NHTSA Complaint #11354395 — 2012 BUICK LACROSSE

WHILE DRIVING ON A CITY STREET AT 20 MPH THE ENGINE STARTED KNOCKING AND THE SERVICE CHARGING SYSTEM LIGHT CAME ON. A FEW MINUTES LATER AS I WAS BACKING INTO A PARKING SPOT IN A PARKING LOT AT WORK THE CAR SHUT OFF AND WOULD NOT RESTART. I HAD THE CAR TOWED HOME AND A MECHANIC LOOKED AT IT AND SEEN THAT THE ENGINE WAS HYDRO-LOCKED WHICH HE WAS ABLE TO UNLOCK. AFTER CHECKING THE SPARK PLUGS, COILS, VALVE COVER, TIMING, OIL, COOLANT, ALTERNATOR, STARTER, BATTERY, FUSE BLOCK AND WIRING HARNESS, THE PLUGS NEEDED REPLACED, THERE WAS METAL SHAVINGS IN THE OIL AND SOME TYPE OF FLUID IN SOME OF THE SENSOR PLUGS ON THE MOTOR. AFTER REPLACING THE PLUGS AND OIL AND OIL FILTER AND CLEANING OTHER COMPONENTS I WAS DRIVING THE CAR TO THE STORE AND THE MALFUNCTION LIGHT CAME ON ALONG WITH SERVICE CHARGING SYSTEM AND SERVICE STABILITY TRAK I STOPPED AT AUTOZONE TO HAVE THEM SCAN THE ENGINE AND THE CODE CAME BACK WITH MALFUNCTION WITH SPARK PLUG #3 SO I BOUGHT A NEW PLUG AND ON THE WAY HOME ABOUT 10 MINS AFTER LEAVING AUTOZONE THE CAR COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. MY MECHANIC CAME AND WE WERE ABLE TO GET IT TO RESTART AND GET IT BACK HOME WHICH WAS ONLY A FEW BLOCKS. AFTER DOING ANOTHER TUNEUP AND GETTING IT TO DRIVE AGAIN 2 BLOCKS FROM MY PLACE A ROD WENT RIGHT THROUGH THE FRONT BOTTOM OF THE ENGINE BLOCK WHICH THEN REQUIRED FOR A NEW ENGINE. I CALLED GM, BUICK, THE CAR LOT I GOT THE CAR FROM AND EVERYONE SAID THERE WAS NO LONGER A WARRANTY ON THE VEHICLE SO THE ONLY CHOICE I WOULD HAVE WAS TO PAY $10,000 FOR A NEW ENGINE NOT INCLUDING LABOR PRICE. MY CAR INSURANCE DIDN'T COVER MECHANICAL FAILURES EITHER SO I WAS STUCK WITH A $30,000 CAR THAT WASN'T DRIVABLE. CAUSE IS UNKNOWN. I BOUGHT THIS CAR IN JAN. 2015 WITH 31,000 MILES ON IT AND THIS HAPPENED IN NOV 2015 WITH 40 SOME THOUSAND MILES ON IT. ROUTINE MAINTENANCE WAS KEPT UP TO DATE ALSO.