Buyer Research

2018 Buick LaCrosse — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $13,000–$20,000. There are 2 high-severity known issues you need to know before handing over a check.

Deciding between model years? Compare the 10 Buick LaCrosse years we've written up →

Kestrel Take

Twelve complaints is not a reliability rating — it is twelve people. What the record for the 2018 LaCrosse does hold is three recalls that matter more than any of them: a high-pressure fuel pump that can pull off its flange and leak fuel onto a hot engine, a stop/start transmission accumulator that can lose its bolts and dump the fluid, and a rear brake caliper piston that needs the system bled. Every one is free and every one is a VIN lookup. Beyond that, owners wrote about the reduced-engine-power message tied to the accelerator pedal connector and a thermostat that fails around 55,000 miles. Verify the three recalls closed, drive it through a few stop/start cycles, and buy on condition — the car itself is a quiet V6 sedan that nobody wanted new, which is why it is cheap now.

What we checked

Checked against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 12 owner complaints for the 2018 Buick LaCrosse, and 3 recall campaigns.

That is too small a record to read a pattern from, so we are not going to pretend otherwise — with numbers this low one owner moves the percentage by a lot. What has been filed is grouped under electrics and electronics (5), the engine (4), the transmission and drivetrain (3). Treat those as things to look at, not as the vehicle's known weaknesses. A thin file usually means few of these were sold or few owners filed. It is not evidence the vehicle is trouble-free, and the issues below are our own research rather than a reading of this record.

3 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 2018 Buick LaCrosse

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

High-pressure fuel pump can detach and leak fuel — fire risk (recall)High — wallet impact

Recall 18V358 covers the 2018 LaCrosse's 3.6L: the high-pressure fuel pump can work loose from its mounting flange, and the movement can crack the high-pressure fuel pipe. A fuel leak on top of a hot engine is a fire risk, which is why GM replaces both the pump and the pipe free of charge. Three of the twelve complaints are fuel-system reports. Run the VIN before you drive it, and with the engine idling warm, open the hood and smell for raw gasoline near the back of the engine.

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

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the fuel system (3); 3 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Stop/start transmission accumulator may be missing its endcap bolts — fluid leak, then loss of drive (recall)High — wallet impact

Recall 20V668, issued two years after the car was built, covers the start-stop accumulator on the eight-speed automatic: the endcap bolts may be missing, the cap can lift, transmission fluid leaks out, and the car can lose propulsion while moving. One owner here found the endcap loose after the car hesitated to pull away. The dealer inspects and replaces the accumulator free. Look under the front of the car for fresh red or brown fluid on the transmission case, and ask for the closed-recall printout — an owner who cleared the codes and never went back is exactly what one complaint describes.

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

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (3); 3 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

'Engine power reduced' from the accelerator pedal connector; key fob and no-start faultsMedium

Five of twelve complaints are electrical, and most say the same thing: at a stop the car will not accelerate, the gear indicator flashes, and 'engine power reduced' comes up with the check-engine and traction lights. GM sent some 2018 owners a letter about a poor electrical connection at the accelerator pedal that can cause exactly this — advisory, not a recall, and repaired only once the fault shows. The fix is a connector repair or a pedal assembly. Another owner had a key fob the car stopped recognising, and one had the car shut off with a new battery in it. On the test drive, pull away hard from three or four full stops and watch the cluster.

Repair cost (estimate): $150–$600 for the pedal connector or assembly

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (5).

Thermostat fails around 55,000 miles — engine runs cold, fans run flat out, code P0128Medium

Two owners filed the same failure at 54,000 and 56,000 miles: the 3.6L never reaches operating temperature, the electric fans run continuously, and the scan shows P0128. This engine uses an electronically controlled thermostat, so it costs more than the old wax-pellet kind, and the car will burn more fuel and set a check-engine light until it is done. The other two engine reports overlap the reduced-power story above and one is about stop/start letting the car roll back on a hill. Check the temperature gauge on the test drive — it should sit at the midpoint within a few miles.

Repair cost (estimate): $300–$700

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (4).

Rear brake caliper pistons may have a coating flaw — brake system needs bleeding (recall)Medium

Recall 18V576 covers 2018–2019 LaCrosses among many GM cars: the rear caliper pistons may not have been coated properly, gas can form in the brake fluid, and the pedal gets long and braking weakens. The remedy is a free brake-system bleed. It takes a dealer an hour; ask for the printout. On the test drive, press the pedal firmly at a stop and hold it — it should stay put, not sink.

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

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the brakes (1); 3 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Any of the three recalls (18V358 fuel pump, 20V668 accumulator, 18V576 brakes) open on the VIN
✗Smell of gasoline under the hood with the engine idling warm
✗Fresh transmission fluid on the case or the ground under the front of the car
✗'Engine power reduced' message or a flashing gear indicator when pulling away from a stop
✗Temperature gauge that stays low and fans that never shut off

Good Signs

✓All three recalls shown closed on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✓Thermostat already replaced with a receipt
✓Temperature gauge reaching the midpoint within a few miles and holding there
✓Firm brake pedal that holds steady under sustained pressure at a stop
✓Strong pull-away from a dozen stops with the cluster staying clear