2012 Buick Enclave problems
NHTSA has received 174 complaints about the 2012 Buick Enclave, and 14% of them involve engine. Next are body & structure (14%) and air bags (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 174 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 14% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 12 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 26 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 76,000 miles 125 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 | 9 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 21 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 10 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 27 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 21 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 17 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 11 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 7 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 1 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 1 |
What the data shows
Of the 125 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 76,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 107,000 miles (16 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 12 complaints mention a crash; 26 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2012 ranks 6th most-complained-about out of 16 model years of the Buick Enclave with enough data (79 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.
The contact owns a 2012 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph a second vehicle crashed into the passenger side causing severe damage to the vehicle. During the crash, the passenger-side curtain air bags did not deploy. The driver sustained neck, back, and shoulder inquiries. The front passenger sustained head neck and back injuries. The second-row driver-side passenger suffered a head injury. The second-row passenger-side occupant suffered a head and neck and arm injury.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 buick enclave. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH, another vehicle crashed into the front passenger side of the contacts vehicle and all of the air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained injuries to the left leg and arm. The front passenger sustained injuries to the head, back and shoulders. The rear driver's side passenger sustained neck injuries, as well as upper and lower back injuries. A police report was filed of the incident.
Tl* the contact owned a 2012 buick enclave. While driving 50 MPH, another vehicle crashed into the contact's vehicle. The seat belt failed to restrain the driver who, as a result, sustained broken ribs that required medical attention. The front passenger reclined all the way back, pinning the rear passenger. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 65,000. Updated 03/10/16
The rear power lift gate does not stay up and closes suddenly and has caused several minor injuries to my family. I noticed there was potentially a recall for this issue for enclaves made between 2010 and march of 2012 but it doesn't seem to be associated to my specific VIN.
The contact owns a 2012 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, he would hear loud abnormal rattling and ticking sounds coming from the corner between the front passenger’s side and the windshield. There were no warnings lights were illuminated. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 129,000.