2008 BUICK ENCLAVE Complaints

PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG SENSOR IN SEAT CUSHION HAS FAILED. AIRBAG WILL NOT OPERATE IN A CRASH. MANUFACTURER WILL NOT COVER THE COST OF REPAIRS. *TR

WHILE TURNING INTO PARKING SPOTS OR IN AN INTERSECTION WHILE AT LOW SPEEDS THE STEERING BECOMES EXTREMELY DIFFICULT IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE. *TR

THE STEERING ON MY CAR IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE WHEN I AM DRIVING UNDER 15 MPH. PLACES SUCH AS PARKING LOTS, BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY, ETC HAS BECOME DANGEROUS FOR ME TO MANEUVER. I AM VERY CONCERNED FOR MY SAFETY. I TOOK IT TO THE SHOP TODAY AND THEY'RE TELLING ME IT'S A KNOWN ISSUE BUT THERE IS NO RECALL...IT'S GOING TO COST ME OVER $2,000 TO FIX. THE POWER STEERING PUMP AND RACK NEED REPLACED. IT'S COMPLETELY RIDICULOUS FOR BUICK TO NOT STAND BEHIND THIS! *TR

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

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BUICK ENCLAVE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING, WHO STATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG SENSOR FAILED. THE FAILURE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE WAS REPORTED TO THE MANUFACTURER. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 76,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BUICK ENCLAVE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING 55 MPH, THE ENGINE SEIZED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT THE ENGINE WOULD NEED REPLACING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL WHITE SUBSTANCE ON THE WHEELS THAT COULD NOT BE REMOVED. THE DEALER DID NOT HAVE A RECOMMENDATION OR A REMEDY FOR THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 82,000. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BUICK ENCLAVE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING 55 MPH, THE ENGINE SEIZED AND THE VEHICLE CAME TO A STOP. THE CONTACT HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A DEALER AND THE ENGINE HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO USER ERROR. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 82,000. *TR

AN AUDIBLE "SLOSHING" SOUND HAD BEEN DETECTED FOR SOME TIME BUT ORIGIN/EXACT LOCATION OF SOUND NOT IDENTIFIED. WHEN PARKING CAR AFTER DRIVING IN THUNDERSTORM ALL WARNING SYSTEMS LIGHTS FLASHED, RADIO STOPPED, AND RADIO AND TURN SIGNALS FAILED. CAR DID RESTART AFTER SITTING FOR BRIEF PERIOD OF TIME AND SYSTEMS WORKED EXCEPT FOR XM RADIO. TOOK VEHICLE TO BUICK DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED PROBLEM AS LEAKING WINDSHIELD, REMOVED AND REINSERTED FUSE FOR XM RADIO, AND REFERRED TO COMPANY WHO HAD REPLACED WINDSHIELD SEVERAL MONTHS BEFORE. WINDSHIELD COMPANY DETERMINED WINDSHIELD NOT LEAKING, BUT DRAINED WATER FROM MOTOR BLOWER AND BLEW OUT DRAINAGE TUBES. ONE WEEK LATER, WATER STARTED TO POUR ON TO PASSENGER FLOOR MAT. WARNING LIGHTS FOR ALL SYSTEMS FLASHED AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEM SHUT DOWN AND CARE WOULD NOT RESTART FOR A FEW MINUTES (AND COULD NOT CONNECT TO ONSTAR). WHEN CAR RESTARTED, LIGHTS DID WORK, BUT TURN SIGNAL INDICATORS INSIDE CAR DID NOT, NOR DID SPEEDOMETER, POWER WINDOWS, PASSENGER AIRBAG, ETC. HAD TO DRIVE 60 MILES TO DEALERSHIP WITHOUT THESE WORKING. PAID TO HAVE "FOAM SEAL" REPLACED TO PREVENT RAIN FROM ENTERING CAR (THE PRESUMED SOURCE OF PROBLEM). THEY ALSO CLAIMED TO HAVE DRAINED WATER FROM MOTOR BLOWER HOUSING CLEARED TUBING. ON THE WAY HOME FROM REPAIR, WATER AGAIN POURED FROM AREA OF MOTOR BLOWER ONTO PASSENGER FLOOR MAT, AND ONCE AGAIN, ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS NOT WORKING. BUICK STILL DOES NOT KNOW WHERE WATER IS COMING FROM, [BUT BELIEVES THAT SINCE ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS WORKING FINE...AFTER SITTING THERE FOR 24 HRS...EVERYTHING IS FINE. OBVIOUSLY IT IS NOT. I HAVE SEEN NUMEROUS SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ONLINE DATING AS FAR BACK AS 3 YEARS. I WILL ADD THAT THIS FOLLOWS 2 YEARS OF DEALING WITH STABILITRAK ...WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO BE A "SAFETY" SYSTEM BUT CAN BE LIFE THREATENING WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY REDUCES POWER IN HEAVY TRAFFIC AND/OR NO MAINTENANCE LANE. *TR

