2009 Buick Enclave problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (105) · Power Train (18) · Engine (17)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Buick Enclave model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
196 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (6)
Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module 2021-10-07 · campaign 21V782000 · 555 vehicles
Defect: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2008-2017 Buick Enclave and 2013-2017 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to a manufacturing defect.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Dealers will replace the driver's air bag module, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on November 3, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 10, 2022. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N212349040.
Structure:body:hatchback/Liftgate 2015-06-30 · campaign 15V415000 · 691,144 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured January 3, 2007, to February 29, 2012, 2009-2012 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured July 6, 2008, to March 9, 2012, 2007-2012 GMC Acadia vehicles manufactured September 15, 2006, to February 29, 2012, and 2007-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles manufactured August 17, 2006, to March 18, 2010. The affected vehicles, equipped with the power liftgate option, have gas struts that hold the power li
Risk: If the open liftgate unexpectedly falls, it may strike a person, increasing their risk of injury.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the power liftgate actuator motor control unit so that the motor will prevent the rapid closing of the lift gate, free of charge. The recall began on November 15, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, and Saturn customer service at 1-800-553-6000. GM's number for this recall is 15240.
Seat Belts 2014-05-20 · campaign 14V266000 · 1,339,355 vehicles
Defect: General Motors is recalling certain model year 2009-2014 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured April 14, 2008, through May 14, 2014, Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured June 6, 2008, through May 14, 2014, and GMC Acadia vehicles manufactured April 9, 2008, through May 14, 2014, and 2009-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles manufactured April 14, 2008, through March 18, 2010. In the affected vehicles, the flexible steel cable that connects the seatbelt to the front outboard seating positions may fatig
Risk: If the steel cable becomes fatigued and separates, the seatbelt may not properly restrain the seat occupant increasing the risk of an injury in a crash.
Fix: General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, repair and replace the lap pretensioner, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. An interim notice will be mailed to owners in July 2014. A second notice will be mailed to owners once parts become available. The recall for the 2009-2010 model years began on July 11, 2014. The interim letter for the 2011-2014 model years were distributed on July 11, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-222-
Air Bags:side/Window 2014-03-17 · campaign 14V118000 · 1,176,407 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2013 Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia and 2009-2013 Chevrolet Traverse and 2008-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles. In the affected vehicles, increased resistance in the driver and passenger seat mounted side impact air bag (SIAB) wiring harnesses may result in the SIAB and seat belt pretensioners not deploying in the event of a crash.
Risk: Failure of the side impact air bags and seat belt pretensioners to deploy in a crash increase the risk of injury to the driver and front seat occupant.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected harness connections with soldered connections, free of charge. The recall began on June 16, 2014. Buick owners may contact the owner center at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet owners at 1-866-694-6546, Saturn at 1-800-553-6000, and GMC owners at 1-866-996-9463. GM's number for this recall is 14030. Note: Vehicles repaired as part of Customer Satisfaction Campaign 10085 and special coverage 10335 have already had the subject condition repai
Seat Belts 2010-08-12 · campaign 10V375000 · 207,210 vehicles
Defect: GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009-2010 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE, BUICK ENCLAVE, GMC ACADIA, AND SATURN OUTLOOK VEHICLES. THE SECOND ROW SEAT SIDE TRIM SHIELD RESTRICTS THE UPWARD ROTATION OF THE SAFETY BELT BUCKLE WHEN THE SEAT BACK IS RETURNED TO A SEATING POSITION AFTER BEING FOLDED FLAT. IF THE BUCKLE CONTACTS THE SEAT FRAME, ADDITIONAL EFFORT IS REQUIRED TO RETURN THE SEAT TO A SEATING POSITION. IF SUFFICIENT FORCE IS APPLIED, THE BUCKLE COVER COULD BE PUSHED DOWN THE STRAP, E
Risk: THE SAFETY BELT MAY NOT RESTRAIN THE OCCUPANT AS INTENDED DURING A CRASH, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY TO THE SEAT OCCUPANT.
Fix: DEALERS WILL MODIFY THE SECOND ROW SEAT SIDE TRIM SHIELDS. IF A SAFETY BELT BUCKLE IS DAMAGED, DEALERS WILL REPLACE IT FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 18, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463, AND SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876, OR AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
Electrical System 2010-06-04 · campaign 10V240000 · 1,365,070 vehicles
Defect: GM IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2009 BUICK, LUCERNE; CADILLAC DTS; HUMMER H2; MODEL YEAR 2008-2009 BUICK ENCLAVE; CADILLAC CTS; MODEL YEAR 2007-2009 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE ESV, ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, SILVERADO, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; GMC ACADIA, SIERRA, YUKON, YUKON XL; SATURN OUTLOOK; AND MODEL YEAR 2009 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A HEATED WASHER FLUID SYSTEM (HWFS). A RECALL WAS IMPLEMENTED IN 2008 TO ADD A FUSE TO THE CONTROL CIRCUIT HARNESS TO ADDRESS THE P
Risk: IT IS POSSIBLE FOR THE HEATED WASHER MODULE TO IGNITE AND A FIRE MAY OCCUR.
