the test drive, and it will not always show itself, so pull the codes.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 129 owner complaints for the 2013 Buick LaCrosse, and 5 recall campaigns.

A big number here usually means a lot of these were sold, not that it is a bad vehicle — popular models collect more complaints for the same rate of trouble. So the total on its own says little. What is worth reading is the shape of it. 42% of them are about one thing — electrics and electronics. That much concentration is a genuine pattern rather than background noise, and it is the first thing to check on any example you look at.

5 recall campaigns cover this model year. Recalls are repaired free, for any owner, with no time limit on most safety campaigns — but only if someone books it in. Ask the seller to show it was done, or have any dealer check the VIN; it takes them a couple of minutes and costs nothing.

Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.

Known Issues for the 2013 Buick LaCrosse

Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.

Dash and radio go black, 'service battery' flashes, power steering quits — then the car dies at a light (three fires)High — wallet impact

Electrical is 42% of this year's record, and it carries every fire on the car. Owners describe the radio and instrument cluster cutting out, a 'service battery' message that appears and vanishes, and the electric power steering dropping out while turning; one car seized approaching a traffic light with the check-engine and battery lights on and had to be towed; another has stalled at stop lights and gas stations repeatedly with the check-engine light on. The navigation screen blacking out for a minute at a time, sometimes with vertical lines first, is in here too. On this platform the usual chain is a corroded negative battery cable or ground strap, then the body control module, then the ignition switch — and on eAssist cars, the generator control module covered by the recall below. Have the battery load-tested, the charging voltage read at idle and the codes pulled; ask for the invoice if the seller says 'the battery was replaced', because a new battery does not fix a bad cable.

Repair cost (estimate): $150–$600 for a battery cable, ground strap or ignition switch; $800–$2,500 for a body control module and harness work — about 29% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (54).

eAssist generator control module can stop charging — stall, burning smell, smoke (recall)High — wallet impact

Recall 13V173 covers 2012–2013 LaCrosses with eAssist: the generator control module that runs the belt-driven motor-generator and the lithium battery in the trunk can fail, so the car gradually stops charging, then stalls or will not start, with a burning or melting smell and possibly smoke. Dealers test the module and replace it free. A 2016 hybrid owner in the engine cluster describes exactly the early stage: a 'check the charging system' message and the engine shutting off and restarting by itself. Confirm the campaign is closed on the NHTSA VIN lookup, then on the drive sit at a light and watch the auto-stop and restart, and check that the hybrid battery gauge holds charge rather than draining.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (54); 5 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

2.4L burns oil and clogs its PCV system — rear main seal blows out; a lunge and stall with the brake pressedHigh — wallet impact

Engine is 24% of the record and most of it is the eAssist's 2.4L four. Owners describe the dipstick reading empty between changes at 67,000 miles with smoke from the tailpipe, and a dealer telling a used buyer 'it just burns more oil'. One owner names the mechanism that shops know on this engine: the PCV orifice in the intake clogs, crankcase pressure builds, and it pushes out the rear main seal — an engine-out repair if it is left. That owner cites a GM special coverage bulletin; ask a Buick dealer to run the VIN for any open coverage rather than take our word for it. Separately, a 2022 owner describes the car lunging forward and stalling with the brake pedal down, then going into limp mode — a throttle body or pedal sensor fault to have scanned. On an eAssist car the serpentine belt drives the motor-generator, so check it for cracks. Look under the back of the engine for an oil-soaked bellhousing, check the level against the last-change date, and watch the tailpipe on a cold start.

Repair cost (estimate): $600–$1,500 for a PCV fix and rear main seal; $2,500–$4,500 for piston rings or a used 2.4L; $400–$1,200 for a throttle body or pedal sensor — around 53% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (31).

Rear toe links corrode and can fracture in salt-belt cars — loss of control (recall, issued three times for 2013)High — wallet impact

Recall 20V764 covers 2010–2013 LaCrosses sold or ever registered in the salt-belt states and DC: the rear toe links rust and can snap, letting a rear wheel steer on its own. Parts did not exist when the letters went out, and the 2013 got a second campaign of its own, 21V633, with interim letters in September 2021, before the final reissue mailed in January 2022. Almost all 27 suspension complaints are owners caught in that wait. Look the VIN up on the NHTSA recall page, then get behind each rear wheel with a flashlight: the toe link is the thin bar from the subframe to the hub, and a replaced one is clean black steel with new fasteners. Also in this cluster: one 2025 owner had all four wheel bearings fail together, diagnosed from a roaring noise that rose with speed — listen for that on the drive, it is $250–$500 a corner.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $250–$500 per wheel bearing outside it

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the suspension (27); 5 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Electric power steering assist cuts out, often mid-turn — 24 complaintsMedium

Steering is 19% of the record on its own, and much of it is the same event as the electrical cascade seen from the wheel: the assist vanishes while turning, a steering message comes up, and it may return after a restart. Every eAssist LaCrosse has an electric rack, so a voltage sag from a bad cable or module takes the steering with it; where the rack itself has failed, the motor and module are replaced together. The V6 uses a hydraulic pump, and there a whine and a low reservoir are the tells. In the lot, turn lock to lock at a standstill; on the drive, do a slow parking-lot circle with the radio off and feel for a moment where the wheel goes heavy. One complaint here ended in a crash.

Repair cost (estimate): $900–$2,000 for an electric steering rack; $300–$700 for a hydraulic pump

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under steering (24).

Transmission software can remove engine braking (recall); hard cold downshift at 30 mphMedium

Recall 13V097 covers 2013 LaCrosses built April 25, 2012 to March 6, 2013: the transmission control software could unexpectedly remove engine braking, which matters on a long downhill. Dealers reprogram the module free. The eleven power train complaints add a fault owners struggled to get diagnosed: a downshift so hard 'you thought the engine fell out', only when the transmission is cold and the car coasts down through 30 mph. Both six-speeds on this car have their own weak points — the 6T70 behind the V6 its 3-5-reverse wave plate, the 6T40 behind the four its valve body — so drive it cold, let it coast down from 40 to 20 mph on a quiet road, and feel for a slam. Check the build date on the door-jamb label against the recall window and confirm it shows closed.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $400–$900 for a valve body; $2,500–$4,500 for a rebuild — around 53% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (11); 5 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Radio or gauges that flicker or go dark for a second on the test drive
✗Steering that goes heavy mid-turn in a parking lot
✗Oil level below the add mark on a 2.4L, or blue smoke from the tailpipe on a cold start
✗Oil wetting the joint between the engine and transmission when viewed from below
✗Rust scale on the rear toe links of a snow-state car, or a roaring noise that rises with speed
✗A slam on the downshift when the transmission is cold

Good Signs

✓Recall 13V173 generator control module shown tested or replaced on a dealer invoice
✓Recall 20V764 toe links shown complete on the NHTSA VIN lookup with clean black links visible behind the rear wheels
✓Charging system tested at 13.8–14.4V at idle and a clean negative cable at the block
✓Oil on the full mark against a dated oil-change receipt, with a clear tailpipe on a cold start
✓Recall 13V097 transmission reprogram shown closed and a smooth cold coast-down through 30 mph
✓A clean scan with the stored codes printed for you