2018 Buick Enclave Complaints

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 09/24/2026

The vehicle is experiencing an intermittent but severe safety defect involving the StabiliTrak and Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) systems. While driving at operational speeds, the "Service StabiliTrak" warning light illuminates, immediately followed by the uncommanded, autonomous engagement of the electronic parking brake. When the defect occurs, the vehicle forcibly brakes itself and suffers a complete loss of throttle response, preventing acceleration. This creates a severe, immediate crash hazard, as the vehicle decelerates abruptly without warning to surrounding traffic, leaving the driver unable to accelerate out of harm's way.The vehicle was brought to an authorized General Motors dealership multiple times during the active warranty period for recurring StabiliTrak system warnings. The manufacturer failed to permanently diagnose and resolve the root cause of the Electronic Brake Control Module (EBCM) failure. The vehicle remains highly dangerous to operate due to unpredictable, uncommanded braking.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 06/01/2026

2018 Enclave w/106k on the odometer and the catalytic convertor cracked. $2200 repair.

SUSPENSION,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — Filed 06/01/2026

I am submitting this letter to formally report two ongoing issues with my 2018 Buick Enclave. First, I have experienced persistent problems with the emissions purge valve. My vehicle has repeatedly triggered diagnostic trouble code P0496, indicating a malfunction in the purge valve system. I am aware that this issue has been the subject of recall campaigns for other Buick Enclave models; however, my vehicle has not been included in any such recall, despite exhibiting the same symptoms. This malfunction has resulted in persistent check engine warnings and noticeable performance concerns, raising questions about emissions compliance and the overall reliability of my vehicle. Given that other vehicles of the same make and model year have been recalled for the same issue, I respectfully request that my vehicle be reviewed for inclusion in the recall. Second, I am formally reporting a malfunction involving the stabilizers. Recently, I have noticed unusual noises and instability when driving, particularly when turning or traveling over uneven surfaces, which indicates a potential stabilizer malfunction. These issues have persisted despite regular maintenance and inspections, affecting the handling and safety of the vehicle. I believe this may represent a manufacturing or design defect that could pose a risk to other owners of the same make and model. I respectfully request that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigate this matter further. I kindly ask the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to consider expanding the existing recall to encompass additional vehicles affected by this defect. Please advise if you require further information or documentation regarding my case. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING — Filed 05/26/2022

The contact owns a 2018 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shut off and failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the alternator was replaced 4 times before the dealer diagnosed that the failure was due to oil leaking onto the alternator and the battery. The contact stated that the alternator had been replaced 6 times in total. Additionally, the contact stated while pulling out of the parking lot and onto the road, the vehicle shut off. The messages "Electronic Control Module Failure", "Battery Saver Active", "Battery Charging System" and "Steering Assist Is Reduced- Drive with Care" were displayed. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with the Electronic Control Module (ECM) and alternator failures. The vehicle was being repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 05/12/2026

After two transmission flushes and being told by a Buick dealership's service technicians that nothing is wrong with the vechile's transmission, it has now failed completely at ~90k miles.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 02/01/2026

Catalic converter weld broke both sides now

ENGINE — Filed 10/20/2025

Exhaust leak from broken front exhaust pipe. This has been a known defect in this make/model however the year of my vehicle was not included in the extended repair window and should have been. The exhaust leak was identified by the dealership when the vehicle was taken in for other maintenance. I had to pay for the repair myself and would like to be reimbursed due to this being a manufacturer known defect with the exhaust pipe. The exhaust leak caused unusual noises, a loud roaring, and reduced gas mileage. This was also a danger for carbon monoxide exposure.

