GM wants you to believe that the 2018 Buick Enclave is “Tomorrow’s SUV for Today’s Family,” but many consumers don’t agree. With the 2018 model year, Buick cut back on a lot of innovative technology and drivers aren’t happy with the less than premium feel. This midsize luxury SUV doesn’t rate as high as previous years plus people complain about the engine, service brakes and powertrain. These essential systems must work properly for a reliable ride, but the Enclave seems to fall short.
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Contents
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| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Service Brakes | |
| Engine | |
| Power Train | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Electrical System | |
| Power Train:automatic Transmission | |
| Back Over Prevention: Warnings | |
| Lane Departure: Warning | |
| Service Brakes, Air:antilock:abs Warning Light | |
| Suspension |
The engine provides power to the car and makes it work correctly. When something isn’t right in the engine, nothing seems to go well. That’s exactly how 2018 Buick Enclave owners feel about their SUV – it just doesn’t seem to work right.
Read what one reviewer had to say on Edmunds. “When we are using the air and are stopped-the vehicle will surge and try to take off. You better not let your foot off that brake for a second. When the air shifts on, it will surge. I know you are to hold your foot on the brake but you need to really hold it down. I asked the dealer he said it’s just the way it is set up. It cuts off to save fuel and when the air cuts on the engine comes on. I still feel this is very dangerous. “
The engine start-stop system in GM vehicles has been a major gripe among owners. While the setup was designed to save fuel, it seems to be more of an annoyance than anything else. While it’s clear that the automaker feels this is the way a car should operate, there are other issues they will address. For example, Service Bulletin #PIP5331H discusses a ticking, tap or rattle noise coming from the engine. After exhausting other avenues of repair, it’s possible for customers experiencing this problem to need a brand new engine. Let’s just hope they fixed the problem with the engine and don’t install another bad one.
2018 BUICK ENCLAVE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO ENGINE SHUTING DOWN WHEN VEHICLE STOPS. THE CONSUMER STATED THE START STOP FEATURE INTERMITTENTLY SHUTS DOWN THE ENGINE WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IDLE AND DOES NOT RECOVER QUICK ENOUGH FOR SAFE STARTS IN TRAFFIC. *JS
THE “START STOP” FEATURE CAUSED A LIFE THREATENING HESITATION UPON ACCELERATION FROM A FULL STOP AT AN INTERSECTION. ENCLAVE DOES NOT OFFER ANY OVERRIDE FOR THIS OPTION. THERE MUST BE A FIRMWARE UPDATE PROVIDED BY GM TO ALLOW IT TO BE DISABLED!!! THIS IS GOING TO KILL SOMEBODY!!!
You want your car to go and you also want it to stop. Apparently, GM thinks its customers are asking too much. Several complaints have come in regarding the quality of brakes. When a brake system doesn’t work right, you place yourself in the pathway of danger.
Read this one review from NHTSA which discusses two complaints with the brakes. The owner says, “There are two issues: While backing up the car, especially down a hill, the brakes do not work/engage temporarily. Eventually, the brakes engage, but you travel further than you intend. The ‘Service Brake System’ light appears also. This is an intermittent problem. The second braking issue is that the emergency brake will engage without the button being pressed. It just happens and the emergency brake is difficult to turn off, the car may need to be turned off and back on to fix. The ‘Service Emergency Brakes’ light appears. This has happened while backing up and in forward in normal driving conditions.”
While GM has had its share of brake fixes it needed to work on, Service Bulletin # 17-NA-314 addresses some of brake concerns. They discuss a brake message along with a shudder. It’s caused by the power brake booster vacuum sensor which needs to be replaced. Until then, you can choose not to brake while on a hill, just in case.
ON ONLY THE THIRD DAY AFTER PURCHASING A BUICK ENCLAVE AVENIR 2018 I HAD A SAFETY ISSUE INVOLVING THE BRAKES. WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES A GRINDING NOISE WITH AN INABILITY TO PROPERLY BRAKE AND A RED SERVICE BRAKE ASSIST MESSAGE APPEARED ON MY DASH. THIS HAS HAPPENED FROM A COLD START AS WELL AS AFTER BEING IN MOTION AT LEAST 20 MINUTES CITY DRIVING. MY CAR HAS SINCE BEEN IN THE DEALER ON 4 OCCASIONS REPLACED THREE PARTS AND IS STILL CURRENTLY AT THE DEALERS. THE DEALER HAS HAD MY VEHICLE LONGER THAN I HAVE ALMOST 40 DAYS NOW WITH NO INFORMATION ON WHEN I WILL HAVE IT BACK AND I HAVE ONLY OWNED MY VEHICLE FOR TWO MONTHS.
