In the world of SUVs, few can compete with the good looks of the 2020 Buick Enclave. This luxury model is praised as being “tomorrow’s SUV for today’s family.” Yet, many owners don’t want to drive it today or tomorrow thanks to the defective electrical system, powertrain and vehicle speed control.
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Contents
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| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Power Train | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Suspension | |
| Back Over Prevention: Rearview System Braking | |
| Back Over Prevention: Warnings | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | |
| Electrical System | |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | |
| Structure:body |
The electrical system must run properly for every aspect of the SUV to work, but the Enclave fails in this department.
Just look at this Edmunds review. “I have 356 miles on this 2020 Enclave as of today it has been in for repair 5 times. All for 3 codes. Flashes a service park brake light then check engine. Then you’ll get 3 messages steering assist reduced, engine power reduced, service parking brake. So far they have changed a battery, tightened a cable, replaced accelerator, and still after picking it up the 5th time drove approx. 1/4 of a mile and yep all 3 came back again. Seems they can’t fix the issue and the vehicle is undriveable.”
Among the countless service bulletins, there is one in particular that stands out about the electrical system. #070604025M states that the Enclave might produce a clicking or ticking noise when first started. However, the automaker wants people to know that this is a completely “normal characteristic.” Basically, the vehicles of “tomorrow” are going to make strange noises that the consumer should just accept.
It turns out that the powertrain is just as defective and leads to numerous problems too.
Here is one NHTSA complaint worth reading. “Bought brand new 2020 Buick Enclave with 4 miles on it, on 6/13/20. Started having transmission problems almost immediately. The car would jerk hard (hard shift) when pushing on the gas and also anytime it was placed in Park. On 6/21/20 the Check Engine Light came on and the vehicle would barely shift. Called local Buick-GM dealership to get repaired. Local shop restarted computer on 6/24/20 and said that it was good to go. Drove it less than 3 miles before Service Engine Light came back on and jolting started again. On the drive back to the dealership the vehicle came to a hard jolting abrupt stop on the road. Vehicle would no longer start or shift. Had to leave vehicle in the middle of the road until dealership could come get it. On 6/26/20 dealership called to say that the vehicle was running good and ready to pick up. On 6/27/20 drove car about 15 minutes before the hard shift started happening again and the Check Engine Light came back on. When attempting to shift into Reverse, the vehicle hard jolted us backwards and then died. The vehicle would no longer start or shift gears. On 6/28/20 got the vehicle to start so drove the vehicle as it was still hard shifting, back to the dealership and dropped it off. The dealership still has it as of today and has refused to give us any paperwork from our previous 2 attempts at getting it fixed, however gave us false documentation stating that we only brought it in the shop 1 time, when it actually is the 3rd time to be taken in for the same problem to be fixed. GM has refused to replace this defective vehicle nor return our money paid for it.”
Again, Buick is fully aware of transmission issues. In fact, GM’s communications are filled with information for the technicians. One such example, Service Bulletin #PIE0570, talks about a torque converter clutch shudder happening while accelerating between second and sixth gear. Considering that is the majority of the gears used, this shudder is occurring all of the time. With all of these defects present, owners are realizing they should have just bought a Chevy.
Tomorrow’s vehicles are also equipped with a sophisticated vehicle speed control system, but this is one more function that is unreliable.
Here’s another NHTSA complaint. “I bought a 2020 Buick Enclave, (Owned by GMC) with 6 miles on it, 1 week ago. Yesterday the Check Engine Light came on and the car started jerking anytime the transmission switched gears. I called to try to get it in to a Certified Buick Dealership to be looked at and nowhere can get it in for 3-5 days and none of the dealership will give a loaner until the time of the vehicle appointment. I contacted Buick directly regarding this and they told me the same thing, that we can’t get a safe driving vehicle, until the one we have can be looked at by the dealership and if we take it to a un-certified shop that it would not be covered. So now I am stuck with either driving an unsafe car 50 miles on the highway to work for the next few days or not being able to go to work. This is a brand new car driven straight out of the floor room! Buick is putting people’s life at risk by insisting that we drive this unsafe vehicle on the highway until we can get it looked at! Looks like a huge lawsuit in the making!!!”
Aside from the constant complaints over the drivability, there are some real safety concerns that should be addressed if an accident were to occur. NHTSA Campaign Number 20V446000 states some vehicles are equipped with a diffuser component in the Roof-Rail Air Bag inflator that might not have been crimped properly, causing it to separate during air bag deployment. Additionally, NHTSA Campaign Number 19V643000 states that some Enclave’s might have a crack in the frame rail that further reduces crash performance. Basically, if this Enclave causes an accident, the occupants are left vulnerable to serious injuries. Maybe the vehicles of “tomorrow” are scheduled to be more dangerous than they are today.
