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2009 Buick Lucerne problems

The most common problem on the 2009 Buick Lucerne is electrical system, typically around 85,000 miles. It has fewer complaints than a typical Lucerne model year.

Fewer complaintsAmong the best years of this model
Year score
79/100
Owner complaints
128
Recalls
2
Service bulletins
956
Worst area
Electrical
Fuel economy
18-21mpg
Typical repair
$818

The worst 2009 Buick Lucerne problems

Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.

Problems by type

Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.

  • Electrical
    76
  • Fuel system
    45
  • Engine
    10
  • Body
    8
  • Driver assistance
    6
  • Steering
    6
  • Acceleration
    5
  • Airbags
    5
  • Brakes
    3
  • Locks
    3
  • Visibility
    3
  • Seats
    2
  • Transmission
    2
  • Wheels
    2
  • Lights
    1
  • Seat belts
    1
  • Suspension
    1
  • Tires
    1

Specific symptoms reported on the 2009 Buick Lucerne

Fuel pump 55Won't start 33Stalling 14Fire or smoke 9Overheating 8Loss of power 6Door locks 5

Recalls 2

Electrical system: ignitionReported June 23, 2014 · 3,141,731 vehicles affected
What is wrong
This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Buick LaCrosse, 2006-2011 Buick Lucerne, 2000-2005 Cadillac DeVille, 2006-2011 Cadillac DTS, 2006-2014 Chevrolet Impala, and 2006-2007 Chevrolet Monte Carlo vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the weight on the key ring and road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine.
Risk
If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury. Additionally, a key knocked out of the run position will cause loss of engine power, power steering, and power braking, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will install two key rings and an insert in the key slot or a cover over the key head on all ignition keys, free of charge. The recall began on September 23, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1‑800‑521‑7300 (Buick), 1‑800‑458‑8006 (Cadillac), and 1‑800‑222‑1020 (Chevrolet). GM's number for this recall is 14299.

Recall number 14V355000 · Recall details

Electrical systemReported June 4, 2010 · 1,365,070 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Gm is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 buick, lucerne; cadillac dts; hummer h2; model year 2008-2009 buick enclave; cadillac cts; model year 2007-2009 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; gmc acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl; saturn outlook; and model year 2009 chevrolet traverse vehicles equipped with a heated washer fluid system (hwfs). A recall was implemented in 2008 to add a fuse to the control circuit harness to address the potential consequences of a printed circuit board (pcb) electrical short. However, there have been new reports of thermal incidents on hwfs modules after this improvement was installed. These incidents resulted from a new failure mode attributed to the device's thermal protection feature. The significance varies from minor distortion to considerable melting of the plastic around the hwfs fluid chamber.
Risk
It is possible for the heated washer module to ignite and a fire may occur.
Remedy
Dealers will permanently disable and remove the heated washer fluid module. An updated page for the owner manual will be provided and inserted in the owner manual to document that the feature has been permanently disabled and removed from the vehicle. The safety recall began on june 11, 2010. Owners may contact buick at 1‑866‑608‑8080, cadillac at 1‑866‑982‑2339, chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438, saturn at 1‑800‑972‑8876, gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463 and hummer at 1‑800‑732‑5493 or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.

Recall number 10V240000 · Recall details

See all 2 recalls for the 2009 Buick Lucerne

Technical service bulletins for the 2009 Buick Lucerne 956

Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.

See all 956 bulletins for the 2009 Buick Lucerne

2009 Buick Lucerne fuel economy

Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.

EngineDriveCityHighwayCombined
3.9L 6‑cylFWD172620-21
4.6L 8‑cylFWD152218

What 2009 Buick Lucerne owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Apr 10, 2026 · Visibility · 147,000 miles · OH

The contact owns a 2009 Buick Lucerne. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed in rainy weather, the windshield wipers became inoperable, causing the driver's visibility to be significantly reduced and severely rendering the safe operation of the vehicle. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 147,000.

Filed Apr 7, 2026 · Fuel system · 70,000 miles · NY

The contact owns a 2009 Buick Lucerne. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The contact was able to safely drive onto the shoulder, and the tow truck was contacted. The vehicle was later towed to the local mechanic, who diagnosed that the fuel relay had failed. The contact was informed that the relay had failed due to the location under the driver’s side rear seat, and while touching the motor terminal. The contact stated that there was a TSB associated with the failure. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were contacted. The failure mileage was 70,000.

Filed Feb 28, 2026 · Seats · TX · fire

Woke up to my passenger seat burnt up, liquid oozing out the burnt up seat and wires and metal sticking out. Looks like the fire started under the seat.