I WAS DRIVING THE CAR AND WHEN I DEPRESSED THE BRAKES THE BRAKES DID NOT ENGAGE. THE DASHBOARD ILLUMINATED WITH A “BRAKE ASSIST: ALERT AND I COULD FEEL THE ABS BRAKES ENGAGE. LUCKILY THIS HAPPENED WHILE I WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING LOT. ONLY HAD 1,200 MILES. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALER. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DID COME ON AND SHOWED CODE P0557. THEY REPLACED THE CRANK SHAFT POSITION SENSOR WIRING HARNESS AND 2 GASKETS, BASED ON A REPAIR BULLETIN AND THEN BEFORE I COULD GET THE VEHICLE HOME IT HAPPENED AGAIN. NO BRAKES, BUT BRAKE ASSIST ACTIVATED AND ABS WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AND SHOWED CODES P0557, U0401, U0121, & U0078. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALER AGAIN. THIS TIME THEY REPLACED PART # 84341899. LUCKILY BOTH INSTANCES HAPPENED AT LOW SPEEDS AND I WAS ABLE TO SAFETY MANEUVER THE VEHICLE TO A PLACE WHERE I COULD GET TOWED AND NOBODY WAS IN FRONT OF ME.
The powertrain contains everything that makes the car move. From the engine, through the transmission to the axles, all the components need to work properly for you to get from Point A to Point B. Unfortunately; the 2018 Buick Enclave doesn’t operate as it was intended.
One driver went to Edmunds to voice frustration. This person stated, “Bought the 2018 Enclave last month. 2 days after purchase, vehicle would not engage out of low. Called and dealership immediately sent a tow truck to pick up the vehicle. Did not find out the cause, even though 8 error messages were recorded. Was told the vehicle was reprogrammed and had no problems when they drove it. 232 miles worth.Went 2 weeks without an issue. 3 days ago I could not back the vehicle out of the garage. After repeating putting the vehicle in reverse, then park 5 times, I decided to put the vehicle in D with my foot on the brake then transition to R. This procedure worked. I backed out of the garage and drove straight to the dealership. That was Thursday morning. This is Sunday. No solution yet. Both issues have to do with the transmission. I will NEVER buy a GM vehicle again.”
The automaker isn’t trying to hide the fact that there are problems with the transmission. Service Bulletin #17-NA-379 addresses a moaning or whining noise heard while the vehicle is in FWD. They acknowledge that the condition is caused by a “quality issue” with the SUV’s rear drive module differential gears and requires replacement. There’s also a transmission shudder discussed in Service Bulletin #: PIP5546C. To repair the problem, GM recommends a transmission fluid change. Still, the communication also states that the company is looking at other fixes, so it’s clear that isn’t the solution. Driving this luxury midsize SUV puts you behind the wheel of a vehicle that might not go, might not stop and has “quality issues,” as stated by the automaker. With that in mind, it’s possible that this SUV wasn’t meant for today’s family after all.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 BUICK ENCLAVE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS IN REVERSE, THE VEHICLE ROLLED FORWARD WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE SUSS BUICK DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE AND STATED THAT THE VEHICLE PERFORMED AS DESIGNED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO NHTSA. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS ABOUT 200.
