There are 10 owner-reported air bags & restraints complaints for the 2008 Buick Lucernein NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
AUTO WAS IN ACCIDENT. LEFT FRONT QUARTER PANEL, IN FRONT OF L WHEEL. BASICALLY, CAR WAS RUN OVER. SEE PHOTOS. AIR BAGS DID NOT GO OFF. ACCIDENT ON 8-28-2019. CAR BEING HELD IN CASE NHTSA WANTS TO INSPECT IT. PLEASE CONTACT ME SO I MAY NOTIFY INS. CO. REGARDING STATUS OF SAID CAR, ACCIDENT AND IF THEY SHOULD KEEP IT.
THE CAR WAS GARAGED AND HARDLY DRIVEN BY THE PREVIOUS OWNER, AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS ABOUT 43,000. SINCE THE BEGINNING OF MY OWNERSHIP THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES AND GOES RANDOMLY. THE CAR ALSO SAYS ON THE DIGITAL READOUT "SERVICE AIR BAG," PRETTY MUCH ALL THE TIME. I HAVE HAD THREE DIFFERENT MECHANICS SCAN FOR THE ERROR CODES AND THEY COULD FIND NOTHING FOR THEM TO RECOMMEND A NEXT STEP. WHILE I WAS IN WHITE PLAINS, NY, I GOT A NOTICE FOR AN AIR BAG SERVICE RECALL FROM THE DEALER. ALL THEY DID WAS TO PUT AN INSERT ONTO MY IGNITION KEY AFTER A TWO HOUR WAIT. WHEN I ASKED WHAT THIS HAD TO DO WITH THE CHECK AIR BAG LIGHT, THEY SAID, "IF YOU DRIVE WITH A HEAVILY LOADED KEY CHAIN THE PULLS DOWN, THE SERVICE AIR BAG/CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS ERRONEOUSLY COME ON." IT WAS THE MOST STUPID THING I HAVE EVER HEARD, AND I CAN'T BELIEVE THE NHTSA WOULD HAVE ALLOWED THIS SHAM TO PASS AS A RECALL. HAVING READ THE BULLETIN BOARD OF COMPLAINTS I SEE A NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT AIR BAGS NOT DEPLOYING AFTER AN ACCIDENT. YOU NEED TO PUT OUT A RECALL---A REAL RECALL--ON THIS VEHICLE FOR THE AIR BAG. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME. *TR
A WARNING MESSAGE CAME ON TO SAY SERVICE AIR BAG. WHEN I TOOK IT IN FOR THE RECALL REPAIR, I ASKED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO CHECK FOR THE WARNING MESSAGE ON THE AIR BAG. I WAS TOLD I WOULD HAVE TO HAVE MY AIR BAG MODULE REPLACE. MY CAR IS ONLY 6 YEARS OLD. WHY WOULD AN AIR BAG MODULE NEED TO BE REPLACED ON SUCH A NEW CAR? I EXPRESSED MY CONCERNS TO GM. I EVEN ASKED FOR MY MONEY BACK FOR THE COST OF REPAIR BECAUSE I JUST COULDN'T AND CAN'T IMAGINE A CAR THIS NEW NEEDING SUCH A REPAIR. THERE MAY BE MORE CARS LIKE MINE OUT THERE WHOSE AIR BAG MODULE HAVE OR NEED TO BE REPLACED. I WANTED THE REPAIR MADE BECAUSE I WAS AFRAID THAT MY AIR BAG MAY NOT DEPLOY WHEN NEEDED OR PERHAPS DEPLOY UNNECESSARILY. *TR
I RAN OFF ROAD AND HIT A TREE. NOTED WHITE SMOKE BUT AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. SEAT BELT IN USE. ONLY MINOR INJURIES. INSURANCE COMPANY TOTALED CAR. REPORTED INCIDENT TO GM. THEY REPLIED WITH PHONE NUMBER WHICH LED TO VOICE MAIL AND NO ANSWER. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BUICK LUCERNE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, ANOTHER VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WHEN IT FAILED TO YIELD THE RIGHT-OF-WAY. THE FRONT FENDER AND BALL JOINT WERE DAMAGED. ADDITIONALLY, THE DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT AND SIDE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE CONTACT WAS UNINJURED AND THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000. UPDATED 8/15/14*CN UPDATED 08/26/2014 *JS
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BUICK LUCERNE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLE DID NOT LOCK INTO PLACE AND THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE SEAT BELT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 8,000. UPDATED 02/19/16*LJ UPDATED 05/04/18*JB
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BUICK LUCERNE. THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE CRASHED INTO FOUR OTHER VEHICLES. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES REPORTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT A RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V355000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) WAS RECEIVED IN AUGUST OF 2014. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PART NEEDED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE AND SPEED WERE NOT AVAILABLE.
DAMAGE WAS EXTENSIVE ENOUGH TO TOTAL OUT THE CAR, BUT AIR BAGS NEVER DEPLOYED. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2008 BUICK LUCERNE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A CRASH IN WHICH THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CONTACT WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL VIA AMBULANCE TO TREAT SERIOUS INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND THE CONTACT WAS THE ONLY PERSON REPORTED INJURED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED TO AN INSURANCE LOT. THE FAILURE WAS NEVER DIAGNOSED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 28,248. UPDATED 5/24/11 *CN UPDATED 06/03/11
ON MARCH 11, THE ACCELERATOR STUCK ON MY MOTHER'S 2008 BUICK LUCERNE AND SHE JUMPED A RR TIE BARRIER AND CROSSED THE FRONT YARD AND HIT AN OAK TREE AT PERHAPS 30 MPH. SHE THINKS SHE TURNED OFF THE ENGINE IN ATTEMPT TO PREVENT VEHICLE FROM GOING DOWN A STEEP HILL AND INTO THE STREET. SHE'S NOT SURE SHE WAS WEARING A SEATBELT. AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. SHE SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURY TO HIP AND PELVIS. I DON'T KNOW IF AIRBAG SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED OR IF IT WOULD HAVE SAVED HER FROM SERIOUS INJURY, BUT I WOULD LIKE AN INDEPENDENT PARTY INVESTIGATE THE BLACK BOX DATA TO SEE WHAT LIGHT COULD BE SHED. *TR
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026