Buick Electrical System: Software

Buick is recalling about 26,582 vehicles over a problem with the electrical system. If engine braking is unexpectedly removed, it may increase the risk of a vehicle crash.

Campaign
13V097000
Manufacturer
General Motors LLC
Reported
15 March 2013
Vehicles
26,582
Built between
Apr 2012 – Mar 2013
Models
2
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
3 April 2013
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between April 2012 and March 2013. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2013 Buick LacrosseBuilt April 2012 to March 2013
  • 2013 Cadillac SRXBuilt May 2012 to February 2013

What the defect is

General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Buick LaCrosse vehicles, manufactured between April 25, 2012, through March 6, 2013, and model year 2013 Cadillac SRX vehicles, manufactured between May 29, 2012, through February 18, 2013 for failing to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 102, "Transmission Shift Lever Sequence, Starter Interlock, and Transmission Braking Effect." A software problem may cause the transmission to inadvertently shift to Sport mode removing any transmission-related engine braking effect.

What could happen

If engine braking is unexpectedly removed, it may increase the risk of a vehicle crash.

What gets fixed

GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the transmission control module free of charge. The recall began on April 3, 2013.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtApril 2012 to March 2013
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA15 March 2013
  3. Owners notified3 April 2013

Your rights

A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.

That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 15 March 2013.

To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.

Manufacturer contact

Cadillac owners may call 1-866-982-2339. Buick owners may call 1-866-694-6546.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
13053
Recalling manufacturer
General Motors LLC
Safety standard
FMVSS 102
Recall initiated by
MFR

Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Additional notes

General Motors' number for this recall is 13053.Customers may contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153); or go to www.safercar.gov.

Check your own vehicle

This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.

A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.

Same component

Same brand