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| Category | Engine, Power Train:automatic Transmission |
| Date | Feb 21, 2023 |
| State | CA |
| Description | 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. Additionally, the contact stated that the check engine warning light was previously illuminated; however, after driving the vehicle, the check engine light turned off. The vehicle was taken three times to the dealer where the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the warranty was not honored, and no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 125,639. |
| Category | Back Over Prevention: Warnings, Electrical System, Power Train |
| Date | Nov 28, 2022 |
| State | TX |
| Description | -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 |
| Category | Electrical System, Service Brakes |
| Date | Oct 06, 2022 |
| State | WA |
| Description | The electronic parking brake has had multiple apparent malfunctions and one complete failure. On several occasions the parking brake failed to disengage completely with multiple warning dash lights illuminating. One such incident apparently self-corrected after being left parked overnight our semi-heated garage, with another incident only partially disengaged the parking brake with warning lights indicating a parking brake malfunction, and after driving two to three miles returning home the right rear brake was baking hot. The latest malfunction was a complete failure of the parking brake to engage at all, with the warning lights again illuminating and would be an obvious danger while parking. The vehicle is just over four years old and was two-and-a-half months out of warranty at the time of failure, and had/has 5,121 miles. It has now been waiting at the dealership for repairs for four weeks, awaiting a parking brake control module which they cannot give any timeline for delivery or arrival. It is unknown if the brake control module for the parking brake has any control or effect on the service brakes, so the vehicle is sitting at the dealership collecting dust, unusable to us. |
| Category | Lane Departure: Warning |
| Date | Aug 08, 2022 |
| State | KY |
| Description | Lane departure went out took to dealer they said oh your out of warranty 3 months we can repair for 1,000 dollars I said you are crazy and walked away . Contacted gm customer service said it's out of warranty should of been recalled for their past history of problems |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Mar 23, 2022 |
| State | AL |
| Description | Place car in park, went into store, came back out tried to put car in reverse, car would. To go, tried it two more time, car would. To go in reverse. Turned car off, put in drive , would go in drive, put in reverse, car would go, but the engine light came on and stayed on until later that day. Took car to the dealer that monday morning, (onstar notification says engine or transmission problem, park brake assist light came on a few times flashing on dashboard. Dealer tells me first, needs to change transmission fluid. Then told me it is the solenoid switch in the transmission. Dealer calls national auto care(my warranty) and tells them that the problem, warranty wants the cause and part#. Dealer came out to look at car, stated don't drive because their is slim metal shavings in transmission fluid. No one can tell me where it's coming from. And the warranty company will not replace the transmission. So here I am paying a car note and a warranty. No fix |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Mar 10, 2022 |
| State | OH |
| Description | For 6 months I have had a shutter in the front part of my car. When I accelerate the car violently shakes. The car was under bumper bumper warranty when this problem started. I have taken it to my dealer on multiple occasions and they and their engineers cannot determine what is causing the problem. They have had several other enclaves come in with the same issues. They replaced my transmission among other things and nothing fixes it. I have contacted buick headquarters and I am only permitted to speak to customer service who only tells me the same thing that my dealership tells me. I am frustrated and don't know what to do. The problem is getting worse. The dealership says they are working with engineers and they cant seem to find the problem. I'm told my dealership has 6 other buick enclaves with the same issue and other dealerships he had some as well. There has been no warning icons show up. I have no copies of paperwork where my dealership has worked on my vehicle, but they have everything in their computer. My dealership is bob ross in centerville, ohio. I'm not sure if this is a safety issue or could become one since no one seems to know what is wrong with my vehicle. |
| Category | Service Brakes, Air:antilock:abs Warning Light |
| Date | Feb 23, 2022 |
| State | NC |
| Description | The contact owns a 2018 buick enclave. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle suddenly began to drive sluggishly before coming to a stop. The brake warning light had illuminated and the message service abs system was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the abs computer had lost its program and needed to be reprogrammed. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 52,000. |
| Category | Electrical System, Engine, Service Brakes |
| Date | Nov 18, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | The car has an auto-stop feature however at times, when the car is stopped, the entire electrical and engine shuts down even while the car is in drive. The driver must restart the car and put the car into park and then back into drive. When the car restarts, several lights/messages turn on including "service transmission" and the "service parking brake" message and parking break light. This is a safety and hazard issue as it has happened while in traffic on the freeway when at a standstill. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Oct 23, 2021 |
