Complaint filings on CarComplaints.com track what owners reported going wrong rather than what sold well. This set lines up four models each from the Buick, GMC and Cadillac brand pages and compares how many complaints are on file. Here are twelve of them, with a full-size pickup at the top of the pile.
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1. Buick LeSabre: Full-Size Sedan Leads Buick
Buick’s full-size sedan stacks up 675 complaints on file in a CarComplaints.com listing for the LeSabre, the highest figure of any Buick on the brand page.
The LeSabre was Buick’s mainstream large sedan for decades, a car sold mostly on comfort and a soft ride. Its long run in showrooms means a large pool of owners who could file reports, and that pool helps explain why the nameplate sits ahead of the rest of the brand. A big tally reflects reports made, not a verdict on every car built.
2. Buick Enclave: Three-Row Crossover Close Behind
Close on the LeSabre’s heels, the Enclave has 665 complaints on file in a CarComplaints.com listing on record, only ten fewer than the sedan above it.
Buick launched the Enclave as a three-row crossover aimed at families wanting a quiet, upscale people mover. One listed problem is a 2008 transmission failure, which averaged $3,600 at 92,000 miles. That is a repair bill typical of a major drivetrain job, and it shows how a single failure can matter more to an owner than a long list of small annoyances.
3. Buick LaCrosse: Engine Light Gets Costly
Sedan duty falls to the LaCrosse, which carries 366 complaints on file in a CarComplaints.com listing on its page.
Buick positioned the LaCrosse as a comfort-focused sedan wearing the brand’s upscale badge. Among the problems listed is a 2011 engine-light issue that averaged $6,500 at 26,000 miles. The mileage is notably low for a bill of that size, a combination that tends to frustrate owners who expect a nearly new car to stay trouble-free well inside typical warranty-length mileage.
4. Buick Regal: Smallest Pile in the Buick Set
Rounding out the Buick group, the Regal shows 323 complaints on file in a CarComplaints.com listing in the listing.
The Regal is among the longest-running names in Buick’s history, and it has appeared on coupes, sedans and wagons over the years. Its count is the lowest of the four Buicks in this set, though still above three hundred. The figure is a useful reminder that even the quietest entry on a brand page can hold a sizable body of owner reports.
5. GMC Sierra 1500: Pickup Tops the Whole Gallery
No other model here comes close to the 1,418 complaints on file in a CarComplaints.com listing on the Sierra 1500, the highest figure of any GMC and of any model in this set.
GMC builds the Sierra as the upmarket sibling of the Chevrolet Silverado, sold as a half-ton full-size pickup. Trucks of this type are sold in large numbers and stay on the road for many years, which gives owners plenty of time and reason to file reports. Sheer volume matters here, so the big total says as much about the truck’s popularity as about any single fault.
6. GMC Acadia: Crossover With a Pricey Failure
GMC’s Acadia stands at 892 complaints on file in a CarComplaints.com listing, second among the GMC models in the set.
The Acadia arrived as a large three-row crossover that shares its underpinnings with the Buick Enclave. The listing singles out a 2008 transmission failure that averaged $3,700 at 86,000 miles. Sharing a platform and drivetrain family with the Enclave, the Acadia lands in a similar place on cost, with both showing a transmission repair in the low-to-mid thousands of dollars.
7. GMC Yukon: Full-Size SUV on the List
The Yukon logs 786 complaints on file in a CarComplaints.com listing on the GMC brand page.
GMC sells the Yukon as a full-size SUV closely related to the Chevrolet Tahoe, built for towing, big families and long highway trips. Large body-on-frame vehicles like it are often kept for many years and driven hard, so a count in the hundreds is not surprising for a nameplate that has been sold for so long. The figure sits third among the four GMCs in the set.
8. GMC Terrain: Compact Crossover Oil Habit
Smallest of the GMC four by size, the Terrain still reaches 692 complaints on file in a CarComplaints.com listing.
The Terrain is GMC’s compact crossover and a close relative of the Chevrolet Equinox. One entry on its page covers 2011 oil consumption, which averaged $5,100 at 93,000 miles. Excess oil use is the sort of problem that can go unnoticed until it becomes expensive, and the high mileage attached to this report suggests it surfaced well after the car left the showroom.
9. Cadillac SRX: Luxury Crossover Water Problem
The SRX heads the Cadillac group with 627 complaints on file in a CarComplaints.com listing, well ahead of the other three Cadillacs in the set.
Cadillac pitched the SRX as a midsize luxury crossover to compete with European and Japanese rivals in a fast-growing class. A 2010 water-in-the-lights problem is listed, averaging $1,600 at 80,000 miles. Moisture inside a headlamp or taillamp assembly is usually a sealing issue, and the cost is modest next to the drivetrain bills elsewhere in this gallery.
10. Cadillac CTS: Sport Sedan Mid-Table
The CTS lands in the middle of the Cadillac group with 316 complaints on file in a CarComplaints.com listing.
Cadillac introduced the CTS as a rear-drive sport sedan meant to take on German rivals, and it later added coupe and wagon body styles. Its count falls well below the SRX but above the DeVille and Escalade. A performance-minded car often draws an owner who watches mechanical behavior closely, which can shape how many reports end up filed.
11. Cadillac DeVille: Old Luxury Nameplate, Modest Tally
Cadillac’s DeVille has 221 complaints on file in a CarComplaints.com listing, the second-lowest of the four Cadillacs in the set.
The DeVille was for many years the core of Cadillac’s full-size luxury lineup, sold in sedan and coupe forms with a plush ride as its main selling point. It has been out of production for some time, and a nameplate with fewer recent owners tends to collect fewer fresh reports. That helps explain a total only a little above two hundred.
12. Cadillac Escalade: Biggest Name, Smallest Count
Cadillac’s best-known SUV, the Escalade, posts just 120 complaints on file in a CarComplaints.com listing, the smallest figure among all twelve models in the set.
The Escalade is Cadillac’s full-size luxury SUV and shares its basic engineering with the GMC Yukon and Chevrolet Suburban family. Seeing it at the bottom of the table is a good example of why a complaint count needs context, since a high-profile model can still draw fewer filings than lesser-known cars. The tally does not say how many were sold.
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