2009 Buick Enclave problems
NHTSA has received 290 complaints about the 2009 Buick Enclave, and 37% of them involve steering. Next are engine (15%) and drivetrain & axles (11%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 290 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Steering 37% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 4 and 8
- Injuries and deaths
- 17 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 74,000 miles 261 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 | 19 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 17 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 37 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 72 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 42 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 36 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 24 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 11 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 3 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 261 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 74,000 miles. For steering specifically, the median reported mileage is about 70,000 miles (101 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 4 complaints mention a crash; 8 complaints mention a fire; 17 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2009 ranks 4th most-complained-about out of 16 model years of the Buick Enclave with enough data (144 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 8 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.
Got into a major accident two cars ran into my vehicle and everyone was injured and the air bags did not come on to prevent that. I have insurance and police report that states this.
My 2009 Buick Enclave CXL, VIN [VIN removed]: 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 side of the car or the left side of the car if you were facing the front of the car. I tried to put the fire out, but the fire got out of control.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 buick enclave. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the power steering failed. The contact stated that he had to increase the amount of effort in order to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 65,000.
The key gets stuck in the ignition in the direction of the car being on and wont turn backwards so you cant turn vehicle off.