| State | MO |
| Description | At least 3 or 4 times, the car has remotely started itself while the key fob is in my pocket. Two times, the car was in my closed attached garage. To remote start the car, I would have to press and release the lock button on the fob, then hold down another button for four seconds. At times while I am working around the house or garage, I hear the car beep, indicating that my movements pressed the lock button. On the times mentioned above, evidently my movements pressed the two buttons, causing the car to start. I mentioned this to the service department of our buick dealer, dave cross motors in lee's summit, mo. They were not too concerned, and said that the engine would shut off after 10 minutes. I feel this could be a health concern. If the car did not turn off after 10 minutes, carbon monoxide could build up in our attached garage, and injure or kill us. Also, if someone broke into the car while running like this, could they steal it without the key fob being present. I have never had problem with my 2011 ford f150 that has it's key fob on the same key ring. |
| Category | Power Train, Service Brakes |
| Date | Jul 07, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | While on free way transmission stopped functioning properly after exit unable to move vehicles in gear. Dealer said it was a computer programming issue. Another instance 9 months later care emergency break would not dis engage even after shutting vehicle off and restarting several times that transmission would stop shifting soon received messages dealer said it was a computer programming error . |
| Category | Suspension |
| Date | Dec 21, 2020 |
| State | MI |
| Description | 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. |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Dec 11, 2020 |
| State | WY |
| Description | While driving on very slick roads on a highway, I attempted to brake the vehicle in preparation to making a left hand turn. I could not stop the vehicle. The wheels kept pushing me forward. I could feel the abs pulsing but the vehicle would not stop. Luckily, no one was ahead of me or I would have hit the vehicle. It felt like the car was overriding my attempts to stop it. I wasn't just sliding on slick roads; the vehicle was actively pushing me forward. |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Nov 25, 2020 |
| State | TX |
| Description | The e-break warning came on twice after releasing the e-break when parked, the warning came on shortly after pulling from a shopping center parking lot. The e-break light was flashing with the 'service light' active and a display notification of emergency break issues. Both of these two incidents happen after the last service update n19221631 was implemented back on 5/2020. The first one was present around september 2020 and the last one on 11/23/2020. I'm not sure if these two incidents happen due to the implementation of the service update but it seems coincidental that they happen shortly after the service update as this condition did not occurred before the service update. I do not drive my buick much with only about 11k miles currently so it is not obvious the problem is due to age and usage unless there is a defect with the e-break product. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Oct 14, 2020 |
| State | FL |
| Description | Second time in less than a month on a 2018 buick enclave that air conditioning unit/evaporator in vehicle is not working and vehicle is blowing hot air only. This occurs whether vehicle is in motion or stationary. This happens when vehicle is first powered on or over an extended drive (45 mins). Does not oscillate with change in speed. Does not oscillate with length of drive. Hot air blows the entire time and noise comes from dash that sounds like hydraulic door hinge. |
| Category | Electronic Stability Control, Service Brakes, Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Jul 23, 2020 |
| State | CA |
| Description | My car shifts itself into what seems to be a 'neutral' state and then revs up very loud. It also slams on its own brakes, thankfully each time has been at low speed. Today was the last straw. I am never getting in to that car again! As I was leaving a parking lot, my car slammed on its brakes, all kinds of rolling sounds under my feet. Then it stopped and hit hard to start going again. Lights on my dashboard going crazy... The guy who was backing up as I was going by, honked and yelled at me because he didn't know why I would stop like that. I should have been well past him, but my car decided we were stopping. So a little shaken and upset, but I carried on. This car has been doing that since 4000 miles. It is very stressful to get in that car as it is. I sat at the very next red light at the parking lot I had just left to turn left onto a majorly busy street. The light was red, when it turned green, I applied the gas after a and it surged so hard, it was as if I floored it all the way, but the pedal had not moved under my feet, but I could feel all kinds of 'action' happening under my feet. As the car went over the crosswalk paint, it screeched the tires and I almost hit the guy who was also making a left next to me as my car was thrusting forward with great speed and spinning tires, when the wheels caught the pavement I almost hit the guy next to me in his back door. I was honked at and scared. I waived my hands to try to say ' I don't know!' I didn't know what to do. The man followed me almost a mile to my work and when I got out of my car he called me every name you can think of. This car is really scaring me and I cannot drive it anymore. I am going to try to work with gmc to take it back. I shouldn't have to be terrified to go to the grocery store. This car has done similar things over the last two years but it has only gotten worse. Dealer "can't duplicate" |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Jun 25, 2020 |