Filed Nov 1, 2024 · Electrical · 66,000 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2009 Buick Lucerne. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the engine failed to turn over. No warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that upon inspection he became aware that one of the relays from the electric fuel pump under the rear passenger’s seat needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the fuel pump relay prong base had melted due to overheating. In addition, the contact stated that the fuse was a 10.01 AMP instead of a 5 AMP which could have caused the failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred 2 days later. The manufacturer was made not aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000.

Filed Aug 1, 2024 · Electrical, Fuel system · SC

The car died suddenly and would not start, with no warnings or codes. Towed it to a Midas repair shop and it was diagnosed as a corroded Low Profile Fuel Pump relay. This was replaced, and the car ran fine for 3 days before going dead in the middle of driving and left me stranded in an intersection. Had to get it towed back to Midas where it was more accurately diagnosed that the issue with the relay was being caused by a faulty Rear Electrical Center. Both of these parts have been recalled, and I have only owned this car for a little over a year. It has only around 40,000 miles on it. Despite this recall, upon taking the car to the local Buick dealership, they stated they could not cover the recall due to it being expired before I even owned the car. I do not understand how it is right or fair for this to have to be paid out of pocket, for $183.53 and $818.81 respectively, when it is not my fault, it is a faulty GM parts issue, and GM stated they will not stand behind their product and cover the recall despite the evident risk to my safety if I was to continue driving the car without repair. I understand it is expired, but I fail to see how this is ethical when the part is still faulty to the point of being dangerous.

Filed Jan 22, 2024 · Electrical, Fuel system · MN

Fuel Pump relay fuse is getting burnt up and not allowing car to start. This is a known problem and the federal safety agency has already made a recall but mine isn’t recalled. You would think since mine is a 2008-2011 Buick Lucerne it would be able to get fixed. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Jul 27, 2023 · Fuel system · 41,000 miles · OR

The contact owns a 2009 Buick Lucerne. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle would not start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the fuel pump was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The fuel module was replaced by the contact but the failure reoccurred. While driving 55 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact pulled over on the side of the road and had the vehicle towed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated there was no recall on the VIN for the failure. No additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 41,000.

Filed Jul 14, 2023 · Electrical, Fuel system · 140,000 miles · AL

The contact owns a 2009 Buick Lucerne. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the vehicle sputtered and failed to start. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who recommended that the fuel pump relay be replaced. The mechanic became aware that the fuse was melted. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

Filed Mar 6, 2023 · Acceleration, Electrical · 170,000 miles · AZ

The contact owns a 2009 Buick Lucerne. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the fuel pump relay overheated and burned the fuse box. The accelerator pedal and steering wheel became inoperable. The contact was able to control the vehicle and park the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact replaced the relay, but the vehicle failed to start. The contact called the local dealer and was advised to schedule an appointment for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.

Filed Feb 15, 2023 · Electrical, Fuel system · KS

The fuse box or fuse holder under the back seat had the fuel pump relay fail due to pressure on the fuse box lid from the seat above it. This is a known issue by Buick as they keep the fuse box in stock (for about $300) I have owned two similar Lucernes with this issue. The fuel pump relay caused enough heat to melt into the fuse box, causing a disconnection. This caused the fuel pump to stop pumping, causing the car to stop running. The problem can be confirmed by calling any Buick dealer. I'm sure they have had several examples of this issue besides my pair. There are many examples mentioned on the internet, as well as videos as to how to fix it. There are no warning lamps prior to the failure. The engine dies and refuses to restart.

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Questions about the 2009 Buick Lucerne

Is the 2009 Buick Lucerne reliable?

Owners have filed 128 complaints about the 2009 Buick Lucerne, fewer than a typical Lucerne model year.

What is the 2009 Buick Lucerne year score?

The 2009 Buick Lucerne scores 79 out of 100 (average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Buick Lucerne: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.

What is the most common problem with the 2009 Buick Lucerne?

Electrical system, with 76 complaints, typically around 85,000 miles. Next is fuel system (45).

How many recalls does the 2009 Buick Lucerne have?

2 recalls, covering electrical system.

Was there a recall on the 2009 Buick Lucerne electrical?

Yes, 2 recalls: 14V355000, 10V240000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.

What year does the Buick Lucerne have the most electrical problems?

The Buick Lucerne model years with the most electrical complaints are 2008 (121 complaints), 2006 (101 complaints) and 2009 (76 complaints).

What gas mileage does the 2009 Buick Lucerne get?

Official estimates for the 2009 Buick Lucerne range from 18 to 21 mpg combined. The most efficient version (3.9L 6-cyl, FWD) gets 17 city and 26 highway.

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