There are 16 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2008 Buick Lucernein NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The contact owns a 2008 Buick Lucerne. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 15 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The low oil pressure warning light was illuminated, and the message "Add Engine Oil" was displayed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the catalytic converter was clogged and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, however, the failure recurred immediately. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the TCM had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred approximately a week later. The vehicle was then towed to the same independent mechanic, where it was determined that the coil pack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle experienced a rough idle and was undrivable. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 138,500.
Engine coolant leak at engine timing belt cover per repair service. Not available for inspection , already had repaired (see attached invoice). Had to pull over on busy major roadway due to high temperature warning on temperature gauge. Problem confirmed by service center.
The contact owns a 2008 Buick Lucerne. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was inspected by a local mechanic and diagnosed with needing the fuel pump relay to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 72,479.
THE ENGINE IT'S SHUTTING OFF WHILE DRIVING, AND AFTER IT GETS COLD IT WILL RESTART, BUT AFTER DRIVING AGAIN ANOTHER FEW MILES IT WILL SHUT OFF AGAIN. THERE ARE NO LIGHTS ON, SO NO MECHANIC TO TELL ME WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. I EVEN CALLED THE DEALER, AND I WAS TOLD THAT THEY CAN'T DIAGNOSE THE CAR BECAUSE IS NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON.. I TRIED FEW DIFFERENT AUTO SHOPS WITH NO ANSWER, SO MY CAR IS PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY BECAUSE I'M SCARED TO DRIVE IT, I DON'T KNOW HOW OR WHEN THE ENGINE WILL STOP.. ANOTHER MECHANIC TOLD ME TO DROP THE CAR TO HIS SHOP BUT IT MAKE 2 WEEKS OF WORK TO FIND OUT THE PROBLEM AND I WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR 2 WEEKS, AND THAN TO PAY TO FIX IT. IT USUALLY STOPS WHILE IN MOTION WHEN CLOSE TO THE A TRAFFIC LIGHT, WHEN I MAKE A TURN AND ALWAYS WHEN I SLOW DOWN
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BUICK LUCERNE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITH NO WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO RESTART AND TOWED TO A TRUCK STOP. THE CONTACT STATED THAT UPON INVESTIGATING THE FAILURE, DISCOVERED THAT THE FUEL PUMP RELAY WAS MELTED AND BURNT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT PRIOR TO THE DISCOVERY NO SMOKE OR FIRE WAS NOTICED UNDER THE REAR SEAT WHERE THE FUEL PUMP RELAY WAS LOCATED IN THE FUSE BOX. THE CONTACT STATED HE PURCHASED AND REPLACED THE PART HIMSELF. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO START AND THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC OR DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 211,000.
VEHICLE STALLED OUT ON A HIGHWAY (AND AT HIGHWAY SPEED) AND WOULD NOT RESTART. OBVIOUSLY THIS CREATED A VERY DANGEROUS CONDITION FOR ME AND THOSE AROUND ME AS I TRIED TO COAST OVER TO THE SHOULDER (ESP WITH LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND BRAKES). THE PROBLEM CAME WITHOUT ANY WARNING, AND WAS DETERMINED TO HAVE BEEN ISOLATED TO THE IGNITION CONTROL MODULE. MILEAGE ON THE CAR IS ONLY 43K
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BUICK LUCERNE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND THE VEHICLE JERKED WITH AN ABNORMAL THUD BEFORE RESPONDING. MIKE HAGGERTY BUICK GMC, INC. (9301 S CICERO AVE, OAK LAWN, IL 60453; (708) 762-9813) WAS CONTACTED AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE PASSENGER'S SIDE MOTOR MOUNT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000.*DT *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BUICK LUCERNE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC OR DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIRS. THE CONTACT RESEARCHED THE FAILURE ONLINE AND FOUND COMPLAINTS RELATING TO THE FUEL PUMP RELAY BEING BURNT. THE CONTACT REMOVED THE FUEL PUMP RELAY AND NOTICED THAT IT WAS BURNT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 81,000.