| State | CA |
| Description | While at a stop sign at a busy intersection, pressed brake and tachometer went to off instead of auto-stop. Engine still on but pressing gas didn't do anything.. Transmission light went on. Had to push the start/stop button a few times before engine turned off and on again. *tr |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Mar 13, 2020 |
| State | WI |
| Description | The electronic parking brake has turned on 5 times now. 3 times, the car was in park and the emergency brake had turned on and would not turn off. The brake was not activated by anyone. Then it happened while driving. The vehicle was towed to a dealership. They worked on it and said it was fixed. This week while driving home from the grocery store the brake turned on again. The vehicle was again towed to the dealership. |
| Category | Engine, Power Train |
| Date | Feb 11, 2020 |
| State | FL |
| Description | Shortly after getting gas, the car will rev to 2-3rpm when lightly accelerating, and seem to "run rough". Then, after coming to a stop at a traffic light, the car will auto stop and then shift into neutral. I can not shift back into drive without pushing the start/stop button to restart the car. It does not happen every time I get gas, but all 3 times it has happened have been after getting gas. The first 2 times it happened, I was told there was a recall, which was the cause, but this last time, there was no recall, and they said there were no error codes, so they do not know what is wrong. The car stalling episodes occurred in august 2019, september 2019, and february 2020. It may or may not be related, but in october 2019, there were also 2 instances of an "evap leak" that were fixed. |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Jan 08, 2020 |
| State | OH |
| Description | On 1/06/2020, while driving, the brakes locked up on my 2018 buick enclave.(mileage about 23,000) the vehicle has an electronic parking brake ,which was off. Suddenly, the parking break light came on and service lights were illuminated. Fortunately, I was able to navigate to the side of the road, call gm and the car was towed to a local dealer. Several weeks earlier, upon starting, the parking brake light would not go off and the car would not move. After letting the car sit for a period of time, the light went off and I was able to drive the car. I went to the service department of a local dealer., explained what happened. They told me that I should come back in when it happened again, so they could read the code and noted they have not heard anything around the issue before and that no bulletins have been received from gm. As I understand, as of last evening, gm has not given them any direction. I believe this is a potentially serious safety issue and from an internet search, it appears others have encountered the same problem. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Dec 17, 2019 |
| State | IL |
| Description | I purchased a new 2018 enclave in september of 2018. I received a recall letter for the vehicle sometime during the spring 2019 so I went to my dealer service department to get it check and I was told everything was fine. Then in september I noticed the check engine light came on and the vehicle would not accelerate properly so I took it to the dealer service dept. Asap. They told me there was an issue with the transmission. They said that because I had less than 5,000 miles this issue should not be occurring. It's been 4 months and I have not received a reasonable time frame for when my vehicle will be ready. My rights as a consumer have been violated because I received a defective vehicle, which put my family and I at risk. The same dealership offered to give me a loaner vehicle that ended up being defective as well. This dealership is selling defective vehicles. They have told me that about 50 other people are going through the same issue and the only I can do is be patient, but during the time I have incurred many damages and inconvenience and this deanship along with gm have not given me any sort of resolution for the past 4 months. |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Dec 03, 2019 |
| State | OH |
| Description | Random activation of parking brake while the car is in drive. Most often occurs when on a slope and a low speed. Multiple incidents have occurred since purchase it has continued to get worse. The vehicle has been in for service many times with no resolution. I opened a case with gm on 9/12/2019 but they have not returned my calls or emails since 10/3/19. There has been several instances of this issue and was documented in a forum post that parallels our issue https://www. Enclaveforum. Net/threads/2018-avenir-electronic-emergency-brake-fault. 22631/ 1) parking brake coming on at highway speeds as wife transported my daughter and some of her friends to the mall. At a red light, close to the mall my daughter commented on a smell. They pulled in the parking spot at the mall, my wife noticed the smell as well and when she exited the vehicle, the smell was overwhelming. 2) 2nd major incident while my wife was in a drive thru and the e-brake engaged (again, while the car was in drive). She had to place the car in park and it took 1-2 min before the car would disengage the e-brake. This incident convinced us that the problem was not human error and took it to dealership for service. 3) sept 2019 - wife became stuck in parking lot when the e-brake engaged as she pulled in a parking spot (still in drive). She was aware that the e-brake had turned itself on but when she hopped in the car to leave, the e-brake was still engaged and wouldn't release. Back to dealership where they cleared a code (first time a code was present) and re-flashed the e-brake control. 4) 12/1/19 incident while sitting at red light on a downward incline. Once I released the brake to move, the car didn't move forward so I looked down at the dash to see the parking brake light on for a quick flash then it went off and the car started to move. Car is back at the dealership. |
