2018 Buick Enclave problems
NHTSA has received 98 complaints about the 2018 Buick Enclave, and 21% of them involve brakes. Next are drivetrain & axles (15%) and engine (15%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 98 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 21% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 7 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 1 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 24,000 miles 40 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 | 14 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 14 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 1 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 5 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 1 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 2 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 2 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 1 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 40 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 24,000 miles. For brakes specifically, the median reported mileage is about 23,000 miles (15 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 7 complaints mention a crash; 1 injury reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2018 ranks 10th most-complained-about out of 16 model years of the Buick Enclave with enough data (58 complaints in that window).
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 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.
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.
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.
I am told by graff chevrolet, okemos, mi, that at only 63,000 miles, my rear toe link adjustments are separating and needs to be replaced at a cost of $407 plus a $90 wheel alignment plus tax. In my research, I see that the GM cadillax srx has had the same issue. I am concerned for my safety first off, but also believe GM should recall and warranty these parts.
The contact owns a 2018 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that while idling or at a complete stop, the vehicle lunged forward upon acceleration. The contact then stated that while shifted to park, the vehicle inadvertently started. The contact also stated that she heard a screeching sound in the wheels while shifting in the first gear, and intermittently in second and third gear.