On June 22,2026, I was involved in a frontal impact collision while traveling at approximately 35 mph. The vehicle suffered a catastrophic failure of the entire occupant restraint system. Despite a severe, high-speed frontal impact, the frontal airbags failed to physically deploy, and the seatbelt pretensioners failed to tighten, leaving the seatbelts completely loose. Crucially, the dashboard instrument cluster displayed a message indicating that an airbag deployment event had occurred. A check of the VIN shows no open recalls, meaning the GM SDM software update (the federal safety agency Campaign 16V651000) was likely marked as completed by a prior owner. However, the system completely failed to function as designed during a major crash, mimicking the exact symptoms of the original defect. The vehicle is currently held at a private tow yard pending an insurance investigation and an Event Data Recorder (EDR) download.
Buick Lacrosse seat belt problems
13 of the 2,127 owner complaints about the Buick Lacrosse describe seat belt won't latch or retract, most of them for the 2006 model year.
- owner complaints
- 13
- worst model year
- 2006
- typical mileage
- 63,530
By model year
- 20161
- 20122
- 20111
- 20101
- 20083
- 20071
- 20064
Often reported together
What owners say
Vehicle rear-ended at high rate of speed. Impact included rollover. Driver was buckled but seatbelt and/or seat failure and no air bag deployment for either occupant. Serious bodily injury occurred. Vehicle on hold pending further police investigation and scene reconstruction by multiple agencies.
The contact owns a 2011 Buick Lacrosse. The contact stated while the vehicle was at a complete, his son was rear-ended by another vehicle. The air bag warning light illuminated on the instrument panel; however, the air bag did not deploy. As a result, the driver hit his head on the headrest. The driver did seek medical attention for his injury. A police report was filed. The vehicle was drivable. In addition, the seat belt retractor latches were not able to be used after the rear-ended accident. The manufacturer and dealer were not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 135,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 buick lacrosse. While driving 40 MPH and also while in park, the front passenger side air bag and seat belt warning lights illuminated intermittently. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 63,530. ....updated 08/29/16 *bf updated 08/31/16.
Airbag sensor in passenger seat failed. That also effected the seat belt warning light. Failure was intermittent and occurred with engine running car in motion.
Driver side seat belt buckle would not lock, which renders airbags inoperable. Involved my safety; I considered equipment defect. Dealer said seat belt kit was necessary to repair and charged me $235.60.
Seat belt module failure, intermittent. Occurs either while driving or upon start-up. Air bags are inoperable when indicator light is on. Not related to any known incident. This vehicle has only 60,00 miles on it. Problem appeared at about 50,000 miles.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 buick lacrosse. While driving at various speeds, the passenger side air bag warning indicator illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently and had done so on several occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 77,000....updated 02/04/16 *bf the driver seat belt buckle was replaced at the owner's expense.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 buick lacrosse. The contact stated that the driver side seat belt failed to retract properly and that the seat belt was not properly securing the driver. The vehicle was taken to more than one dealer several times and they were unable to repair the seat belt. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided no remedy. The failure mileage was not available.
I started my car. I buckled my seat belt the seat belt warning light light and chimes stopped in a few seconds. I then unbuckled my seat belt to pull a piece of paper from my front pocket. When I buckled my seat belt again, the seat belt warning light and chimes failed to stop blinking and chiming. It has been a week now and the problem still exists. What should I do? Please advise.
Related recalls
Seat belts: pretensioner
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse and Chevrolet Spark EV, Caprice PPV and SS vehicles, 2014-2017 Buick Encore and Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles, 2015-2016 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Trax, Suburban and Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL vehicles, and 2015-2017 GMC Sierra HD 2500 and 3500 vehicles. While being previously remedied for recall 16V‑651, the affected vehicles may not have received the complete software update necessary to remedy the recall condition. Without the update, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
- Risk
- A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1‑800‑521‑7300, Cadillac customer service at 1‑800‑458‑8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020, or GMC customer service at 1‑800‑462‑8782. GM's number for this recall is 17287.
Recall number 17V437000 · Recall details
Seat belts: pretensioner
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, 3500 HD, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles and 2014-2017 Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500, Trax, Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle, GMC Sierra 1500, Buick Encore, and 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Spark EV and SS vehicles. In the affected vehicles, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
- Risk
- A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1‑800‑521‑7300, Cadillac customer service at 1‑800‑458‑8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020, or GMC customer service at 1‑800‑462‑8782. GM's number for this recall is 16007.
Recall number 16V651000 · Recall details
Questions about the Buick Lacrosse seat belt
Which Buick Lacrosse years have seat belt won't latch or retract problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2006 (4 complaints), 2008 (3 complaints) and 2012 (2 complaints).
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