Fix: DEALERS WILL PERMANENTLY DISABLE AND REMOVE THE HEATED WASHER FLUID MODULE. AN UPDATED PAGE FOR THE OWNER MANUAL WILL BE PROVIDED AND INSERTED IN THE OWNER MANUAL TO DOCUMENT THAT THE FEATURE HAS BEEN PERMANENTLY DISABLED AND REMOVED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 11, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463 AND HUMMER AT 1-800-732-5493 OR AT THE OWNER CENTER AT
Service bulletins (1,231)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-07-27 · PIT6002C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this is to advise about a part concern
Unknown Or Other 2025-09-09 · 13598 · Other
new vehicle monitoring programs section in ivh
Unknown Or Other 2025-08-07 · PIC5650M · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have an intermittent no crank, no start, or start stall concern with the security light coming on. technician may find diagnostic trouble codes b3055, b3060, b3935, c0750, c0755, c0760, c0765, and/o
Unknown Or Other 2025-07-18 · PIP5601C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this pi communicates the requirement to provide a pico file to receive diagnostic assistance from tac.
Unknown Or Other 2025-05-30 · PIT5074R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communication provides information to the technician about the use of j-35616-64b and mini 50 terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads.
Unknown Or Other 2025-05-30 · PIT5074R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communication provides information to the technician about the use of j-35616-64b and mini 50 terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads.
Showing the 6 most recent of 1,231 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-08-15 · Steering“every time i turn right my car turns off. i am able to restart after. i’ve taken it to several mechanic's and no one seems to know the issue. i’ve had my battery change circuits change a tune up and my gas filter changed and the car still doesn’t work. …”
2025-07-09 · Electrical System:instrument Panel:speedometer/Odometer · 163,000 mi“odometer fraud. the contact owns a 2009 buick enclave. the contact purchased the vehicle from a local used car dealer in april 2025. the contact stated that the odometer and the bill of sales indicated that the mileage was 133,000. the contact stated that while registering the vehicle with carshield, the contact was informed that the mileage was re…”
2025-03-18 · Latches/Locks/Linkages:hatchback/Liftgate:lock“the contact owns a 2009 buick enclave. the contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the rear tailgate unintentionally opened. the contact stated that once the failure had occurred, the contact closed the rear tailgate, and the rear tailgate was inoperable and failed to open. no warning lights were illuminated; however, the message "g…”
2023-10-20 · Steering · 179,000 mi“the contact owns a 2009 buick enclave. the contact stated while reversing at 5 mph, the steering wheel seized and was inoperable. the contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power. the contact was able to restart the vehicle and drive to his destination. the contact stated that the failure had occurred several times. the vehicle was taken to an…”
2023-05-21 · Electrical System · 🔥 fire“the seat caught on fire. origin of fire started in the seat according to fire officials. …”
2023-03-10 · Seat Belts: Rear/Other:buckle Assembly · 150,000 mi“the contact owns a 2009 buick enclave. the contact stated that the rear driver’s side and center seat belt failed to latch securely. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed but no failure could be determined. could not be determined. the contact then stated that on another occasion, while driving at an undisclosed s…”
2023-01-08 · Engine · 🔥 fire“my 2009 buick enclave cxl, vin 5gaev23d79j118427: engine caught on fire during the time i was driving it. the car hesitated as if it was going to shut off then i saw smoke coming from underneath the front hood, i pulled to the side of the road and stopped the car and open the front hood, my engine was on fire. the fire was located on the passenger …”
2022-12-04 · Steering · 💥 crash“while driving 65 mph on the hwy, in rush hour traffic my entire steering column came completely out and i lost control of my vehicle causing a 3 car wreck. the only indicator that something was wrong was that just prior to this happening the tilt on my steering wheel came undone 2 times and by the 3rd time when i pushed the wheel back up to lock it…”
2022-09-01 · Steering“having problems with the power steering, was a recall but was informed recall has expired. i didn’t purchase the vehicle until 2016, steering wheel is really tight, and going to cost thousands to fix, if this is a problem gm knew about they should at least be willing in some type of assistance to correct it.…”
2022-04-25 · Structure:body:hatchback/Liftgate · 42,000 mi“the contact owns a 2009 buick enclave. the contact stated upon pressing the liftgate power button to open the liftgate, the liftgate partially opened and rapidly closed on her. the contact's husband who was standing nearby, held the liftgate manually until she was able to remove herself out of the path of the liftgate. the contact stated that the f…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.