Steering. Review the 126 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Engine. Review the 72 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Power Train. Review the 34 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

5 crash reports1 fire reports5 injury reports

What owners actually said

275 reports

65,200 miles · Dec 13, 2013

Steering

WHEN I TRY TO TURN LEFT OR RIGHT AT A LOW SPEED, THE STEERING LOCKS UP. IF I STOP AND START AGAIN, THE STEERING WORKS CORRECTLY. THIS IS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM BUT IS QUITE SERIOUS AS IT COULD HAVE CAUSED ACCIDENTS TWO OF THE TIMES IT OCCURRED! *TR

NHTSA ODI #10555930

60,000 miles · Dec 2, 2013

Steering

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MY STEERING COMPLETELY STICKS WHEN TURNING EITHER LEFT OR RIGHT AT SLOW SPEEDS. I HAVE HEARD OTHER BUICK ENCLAVE OWNERS HAVING THE SAME ISSUE RIGHT AROUND 60,000 MILES AND AROUND THE MAKE/MODEL YEAR 2010. THERE ARE OVER 200 COMPLAINTS ON EDMUND'S BUICK ENCLAVE FORUM "POWER STEERING NOISE". IT IS FRIGHTENING BECAUSE IT DOESN'T ALLOW YOU TO PROPERLY MAKE THE TURN. I HAVE TAKEN IT INTO MY BUICK DEALERSHIP TO CONFIRM THE ISSUE AND THEY DID CONFIRM THAT THERE ARE ISSUES WITH THE STEERING PUMP. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10554388

66,000 miles · Nov 19, 2013

Steering

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WHEN STARTING FROM A STOP AND MOVING FORWARD THE POWER STEERING UNIT WOULD FAIL TO ENGAGE, THUS RENDERING THE VEHICLE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO STEER. ON SEVERAL INSTANCES I NEARLY HIT OTHER VEHICLES IN PARKING LOTS, AND ON ONE OCCASION I NEARLY HIT A PEDESTRIAN. THE BUICK DEALER ADVISED ME TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE POWER STEERING UNIT, WHICH I DID AT MY EXPENSE WITH 67000 MILES ON THE CAR. BUICK REFUSED TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY EVEN THOUGH THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN SAID THAT THIS WAS NOT THE FIRST INSTANCE HE HAD SEEN OF THIS POWER STEERING UNIT FAILURE. INTERESTINGLY, I HAVE TALKED TO ONE PERSON WITH A GMC ARCADIA AND ANOTHER WITH A SATURN OUTLOOK WHO EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM IN THE SAME MILEAGE RANGE. THOSE TWO VEHICLES ARE IDENTICAL TO MY BUICK ENCLAVE. IT APPEARS TO ME THAT GENERAL MOTORS SHOULD ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS PROBLEM AND ISSUE A VEHICLE RECALL.. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10552891

70,000 miles · Nov 7, 2013

Steering

WHEN DRIVING SLOW USUALLY IN PARKING LOTS OR A U-TURN, THE POWER STEERING FAILS AND BECOMES VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN VEHICLE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10551237

58,000 miles · Nov 5, 2013

Steering

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 BUICK ENCLAVE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE VEHICLE BECAME DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE RACK AND PINION WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILUR…

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NHTSA ODI #10550990

52,000 miles · Oct 29, 2013

Power TrainSteering

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POWER STEERING HAS AN AWFUL GRINDING/WHINING NOISE AND CAR GETS HARD TO STEER. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE FROM GM AND THEY EXPECT THE CUSTOMER TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS. 2000 MILES OVER THEIR WARRANTY. THEY ALSO STATE MY RACK AND PINION NEEDS REPLACED, WHICH IS ANOTHER KNOWN ISSUE. NOT COVERED UNDER THE DRIVE TRAIN WARRANTY IS ABSURD. WHEN WILL THE CUSTOMER BENEFIT? THEY GET BAILED OUT AND THIS IS HOW THEY REPAY US. INVESTIGATE THESE ISSUE. 52,000 MILES AND I'VE BEEN IN THE SHOP 6 TIMES. POWER STEERING, AIR BAGS, SEAT BELT ISSUES, WATER PUMP, SHEERED FRAME BOLT, DEAD BATTERY. THE CAR IS 3 YEARS OLD FOR GOODNESS SAKE PLEASE INVESTIGATE THESE REPEATED ISSUES!! *TR

