Buick Enclave
Problems & Worst Years
Every reported problem for the Buick Enclave, model year by model year — ranked from 308 federal NHTSA complaints across 2010–2017.
Buick Enclave complaints in this data split into two very different stories depending on the year. The 2010 is a mechanical story: its 99 complaint occurrences are led by power steering failure at low speeds — 54 reports, rated at safety severity — and timing chain failures affecting the engine, another 20 reports, also safety-rated. Steering gearbox failure (7), engine hesitation and stalling (6), and liftgate malfunctions (6) fill out the list. Nearly three-quarters of this year's complaints involve either the steering or the timing chain, which makes the inspection priorities obvious: steer it at parking-lot speeds, listen to the engine cold, and ask for records of timing chain work.
The 2015 through 2017 years tell an administrative story instead. The 2015 posts the highest total in the file at 106 occurrences, but its top complaints are airbag-related: 48 reports about airbag replacement parts, 24 about airbag system malfunctions, plus eight more airbag reports, alongside ten wheel-alignment complaints and seven about the brakes. The 2016 (88 occurrences) continues the pattern — 32 reports that airbag repairs were simply not available, 20 that the manufacturer took longer than a reasonable timeframe to complete them, and 20 more about unavailable parts. By 2017, the file narrows to just three problems, all rated at safety severity, and all three concern airbag repairs being delayed, incomplete, or stuck waiting on parts — 62 occurrences of essentially one frustration.
For a buyer, that's an unusual situation: on 2015–2017 Enclaves, the dominant question isn't whether a component will fail, it's whether the airbag repair work owners were waiting on has since been completed on the specific vehicle in front of you. Ask for documentation and have a dealer run the VIN for any outstanding work. On the 2010, it's the opposite — steering and timing chain condition are everything.
Complaint counts are a record of what owners filed with NHTSA, not a measured failure rate, and later years always trail partly because they've had less time to accumulate reports. Across any of these years, a pre-purchase inspection and a paper trail — steering and timing chain service on the 2010, completed airbag work on 2015–2017 — will serve you far better than picking by year.
Buick Enclave problems by year
Complaint volume by model year (bar = relative to the worst year). Theworst yearsare the most-complained-about, weighted by safety-risk problems.
| Year | Complaint volume | Problems | Safety / High | Most common problem |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010worst | 94 | 7 | 2/1 | Power steering failure at low speeds Steering · 54 complaints |
| 2015worst | 95 | 8 | 2/1 | Recall Issues with Airbag Replacement Parts Other · 48 complaints |
| 2016 | 57 | 6 | 2/0 | Airbag recall repair not available Electrical · 32 complaints |
| 2017worst | 62 | 3 | 3/0 | Airbag Recall Repair Delay Other · 22 complaints |
Data source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) owner complaints and recalls, 2010–2017. Problem clustering and year rankings are derived from the complaint record; complaint volume reflects reports filed, not total incidence or fault rate. Vehicle image is illustrative.