KnownCarProblems2008 Buick Enclave Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 536 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Buick Enclave, most often about the transmission (26% of complaints, typically around 82,000 miles). It is the most complained-about Enclave model year since 2000 and has 6 recalls.
Most common 2008 Buick Enclave problems
Transmission
139 complaints · 26%Half of these problems showed up before 82,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission.
The power steering lines as well as the transmission cooler lines have defective crimps where the rubber portion of the hose mates with the metal portion. This causes leaking power steering and transmission fluid that could potentially leak onto hot exhaust and start a fire. Or these lines could burst and cause rapid…
Transmission failed 3 weeks out of powertrain warranty and required a rebuild then failed again about a year later. Steering pump and cooling motor failed during warranty period and were replaced and then both failed 18 months later (out of warranty) stabilitrac and check engine lights keep turning on after the dealer…
Air bags
113 complaints · 21%Half of these problems showed up before 85,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, sensor, side/window, srs malfunction warning lamp/light.
In 2012, my 2008 Buick Enclave was recalled due to a malfunction of the airbag. The recall number was #10085. The vehicle was repaired by coleman Buick in lawrenceville, nj in 2012 and the cost of the repairs was covered under the recall. On feb 10, 2015, I took the vehicle to coleman Buick because the passenger side…
I purchased my vehicle january 2014. Since then I have had major issues with it leaking when it rains,. Water enters the sunroof and drips throughout the vehicles overhead as well as soaks the passenger side carpet. Water drips from the visor, the overhead lights (which could result in an electrical fire) in the front…
Steering
99 complaints · 19%Half of these problems showed up before 74,000 miles. Parts named most often: hydraulic power assist, linkages.
Steering rack system had to be replaced due to steering issues while driving. When we took it in to the dealer we were told that it needed to be replaced as it wasn't safe to drive in that condition. We were told that the steering could fail or lockup.
This car has a whinning noise coming from the steering column that gets louder the more drive it. I have contacted the Buick care dept and they indicated it is a known problem but they will not fix it. They had me take my car to the Buick place where I purchased the vehicle and they come up with about 1900.00 to fix…
Engine
86 complaints · 16%Half of these problems showed up before 82,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, cooling system, exhaust system.
The contact owns a 2008 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that while traveling various speeds, the vehicle suddenly lost acceleration power and failed to restart after it was shut down. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was found that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The…
While driving with my daughter, and dogs from the vet; the car began to slow down and eventually stop. I tried to restart and vehicle turn on lights, AC, radio came on however would not crank. Pedestrians pushed me out of harms way and into a parking lot. Towed to dealer immediately without inspection they said it is…
Body and structure
77 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 86,000 miles. Parts named most often: body.
The contact owns a 2008 Buick Enclave. When opening the rear hatch, the door failed to open. The contact stated that the warning light illuminated on the instrument panel, which indicated that the rear door was open. The vehicle was repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 15v415000 (structure:body:hatchback/liftgate)…
On 7/11/2015 when I opened the lift gate of my vehicle, the gate would not stay open. It slowly started to close. This problem persisted for about 4-5 days. About 6 days later, the gate was working fine. On 7/19/15 I opened the lift gate and was standing underneath it getting my child's stroller out of the back of my…
Electrical
73 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 85,500 miles. Parts named most often: ignition, instrument cluster/panel.
For about 6 months my radio has been going in and out like it is shorting out or something. At the same time my put seat belt, turn signal, car open anything with sound goes in and out of working with the sound. My radio sometimes worked sometimes doesn't. Today was blow out sound and I could not turn the sound down…
I purchased my vehicle january 2014. Since then I have had major issues with it leaking when it rains,. Water enters the sunroof and drips throughout the vehicles overhead as well as soaks the passenger side carpet. Water drips from the visor, the overhead lights (which could result in an electrical fire) in the front…
Other or unspecified
37 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 115,000 miles.
Every time it rains water gets into my vehicle from sunroof. I researched information and it was a recall about it in 2009 under customer satisfaction recall nothing is being done about it and water may cause damage that I can not see.
I was driving my vehicle and a bunch of a.c. Coolant came out all at one time and went into my eyes while I was driving. Now my a.c. Won't work. My husband has tried to put more freon in but it keeps doing the same thing. We took it to a repair shop and there are no cracks or leaks however they said the evaporator…
Visibility and wipers
32 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 69,500 miles. Parts named most often: sun/moon roof assembly, defroster/defogger/hvac system, glass, side/rear, windshield.