| Category | Fuel/propulsion System |
| Date | Nov 04, 2019 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | Buick not a year old, in our garage very strong odor of gasoline cannot let it inside the garage it smells strong going into house attached to garage! |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Sep 30, 2019 |
| State | GA |
| Description | 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. |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Sep 30, 2019 |
| State | GA |
| Description | 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. |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Jul 23, 2019 |
| State | CA |
| Description | While driving the car the electronic parking brake turned on (without the driver commanding it), stopping the rear wheels from rotating freely, making it very difficult to drive the car. The car was in motion when this happened. This has happened 3 times, on the second time the dealer was able to see the problem and performed a "calibration" but the problem happened again about 1 month later (last night 7/23/19) and left the car stuck in the middle of an intersection, requiring a tow truck to move the vehicle - we took the car to the dealer. The car is currently at the dealer awaiting a diagnosis. I have also contacted gm reporting the problem but they are saying without seeing the problem they won't be able to do anything. This is a relatively new car, 2018, bought in march 2018 and has 24500 miles. Pressing the parking brake release button did not release the parking brake when the problem happened, nor did the automatic brake release process work. There was an error message on the dashboard reporting "service parking brake" |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Jun 20, 2019 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | During normal commute, vehicle began bucking badly, would not accelerate and began rolling backwards. Check engine light illuminated. Shut vehicle down, restarted, and the problem seemed to clear. Brought vehicle to dealership, found codes p0011, p0014, p0021 and p0024 set. Dealership contacted gm, who acknowledged the issue but offered no fix. They are still studying the issue and have no resolution. Dealership cleared codes and released vehicle back to us. Issue may return at any time. How can I trust my family in a vehicle that may suddenly, without warning, begin bucking, stop accelerating and cause an accident? This is an unsafe condition that gm needs to address. I am disappointed that they have no resolution. Dealership referenced bulletin pip5569e, so gm acknowledges the issue. I found references from almost a year ago to this issue via google - that's very disconcerting that, in this time, gm cannot identify a fix. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Jan 14, 2019 |
| State | NY |
| Description | I drove over some metal covering of a pot hole or other type of hole on lexington avenue and about 100th street in nyc today. When I drove over the metal covering the car stopped. This is the avenir model which has auto stop. Thankfully, the car behind me stopped and didn't hit me. I will take the car in to be examined but I think it's a malfunction or issue with the auto stop. When I called the dealer, they said it was not the car's fault. I wanted to report it in case there are other complaints concerning similar issues. The dealer claims that they haven't seen this issue. |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Dec 29, 2018 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | There are two issues: while backing up the car, especially down a hill, the brakes do not work/engage temporarily. Eventually the brakes engage, but you travel further than you intend. The "service brake system" light appears also. This is an intermittent problem. The second braking issue is that the emergency brake will engage without the button being pressed. It just happens and it the emergency brake is difficult to turn off, the car may nee to be turned off on back on to fix. The "service emergency brakes" light appears. This has happened while backing up and in forward in normal driving conditions. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Nov 08, 2018 |
| State | MO |
| Description | The "start stop" feature caused a life threatening hesitation upon acceleration from a full stop at an intersection. Enclave does not offer any override for this option. There must be a firmware update provided by gm to allow it to be disabled!!! This is going to kill somebody!!! |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Oct 18, 2018 |
| State | MI |
| Description | 2018 buick enclave. Consumer writes in regard to engine shuting down when vehicle stops. *as the consumer stated the start stop feature intermittently shuts down the engine when the vehicle is idle and does not recover quick enough for safe starts in traffic. *js |
| Category | Electrical System, Service Brakes, Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Oct 01, 2018 |
| State | GA |