VISIBILITY/WIPER — Filed 09/19/2025

The air conditioning system failure prevents proper windshield defogging, significantly reducing visibility in humid or rainy conditions. Additionally, cabin temperatures become excessively high, causing driver fatigue and impaired concentration. This creates an unsafe driving condition and increases the risk of a crash

SEAT BELTS — Filed 12/16/2017

In December 2017 we were involved in a rear end collision so violent the spare tire was knocked out from under the vehicle. Our vehicle, 2014 Buick Enclave VIN [XXX] was struck in the rear. The lap belt held us secure, but the shoulder belt allowed us to be tossed forward. My head hit the left windshield/top post leaving me looking like a racoon the next day. General Motors representatives, [XXX] CEO at the time ,stated the seat belts functioned properly. I injured my left wrist as a result of being thrown forward and have pain in it ever since then. We now drive a 2018 Buick Enclave VIN [XXX] that we purchased as a result of the December 2017 accident. We have noticed the same problem with the shoulder belts not working in sync with the lap belt, especially during a panic braking. Could this be product failure or just coincidence? I BELEIVE THIS WARRANTS EVALUATION! Thank you. My email address is [XXX] , mailing address is [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

POWER TRAIN — Filed 03/21/2026

The contact owns a 2018 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that while at a stop light, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to respond as intended, with a grinding sound coming from the transmission. A bystander pushed the vehicle to the side road, and the vehicle was later towed to the residence. The contact’s husband inspected the vehicle and determined that it had experienced transmission failure. No further information was available. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were not contacted. The failure mileage was 110,000.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 11/21/2025

The contact owns a 2018 Buick Enclave. The contact stated while stopped at a gas station; after refueling the vehicle, the vehicle was restarted but was unable to shift to drive(D). The contact attempted to shift to reverse(R) and the shift lever failed to respond. The contact stated an unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 71,000.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,AIR BAGS — Filed 12/01/2025

My vehicle has begun all us sudden flickering headlights from low beams to high beam when driving and also it ay the airbag safety light turn on with the locks also doing a closing and opening while driving.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING — Filed 01/06/2025

The headlights continously and irregularly flicker between high and low beam while driving at night. I have no control over it and cannot turn off the high beams when they activate. This is highly annoying to drivers ahead me, as they believe I am trying to get their attention (or be obnoxious). In these times and the legalization of open carry weapons in the state of Florida, this can be highly dangerous if the wrong person is aggravated by unintentional signaling. I have already had issues on the road with drivers not happy with the high beam flicking on and off at them while driving on the road. They have become very aggressive, following, slowing down, honking at me because they think I am being impatient or trying to tell them someting is wrong. I spent $2000 in January 2025 trying to get this fixed and it has started (December 2025) happening again.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING — Filed 10/15/2025

The contact owns a 2018 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that after picking up the vehicle from the dealer for a different failure, the exhaust pipe made an abnormally loud sound while driving. The check engine and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who determined that the catalytic converter had failed and informed the contact that the catalytic converter and the front exhaust pipe needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Special Coverage Adjustment: N212356540 (Front Exhaust Pipe); however, the VIN was not covered. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 10/20/2025

Several times I have been stopped at a red light, and my parking break will come on without me engaging it. I was almost hit by other vehicles the last time my vehicle did this. People were blasting their horns and speeding around me because I was unable to move my vehicle. Because I had not manually engaged my parking break, my vehicle would not allow me to disengage the parking break until after it finally read that I engaged it. It took me 10 minutes of having to turn my car off and back on and trying to engage the parking break manually before the vehicle finally noticed it was engaged and would allow me to disengage my vehicle so that I could move it out of the way. This has now happened 3 separate times in the last month. It is an extremely dangerous situation and is making me become nervous to drive my own vehicle.

AIR BAGS — Filed 09/04/2024

The contact owns a 2018 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that while making a left turn, another vehicle jumped onto a curb and struck the rear end and rear tire of the vehicle. The front driver side, passenger side, and curtain air bags deployed. The contact was concerned about whether the air bags should have deployed for the type of impact experienced. No warning light illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A police report was filed. The contact sought medical attention for bloody stool, lower back pain, and neck pain. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE — Filed 08/15/2025