The contact owns a 2008 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that water was leaking from the sunroof onto the instrument panel and was affecting the blower motor. The contact was concerned that the failure could possibly cause an electrical failure. The dealer advised the contact that there were no recalls and offered no…
My family was driving home from a summer vacation and while on the highway suddenly heard a loud almost gun shot sound. We were surrounded by tons of huge 18 wheelers so we assumed something from one of the trucks hit US. As we kept driving, we kept hearing noises so we pulled over and looked around the whole car but…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2008 Buick Enclave recalls
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Body and structure: hatchback/liftgate
Risk: If the open liftgate unexpectedly falls, it may strike a person, increasing their risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Air bags: side/window
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Electrical: electrical system
Risk: It is possible for the heated washer module to ignite and a fire may occur.
Fix: Dealers will permanently disable and remove the heated washer fluid module. An updated page for the owner manual will be provided and inserted in the owner manual to document that the feature has been permanently disabled and removed from the vehicle. The safety recall began on june 11, 2010. Owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080, cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, saturn at 1-800-972-8876, gmc at 1-866-996-9463 and hummer at 1-800-732-5493 or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.
Full defect summary
Gm is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 buick, lucerne; cadillac dts; hummer h2; model year 2008-2009 buick enclave; cadillac cts; model year 2007-2009 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; gmc acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl; saturn outlook; and model year 2009 chevrolet traverse vehicles equipped with a heated washer fluid system (hwfs). A recall was implemented in 2008 to add a fuse to the control circuit harness to address the potential consequences of a printed circuit board (pcb) electrical short. However, there have been new reports of thermal incidents on hwfs modules after this improvement was installed. These incidents resulted from a new failure mode attributed to the device's thermal protection feature. The significance varies from minor distortion to considerable melting of the plastic around the hwfs fluid chamb
Electrical: electrical system
Risk: This may cause other electrical features to malfunction, create an odor, or cause smoke increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will install a wire harness with an in-line fuse free of charge. The recall began on september 12, 2008. Owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080; cadillac at 1-800-982-2339 or http://www.cadillac.com; chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438; saturn at 1-800-972-8876 or http://www.saturn.com, gmc at 1-866-996-9436; or hummer at 1-800-732-5493; or through their website at <a href=http://www.gmownercenter.com>http://www.gmownercenter.com</a> .
Full defect summary
Gm is recalling 857,735 my 2006-2008 buick lucerne; cadillac dts; hummer h2; my 2007-2008 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; gmc acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl, saturn outlook; and my 2008 buick enclave vehicles equipped with a heated wiper washer fluid system. A short circuit on the printed circuit board for the washer fluid heater may overheat the control-circuit ground wire.
Visibility and wipers: linkages
Risk: If this were to occur, driver visibility could be reduced, which could result in a vehicle crash.
Fix: Dealers will install a new wiper crank arm, driver's side link, and a crank arm nut. The recall began o october 13, 2008. Owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080, gmc at 1-866-996-9463, saturn at 1-800-972-8876, or through their website at <a href=http://www.gmownercenter.com>http://www.gmownercenter.com</a> .
Full defect summary
Gm is recalling 88,809 my 2008 buick enclave, and my 2007-2008 gmc acadia and saturn outlook vehicles currently or previously registered in the following states: alaska, colorado, connecticut, delaware, idaho, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, montana, nebraska, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, north dakota, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, south dakota, utah, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, wyoming, and the district of columbia. If a buildup of snow or ice on the windshield or on the wipers restricts the movement of the wiper arm, the windshield wiper linkage may become detached from the motor shaft and the wipers may become inoperative.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Non-crash engine compartment fires
Summary
In a letter dated august 27, 2008, general motors corp. (gm) notified NHTSA that it will conduct a safety recall (NHTSA recall number 08v-441) to address a safety relateddefect that can result in engine compartment fire in approximately 850,000 vehicles equipped with a heated windshield washer fluid option.the subject vehicles of this investigation comprise over three-quarters of the recall population. According to gm, a short circuit on the printed circuit board for the windshield washer fluid heater module may overheat the control-circuit ground wire. This may cause other electrical features to malfunction, create an odor or cause smoke and in rare cases it may cause a fire.as a remedy, gm
Questions about the 2008 Buick Enclave
- What are the most common problems with the 2008 Buick Enclave?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: transmission (139 complaints, typically around 82,000 miles); air bags (113 complaints, typically around 85,000 miles); steering (99 complaints, typically around 74,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2008 Buick Enclave have?
- 6 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from October 7, 2021 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2008 a bad year for the Buick Enclave?
- It is the most complained-about Enclave model year since 2000, with 536 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.