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

59,000 miles · May 15, 2013

Suspension

FRONT STRUTS LOCKED UP AFTER CHANGING TIRES. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10512169

59,000 miles · May 14, 2013

Steering

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THE POWER STEERING PUMP HAS ALREADY GONE BAD. APPARENTLY, THIS IS A WIDE-SPREAD PROBLEM AS A SIMPLE GOOGLE SEARCH TURNED UP MANY PEOPLE WITH 2009/2010 ENCLAVES THAT HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THEIR POWER STEERING PUMP BETWEEN 50K AND 75K MILES. MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS HAVE ACTUALLY HAD THE RACK AND PINON STEERING NEEDED REPLACED AS A RESULT OF THE SAME PROBLEM. (BAD PUMP CAUSED DAMAGE TO OTHER PARTS). THE DEALERSHIP CANNOT ASCERTAIN AT THIS TIME WHETHER MY VEHICLE NEEDS NEW RACK AND PINION STEERING YET UNTIL THEY REPLACE THE PUMP FIRST. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10511862

62,300 miles · Apr 19, 2013

Steering

INSPECTION REVEALS POWER STEERING FLUID NEED REPLACING, FOUND RACK AND PINION LEAKING INTO BOOTS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10508860

61,726 miles · Mar 26, 2013

Steering

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THE POWER STEERING GETS VERY STIFF TO THE POINT THAT I HAVE A HARD TIME TURNING OR EVEN TRYING TO TURN THE WHEEL TO PARK! I'VE BEEN READING IN THE INTERNET ABOUT A LOT OF PEOPLE'S COMPLAINTS AND NO ONE HAS DONE ANYTHING ABOUT IT OR EVEN TRY TO INVESTIGATE IF IT COULD BE A PROBLEM DUE TO FAULTY EQUIPMENT!! THE REPAIR COST IS VERY EXPENSIVE $2400.00 DOLLARS WE NEED SOMEONE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM! MAYBE THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL!! DUE TO FAULTY OR DEFECTIVE EQUIPMENT!!!! PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO READ EVERYBODY'S COMPLAINTS IN THE INTERNET !! THE WORST THING ABOUT IT WE CAN NOT GET ANY TYPE OF ASSISTANCE FOR THIS EXPENSIVE REPAIRS!! PLEASE HELP!! *TR

NHTSA ODI #10504621

30,750 miles · Mar 16, 2013

Electrical System

THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILED. IT CEASED OPERATING. AS WELL, THE EMERGENCY FLASHERS CEASED WORKING. THERE NEEDS TO BE CAREFULLY DESIGNED REDUNDANCY FOR THE EMERGENCY FLASHERS WITH RECHARGEABLE BACKUP BATTERY. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10503245

64,000 miles · Feb 15, 2013

Power TrainSteering

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1- WE BOUGHT OUR USED 2010 BUICK ENCLAVE IN JUNE 2010 WITH ~24000 MI. (BOUGHT FROM A DEALER; CAR HAD BEEN OWNED BY A RENTAL CAR PLACE.) AFTER ONLY A COUPLE MONTHS THE # OF TIMES THE STEERING TIGHTENED BEGAN TO INCREASE. IT IS ESPECIALLY DIFFICULT GOING INTO/OUT OF PARKING/TIGHT SPACES. YOU HAVE TO USE A LOT OF MUSCLE TO TURN THE CAR. I TOLD THE DEALER ABOUT IT DURING A ROUTINE SERVICE CALL, BUT...OF COURSE...THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG (AT THE TIME IT WAS INFREQ.) I CONTACTED THE DEALER AFTER HAVING THE CAR 1YR. THEY SAID THERE WERE NO RECALLS AND THAT I PUT TOO MANY MILES ON MY CAR FOR THEM TO HOLD IT UNDER WARRANTY; I COULD BRING IT IN FOR A $70 DIAGNOSTIC FEE. THE $70 WOULD NOT BE APPLIED TO ANY SERVICE. I WAS GIVEN A GUESS-TI-MATE OF $1200-1500 IF I HAD PARTS REPLACED...I DECIDED TO WAIT. THE STEERING ISSUE COMES AND GOES BUT NOW HAPPENS ALMOST EVERY TIME I'M IN A TIGHT TURN. I CAN'T BELIEVE GM STILL HAS NOT BEEN MADE TO RECALL THIS ISSUE. 2 - MY CAR DOES THE ROLL-BACK ON ALL INCLINES TOO. I AGREE WITH OTHER CAR OWNERS - THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN IN AN AUTOMATIC. PLEASE MAKE GM ACCOUNTABLE FOR THESE ISSUES. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10498321

60,000 miles · Sep 3, 2012

Visibility/wiper

SIDE MIRRORS FAIL TO FOLD OR IF FOLDED WILL NOT UNFOLD LIMITING VISIBILITY, FIRST WAS THE DRIVER SIDE, BY NOW REPAIRED, NOW THE PASSENGER SIDE MIRROR AS OF AUGUST 2012. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10473645

29,194 miles · Aug 15, 2012

Electronic Stability Control (esc)EnginePower Train

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ON JULY 12, 2012 WHILE ENTERING THE INTERSTATE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND TRACTION STABILITY SERVICE LIGHT CAME ON. THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE OR SHIFT, I COULD NOT INCREASE SPEED TO MERGE INTO HIGHWAY TRAFFIC, AS I TRIED TO MERGE THE VEHICLE SLOWLY INCREASED SPEED, NOT NORMALLY ACCELERATING. I EVENTUALLY WAS ABLE TO GET TO 55 MPH. THE NEXT TIME I DROVE THE CAR IT ACTED FINE. TWO DAYS LATER WHILE DRIVING AT 60 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE WITHOUT WARNING THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, TRACTION STABILITY SERVICE WARNING LIGHT, THE ABS BRAKE WARNING LIGHT ALL CAME ON THE BRAKES FELT LIKE MUSH, THE CAR SLOWED IN TRAFFIC, ALL WHILE IN THE PASSING LANE WITH TRAFFIC BEHIND ME. THIS CREATED AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CONDITION THAT COULD HAVE EASILY RESULTED IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. I EVENTUALLY WAS ABLE TO MOVE TO THE MIDDLE LANE (3 LANE ROADWAY) AND NURSED THE VEHICLE DESTINATION. WHEN I STARTED OUT AGAIN IT ACTED FINE W/CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND TRACTION SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT ON THEN W/OUT WARNING WHILE TRYING TO ENTER THE INTERSTATE AGAIN ALL GAUGES FAILED, AC SHUT OFF, CRUISE CONTROL POWER WENT OFF, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE, WOULD NOT SHIFT, SPEED SLOWED FROM 30 TO NEAR 20, THEN SYSTEMS STARTED TO TURN BACK ONE AT A TIME & WAS ABLE TO NURSE THE CAR HOME AT 50 - 55 MPH, IT WOULD NOT SHIFT OR ACCELERATE CORRECTLY. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER,WHERE PURCHASED, THEY HAD THE VEHICLE FOR 2 1/2 WEEKS CALLED ME STATED "WE CAN NOT GET IT TO ACT UP, COME AND PICK UP CAR" NOT REPAIRED. I ASKED ABOUT CODES IN COMPUTER, I HAVE A COPY OF THESE, THEY STATED THEY WERE HISTORY CODES NOT HARD CODES. WHEN I ASKED ABOUT THEM FORCING ME TO DRIVE A DANGEROUS VEHICLE, COULD CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH, THEY SAID IF IT ACTS UP TO BRING IT BACK. WITHIN 12 HRS THE SAME EVENTS OCCURRED AS LISTED ABOVE. I DROVE IT TO THEM WHILE ALL WARNING LIGHTS WERE ON. THEY STILL HAVE CAR IT HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED YET. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10470834

55,000 miles · Jul 13, 2012

Steering

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WENT TO TURN LEFT FROM A SLOW COAST OFF OF A TWO LANE ROAD INTO A PARKING LOT WITH TRAFFIC COMING FROM OPPOSITE DIRECTION. THE STEERING GOT REALLY TIGHT AND I NEEDED MAXIMUM FORCE FROM MY ARMS TO TURN THE WHEEL TO GET THE CAR OUT OF THE WAY OF AN ONCOMING VEHICLE THAT HAD TO QUICKLY APPLY BRAKES TO AVOID HITTING ME. I HAD JUST GOT TWO NEW TIRES WHEN THE EVENT OCCURRED AND SPENT THE NEXT 10 MONTHS WITH TWO MORE TIRES THINKING THE TIRE STORE HAD MESSED UP THE STEERING . THEY LOOKED IT OVER TWICE AND COULDN'T FIND ANY ISSUES. THE STEERING BECAME SO THE TIGHTNESS WAS FELT MOSTLY GETTING INTO PARKING SPACES AT SLOW SPEEDS. THEN, I ALMOST HIT A PARKED CAR THE FIRST WEEK OF JUNE WHEN TURNING LEFT AGAIN FROM NOT BEING ABLE TO TURN THE WHEEL, SO I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY DIAGNOSED A FAILED STEERING PUMP AND A LEAK IN THE STEERING RACK. GMC PAID FOR THE PARTS AND I PAID $700.00 FOR THE LABOR. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10465610

61,000 miles · Jul 13, 2012

Steering

I NARROWLY AVOIDED 2 ACCIDENTS RECENTLY WHEN I WAS UNABLE TO TURN MY VEHICLE INTO DRIVEWAYS WITH VEHICLES COMING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD NOT TURN. THE SERVICE MANAGER AT THE BUICK DEALERSHIP SAID THAT IT WAS A POWER STEERING FAILURE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10465599

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