Think you have a lemon? Sit back and let the experts work out your lemon case at no cost to you. The law makes GM pay legal fees. You may be able to get your lemon out of your life. Every year, auto manufacturers buy back, replace or pay cash settlements to thousands of ‘lemon’ owners like you.
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| Category | Suspension |
| Date | Feb 28, 2023 |
| State | MI |
| Description | The contact owns a 2020 buick enclave. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was inadvertently pulling to the left. Additionally, the vehicle made abnormally loud sounds, and unknown parts detached from the vehicle while driving. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the control arm, ball joint, and axle driveshaft needed to be replaced. Additionally, the dealer confirmed that the vehicle would be sent to the body shop for the damaged body components. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and dispatched an investigator to the dealer to inspect the vehicle; however, the manufacturer declined to disclose any information. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000. |
| Category | Back Over Prevention: Rearview System Braking, Back Over Prevention: Warnings, Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking |
| Date | Jan 19, 2023 |
| State | MO |
| Description | Hello, my enclave's back up camera keeps going out and it's identical to the issue that was under investigation by the nhtsa, which gm ultimately just issued a recall for the cadillac xt5, xt6 and acadia models. These cars are basically the short wheelbase versions of the buick enclave and the chevrolet traverse, and use the same parts for the backup 360 camera failure, so it makes sense that these vehicles would be affected as well. Attached are pictures of multiple times. This is happening which creates an unsafe environment. On the others it appears that it's a faulty cable. If I turn the car off and let it reset, the camera will work again, but that's not feasible when in a situation that it is needed immediately. My car is barely out of warranty, I reached out to the dealer and he agreed and it's the same issue but because these other cars have a recall and mine, doesn't there's nothing he can do until a recall is issued. Thank you |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Oct 07, 2022 |
| State | MI |
| Description | While driving my car in normal weather/temperature conditions, the driver side sunroof literally exploded. There was a very loud bang, like someone fired a gun next to my head, and initially I thought someone had shot out one of my car windows with a gun. Upon seeing it was the sunroof I then thought an object had falled through the sunroof window. However, upon inspection, the sunroof window glass was actually blown from the inside out. See attached photographs. There was no prior apparent damage/crack/chip to the sunroof glass or mechanism. There was no sudden change in weather, internal or external temperature or pressure inside the car at the time of the explosion. |
| Category | Electrical System |
| Date | Mar 10, 2022 |
| State | WI |
| Description | Onstar system and wifi intermittently do not work, was told that this is a known issue when radio is being used, no fix. In my case radio was not being used, so this does not apply. Seat/mirror position memory gradually changes over time. Does not recognize that exit function has been turned off. Signal lights randomly flash (without indicator on dash flashing) when car is at idle & mirrors are folded. Tire pressure monitoring system, not accurate and will notify driver that tires are underpressured by 10lb or more. Dealership reset them and are now fine. Brakes on passenger front randomly grind since day one of ownership dealership told me that there is an obvious electrical issue, however since no codes are being thrown, they cannot repair it. Best that can be done is to continue to drive it and show up at a dealership when problems are occurring. Onstar diagnostics was able to determine vehicle was not connecting. Dealership indicated they'd let gm know about the issue, but nothing else could be done for what is a relatively new vehicle. Also was told they would not ensure that vehicle was not affected by structural issues because the vin was not listed |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | May 19, 2021 |
| State | IL |
| Description | The contact owns a 2020 buick enclave c1. The contact stated that his wife reversed out of the garage however had to straighten the wheels. The contact placed the gear in the drive and without warning, the vehicle accelerated forward crashing into the garage door. No airbags deployed. Medical attention was contacted. A police report was made. The contacts wife sustained injuries to her back and neck (whiplash). The contacts wife sustained a seizure 3 additional times on the way to the hospital which she stayed at overnight. The vehicle was towed by insurance to a collision shop for repairs to the front-end bumper and grill. No dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and provided a case number. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000. |
| Category | Fuel System, Gasoline |
| Date | May 10, 2021 |
| State | MI |
