NHTSA — Structure: Body Problems

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
6 / 0
Average Mileage:
39,923 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.

2011 Buick Enclave body / paint problems

body / paint problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2011 Buick Enclave:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2011 Buick Enclave Owner Comments

problem #16

Sep 272022

Enclave

  • miles

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

I was driving and the other person ran the stop light and hit my car making me go in and hit another car from the other side.

- Andrews , TX, USA

problem #15

Apr 232020

Enclave

  • 99,000 miles
The rear lift gate gave out and and will no longer go up or down automatically or stay up when open, the door will shut on you.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

problem #14

Apr 122020

Enclave 6-cyl

  • miles
The power liftgate door opens 75% of the way when I push button or manually but then starts to closes again. I have been hit by the door several times already due to door closing. Also day light on passenger front goes on and off. It will work for a few days then not work for weeks. Have had light bulb replaced and continues to happen.

- West Chicago, IL, USA

problem #13

Jan 042019

Enclave

  • 101,000 miles

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

Liftgate will not stay opened

- Ocean Springs, MS, USA

problem #12

May 012018

Enclave

  • 114,290 miles
Came home from the store, as I was getting groceries out of the back the tail liftgate came down and hit me in the head. Now when its open it jumps up and down.it has a mind of its own. Very dangerous

- Urbana, IL, USA

Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...

problem #11

Jan 112018

Enclave

  • 140,000 miles
I will open the automatic lift gate on the back of the vehicle and it will automatically come down. This has happened on more than one occasion and has fallen on me.

- Batesville, AR, USA

problem #10

Mar 202012

Enclave

  • 25,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2011 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 10 mph, the rear lift gate released and opened independently. The vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road with caution. The lift gate safety lock was engaged to secure the door in a closed position. After a period, the safety lock failed to operate. The failure recurred when driving at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed there was dust and water in the lift gate switch. The lift gate switch and rubber seal were replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 25,000.

- Vernal, UT, USA

problem #9

Dec 152015

Enclave 6-cyl

  • 8,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that an abnormal noise emitted from the vehicle when the lift gate was operated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the vehicle was serviced under NHTSA campaign number: 15V415000 (structure) but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 8,000. Updated 03/11/16 the consumer stated the liftgate has been repaired.

- Myer, IN, USA

problem #8

Jul 022015

Enclave

  • 54,000 miles
My wife was unloading the groceries one day and the power lift gate fell on her back without warning. She had a very bad bruise and skin abrasion for a couple of weeks. I was surprised that our lift gate struts had failed with only 54K miles on the vehicle. The next day I called the dealer and was told there was a recall NHTSA campaign number: 15V415000. When I asked when I could bring it in for repair they said they don't have the parts. That was in early July. It is now Nov. 18th and we've been waiting for nearly 5 months and I cannot even get an answer for when it can be fixed. In fact, I can't even pay to have this fix done. The trunk is very heavy and it now takes 2 people to load and unload. This is extremely inconvenient and dangerous when she is by herself with my 2 younger kids since we use the trunk every day. The power lift gate is supposed to open with the press of the key fob and was one of the main features that made us purchase the vehicle. We feel that 5+ months is completely unreasonable to wait for a fix from GM. We cannot even trade it in because no dealer can resell it with a hatch that does not stay open. We are now left in limbo with an SUV that offers no utility. After some research I found out this recall effects 686,287 units of its lambda platform crossovers which includes the 2008-2012 Buick Enclave, 2009-2012 Chevrolet traverse, 2007-2012 GMC acadia, and 2007-2010 Saturn outlook. GM should at least offer compensation for building such a major defect and then taking so long to fix it. We are happy with the Buick Enclave aside from this problem but it has definitely left a sour taste in our mouths.

- Wellington, FL, USA

problem #7

Aug 172015

Enclave

  • miles
The contact owns a 2011 Buick Enclave. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V415000 (structure) and stated that the part was not available within a reasonable time frame to schedule the recall repair. The dealer did not give a specific date for when the part would become available. The manufacturer could not provide an estimated date for when the vehicle would receive the recall repair. The contact was not experiencing a failure.

- Midland, TX, USA

problem #6

Sep 252015

Enclave

  • 50,000 miles

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

The power liftgate does not stay open (the vehicle was statrionary, turned off, and properly parked). Instead it catches and then forcefully closes on whoever/whatever may be right below it. Upon trying to stop the liftgate from closing it will not remain in the open position and continues to forcefully close. This happens every time the liftgate is opened. This is part of a recall (GM safety recall 15240). Documentation received as part of the recall indicates parts are not available to fix this issue. Repeated calls & messages to the service department have not been returned. National traffic highway safety campaign id number is 15V415

- Ridgefield, CT, USA

problem #5

Jun 232015

Enclave

  • miles
The contact owns a 2011 Buick Enclave. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V415000 (structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

- Louiseville, OH, USA

problem #4

Oct 102012

Enclave 6-cyl

  • 3,000 miles
Turned corner on ironwood46615 and rear ended car that stopped suddenly. Crushed my front end back to puncturing the radiator. No air bag deployed and no seat belt on impact. My knees hit the dash under the steering wheel. No onstar as no airbag deployed. Holding steering wheel was my only deterrent to hitting forward. Repairs cost $5000.+ and GM dealer insisted airbag and seat belt were functioning. Knees still hurt. And seen doctor about knees and going again soon. I am reporting this after hearing that there are recalled on seat belts and airbags on driver side.

- South Bend , IN, USA

problem #3

Apr 032013

Enclave

  • 40,085 miles
The back automatic lift gate was activated. The lift gate opened properly but when it was opened completely the locking mechanism failed and the door fell closed. Luckily I was not standing in the door opening. I tried the lift gate once more and it responded exactly the same way and I tried to stop the gate from closing and could not, the door closed even though I was trying tom hold it up. I have taken the car to the Buick dealer and it has been repaired.

- Pensacola, FL, USA

problem #2

May 032012

Enclave 6-cyl

  • 400 miles
The front driver and passenger doors have a very sharp plastic edge sticking out past the metal body of the door. This has caused injury to three people including myself. The plastic is so sharp that it has cut deep wounds into the legs of the person getting in or out of this vehicle. I have tried to find out if anyone else has had this problem and no one has brought this forward for review. I just can't believe that no one else has had this problem. Maybe they figure they were clumsy and it was their fault. I cut the corners off and sanded them to a smooth finish to correct this problem.

- Cape Coral, FL, USA

problem #1

Jan 172012

Enclave 6-cyl

  • 4,000 miles
I was exiting the freeway and started to touch the front window button down but it was the rear window button and immediately the whole car started this shaking and vibrating. I was shocked and shook-up by this event and immediately pulled over to the side.luckily, down the road a bit, I saw a Buick dealership and proceeded to it. The service mgr. Told me Buick is aware of this problem which he called "wind abatement".one of his associates even asked me if he could come with me so he could witness this event. So we did go back to the freeway, let rear window down, and he witnessed it himself.the Buick dealer denied any defects in the car and advised me to crack a front window about an inch, then let the rear window down. This whole episode has left me in a state of shock and not knowing if this vehicle is safe to drive.

- Sun City West, AZ, USA

Not what you are looking for?