THIS CAR'S ENGINE WOULD STOP FOR NO REASON AND NOT RESTART AT STOP SIGNS AND WHILE DRIVING. THE POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES WOULD GO OUT WHEN THIS WOULD HAPPEN WHICH WAS ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS WHEN DRIVING. IT WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS ON AT LEAST 4 OCCASIONS AND NEVER FIXED. IT IS AGAIN LISTED ON THE DEALERSHIP SITE FOR SALE AFTER I TOOK A $3,000 LOSS TRADING IT IN FOR ANOTHER VEHICLE. I WAS TOLD BY THE MANAGER THAT THE CAR WOULD NOT BE SOLD AGAIN, BUT IT IS ON THE PRE-AUCTION LOT OF THE DEALERSHIP FOR SALE AT NEARLY THE AMOUNT I PAID FOR THE VEHICLE IN NOVEMBER 2016. IT WAS DRIVEN ABOUT 2,000 MILES IN THE 6 MONTHS I OWNED IT BECAUSE MOST OF THE TIME IT WAS BROKEN DOWN. IT SAT IN THE DEALERSHIP LOT FOR THE LAST 2 MONTHS BECAUSE I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS "NOTHING WRONG WITH YOUR CAR." I TRADED IT IN RATHER THAN HAVE AN ACCIDENT WHERE EITHER MYSELF OR SOMEONE ELSE MAY BE HURT OR KILLED DUE TO THE LACK OF ABILITY TO CONTROL THE CAR WHEN THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN. THE CAR FAX FOR THIS VEHICLE CAN BE SEEN ON LINE WITH SOME OF THE REPAIRS THAT WERE COMPLETED DURING THE TIME I OWNED IT. THE REPAIRS WERE FOR VARIOUS SENSORS; ONE OF THEM WAS REPLACED MORE THAN ONCE. I WAS INSTRUCTED TO BY ONE OF THE SERVICE MANAGERS TO HAVE THE CAR "TOTALED" BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY BECAUSE THEY WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR UNLESS IT STOPPED RUNNING WHILE THEY WERE WORKING ON IT. I HAD A VIDEO OF THE ENGINE STOPPING WHICH SHOWED THAT THERE WAS NO WARNING. I MADE IT BECAUSE I WAS BEING ASKED WHAT LIGHTS CAME ON, ETC., BEFORE IT SHUT DOWN. THE VIDEO WAS SHOWN TO THE SERVICE MANAGER, BUT IT WAS USELESS AS THE CAR ENGINE AGAIN STOPPED FOR NO REASON. IT FIRST BROKE DOWN THREE DAYS AFTER I HAD PURCHASED THE CAR, BUT BEYOND THE "NO QUESTIONS ASKED" RETURN POLICY OF HAVING LESS THAN 150 MILES ON THE CAR DUE TO MY HAVING DRIVEN IT OVER 200 MILES.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BUICK LUCERNE. WHILE HAVING ROUTINE MAINTENANCE PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE, AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC DISCOVERED THAT THE MOTOR MOUNT HAD BECOME INOPERABLE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 93,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BUICK LUCERNE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THE VEHICLE MADE A LOUD ABNORMAL NOISE AND STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO RESTART BUT THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO DRIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 57,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BUICK LUCERNE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, ALL WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AND A LOUD NOISE EMERGED FROM THE ENGINE ALONG WITH SMOKE. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000. UPDATED 2/24/15*CN UPDATED 03/02/15*JB
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BUICK LUCERNE. WHILE STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND ACCELERATING, THERE WAS A THUMPING NOISE THAT CAME FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE MOTOR MOUNT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 41,000.
I UNDERSTAND THERE IS A RECALL TO DISABLE AND REMOVE THE HEATED WINDSHIELD SOLUTION FROM THE CAR. THIS IS A FEATURE THAT COST EXTRA WHEN BUYING THE CAR AND I FEEL YOU SHOULD REPAIR IT, NOT JUST REMOVE THE FEATURE. IS THERE ANY REPAIR INSTEAD OF REMOVAL? IF NOT HOW DO YOU COMPENSATE OWNERS FOR THE LOSS OF FUNCTIONALITY OF THE HEATED WINDSHIELD SYSTEM. I LIVE IN THE NORTHEAST AND USE IT OCCASIONALLY IN THE WINTER. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BUICK LUCERNE. WHEN THE CONTACT TURNED THE VEHICLE, IT SHUT OFF. ALSO, WHILE DRIVING OVER A PUDDLE, WATER ENTERED THE ENGINE AND CAUSED THE ENGINE TO MOMENTARILY SHUT DOWN. THERE WAS NO WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO GARBER BUICK GMC (772-467-0835, LOCATED AT 5255 US-1, FORT PIERCE, FL 34982), BUT THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE SAME DEALER TO PERFORM A DIAGNOSTIC TEST. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED BECAUSE THE CONTACT DID NOT WANT TO BE FINANCIALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE TEST. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 5,000.
DEFROSTER VENTS IMPROPERLY POSITIONED TO KEEP FRONT WINDSHIELD CLEAR IN NEAR ZERO CONDITIONS. WINDOW WIPER BLADES PARK IN AN AREA BELOW THE HEATED PORTION OF THE WINDSHIELD. WIPERS FROZE TO THE WINDOW, DURING THE DELAY IN THE INTERRUPTED OPERATION, WHILE DRIVING IN A SNOW STORM AT 3 DEG. TEMP. WINDOW ACTUALLY BECAME TOTALLY FROZEN OVER AND VISIBILITY BECAME IMPOSSIBLE. ON THE PASSENGER SIDE, ICE ACCUMULATED IN THE WIPER PAVE IN THE LOWER RIGHT CORNER, ABOUT 3 X 6 X 1/4 THICK AND THE WIPER HAD TO NAVIGATE UP AND OVER THIS FROZEN MASS. *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 25, 2026