I am a [XXX] and owner of a 2018 Buick Enclave that suffered a catastrophic transmission failure which nearly killed me and my child. On Friday, [XXX], while driving westbound on [XXX] from Edison, NJ to my home in Easton, PA, my vehicle suddenly and without warning came to a complete halt in the fast lane. A driver tailgating me swerved at the last second to avoid impact. Moments later, when I tried to move again, the car lost all power and drifted helplessly across two lanes of speeding traffic, directly into the path of two tractor-trailers barreling down at highway speeds. This was the hottest day of the summer, and I was left in terror, fully aware that one wrong move would have ended our lives instantly. The fact that my child could have lost their only parent because of a mechanical defect is beyond unacceptable. The stress, fear, and trauma of this incident cannot be overstated—it was a near-fatal event that never should have happened. My mechanic has since confirmed the transmission is destroyed, with black metal fragments throughout—clear evidence of internal failure. Only two months earlier, in June 2024, the car passed inspection with no codes or signs of a problem. This was not wear and tear; it was a hidden, catastrophic defect. In December 2024, GM recalled more than 461,000 vehicles, including certain 2018 Enclave models, for transmission defects leading to rollaway and internal failure. Source: The Lemon Firm, 12/18/24 [XXX] ). My case mirrors the defect exactly, yet I never received recall notice. I demand GM confirm my VIN’s inclusion and cover the full cost of repair or replacement. I barely escaped a fatal crash. GM must act immediately before lives are lost. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

STEERING,ENGINE — Filed 08/06/2025

Wednesday August 6th 2025, I was coming home from work, the low engine compression and engine light came on the car was shaking and I lost power on a busy road, I had to pull it off the road quickly before I lost all power. I stayed there for a few minutes, then turned the car back on to retreat to a safer spot, I then waited for my husband to bail me out, we checked the oil on the dipstick, there was minimal oil on it. We added 1 quart of oil, then the lights went off, all seemed fine. August 23rd 2025, I was driving my car and the same thing happened car lit up with low engine compression and engine light came on car was shaking, I shit the car off. we added 1quart of oil. But the engine light stayed on after about 30 min. I shut the car off. The engine light went off after I shut the car off.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 05/16/2025

The torque converter is failing it seems this is far too common and dangerous with all Buick enclaves for this year. The vehicle shakes when applying the gas not having the power it needs to keep a steady speed without shaking. A mechanic stated the torque converter is bad known as the “GM shutter”

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — Filed 05/15/2025

Check engine light was on due to the EVAP Purge Solenoid not sealing properly and causing a leak. Scan testing performed of the engine control module and diagnosed/cleared DTC P0496-00. Vehicle was brought to a dealership for repair.

POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — Filed 01/15/2025

mY VEHICLE STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY AND WAS UNABLE TO PUT IN DRIVE

SERVICE BRAKES,BACK OVER PREVENTION,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 12/09/2024

The brake system ABS module/sensor malfunctions- yes it is available for further inspection. Safety is an issue due to the ABS indicator light on. Yes, the problem/issue has been confirmed by a dealership. No inspections have occurred other than the dealership. The only warning is the light indicator for the brakes, parking ABS.

POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION — Filed 10/05/2022

-A few weeks prior to accident, while driving down a 65mph highway in TX, vehicle side mirrors were folding inward. Continued to fold inward after hit button to open them multiple times. Even did this after pulled off highway and stopped/started vehicle and exiting vehicle and locking to try to create a "reset" of system. (Auto folding windows feature in infotainment was NOT selected to be ON before or after this incident! Auto-folding sidemirrors are tied to the electron shifter status and should only engage when turned ON in infotainment option AND vehicle in PARK. This was occurring over 2-3 days while driving on highway at 65mph) Accident: -Pulled into parking spot and placed vehicle in PARK. -Front Dash Camera audio indicates the "Ding" confirmation of park and hear vehicle doors unlock upon Park status. -Vehicle was still ON and began to slow roll UP HILL BACKWARDS in parking lot and strike another parked vehicle across the double wide aisle. -No rear camera was engaged. -No collision alert (no seat vibration which was always ON in infotaiment option) -No automatic braking for about to strike a vehicle. -Display after impact was on the Buick Startup Icon, NOT the infotainment icons. -Vehicle driven immediately to Buick dealership and Claim initiated wth ESIS (regarding product liability claim with GM (General Motors) -no police due to private lot - 9 days later the black box data (Bosch Crash Data Report) and vehicle Global Diagnostics Sysem Reports were downloaded from Vehicle. Third report polling all the vehicle drive cycles was downloaded but not provided to me as consumer with claim. - No data obtained from CDR as not over 8mph and was backwards. -GDS2 indicates not DTC data most items but did indicate: 1)Rear Differential Clutch Control Module No Communication 2)Left Front Short Range Radar Sensor Module No Communication 3)Right Front Short Range Radar Sensor Module No Communication 4)Rear Short Range Radar Sensor Module No Communication

SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 09/22/2019

COLD START, AC UNIT ON, ENGINE AT HIGH IDLE SPEED. PUT CAR IN REVERSE TO BACK OUT OF THE GARAGE. STEPPED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE CAR KEPT ROLLING. PUMPED THE BRAKE PEDDLE AND APPLIED EXTREME PRESSURE, CAR DID NOT SLOW DOWN. PANICKED THAT I WOULD HIT A WALL, I DROPPED THE CAR FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE. STILL ON HIGH IDLE, THE CAR WOULD NOT STOP EVEN WITH EXTREME PRESSURE APPLIED TO THE BRAKE PEDAL. CAR CONTINUED FORWARD AND HIT A CABINET IN MY GARAGE CAUSING CONSIDERABLE FRONT-END DAMAGE. EVERY THING HAPPENED SO QUICKLY, I COULDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED AT THE TIME. THE ONLY THING I COULD THINK OF WAS THAT I MUST HAVE DONE SOMETHING WRONG. RESTARTED THE CAR AND ALL FUNCTIONS WERE FINE. THE DAMAGE DID NOT AFFECT THE OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE. I DROVE TO THE DEALER AND I'M WAITING FOR AN ESTIMATE TO REPAIR THE DAMAGE.

SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 09/29/2019

THE BRAKE ISSUE RAISED ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN. THE VEHICLE HAS OPERATED FINE SINCE THE ORIGINAL INCIDENT EVEN WITH THE FRONT-END DAMAGE. YESTERDAY, ONE WEEK AFTER THE ORIGINAL INCIDENT IT OCCURRED AGAIN. COLD START LEAVING A RESTAURANT TURNED OUT OF PARKING LOT ON TO SIDE STREET. TRAFFIC WAS STOPPED AT A LIGHT AND I PULLED INTO THE LEFT TURN LANE. GOING VERY SLOW, HAVEN'T EVEN TRAVELED 200 FEET. PUT PRESSURE ON BRAKE PEDAL TO STOP AND NO RESPONSE, THE CAR KEEPS ROLLING FORWARD AS I APPLIED EXTREME BRAKE PRESSURE. AT THAT POINT I HIT THE EMERGENCY PARKING BRAKE BUTTON AND THE CAR STOPPED JUST AS I HIT THE REAR END OF THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. THANKFULLY THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO HIS CAR. I RESTARTED THE CAR AND WE PULLED OFF THE ROAD INTO A PARKING LOT TO EXCHANGE INFORMATION. EVERYTHING OPERATED FINE. LEFT THE SCENE AND HEADED HOME. WHEN THE LIGHT CHANGED, I TURNED LEFT FROM THE SIDE STREET INTO TRAFFIC. HEAVY TRAFFIC, SLOW GO. ABOUT 1 MILE LATER THE TRAFFIC SLOWED DOWN TO STOP. ONCE AGAIN, THE BRAKES WERE NOT RESPONDING. I WAS ABLE TO HIT THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AND DITCH TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. AFTER TRAFFIC PASSED, I RESTARTED AND MOVED ABOUT THIRTY FEET INTO THE SAFETY OF A PARKING LOT. AT THAT POINT I CALLED AAA AND HAD THE CAR TOWED HOME. I WILL HAVE IT TOWED INTO THE DEALER THIS MORNING.