Other Restraint System Info: Roof Airbags for Driver and passenger and Occupant Sensor
Plant City: Oshawa #2
Plant Country: Canada
Plant State: Ontario
Seat Belts All: Manual
Series: CX
TPMS: Direct
Vehicle Type: PASSENGER CAR
Model year
COMPONENT
Complaint
2008
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
UNDERHOOD FUSE BLOCK CAUGHT ON FIRE FROM THE HEADLAMP DRIVER MODULE MICRO-RELAY #35 MELTING DOWN. HEADLIGHTS WENT OFF AND THE BATTERY STARTED DRAINING. PULLED OVER, TURNED OFF THE CAR, AND OPENED THE HOOD TO DISCOVER THAT THE #35 MICRO-RELAY WAS ARCING AND HAD MELTED ITSELF TO MICRO-RELAYS #44 WINDSHIELD WIPERS AND #38 AIR CONDITIONING COMPRESSOR. BOTH WINDSHIELD WIPERS AND AIR CONDITIONER WAS OFF AT THE TIME. EVEN THOUGH THE ENGINE WAS OFF THE RELAY CONTINUED TO ARC AND WAS MELTING THE UNDERHOOD FUSE BLOCK. GRABBED AN INSULATED SET OF PLIERS AND PULLED THE #35 MICRO-RELAY (THE #44 AND #38 RELAY CAME OUT AT THE SAME TIME). ARCING STOPPED WITH THE MICRO-RELAYS REMOVED. I HAVE FILED A PREVIOUS REPORT ON THE #35 HEADLAMP DRIVER MODULE MICRO-RELAY, BECAUSE IT HAD TURNED OFF THE LOW-BEAM HEADLIGHTS WHILE I WAS DRIVING, AT NIGHT, ON THE HIGHWAY. TURNING THE LIGHT SWITCH TO MANUAL-ON DID NOT TURN THE LOW-BEAM HEADLIGHTS BACK ON. I HAD THE #35 HEADLAMP DRIVER MODULE MICRO-RELAY REPLACED AND IT TOO PROVED TO BE DEFECTIVE. AFTER JUST A FEW MONTHS, IT STARTED TURNING ON THE HEADLIGHTS ABOUT 10 MINUTES AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED-OFF. HAD TO HAVE MY VEHICLE JUMP STARTED, REPLACED THE BATTERY, AND REPLACED THE #35 HEADLAMP DRIVER MODULE MICRO-RELAY, YET AGAIN. THE 3RD #35 HEADLAMP DRIVER MODULE MICRO-RELAY, CAUSED AN ELECTRICAL FIRE, COSTING ME OVER $700 TO REPAIR. APPARENTLY THERE IS NO FUSE TO PREVENT THE MELT-DOWN OF THE MICRO-RELAYS. THERE IS NO CAUTION, AND NO WARNING IN THE OWNERS MANUAL, TO ADVISE THE USER ABOUT WHAT TO DO IN THE CASE OF THE LOW-BEAM HEADLIGHTS SUDDENLY GOING OFF. THERE IS NO PROTECTION AGAINST AN ELECTRICAL FIRE BEING CAUSED BY THE #35 HEADLAMP DRIVER MODULE MICRO-RELAY, OR ANY OTHER RELAY FROM STARTING AN ELECTRICAL FIRE. *TR
2009
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
I HAVE ONLY HAD THIS CAR 5 MONTHS AND I BOUGHT IT AT 55K MILES. WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 11:00PM ON A RAINY NIGHT I WAS STOPPED BY A STATE TROOPER WHO SAID MY HEADLIGHTS SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING. THE GOOD PART IS- THE TROOPER ACTUALLY SAW MY HEADLIGHTS WERE ORIGINALLY ON BUT HE STATED THAT AS I APPROACHED HIM "THEY JUST WENT OFF". HE PULLED ME OVER JUST TO MAKE SURE I WAS OK, BUT HE SAID THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND I COULD CAUSE A COLLISION WHILE DRIVING WITHOUT HEADLIGHTS. FUNNY THING IS, THE HIGH BEAM LIGHTS WORKED JUST FINE, BUT THE LOW BEAM -REGULAR HEADLIGHTS WOULD NOT COME ON AT ALL. THEN, IRONICALLY, WHILE HE WAS RUNNING MY DRIVERS LICENSE,MY HEADLIGHTS POPPED BACK ON. THIS IS VERY SCARY. THIS INCIDENT HAS HAPPENED TO ME MULTIPLE TIMES WHILE DRIVING THIS CAR AT NIGHT, AND MOST RECENTLY ON A CLEAR SUMMER NIGHT, I WAS ON A HIGHWAY WHICH HAD NO STREET LAMPS AND ONCE AGAIN, THE LOW BEAM HEADLAMPS COMPLETELY SHUT OFF, LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO NOTICE IT SINCE I WAS THE ONLY CAR ON THE HIGHWAY AND THAT WAS MY ONLY LIGHT, SO I IMMEDIATELY CUT MY HIGH BEAM LIGHTS ON, BUT AGAIN, THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM. THE BRIGHT LAMPS WORKED PROPERLY, BUT MY REGULAR HEADLAMPS WOULD NOT CUT ON AT ALL. I PULLED INTO A GAS STATION AND AFTER ABOUT 20-30 MINUTES, THE HEADLIGHTS EVENTUALLY TURNED BACK ON WITHOUT ME DOING ANYTHING. AS OF TODAY, I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS CAR AT NIGHT UNLESS I HAVE THE HIGH BEAM LIGHTS ON BECAUSE I NEVER KNOW WHEN THEY ARE GOING TO CUT OFF. THE PROBLEM IS I DISTRACT OTHER DRIVERS WITH MY HIGH BEAM HEADLIGHTS SO IT CAUSES ANOTHER SAFETY ISSUE. I HAVE GOOGLED THIS ISSUE AND FOUND THAT MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME ISSUE WITH THEIR BUICK LACROSSE, I AM CONCERNED ABOUT WHETHER BUICK HAS LOOKED INTO THIS ISSUE. *TR