2009 BUICK ENCLAVE Complaints

AFTER HIGHWAY DRIVING FOR A COUPLE HOURS, I EXITED ONTO THE OFF RAMP AND STOPPED AT THE INTERSECTION. WHEN MY TIME CAME TO TURN, THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD NOT MOVE. I WAS OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC, AND ALMOST WAS HIT BY ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I HAD TO BRUTE FORCE THE STEERING WHEEL TO GET IT TO MOVE WHILE VEHICLE MOVING. WHILE VEHICLE WAS MOVING AT CITY SPEEDS (20-40MPH) I WAS ABLE TO STEER. LATER THAT DAY THE STEERING SEEMED TO WORK AGAIN, BUT WAS NOISY AND MADE SCRAPING SOUNDS AT THE ENDS OF TRAVEL. RECENTLY THE PROBLEM RETURNED AGAIN, WHERE THERE IS NO ASSIST IN STEERING AT STOPPED POSITION (UNLESS I REV THE ENGINE UP TO 2000RPM), AND WHEN I AM DRIVING THE STEERING ASSIST SEEMS TO BE BACK. I AM EXTREMELY CONCERNED THAT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND WILL EVENTUALLY CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. FROM THE OTHER COMPLAINTS IT SOUNDS LIKE THE COMPLETE STEERING SYSTEM IS AT FAULT, AND IN SOME CASES AFTER REPAIR THIS CAN HAPPEN AGAIN. WHAT IS BEING DONE TO REMEDY THIS? THE COMPLAINTS GO BACK TO 2010.... *TR

MY HUSBAND WENT TO MAKE A RIGHT HAND TURN AND WHEN HE TURNED HE LOST POWER STEERING AND THE ABS LIGHT, TRACTION CONTROL ICON, BRAKE LIGHT AND "SERVICE ALL WHEEL DRIVE" ALL CAME ON AT THE SAME TIME. MY DASH LOOKS LIKE A CHRISTMAS TREE. *TR

THE STEERING WHEEL STARTED TO MAKE A RUBBING, SQUEAKING SOUND UPON TURNING LEFT OR RIGHT AT LOW SPEEDS. BY THE NEXT DAY, I HAD LOST POWER STEERING COMPLETELY AT LOW SPEEDS. I WENT TO MAKE A TURN, THINKING I HAD POWER STEERING AND ALMOST GOT IN AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE I WAS UNABLE TO TURN THE CAR AS QUICKLY AS USUAL. IT WAS SO SCARY! I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER WHO HAS HAD IT IN THE SHOP THE LAST FOUR DAYS. THEY ARE REPLACING THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN. I HOPE THAT WILL SOLVE THE PROBLEM, BUT AFTER READING TONS OF COMPLAINTS ONLINE AT BUICK ENCLAVE FORUMS, I FEAR THAT THIS ISSUE IS WIDESPREAD AND IS AN ON-GOING PROBLEM, NO MATTER HOW MANY "FIXES" AT THE DEALERSHIP. *TR

I WAS DRIVING AND ATTEMPTED TO MAKE A TURN, THE POWER STEERING FAILED AND I ALMOST CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE, WITH OTHER TRAFFIC COMING TOWARD ME AROUND 45 MPH. OVER THE PAST COUPLE WEEKS, THE POWER STEERING INTERMITTENTLY FAILED AND TOOK SIGNIFICANT EFFORT TO TURN. THIS IS A USED VEHICLE SO I AM UNSURE OF THE PREVIOUS FREQUENCY OF OCCURRENCE. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE BUICK DEALERSHIP WHO FOUND THE STEERING GEAR WAS AT FAULT AND HAD TO REPLACE IT AT A COST OF $900. UPON RESEARCHING THE CAUSE, I HAVE FOUND THAT THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE WITH THIS AND OTHER GM PRODUCTS. I AM DOCUMENTING THIS TO ASSIST THE BUREAU IN DETERMINING THAT THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE WITH THIS PRODUCT AND SHOULD BE EVALUATED AND ISSUED A RECALL. *TR

THE POWER STEERING LOSES POWER WHEN MAKING A TURN. THE STEERING STILL WORKS JUST WITH NO POWER ASSIST. THIS IS EXTREMELY SCARY AS THE WHEEL SUDDENLY PULLS OUT OF YOUR HAND UNLESS YOU ARE GRIPPING VERY TIGHTLY WITH BOTH HANDS. THE POWER STEERING CAN THEN RETURN JUST AS SUDDENLY. THE ONLY GOOD THING IS THAT IT SEEMS TO ONLY HAPPEN AT LOWER SPEEDS SO WHILE I MAY HIT ANOTHER CAR WHILE PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE I PROBABLY WON'T KILL MYSELF OR SOME OTHER DRIVER WHILE DRIVING AT SPEED. *TR

AT LOW SPEED THE STEERING WILL NOT FUNCTION CORRECTLY. I WAS GOING THRU PARKING GARAGE AND AS I TURNED THE STEERING WOULD NOT RESPOND. THIS IS NOW OCCURRING AT LOW SPEEDS AND STEERING LOCKS UP.IT IS OK AT ABOVE 10MPH. *TR

FIRST NOTICED PROBLEM 5 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE IN OCTOBER 2012. TURNING INTO PARKING LOT, LEFT OR RIGHT AT A STOP LIGHT, STEERING WHEEL LOCKS UP. STEERING RACK REPLACED AND PROBLEM IS STILL NOT FIXED. NOTHING KICKING OUT CODE WITH DIAGNOSTICS AND FLUIDS ARE FINE. *TR

I WAS STOPPED ON THE STREET WAITING TO PULL IN MY DRIVE WAY AS TRAFFIC PASSED. I ATTEMPTED TO TURN EXPECTING TO PULL IN AS NORMAL BUT STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP AND MISSED DRIVEWAY. TO AVOID TRAFFIC ACCELERATED INTO YARD DUE TO STEERING NOT WORKING AS ANTICIPATED. STEERING RETURNED TO NORMAL INTERMITTENTLY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 BUICK ENCLAVE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE POWER STEERING FAILED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE HAD TO INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF EFFORT IN ORDER TO STEER THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,000.

PURCHASED JUNE 2009. COOLANT LEVEL HAS NEVER STAYED AT FULL LEVEL. AFTER ADDING COOLANT IT EVENTUALLY DROPS IN LEVEL. LATELY, HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE POWER STEERING. SOMETIMES IT BECOMES VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN WHEEL. CURRENT MILEAGE IS 89,000. *TR