Most common 2009 Buick Enclave problems
Share of the 220 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Buick Enclave complaints by model year
Best Enclave years: 2013, 2022, 2018. Years to avoid: 2025, 2010, 2008. Compare all years →
2009 Buick Enclave recalls (8)
Air bags › Frontal
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.
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.
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…
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.
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…
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.
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…
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.
Seat belts
General motors is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 Chevrolet traverse, Buick enclave, GMC acadia, and Saturn outlook vehicles. The second row seat side trim shield restricts the upward rotation of the safety belt buckle when the seat back is returned to a seating position after being folded flat.
Remedy: Dealers will modify the second row seat side trim shields. If a safety belt buckle is damaged, dealers will replace it free of charge. The safety recall began on August 18, 2010.
Electrical system
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…
Remedy: 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…
Show 2 more recalls
Power train › Automatic transmission › Lever and linkage › Column shift
General motors is recalling 276,729 my 2009 Buick enclave, Chevrolet cobalt, hhr, malibu, traverse, GMC acadia, Pontiac g5, g6 and Saturn aura and outlook passenger vehicles. These vehicles fail to comply with federal motor vehicles safety standard 102, "transmission shift position sequence, starter interlock, and transmission…
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and ensure that the shift cable adjustment clip is fully engaged. In the event that the clip does not engage, the shift cable will be replaced free of charge.
Seat belts › Rear/other › Buckle assembly
GM is recalling 16,667 my 2009 Buick enclave, Chevrolet traverse, GMC acadia, and Saturn outlook vehicles for failing to conform with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the safety belt buckles in the second and third rows, and replace them if necessary. The recall began on November 26, 2008.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 3 possible defects involving the 2009 Buick Enclave:
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)…
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).
Fleet Vehicle Recall Completion Audit
On November 18, 2010, NHTSA's Recall Management Division (RMD) opened an audit query (AQ10-001) to investigate recall remedy completion by rental car companies on safety recall campaigns.It was expected to provide the agency an indication of how completely and how quickly rental car fleets perform necessary recall-related remedies on the vehicles owned and then rented/leased for use on the roadways.RMD queried three…
What 2009 Buick Enclave owners say
Steering all 108 →
While driving 65 mph on the hwy, in rush hour traffic my entire steering column came completely out and I lost control of my vehicle causing a 3 car wreck. The only indicator that something was wrong was that just prior to this happening the tilt on my steering wheel came undone 2 times and by the 3rd time when I pushed the wheel back up to lock it into place it came out entirely. There was no lights, no nothing. No tampering of any kind had ever been done to it whatsoever. And no one has looked at it since. It still falls randomly while driving. I have a picture taken about 5 minutes before this happened and one taken after the accident I will upload.
The contact owns a 2009 Buick Enclave. The contact stated while reversing at 5 MPH, the steering wheel seized and was inoperable. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and drive to his destination. The contact stated that the failure had occurred several times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the steering wheel sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 179,000.
Engine & cooling all 43 →
My 2009 Buick Enclave CXL, VIN [VIN]: Engine caught on fire during the time i was driving it. The car hesitated as if it was going to shut off then i saw smoke coming from underneath the front hood, I pulled to the side of the road and stopped the car and open the front hood, my engine was on fire. The fire was located on the passenger side of the car or the left side of the car if you were facing the front of the car. I tried to put the fire out, but the fire got out of control. I called 911 and the fire Department and Police arrived. My car was being repair due to the fire.
My Enclave 2009 was caught fire when it was parked stationary in a garage at 9:40 am on 5/30/2016. The fire started from the right front of the vehicle, which results in the whole car totaled. Me and my family have been suffering much from this event. It's hard to believe it happened to our vehicle. This vehicle has low mileage (about 30,000), well maintained by us and GM shop in the past (all the records are available in GM system). On 5/31 we reported to GM with detailed information and requested an investigation. On 6/2, customer department contacted me, stating that they don't care about the cause of the fire and they don't involve in an investigation as we have our insurance covered. …
Transmission & drivetrain all 33 →
The contact owns a 2009 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that the rear driver's side and center seat belt failed to latch securely. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed but no failure could be determined. could not be determined. The contact then stated that on another occasion, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the gear shifter failed to operate in drive(D). The contact stated that the shifter was stuck in drive (Low). As a result, while the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle failed to exceed 30 MPH. Additionally, the contact stated that on multiple occasions, the instrument panel digital display failed to illuminate, and the contact was unable to state whether there were any warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the instrument panel light bulb was replaced; however, the failure recurred. …
We purchased a 2009 GMC Buick Enclave from gillie hyde used cars in glasgow, ky on 3-15-19. Immediately upon driving the vehicle home, we noted that the vehicle shook when accelerating. We immediately took to our mechanic who noted the transmission issue and we researched the vehicle and found that there was a recall on the vehicle with an extended warranty to the transmission as well as the timing as well as the rear tailgate falling after automatically opening. None of these items were listed. Https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/Buick/Enclave/2009/reliability#recalls the recalls were not noted on the carfax provided by the dealership. We feel as though we have been mislead and completely lied to about this vehicle. The vehicle shakes bad. We had transmission fluid changed, oil changed and still shakes. …
2009 Buick Enclave engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.6L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | FWD | 17 / 24 / 19 |
| 3.6L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 16 / 22 / 18 |
EPA ratings. Class: SUV.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2009 Buick Enclave a good car?
Based on 220 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2009 Enclave rates average: 1.2× as many complaints as a typical year of the Enclave at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2009 Buick Enclave?
The steering — 108 complaints, 49% of all complaints for this model year, most often about hydraulic power assist system. Next are the engine & cooling (43) and transmission & drivetrain (33).
How many recalls does the 2009 Buick Enclave have?
There are 8 recalls for the 2009 Buick Enclave, the most recent from October 7, 2021 (frontal). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Buick Enclave?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2013, 2022 and 2018. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2025, 2010 and 2008. See the full Buick Enclave years comparison.
At what mileage do 2009 Buick Enclave problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 74,000 miles; 19% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.