10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
71,144 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2009 Buick Enclave steering problems

steering problem

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2009 Buick Enclave Owner Comments (Page 3 of 6)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #66

Nov 292014

Enclave

  • 63,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The key gets stuck in the ignition in the direction of the car being on and wont turn backwards so you cant turn vehicle off.

- Merrillville, IN, USA

problem #65

Nov 172014

Enclave 6-cyl

  • 61,450 miles
I was coming up to turn into my driveway and lost power steering. This condition about led me to hit another car. At higher rpms the power steering comes back but at an idle or just above it requires great effort to turn the vehicle.

- Machesney Park, IL, USA

problem #64

May 102013

Enclave 6-cyl

  • 68,032 miles
Issue: Car makes loud screeching noise, loss of power steering, engine fan constantly running and car A/C heats on one side and cools on the other. Resolution: Dealership located leaking gear and pump damaged which caused noise. Replaced power steering gear and power steering pump. Flushed power steering system and evac and recharge A/C system. Issue #6

- Raleigh, NC, USA

problem #63

Sep 112014

Enclave

  • 93,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

September 11, 2014 - power steering failed out of no-where while making a left hand turn into a parking lot. Difficult to move car into the parking spot. After approximately 90 minutes of being parked power steering was working fine. October 1st, 2014 while driving on a major highway the antilock brake system (ABS) warning light on, stabilitrak indicator light on/service stabilitrak message displayed in dic. Since we were on the highway we continued driving until we got to our location and parked the car. Approximately 2 hours later we started the car and the warning lights were off. We then proceeded to drive home and less than a mile down the road the power steering failed again as we were making a left hand turn. This time it''s not resolving itself. Car is not drivable..

- Center Valley, PA, USA

problem #62

Apr 012014

Enclave 6-cyl

  • 110,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Buick Enclave. While driving 15 mph and turning in either direction, the steering wheel would become very difficult to turn. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who added power steering fluid, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 110,000..updated 11/03/14 the power steering pump and pinion were replaced. Also, it was discovered the pulley seized on the shaft. Updated 11/07/14

- Warsaw, MO, USA

problem #61

Aug 292014

Enclave 6-cyl

  • 76,000 miles
2009 Buick Enclave 80K miles - power steering intermittently fails, predominately at low speeds and sharper turns, with no warning.

- Richmond, VA, USA

problem #60

Jun 072014

Enclave 6-cyl

  • 80,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Driving home and the stabilitrak and traction control light comes on. Car now spins tires and has disabled the ABS. Very unstable car with ABS not working properly. Take my vehicle in for routine maintenance and was told rack and pinion is leaking. Got online and see class action law suit against GM for this same reason. No recall. I don't see how GM does not think this is a safety issue. To be driving down the road and steering fail. Not only endangering people in the car but also everybody else around them. I'm starting to hate this car. Looks good from a distance but the problems GM has had with these models Enclave, traverse, acadia all models with this steering system. Not a cheap fix either! my father worked for GM so that's all we buy. Seriously reconsidering though.

- Cartersville, GA, USA

problem #59

Jan 022014

Enclave 6-cyl

  • 40,000 miles
Loss of power steering at low speeds. Initially occurred occasionally, but frequency has increased to the point where it now occurs almost daily. Prior to steering failure, I did notice a funny sound when the steering wheel was turned to far right or left. At first I thought this was just my car, but it would appear that it is a pretty widespread issue judging by the number of complaints lodged, which I am sure represent just a fraction of the owners who have experienced this issue. Given the serious safety issue involved, I am very surprised there has not been a recall since GM seems to be issuing recalls for much less serious issues.

- Jeffersonville, VT, USA

problem #58

Aug 212014

Enclave

  • 95,000 miles
Dealer is telling me the power steering pump and the rack and pinion steering are leaking and need replaced. Estimate is $1754. I just started noticing the steering whining in the past week or so. Warranty ended on the steering at 90,000. From the amount of complaints I see online, it appears something needs to be done about this problem. GM needs to issue a recall.