| Description | I was stopped at an intersection at a traffic light & when the light turned green, I turned left & I'm uncertain if my emergency brakes kicked on or if my car simply stalled out, but my car suddenly would not move. My purse, in the passenger seat flew forward & hit the floor of the vehicle. The car behind me at the light nearly rear ended me, but fortunately did not. We brought the vehicle to jim ellis buick to be serviced, but they said it appeared fine & was confused. I definitely was not in any danger of hitting anything when turning at the intersection. This incident has made me uneasy when operating my car. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Sep 04, 2018 |
| State | MS |
| Description | Tl* the contact owns a 2018 buick enclave. While the vehicle was at a stop, it stalled and hesitated to move. The contact stated that the automatic stop feature on the vehicle caused the failure. The vehicle was taken to cannon chevrolet buick cadillac (100 n thacker loop, oxford, ms 38655, (662) 550-4208) where the contact was informed that the vehicle was built with the automatic stop feature and there was no remedy to repair the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no remedy. The failure mileage was approximately 3,500. Consumer stated the engine auto stop feature causes engine to go dead every time I come to complete stop. Engine starts after break is released. On 9/22/18 engine stopped while crossing a 4 lane highway. Updated 10/26/18*jp |
| Category | Structure:body |
| Date | Aug 19, 2018 |
| State | IN |
| Description | I was driving on a highway 6 in waterloo indiana and my sunroof exploded and the entire glass was shattered and had a huge hole. The explosion was like a short gun going off. I thought some one shot or threw something but there was no overpass. I called the police just to make sure and a report was filed |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Aug 14, 2018 |
| State | TX |
| Description | Premium package comes with safety alerts. However three of the alerts do not provide any of the safety function described. Front collision alert - have had three emergency braking situations and in all three where the red beeping alert in the dash did not function. Tested by gm engineer and he could not make it work at over 20 mph. Icons in instrumention light up so it is seeing cars but no warning at stated. Front pedestrian alert - similar to above, car is seeing pedestrian because icons light up green and amber but flashing red and beeping do not occur when you get in danger zone lane departure warning - there is not beeping when you cross a lane without using turn signal. Land adjustment works so vehicle is seeing lines but if you cross the line without any manual effort the alert does not work a gm engineer for the houston area drove the car and could not get any of these functions to work. He called gm and was told not to test this the front collision in the field but that it was tested at factory and worked as designed. So gm says there is not issue even though I have had 4 situations where it should have worked and the gm engineer could not get any of them to work as other gm cars. Other enclaves on the lot all have the same issue, so it is either a design flaw or a programming issue, in any event it is a safety feature that is not working as described or as in other gm cars I own. They are not willing to discuss it anymore because even though it does not work in the field for him or me, their engineer said it is working as designed. |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Jul 07, 2018 |
| State | VA |
| Description | I was driving the car and when I depressed the brakes the brakes did not engage. The dashboard illuminated with a "brake assist: alert and I could feel the abs brakes engage. Luckily this happened while I was pulling into a parking lot. Only had 1,200 miles. Had vehicle towed to dealer. Check engine light did come on and showed code p0557. They replaced the crank shaft position sensor wiring harness and 2 gaskets, based on a repair bulletin and then before I could get the vehicle home it happened again. No brakes, but brake assist activated and abs was able to stop the vehicle. Check engine light came on again and showed codes p0557, u0401, u0121, & u0078. Had vehicle towed to dealer again. This time they replaced part # 84341899. Luckily both instances happened at low speeds and I was able to safety maneuver the vehicle to a place where I could get towed and nobody was in front of me. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Mar 27, 2018 |
| State | CO |
| Description | Tl* the contact owns a 2018 buick enclave. The contact stated that when the vehicle was in reverse, the vehicle rolled forward without warning. The vehicle was taken to the suss buick gmc dealer (866-608-5251, 1301 s havana st, aurora, co 80012) where the technician test drove the vehicle and stated that the vehicle performed as designed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to nhtsa. The failure mileage was about 200. |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Feb 12, 2018 |
| State | FL |
| Description | On only the third day after purchasing a buick enclave avenir 2018 I had a safety issue involving the brakes. When applying the brakes a grinding noise with an inability to properly brake and a red service brake assist message appeared on my dash. This has happened from a cold start as well as after being in motion at least 20 minutes city driving. My car has since been in the dealer on 4 occasions replaced three parts and is still currently at the dealers. The dealer has had my vehicle longer than I have almost 40 days now with no information on when I will have it back and I have onlly owned my vehicle for two months. |
Brian Jones spent more than 20 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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