KnownCarProblems2012 Buick Enclave Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 132 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Buick Enclave, most often about the body and structure (18% of complaints, typically around 76,000 miles). It is 9th of 19 Enclave model years by number of complaints and has 6 recalls.
Most common 2012 Buick Enclave problems
Body and structure
24 complaints · 18%Half of these problems showed up before 76,000 miles. Parts named most often: body.
The contact owns a 2012 Buick Enclave. While the power liftgate was reaching its full position, it independently slammed shut without warning. The vehicle was taken to rk chevrolet (502 n delsea dr, vineland, nj 08360, ([phone]) where it was diagnosed that the hydraulic struts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was…
The contact owns a 2012 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that the liftgate would lift, but fall independently. The failure occurred without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 15v415000 (structure); however…
Engine
24 complaints · 18%Half of these problems showed up before 107,000 miles.
Gm has know about the faulty timing chain and the seals used on the motor for years and continued to use it costing owners thousands of dollars instead of taking the necessary steps to resolve the problem before continuing the manufacturing process. I have oil leaking out from under the vehicle on the passenger side.…
The timing chain failed on my Buick Enclave. This is a known defect that should be covered by gm under a recall. It is happening frequently to other owners as well. It is a safety issue because if it fails while driving it can result in accidents or injury. The issue occurred while moving and impacted performance, but…
Air bags
21 complaints · 16%Half of these problems showed up before 75,000 miles.
The contact owned a 2012 Buick Enclave. While driving approximately 5-10 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed, but failed to stop the vehicle. The contact attempted to shift the vehicle into reverse and park; however, the vehicle kept rolling forward and crashed into another vehicle. There were no injuries and a police…
2 months ago my service air bag icon & message came on my dash when I started my car. I took it to get it looked at they pulled a code but now they have to have my car all day to see where the problem actually is. Costing me lots of money for their labor. Give me a break why isnt this a recall for my car. Obviously…
Electrical
19 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 66,000 miles.
After a battery was replaced 15 sensor circuit alarms appear, all due to loss of voltage, upon driving all but 2 resolved. The 2 remaining are the issue. They were the HVAC door actuator & heater/AC door motor. Both need to be replaced. Dealer would not reimburse me,
The contact owns a 2012 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 52,000.
Other or unspecified
19 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 88,000 miles.
When we press the lifgate button to close it, it will godown and you think it's closing and it makes noises and raises again. Does this several times then you have to press hard and it will finally latch. I just bought this and did not think to check the lift gate on the car lot and was at a store opening it for the…
My tailgate suddenly closes. There was a recall NHTSA # 15v415000 for this issue but my VIN # was not included. My make year and problem matches the recall
Steering
17 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 59,500 miles.
At 60,000 miles noticed a slight "squeak" in my steering when turning. Dealership checked it and stated I needed a new steering rack "...found noice coming from sttering gear input shaft seal, but aslo found steering gear leaking fluid out both end of gear". Quoted me a $1589.00 repair. I was informed this has been an…
Steering gear boots leaking fluid on AWD vehicle. Approx $1780 repair to replace steering gear seals needed per chevrolet dealer service department.
Transmission
13 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 56,500 miles.
Rear differential clutch pak replaced by dealer service department. Under warranty. Oil was dripping from rear, center, near axle. 09/11/2012 first dealership diagnosed "f2023 seal, pinion shaft oil - rear differential " replaced seal. Under warranty - no charge. Mileage 24138. 09/19/2011 still leaking while out of…
The contact owns a 2012 gmc Enclave. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The cause of the failure was not determined. White ford llc., located at 175 old farm rd, roanoke rapids, nc 27870 and the manufacturer were…
Fuel system
8 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 37,000 miles. Parts named most often: storage.
Twice in the last 30 days our Enclave was showing low on gas (usually not an issue) but both times the car sputtered to a stop. Once it quit I lost all power steering and braking. Even after I put gas in the car, the key would not move so I was unable to start the car without a jump. Car was towed to dealership. They…
The contact owns a 2012 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that on several occasions the fuel gauge indicator would display inaccurate fuel levels and cause the vehicle to stall. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who diagnosed that the fuel gauge was fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired.…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2012 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.
Air bags: critical fasteners
Risk: Unsecured side curtain air bags may not perform as intended, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
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.
Seat belts
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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 re
Full defect summary
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.
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.
Visibility and wipers: linkages
Risk: If this occurs, driver visibility could be reduced, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will tighten the wiper arm nuts, free of charge. The safety recall began on april 20, 2012.
Full defect summary
General motors (gm) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 chevrolet traverse, buick enclave, and gmc acadia vehicles currently registered in 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. Snow or ice buildup on the windshield or on the wiper may restrict the movement of the wiper arm, causing the wiper arm to loosen and cause the wiper to 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
Outboard front seat belt anchor cable failure
Summary
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 v
Seat belt anchor cable failure
Summary
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) reportin
Questions about the 2012 Buick Enclave
- What are the most common problems with the 2012 Buick Enclave?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: body and structure (24 complaints, typically around 76,000 miles); engine (24 complaints, typically around 107,000 miles); air bags (21 complaints, typically around 75,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2012 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 2012 a bad year for the Buick Enclave?
- It is 9th of 19 Enclave model years by number of complaints, with 132 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.