NHTSA ODI #10549915

60,000 miles · Oct 6, 2013

Steering

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2010 BUICK ENCLAVE" STEERING PROBLEM: WHEN TRYING TO MAKE A "SHARP" OR "U-TURN" AT AN INTERSECTION, PARKING SPOT OR TURN AROUND, THE STEERING WHEEL AND CAR WHEELS SEEM TO "LOCK UP" TO THE POINT WHERE VEHICLE ALMOST STOPS BY ITSELF. YOU HAVE TO TRY TURNING STEERING BACK AND STEPPING DOWN ON ACCELERATOR TO GET CAR MOVING AGAIN. LUCKILY, IT HAS NOT HAPPENED AT A BUSY INTERSECTION, OTHERWISE I'M SURE THIS COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. THIS HAS HAPPENED A IN THE PAST, SINCE WE'VE HAD THE VEHICLE(2 YEARS) BUT MORE AND MORE RECENTLY. MY WIFE MOSTLY DRIVES THIS CAR BUT I ALSO HAVE NOTICED IT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10546907

10,000 miles · Sep 25, 2013

Steering

THE POWER STEERING UNIT LEAKS AND POWER STEERING IS LOST. THIS POWER STEERING ISSUE OCCURS AT ALL SPEEDS IN ALL DRIVING CONDTIONS. THE VEHICLE IS 3.5 YEARS OLD WITH 40,000 MILES. THE POWER STEERING HAS BEEN REPLACED 4 TIMES IN THIS TIME PERIOD. *JS

NHTSA ODI #10545437

71,000 miles · Sep 8, 2013

Steering

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I PURCHASED THIS CAR USED WITH AROUND 70,000 MILES. I NOTICED AFTER DRIVING IT FOR A SHORT TIME AFTER THE PURCHASE THAT THE POWER STEERING SHUTS OFF WHEN CONDUCTING LOW SPEED TURNS, NEARLY CAUSING ME TO HAVE A FEW WRECKS. THIS IS ESPECIALLY NOTICEABLE IN PARKING LOTS THAT REQUIRE PRECISE STEERING. I HAVE NOT NOTICED ANY ISSUES DRIVING AROUND CURVES AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, ONLY SLOW TURNS AT 20 MPH OR LESS. THE POWER STEERING FLUID LEVEL IS NORMAL, AND THERE ARE NOT ANY LEAKS THAT I COULD FIND. AFTER GETTING A RECALL NOTICE ABOUT THE WATER PUMP SHAFT (NOTICE 13079) AND LOOKING IT UP ON-LINE, I SAW THAT THE POWER STEERING ISSUE I HAVE IS VERY COMMON, HOWEVER THERE ARE NOT ANY RECALLS FOR THAT...YET, ALTHOUGH THERE NEEDS TO BE.

NHTSA ODI #10542481

70,000 miles · Aug 27, 2013

Steering

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THE CAR HAS HAD A WHINING NOISE IN THE STEERING FOR A LONG TIME. HAVE BEEN TOLD LOTS OF THINGS ABOUT THE SOUND AND THE REASON BEHIND THE SOUND. ABOUT 3 MONTHS AGO WHILE MAKING A U-TURN AT RED LIGHT THE CAR'S STEERING LOST ITS POWER STEERING MOMENTARILY. IT BECOME EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO COMPLETE THE TURN AND MADE FOR A VERY DIFFICULT SITUATION. ONCOMING CARS WERE NOT AS EASY TO AVOID AS THE STEERING BECOME ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE. AT A LOCAL AUTO REPAIR SHOP AFTER THE INCIDENT WE WERE TOLD THAT THIS WAS A VERY COMMON INCIDENT WITH THE BUICK ENCLAVE. WE THEN CALLED A LOCAL GM DEALER AND THEIR SERVICE DEPARTMENT, ONLY TO BE TOLD THAT THERE OCCASIONALLY IS AIR BUBBLES THAT HAPPEN IN POWER STEERING SYSTEMS AND THAT THE WHINING NOISE IS OKAY. I ASKED IF THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM TO BE TOLD THAT THIS IS NOT COMMON, EVEN THOUGH I WAS TOLD BY A AUTO REPAIR SHOP THAT IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM. AFTER DEALING WITH THIS PROBLEM FOR THE LAST 3 MONTHS AND PUTTING MY SMALL CHILDREN AND WIFE IN THE CAR, I AM UNABLE TO DO THIS ANY LONGER. IT IS NOT A SAFE SITUATION, NOT EVEN A LITTLE BIT. MY WIFE NEARLY WRECKS INTO OTHER CARS PRETTY MUCH ANYTIME SHE TRIES TO PARK THE CAR IN A STORE PARKING LOT. AFTER RESEARCHING THE INTERNET, I AM FINDING THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I WOULD LIKE TO BELIEVE THAT MAYBE IT WAS JUST MY CAR, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT EVERY BUICK ENCLAVE SHOULD LOSE ITS POWER STEERING AT 70000 MILES. THAT IS NOT GOOD. DO SOMETHING PLEASE! *TR

NHTSA ODI #10537586

Official recalls

21V782000 · Air Bags:frontal; Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module

Oct 7, 2021

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2008-2017 Buick Enclave and 2013-2017 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to a manufacturing defect.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the driver's air bag module, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on November 3, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 10, 2022. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N212349040.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the driver's air bag module, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on November 3, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 10, 2022. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N212349040.