MY 2008 BUICK ENCLAVE ONLY HAS 54000 MILES ON IT AND THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE RPMS WOULD RACE UP BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. THE AIR CONDITIONER ALSO QUIT WORKING AT 39,000 MILES BUT I WAITED UNTIL THIS BREAKDOWN TO FIX IT BECAUSE IT WAS THE BEGINNING OF THE COOL SEASON. THE HIGH PRESSURE LINE TO THE CONDENSER AND EVAPORATOR HAD TO BE REPLACED. *TR

STEERING WOULD CLICK, GRIND & KNOCK WHILE DRIVING, PARTICULARLY WHEN TURNING. WE TOOK OUR ENCLAVE TO AN INDEPENDENT SHOP WHERE THEY FOUND THAT THE RACK AND PINION ASSEMBLY HAD TO BE COMPLETELY REPLACED. IT WAS A SAFETY CONCERN, SO WE HAD THE INDEPENDENT SHOP REPLACE THE RACK AND PINION ASSEMBLY IMMEDIATELY. I'VE CONTACTED GM AS WELL AS THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP SEVERAL TIMES REGARDING THIS ISSUE. ASKING FOR REIMBURSEMENT OF REPAIR COSTS SINCE THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW BY GM, NOT A CONSUMER DRIVING ISSUE. I HAVE 60K MILES ON MY 2008 ENCLAVE AND ALL MAINTENANCE HAS BEEN KEPT UP TO DATE ON THIS VEHICLE AND WE ARE THE ORIGINAL OWNERS. I WAS TOLD THAT THEY WOULD IN NO WAY REIMBURSE ME BECAUSE ONE I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT SHOP NOT A DEALERSHIP AND TWO MY BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY IS OUT AND RACK AND PINION ASSEMBLY IS UNDER BUMPER TO BUMPER NOT THE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY WHICH IS AVAILABLE TO US FOR THE NEXT YEAR (APPROX). I TOLD GM THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL POSTINGS ON THE INTERNET (INCLUDING NHTSA.GOV) REGARDING RACK AND PINION ISSUES WITH THE ENCLAVE. I WAS TOLD THAT THE INTERNET WAS FREE AND ANYONE COULD POST ON THERE. MY RESPONSE BACK WAS I PERSONALLY KNOW TWO ENCLAVE OWNERS THAT THIS HAPPENED TO AND THEIR REPAIRS WERE COVERED BY BUICK BECAUSE THEIR WARRANTY HADN'T EXPIRED. GM TOLD ME THERE IS NO RECALL TO DATE. I FIND THIS TO BE DISAPPOINTING AS THERE OBVIOUS DESIGN FLAW ISSUES WITH THE ENCLAVE. I AM GETTING THE RUN AROUND AND ON MY LATEST CALL WITH A SUPERVISOR AT GM I WAS TOLD THAT HE WOULD PASS THE INFORMATION TO HIS MANAGER, BUT I PROBABLY WOULDN'T GET A CALL BACK BECAUSE THEY ARE MORE HR THEY DON'T HANDLE CUSTOMER ISSUES. I WAS TOLD TO SEND A LETTER TO GM VIA USPS. THE ENCLAVE IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AS THE STEERING CAN LOCK UP AT ANY TIME. I BELIEVE THAT THIS SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED MORE CLOSELY AND AS A RESULT I BELIEVE A RECALL WILL BE DONE. *TR