| Description | Tl* the contact owns a 2020 buick enclave. The contact stated that while driving downhill at approximately 75 mph, the vehicle decelerated to approximately 20 mph with 'can not shift in this position' message displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was towed to somerset buick located at 1850 w. Maple rd, troy, mi 48084, who diagnosed that the fuel tank sensor was faulty. The fuel tank sensor was replaced however, the failure recurred. The transmission service required message was displayed on the instrument panel. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 7,100. |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | May 08, 2021 |
| State | WI |
| Description | Brake grinding noise |
| Category | Structure:body |
| Date | Dec 14, 2020 |
| State | TX |
| Description | Factory running boards on 2020 buick enclave ice up in winter driving blocking the driver and passenger doors from opening. Vehicle can be parked and if ice accumulates or snow melts and freezes the door will not open. If vehicle is in motion and ice/slush build up and freeze the doors will not open. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Dec 10, 2020 |
| State | WI |
| Description | I was driving on a state highway with open fields on both sides. There were no other cars or trucks on the road. Clear blue sky and the temperature was about 50 degrees. No windows were open in the car. I was on cruise control at 62 mph. There was what I can only describe as an explosion sound something close to the sound of a 45acp pistol discharge.. Luckily I had the sun screen closed or I would have had glass everywhere. The front sunroof had exploded and there was a 18" hole in the middle of it. The force of the break went up, meaning the edge of the broken glass was raised about an inch and a half above the rest of the glass and window frame. That kind of a break is caused by stress not from something like a stone hitting it.. The car was purchased in august so the car is only 4 months old. I immediately drove the car to bergstrom motors in green bay, wisconsin, for them to fix it. They took pictures. Service managers name is [xxx]. He has all the information. There is no police report. [xxx] got back with me today, december 10, 2020, and told me buick would not pay for the repairs because it's glass. I was told the repair would be about $1000. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6). *tr |
| Category | Power Train, Service Brakes |
| Date | Nov 27, 2020 |
| State | MD |
| Description | Vehicle jerks at low speeds when accelerating. Brakes grind when applied at hard braking or regular braking. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Oct 08, 2020 |
| State | NC |
| Description | Rear sunshade clip has broken twice in the 5 months. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Jul 01, 2020 |
| State | KS |
| Description | Bought brand new 2020 buick enclave, with 4 miles on it, on 6/13/20. Started having transmission problems almost immediately. The car would jerk hard (hard shift) when pushing on the gas and also anytime it was placed in park. On 6/21/20 the check engine light came on and the vehicle would barely shift. Called local buick - gm dealership to get repaired. Local shop restarted computer on 6/24/20 and said that it was good to go. Drove it less than 3 miles before service engine light came back on and jolting started again. On the drive back to the dealership the vehicle came to a hard jolting abrupt stop on the road. Vehicle would no longer start or shift. Had to leave vehicle in the middle of the road until dealership could come get it. On 6/26/20 dealership called to say that the vehicle was running good and ready to pick up. On 6/27/20 drove car about 15 minutes before the hard shift started happening again and the check engine light came back on. When attempting to shift into reverse, the vehicle hard jolted us backwards and then died. The vehicle would no longer start or shift gears. On 6/28/20 got the vehicle to start so drove the vehicle, as it was still hard shifting, back to the dealership and dropped it off. The dealership still has it as of today and has refused to give us any paperwork from our previous 2 attempts at getting it fixed however gave us falsified documentation stating that we only brought it in the shop 1 time, when it actually is the 3rd time to be taken in for the same problem to be fixed. Gm has refused to replace this defective vehicle nor return our money paid for it. |
| Category | Power Train, Vehicle Speed Control |
| Date | Jun 22, 2020 |
| State | KS |
| Description | I bought a 2020 buick enclave, (owned by gmc) with 6 miles on it, 1 week ago. Yesterday the check engine light came on and the car started jerking anytime the transmission switched gears. I called to try to get it in to a certified buick dealership to be looked at and nowhere can get it in for 3-5 days and none of the dealerships will give a loaner car until the time of the vehicle appointment. I contacted buick directly regarding this and they told me the same thing, that we can't get a safe driving vehicle, until the one we have can be looked at by a dealership and if we take it to an un-certified shop that it would not be covered. So now I am stuck with either driving an unsafe car 50 miles on the highway to work for the next few days or not being able to go to work. This is a brand new car driven straight out of the floor room! Buick is putting people's life at risk by insisting that we drive this unsafe vehicle on the highway until we can get it looked at! Looks like a huge lawsuit in the making!!!!! *tr |
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.
See more posts from Brian Jones
My 2020 enclave has a problem with the backup lights, when backing the lights are useless they are so dim I cannot see where I am backing. I have to use my brake lights to see where I am backing