2011 Buick Enclave problems, complaints & recalls

Updated from NHTSA data · How we count

Owners have filed 31 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Buick Enclave, most often about transmission & drivetrain. There are 6 recalls for this model year.

Complaints
31
Recalls
6
Crashes
2
Fires
0
Injuries
1
Median mileage
133,000 mi
at time of problem

Key facts

  • Transmission & Drivetrain is the most-reported problem area, named in 7 of 31 complaints (23%).
  • Engine (7) and airbags (6) follow.
  • Half of the complaints that list mileage happened before 133,000 mi.
  • Owners reported 2 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury.
  • The 2011 Buick Enclave has 6 recalls on file.
  • NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations covering this vehicle.
  • It ranks 12th of 19 Buick Enclave model years by our severity-weighted complaint score (1st = worst).
  • That is 14% fewer complaints than the 2010 model year (36).

2011 Buick Enclave problems by category

  • Transmission & Drivetrain · 1 crash
    7 complaints
  • Engine
    7 complaints
  • Airbags · 1 crash
    6 complaints
  • Other / Unknown
    4 complaints
  • Electrical System
    4 complaints
  • Body & Structure · 1 crash
    3 complaints
  • Wheels & Tires · 1 crash
    3 complaints
  • Brakes
    3 complaints
  • Steering
    2 complaints
  • Acceleration & Cruise Control
    2 complaints
  • Driver Assistance & Safety Tech
    2 complaints
  • Seats & Seat Belts
    1 complaints
  • Lighting
    1 complaints
  • Fuel, Hybrid & EV Propulsion
    1 complaints

A complaint can mention more than one problem area, so categories add up to more than the total.

Most-reported components

Component (as filed with NHTSA)Complaints
Power train7
Engine7
Air bags6
Electrical system4
Unknown or other4
Service brakes3
Structure:body3
Electronic stability control (esc)2

When problems happen (mileage)

Under 10k110k–30k30k–60k260k–100k4100k–150k5150k+
Mileage at the time of the problem, for 2011 Buick Enclave complaints that list mileage.

2011 Buick Enclave recalls (6)

  • Recall 21V782000Oct 7, 2021555 vehicles
    AIR BAGS:FRONTAL · AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

    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.

    Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy: 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.

  • Recall 21V246000Apr 8, 2021108 vehicles
    AIR BAGS:CRITICAL FASTENERS

    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.

    Risk: Unsecured side curtain air bags may not perform as intended, increasing the risk of injury.

    Remedy: 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.

  • Recall 15V415000Jun 30, 2015691,144 vehicles
    STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE

    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.

    Risk: If the open liftgate unexpectedly falls, it may strike a person, increasing their risk of injury.

    Remedy: 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.

  • Recall 14V266000May 20, 20141,339,355 vehicles
    SEAT BELTS

    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.

    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.

    Remedy: 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 recall number for this campaign is 14187.

  • Recall 14V118000Mar 17, 20141,176,407 vehicles
    AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW

    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.

    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.

    Remedy: 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.

  • Recall 12V151000Apr 9, 201247,846 vehicles
    VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:LINKAGES

    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.

    Risk: If this occurs, driver visibility could be reduced, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will tighten the wiper arm nuts, free of charge. The safety recall began on april 20, 2012.

NHTSA defect investigations

  • EA20002Opened Aug 31, 2020Closed Aug 30, 2024led to recall 21V245

    Outboard Front Seat Belt Anchor Cable Failure

    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…

  • RQ19003Opened May 28, 2019Closed Aug 31, 2020

    Seat Belt Anchor Cable Failure

    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 occu…

Recent 2011 Buick Enclave complaints

Excerpts of the newest owner complaints, lightly cleaned of personal details. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

  1. Filed Aug 31, 2026SCEngine
    I drove to work just fine on May 19th, 2020, when I got off work around 3pm. I started the car and as I was about to pull out on Brightleaf BLVD in smithfield, NC my car just stopped. I contacted OnStar and they pulled many codes P02AD,P0300 x2, P0305 x 2 at 126,362 miles with 73% oil life remaining. I contacted by Mechanic and was able to have it towed to his show for him to inspect it and the engine was totally seized. While I did research before purchasing this car the…
    NHTSA complaint #11760962 · source
  2. Filed Apr 19, 2026CAWheels & Tires
    While driving, the Kenda Klever tire experienced a sudden and complete tread separation. The tread detached in one solid ring from the rest of the tire. The failure happened without warning. The driver was able to maintain control of the vehicle and safely pull over. There were no injuries. Klever ST 255/60R19
    NHTSA complaint #11732241 · source
  3. Filed Sep 27, 2024LAOther / Unknown
    Ignition not acting like it’s in the right spot like not starting when turning key it moves like it’s loose and turned off while driving. Thankfully was driving very slow and coasted to the side of road when it died at first acted like it was going to start again but it did just drive back home. Just bought suv from mother in law and already replaced alternator last week
    NHTSA complaint #11616954 · source
  4. Filed Jun 18, 2024KSWheels & Tires
    The contact owns a 2011 Buick Enclave equipped with Sentury Tires, Tire Line: National Commando HTS, Tire Size: 255/55/R20, DOT Number: [XXX] . The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23T009000 (Tires); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the front passenger's side tire was frequently flat. The contact stated that air was added to the tire several times; however, the failure recurred. The local…
    NHTSA complaint #11595137 · source
  5. Filed Jun 17, 2024WATransmission & Drivetrain
    I have had my car looked at and my camshaft reductor wheel/valve is broken. This happened very unexpectedly and almost caused a serious accident at highway speeds. I was able to drift the car to the shoulder from the middle lane, but almost was hit by a semi when my car randomly stalled out in the middle of I-5. This is a problem I have sense researched and has happened to many others with the same car and model year.
    NHTSA complaint #11594803 · source
  6. Filed Nov 15, 2023ALBrakesElectrical SystemAcceleration & Cruise Control
    Brakes are not stopping in time they are continuously scrubbing I have changed brakes and rotors and they are continuously scrubbing and not allowing me to stop in time nearly almost ran off the road I have got my brakes inspected but mechanic say there was nothing wrong the place I took it to but there is something wrong with the brakes. There is a electrical problem when it rains things stopped working inside the car every time it rains like my speakers my warning sensors…
    NHTSA complaint #11555244 · source
  7. Filed Nov 14, 2023150,000 miFLAirbags
    The contact owns a 2011 Buick Enclave. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who related the failure to an unknown recall. The mechanic contacted an unknown dealer and was informed that they could not assist because vehicle had previously been repaired under TSB Number: 15536. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was…
    NHTSA complaint #11555098 · source
  8. Filed Sep 15, 2023180,000 miMOElectrical System
    The contact owns a 2011 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that while reversing, the rearview camera failed to make a beeping sound alert for nearby pedestrians. Additionally, the contact stated that the infotainment system and the turn signals sound system had failed to operate while activated. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was…
    NHTSA complaint #11544804 · source

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Other 2011 Buick models

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data, as of Oct 10, 2026. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology