2009 BUICK ENCLAVE Complaints

WHILE WIFE WAS DRIVING HER BUICK ENCLAVE WITH THE KIDS THE POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED AND SHE NARROWLY AVERTED BEING IN AN ACCIDENT WHILE TRYING TO TURN ON AN INTERSECTION. SHE WAS UNABLE TO MANEUVER THE VEHICLE AFTER THE PUMP FAILED. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP AND IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE PUMP WAS INDEED BAD. THE DEALER ALSO STATED THAT THE NEED TO KEEP THE PUMP IN STOCK BECAUSE OF THE AMOUNT OF FAILURES THEY SEE ON THE BUICKS AND ALSO THE CHEVY TRAVERSE. A SEARCH ON THE INTERNET REVEALED HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS OF PEOPLE LOSING POWER STEERING ON THE CHEVYS AND BUICK MODELS WITH NOTHING BEING DONE BY GM TO REMEDY THE SITUATION. LOSING THE ABILITY TO STEER A VEHICLE WITHOUT ANY WARNING IS A FATALLY OR SERIOUS ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN(IF NOT ALREADY). SOMETHING NEEDS DONE TO HAVE THESE KNOWN FAULTY PARTS RECALLED OR A FIX IN PLACE. OTHER BUICK ENCLAVE OWNERS AS WELL AS THE DEALERSHIP HAVE STATED THAT REPLACING THE PUMP DOES NOT PERMANENTLY FIX THE PROBLEM BUT ONLY DELAYS THE PROBLEM UNTIL IT OCCURS AGAIN. HOPEFULLY MY WIFE AND KIDS WILL STAY OUT OF HARMS WAY WHEN IT HAPPENS AGAIN. PLEASE PRESS GM FOR A FIX TO THIS PROBLEM BEFORE SOMEONE IS INJURED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 BUICK ENCLAVE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE SITTING AT A COMPLETE STOP, SMOKE EMITTED INTO THE CABIN FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT THEN BECAME ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED TO THE SCENE AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE POWER STEERING COMPONENTS HAD FAILED AND ALLOWED FLUID TO LEAK ONTO THE MANIFOLD. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 72,000.

I TOOK MY CAR IN TO BE FIXED AGAIN. I NEEDED THE RUNNING LIGHTS AND A HESITATION IN THE CAR FIXED. SO THEY FIXED THE PROBLEMS, BUT WHEN THEY WENT TO TEST DRIVE IT THE POWER STEERING FAILED. NOW THE POWER STEERING NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. IT SEEMS THIS CAR IS NEEDS TO BE FIXED ALL THE TIME. I HAVE HAD A LOT OF CARS AND THIS IS THE MOST I HAVE EVER HAD PROBLEMS WITH A CAR. IT REALLY SCARES ME THAT THIS CAN BE FIXED BUT WILL MOST LIKELY FAIL AGAIN DUE TO THE PROBLEMS WITH GM'S STEERING. *TR

I BROUGHT MY CAR INTO THE DEALERSHIP IN LATE 2012 FOR A SOUND THAT IT WAS MAKING WHEN I TURNED MY STEERING WHEEL. THEY TOLD ME IT WAS "AN AIR BUBBLE IN THE POWER STEERING LINE" THE SOUND NEVER WENT AWAY AND ONLY GOT WORSE- I BROUGHT IT BACK INTO THE SHOP THIS WEEK- 11/13/13- NOT THE DEALERSHIP- AND I AM NOT BEING TOLD THAT MY POWER STEERING IS GOING OUT AND IT HAS BEEN LEAKING FLUID AND DAMAGED MY RACK AND PINION. CLEARLY THERE ARE NUMEROUS OTHER CUSTOMERS WITH THIS SAME ISSUE AND PEOPLE HAVE HAD THEIR POWER STEERING FAIL ON THEM WHILE DRIVING- THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE AND IN MY OPINION DUE TO THE RATE OF OCCURRENCE SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BY THE MANUFACTURER. *TR