Air Bags:frontal

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

21V246000 · Air Bags:critical Fasteners

Apr 8, 2021

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2015, 2017 Buick Enclave, 2010-2019 Chevrolet Traverse, and 2011-2016 GMC Acadia vehicles. The side curtain air bags may not be properly attached.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Unsecured side curtain air bags may not perform as intended, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, realign or replace the weld nuts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 24, 2021. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N202321200.

15V415000 · Structure:body:hatchback/liftgate

Jun 30, 2015

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured January 3, 2007, to February 29, 2012, 2009-2012 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured July 6, 2008, to March 9, 2012, 2007-2012 GMC Acadia vehicles manufactured September 15, 2006, to February 29, 2012, and 2007-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles manufactured August 17, 2006, to March 18, 2010. The affected vehicles, equipped with the power liftgate option, have gas struts that hold the power liftgate up when open. These struts may prematurely wear and the open liftgate may suddenly fall.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the open liftgate unexpectedly falls, it may strike a person, increasing their risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the power liftgate actuator motor control unit so that the motor will prevent the rapid closing of the lift gate, free of charge. The recall began on November 15, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, and Saturn customer service at 1-800-553-6000. GM's number for this recall is 15240.

14V266000 · Seat Belts

May 20, 2014

General Motors is recalling certain model year 2009-2014 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured April 14, 2008, through May 14, 2014, Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured June 6, 2008, through May 14, 2014, and GMC Acadia vehicles manufactured April 9, 2008, through May 14, 2014, and 2009-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles manufactured April 14, 2008, through March 18, 2010. In the affected vehicles, the flexible steel cable that connects the seatbelt to the front outboard seating positions may fatigue and separate over time.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the steel cable becomes fatigued and separates, the seatbelt may not properly restrain the seat occupant increasing the risk of an injury in a crash.

Remedy: General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, repair and replace the lap pretensioner, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. An interim notice will be mailed to owners in July 2014. A second notice will be mailed to owners once parts become available. The recall for the 2009-2010 model years began on July 11, 2014. The interim letter for the 2011-2014 model years were distributed on July 11, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-462-8782 (GMC), 1-800-553-6000 (Saturn). General Motors recall number for this campaign is 14187.

14V118000 · Air Bags:side/window

Mar 17, 2014

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2013 Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia and 2009-2013 Chevrolet Traverse and 2008-2010 Saturn Outlook vehicles. In the affected vehicles, increased resistance in the driver and passenger seat mounted side impact air bag (SIAB) wiring harnesses may result in the SIAB and seat belt pretensioners not deploying in the event of a crash.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Failure of the side impact air bags and seat belt pretensioners to deploy in a crash increase the risk of injury to the driver and front seat occupant.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected harness connections with soldered connections, free of charge. The recall began on June 16, 2014. Buick owners may contact the owner center at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet owners at 1-866-694-6546, Saturn at 1-800-553-6000, and GMC owners at 1-866-996-9463. GM's number for this recall is 14030. Note: Vehicles repaired as part of Customer Satisfaction Campaign 10085 and special coverage 10335 have already had the subject condition repaired and therefore are not included in the safety recall.

10V375000 · Seat Belts

Aug 12, 2010

GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009-2010 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE, BUICK ENCLAVE, GMC ACADIA, AND SATURN OUTLOOK VEHICLES. THE SECOND ROW SEAT SIDE TRIM SHIELD RESTRICTS THE UPWARD ROTATION OF THE SAFETY BELT BUCKLE WHEN THE SEAT BACK IS RETURNED TO A SEATING POSITION AFTER BEING FOLDED FLAT. IF THE BUCKLE CONTACTS THE SEAT FRAME, ADDITIONAL EFFORT IS REQUIRED TO RETURN THE SEAT TO A SEATING POSITION. IF SUFFICIENT FORCE IS APPLIED, THE BUCKLE COVER COULD BE PUSHED DOWN THE STRAP, EXPOSING AND PARTIALLY DEPRESSING THE RED RELEASE BUTTON.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THE SAFETY BELT MAY NOT RESTRAIN THE OCCUPANT AS INTENDED DURING A CRASH, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY TO THE SEAT OCCUPANT.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL MODIFY THE SECOND ROW SEAT SIDE TRIM SHIELDS. IF A SAFETY BELT BUCKLE IS DAMAGED, DEALERS WILL REPLACE IT FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 18, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463, AND SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876, OR AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