- Kettering, OH, USA

problem #57

Jun 162014

Enclave

  • 68,000 miles
This problem arises at multiple times daily and it has happened ever since the date of purchase. When you turn usually at slower speeds the steering wheel will become almost impossible to turn at your designated target. In my opinion and it seems to be a common factor with this specific GM/Buick model that out of all the recalls the steering was the biggest concern mentioned but it has not been recalled along with the other issues from this vehicle. I purchased the 2009 Buick Enclave because I trusted GM vehicles and I had my third child on the way so my first choice was a GM vehicle. Presently, my mind and trust has changed about GM vehicles because it seems that the manufacturer is ignoring this huge issue that numerous consumers have filed complaints on. Since my daughter has been born I refuse to put her in that vehicle because of such fear that we will have an accident because of one of the many issues going on with my 09 Buick Enclave. This is very upsetting since myself like many that have purchased this vehicle thought of the purchase as an investment or a new fresh step in life. But now it has turned out to be a huge disappointment and added stress to my families life including a danger to not just us but others.

- Paris, TN, USA

problem #56

Jun 122014

Enclave

  • 61,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The power steering goes in and out while using it. Starting to see on line that this is a very common issue with the make and model. It usually goes out when turning at a high rate of speed or when your parking.

- St. Louis, MO, USA

problem #55

Jan 022014

Enclave

  • 70,000 miles
On January 2, 2014, my wife noticed that her car had a steering issue when turning. At low speeds, the steering becomes hard to turn, as if it was binding. I was informed by a mechanic that most likely it was the rack and pinion. I had that replaced, but still the issue exists. Another auto tech currently is investigating the same issue and believes and believes it is the electronic brake control module, which tells the car to energize a solenoid that assists in steering at slow speeds. This is an issue, for my car does not have a huge amount of miles. What happens if my wife is unable to steer out of the way of a driver who is coming close to hitting her" and she is unable to do so? she might get hurt or even killed. Somebody is going to get sued...either the dealership where I bought the car, or GM itself for knowing about this issue, but refuses to recall the cars. My question is...how many people have to complain, hurt, or killed, because GM refuses to fix this issue? and from what I seen online, there are tons of complaints about this steering issue! where are the bureaucrats who are in charge of transportation" this is not an isolated issue. It is nation wide. I plan on asking my local papers and news organizations about this issue and see if they can do a story about this and get consumers informed about GM products. Maybe GM will issue a recall when it hits them in their profits.

- Mansfield, TX, USA

problem #54

Jun 022014

Enclave 6-cyl

  • 70,000 miles
My vehicle is extremely hard to steer at low rates of speed. It is almost as if the power steering goes out. I was almost in a collision because I was unable to maneuver the car quickly. Thankfully, I was able to get out of the way. I had my children in the car. This issue appears to be frequent and corrected in later Buick Enclave models. This issue is a safety hazard that GM needs to investigate. This faulty power steering pump needs to be recalled immediately.

- Burke, VA, USA

problem #53

Dec 022009

Enclave 6-cyl

  • 67,878 miles
In the past I had jerking or slipping of transmission at approximately 40 miles an hour, or the engine was having a coil miss fire. I had 3 new coils installed by dealer under warranty with similar problems before. Took to dealer and they could not determine if transmission was slipping or engine miss firing, but no code on miss firing engine. Slipping or hesitating of transmission is more likely but can not determine since does not act the same consistently. Steering noise started in the winter approximately November 2013, but off and on since; steering seems a little stiff but not failing yet like so many other complaints I have read about here. I was charged $342.81 for dirty throttle body and oil in the air dust tube which might cause misfire, they cleaned and replaced bank 2 value cover and cleared codes, performed idle lean reset. This did not fix problem on 05/19/2014. I returned on 06/10/14 and left car till 06/11/14 the dealer let me use a loaner over night. The dealer said stumble/misfire at times was not acting up enough to diagnose. I had the cars automatic transmission flush service on 02/26/14 and there was no problem at that time. In the course of owning this vehicle I had 3 coils replaced with problems starting 01/05/10 one coil, second coil on 08/11/10. Third coil shortly thereafter, this is after complaining since 12/02/2009 about engine shudder. The misfire/stumble is still happening about 40 mph and sometimes around 20mph if you are slow going but not on a pull or accelerating. We love the car, but the problems are getting expensive and the worry of what else can go wrong is stressful. I did not mention the warranty repairs of water pump going out front motor mount failure, shift lever, airbags, seat belts, left out remote mirror failure, engine and transmission code updates. Dealer seem ok, so GM can not fix or will not due to cost.