I OWN A 2009 BUICK ENCLAVE THAT STARTED EXPERIENCING INTERMITTENT STEERING LOCK-UP ISSUES AT APPROXIMATELY 55,000 MILES. THE STEERING WOULD INTERMITTENTLY 'LOCK-UP' ESPECIALLY AT SPEEDS BELOW 35 MPH WITHOUT WARNING, THE PROBLEM BECAME MUCH WORSE OVER TIME. WE FREQUENTLY TRAVEL TO THE NC MOUNTAINS WHERE THERE ARE MANY 2 LANE CURVY ROADS GOING UP/DOWN THE MOUNTAINS, THE PROBLEM WAS ESPECIALLY NOTICEABLE WHEN TRAVELING IN THE NC MOUNTAINS. A VEHICLE HAVING THE STEERING 'LOCK-UP' IS A DEFINITE SAFETY ISSUE. I HAD THE VEHICLE REPAIRED BY THE DEALERSHIP WHEN IT REACHED 68,295 MILES FOR $2186.50 DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS OF HARMING ONE OF MY CHILDREN OR WIFE SHOULD A WRECK OCCUR DUE TO NOT BEING ABLE TO STEER THE VEHICLE. THE REPAIRS CONSISTED OF REPLACING THE DEFECTIVE 'STEERING GEAR' AS WELL AS THE POWER STEERING PUMP DUE TO METAL SHAVINGS FROM THE DISINTEGRATING STEERING GEAR GETTING INTO THE POWER STEERING PUMP. IN SEARCHING ENCVLAVEFORUM.NET MANY USERS COMPLAINED OF THE SAME ISSUE WITH VEHICLES IN THE LAMBDA FAMILY (ENCLAVE, TRAVERSE, ACADIA). A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED FOR THIS DEFECT. *TR

THE VEHICLE (2009 BUICK ENCLAVE) WAS BEING SERVICED AT A GM DEALER FOR INVESTIGATION OF A NOISE WE HAVE HEARD WHILE DRIVING THE CAR. THE MECHANICS DETERMINED THAT THE NOISE WAS DUE TO THE STEERING MECHANISM WHICH WAS BEGINNING TO FAIL AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED TO AVOID POTENTIAL LOSS OF STEERING. *TR

GOT INTO A MAJOR ACCIDENT TWO CARS RAN INTO MY VEHICLE AND EVERYONE WAS INJURED AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT COME ON TO PREVENT THAT. I HAVE INSURANCE AND POLICE REPORT THAT STATES THIS. *TR

MY VEHICLE HAS EXPERIENCED THE EXACT SAME AS NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS FOR THIS MODEL AND YEAR. AT LOW SPEEDS, THE POWER STEERING WILL INTERMITTENTLY FAIL. JUST AS EVERYONE ELSE, I AM TOLD I NEED A NEW STEERING GEAR, POWER STEERING PUMP, AND ALIGNMENT. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. RECENTLY WHEN TRYING TO PULL OUT FROM A GAS STATION, THE POWER STEERING FAILED AND IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO CONTINUE TURNING INTO NEAR LANE WITHOUT BEING PULLED INTO THE FARTHER LANE WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC. IF THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A DAUGHTER, I CANNOT IMAGINE WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED (PULL INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC FOR A HEAD ON COLLISION AND POSSIBLE DEATH). FURTHER, TO DEMONSTRATE BUICK AND GM ARE FULLY AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM, WHEN I HAD IT INVESTIGATED AT THE LOCAL BUICK DEALER, THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TOLD ME THAT GM CHANGED THE POWER STEERING PUMP AFTER THAT MODEL YEAR BECAUSE THE "7-VAN PUMP" INSTALLED DOES NOT GIVE A GREAT AMOUNT OF FLOW OF FLUID, AND IT IS NOW REPLACED WITH A 12-VANE PUMP. HE PROBABLY WASN'T SUPPOSED TO TELL ME THAT. BUICK AND GM OFFER ABSOLUTELY NO ASSISTANCE. IT IS ONE THING IF THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH AN AMENITY OR SOMETHING. BUT A SAFETY ISSUE SHOULD BE RECALLED OR ASSISTANCE GIVEN. AGAIN, THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS OF EXACTLY THE SAME ISSUE. IS IT GOING TO TAKE SOMEONE PULLING OUT AND BEING PULLED INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC BEFORE GM DOES THE RIGHT THING? WILL AN INNOCENT PERSON HAVE TO DIE BEFORE THE PROPER ACTION IS TAKEN? VERY UPSET WITH THE LACK OF INTEREST FROM GM AND BUICK FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF "SAVING A BUCK". WHERE IS THE INTEGRITY? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 BUICK ENCLAVE. WHILE STOPPED AND ON A SLIGHT INCLINE, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE ROLLED AWAY IN REVERSE. THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED OR DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,000.

INTERMITTENT, COMPLETE FAILURE OF POWER STEERING / STEERING ASSIST AT LOW SPEEDS, E.G. WHEN BRAKING AT A LEFT TURN OR WHEN PARKING, RESULTING IN DIFFICULTY CONTROLLING THE DIRECTION OF THE VEHICLE. *TR