What breaks most · 2016 to 2019 model years
Buick Cascada problems by year
Owners have filed 52 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Buick Cascada across model years 2016 to 2019. Three years stand out: 2016 for body and structure complaints, 2017 for engine complaints and 2018 for engine complaints.
- Years to check closely: 2016, 2017, 2018
- Complaints on file
- 522016 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 201621 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 10 fires · 1 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 41kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 1Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 0 | 1 | Body and structure (10) | |
| 15 | 0 | 0 | Engine (7) | |
| 11 | 1 | 0 | Engine (4) | |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | Body and structure (3) |
What fails on the 2016 Buick Cascada
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 48% |
10 | 0 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2016 Buick Cascada |
| Unknown or other | 33% |
7 | 0 | — |
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 19% |
4 | 0 | Shop all visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 14% |
3 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2016 Buick Cascada |
| Wheels | 10% |
2 | 0 | — |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 10% |
2 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2016 Buick Cascada |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 10% |
2 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2016 Buick Cascada |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 5% |
1 | 0 | Shop brakes parts for the 2016 Buick Cascada |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Buick Cascada back window on the convertible tops coming apart, causing flooding inside the car, also there's a danger the window will come out driving down the road. Buick refuses to do anything.
-
Convertible Top Back glass Separation from Top Cover Material. The back glass window separated from the canvas roof, it started in the bottom corner of the glass window.
-
PCV Failure at 62,000 miles. GM extended warranty on 2016 models that demonstrated this problem. Appears to be a design flaw and often fails again after repair. $2000 + job to repair
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Buick Cascada years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2016, 2017, 2018 carry the most filings on the Buick Cascada. The 2016 alone has 21 complaints, led by body and structure.
What is the most common Buick Cascada problem?
On the 2016 model year, the most-reported component is body and structure with 10 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Buick Cascada problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Buick Cascada complaints that include mileage is about 41,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.