2008 Buick Enclave problems
NHTSA has received 779 complaints about the 2008 Buick Enclave, and 17% of them involve drivetrain & axles. Next are air bags (15%) and steering (13%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 779 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Drivetrain & axles 17% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 24 and 12
- Injuries and deaths
- 41 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 82,000 miles 645 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 65 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 52 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 49 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 142 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 120 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 73 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 54 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 46 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 20 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 12 |
| 200k+ miles | 12 |
What the data shows
Of the 645 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 82,000 miles. For drivetrain & axles specifically, the median reported mileage is about 84,000 miles (118 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 24 complaints mention a crash; 12 complaints mention a fire; 41 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2008 ranks 1st most-complained-about out of 16 model years of the Buick Enclave with enough data (269 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 6 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
I,the driver, wife, mother-in-law were stopped for traffic when we were rear-ended. My vehicle then struck the vehicle ahead of me, that vehicle then struck the vehicle ahead of it. The vehicle that struck me was then rear- ended. My car was totaled. The occupants in my car were transported to emergency room.. I had a broken back, broke ribs, damaged right lung.
Tl* the contact owned a 2008 buick enclave. The contact stated while driving at approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly made an abnormal low gear noise. The contact was alerted that her vehicle was emitting fire from underneath the vehicle, she immediately pulled over and noticed a cloud of black smoke, within a few seconds later the vehicle engulfed in flames. The vehicle was put out by the fire department and a police report was taken. The contact sustained smoke inhalation but was not hospitalized.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 buick enclave. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light, another vehicle crash into the rear end of the vehicle and the air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The contact sustained minor injuries to arms and hands. The passenger sustained lacerations to the head and was taken to the hospital for medical assistance since she was pregnant at the time. The vehicle was taken to the dealer.
Power steering failed out of no-where while turning at an intersection. Barely missed side-swiping a police car. Only had assist under high rpm's.(I am an adult and have had previous experience driving vehicles with no power steering, my teenage children would have not known what to do or how it feels to lose power steering, so I am thankful that this happened while I was driving the car and not them!) this was an extremely hazardous situation, and no recall? Car was completely unsafe to drive.
Steering makes a clicking noise when turning the wheel. The vehicle makes a clunking noise when hitting minor bumps in the road and intermittently the steering wheel shakes at highway speeds. The vehicle has a rattling noise when first started and recently the abs/traction control service light comes on when first started. Also the vehicle has decreased horsepower and the mileage lcd screen has been acting up and not always showing the prndl and also the transmission acts up when shifting into 3 and 6 gear