EA20002 · Outboard Front Seat Belt Anchor Cable Failure

Opened Aug 31, 2020 · Closed Aug 30, 2024

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Seat Belts; Seat Belts:front; Seat Belts:front:anchorage

On August 31, 2020, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened Engineering Analysis (EA) EA20002, as an upgrade of Recall Query (RQ) RQ19003. This investigation, related to recall 14V-266, was opened to investigate instances of detachment of the flexible steel seat belt anchor cable attached to the outboard side of the front seats in vehicles manufactured by General Motors (GM). The subject vehicles included model year (MY) 2009 through 2014 GMC Acadia, Buick Enclave, and Chevrolet Traverse SUVs as well as MY 2009 through 2010 Saturn Outlook SUVs. These vehicles were previously repaired for this defect under recall 14V-266. The subject vehicle population is approximately 1.3 million vehicles. Special Coverage N192219480, issued in June 2019, addressed the subject defect in vehicles that previously received the recall remedy repair for subject recall 14V-266. The Special Coverage allows for component replacement for 12 years or 180,000 miles from the initial sale date, whichever comes first. Special Coverage N192219480 instructed service technicians to inspect the driver’s seat belt anchor cable for any damage to the protective sleeve and if damage was observed, the cable was replaced with a new sleeve as well as a new closeout piece that relocated the cable to mitigate the subject condition. In view of the Special Coverage conducted by General Motors, the high detectability of the subject failure, and the low rate of occurrence, this Engineering Analysis is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov. Please see the attached document “EA20-002 Detailed Closing Summary” for more a detailed closing resume summary.

Additional source detail variants (3)

Seat Belts:front:anchorage

Seat Belts:front

Seat Belts

RQ19003 · Seat Belt Anchor Cable Failure

Opened May 28, 2019 · Closed Aug 31, 2020

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Seat Belts:front; Seat Belts:front:anchorage; Seat Belts:pretensioner

On May 19, 2014, General Motors LLC (GM) notified the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) that it would conduct Safety Recall 14V266 to address fatigue and separation of the flexible steel cable that connects the front outboard seat belts to the seat-mounted belt pre-tensioner in 1.4 million model year (MY) 2009-2010 Saturn Outlook, 2009-2014 Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Chevrolet Traverse (Lambda Platform) vehicles.The remedy was to inspect for signs of damage and replace pre-tensioner anchor cables as needed. Re-work was conducted to relocate the pre-tensioner anchor cable out of the occupant entry path. ODI has subsequently received four (4) Vehicle Owners Questionnaires (VOQ) reporting anchor cable separations with no apparent warning in covered vehicles after the Recall 14V266 remedy had been applied.ODI opened RQ19-003 to assess the effectiveness of the actions GM took in Recall 14V266 and review the full warranty and complaint data related to seat belt anchor cable separations and replacements. ODI continues to receive occasional cable failure complaints both for the subject vehicles and other GM models and model years that have also been previously recalled addressing this condition.Although the cable separation complaint rate is very low, over the past three years ODI has received two (2) additional VOQ?s citing belt cable separations for Lambda platform vehicles outside the scope of recall 14V266, (11217092, 11118075) and complaints for other GM models covered in a number of similar Safety Recalls:* 15V269, 2011-12 Chevrolet Malibu (11181115, 11288168); * 16V209, 2014-15 Silverado 1500, Sierra 1500 (11254364, 10935183, 10953851, 11025376, 11282043, 11288701, 11309884); and * 16V518 2014-16 Caprice Police Pursuit, SS (10905644, 10990669, 11340893).ODI's review of GM's data confirms the low potential failure rate for the vehicles covered by recall 14V266. However, ODI believes that complainants may not recognize accumulating cable fatigue damage from the visual cues available in routine vehicle use.ODI is upgrading RQ19-003 to an Engineering Analysis to more closely assess seat belt conditions and strength levels in the field. This work will include the collection of seat belt samples from a wider range of recalled and peer vehicles for detailed analysis and testing.The ODI reports (VOQs) associated with this RQ19-003 can be viewed at NHTSA.gov under the following reference numbers: 11144704, 11076704, 11185619, 11151922, 11164011, 10967518, 11113486, 11115648

Additional source detail variants (3)

Seat Belts:front:anchorage

Seat Belts:front

Seat Belts:pretensioner