- Owasso, OK, USA

problem #52

Jan 012014

Enclave 6-cyl

  • 85,000 miles
We intermittently lose power steering at low speeds. So far we have not hit anything, but have come close at intersections, in parking lots, and in driveways. I am not sure when it first happened. Maybe about a year ago. At the beginning, it was once in a while. Now just about every trip we have an incident. Power steering reservoir is full and pump appears to be working properly. When I told the dealer of the issue I am having, they recommended changing the pump and gear at an approximate cost of $2,000. As an engineer, I found it hard to believe that both the pump and gear needs replacing. I did some research online and found that many people with same issue who did change pump and gear still had the same issue. Further research leads me to believe that the power steering system has a design is defect that needs to be addressed by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The Enclave and other GM vehicles have a variable effort steering (ves) system that varies the amount of effort to steer the vehicle. Apparently the steering gear valve solenoid can stick causing lose of steering with no warning. I recommend that NHTSA requires GM to either replace ves system with a highly reliable design or disable the system to reduce possibility of having an accident due to power steering failure. NHTSA is welcome to use my vehicle to analyze the issue.

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #51

Jul 012012

Enclave

  • 67,000 miles
Recently when driving at low speeds & making right or left turns my steering seems to tighten up. At first the was just occasionally but now more frequent. It's almost as it totally locks for a moment or two. I have a couple occasions when turning I had no control, most recently it happened when going around a round about, it locked up wouldn't turn anymore & I ended up going in another lane, slamming on my breaks. I was very close to hitting other cars.

- Appleton, WI, USA

problem #50

Jun 202014

Enclave 6-cyl

  • 107,000 miles
When making a right turn my steering wheel locked up and I could barely make the turn. This happens randomly and is becoming more frequent. This now happens when I turn right or left, but it still is very random. I always have children with me and one of them has just received their driver's permit. I do not feel that it is safe for my new driver to practice with this vehicle....even though it is only 5 years old. I love this car but there have already been several recalls dealing with airbags and seatbelts and now the should be one dealing with this power steering issue. Clearly this is not an isolated occurrence and there are numerous other owners dealing with the same problems. This issue is an accident waiting to happen. Not knowing if you will be able to make a turn when there are pedestrians and other traffic in the mix is not safe! Buick...you need to get this fixed!!!!! one angry, unhappy consumer!

- Covington, PA, USA

problem #49

Jun 012014

Enclave 6-cyl

  • 49,000 miles
I have a 2009 Buick Enclave its start have a intermitent loss of power steering, when at lower speeds and try to turn left or right. Last weeks this been happen every day, sometimes its make a lot noise and get check engine code P0008. Then check engine goes off after couple hours.

- Newark, NJ, USA

problem #48

May 292014

Enclave

  • 63,251 miles
As I was trying to turn into my office the power steering quit working and I about got rear ended. Next time I was making a turn into a side road and same thing and I could not get out the maxim road quick enough if someone was coming I would have been T-boned. The following time I was turning out of my driveway and same thing if some one was coming it would not have been good because I live in a curve. Next time making turn onto main road luckily no one was coming again. Last incident to date turning in my sitters driveway and ran off of her driveway because it quit working. The fluid has been checked so I know that is not the issue. It is scary issue for my family and I.

- Newnan, GA, USA

problem #47

May 142014

Enclave 6-cyl

  • 64,523 miles
Power steering fails and the wheel is hard to steer to the left or right. It continues to get worse and worse. In addition, as we were driving down the street at about 30 mph and all of the electrical went out in the vehicle. We stopped the vehicle, restarted it, and the problem went away.

- Goodyear, AZ, USA

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