Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2009 Buick Enclave owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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. …
Odometer Fraud. The contact owns a 2009 Buick Enclave. The contact purchased the vehicle from a local used car dealer in April 2025. The contact stated that the odometer and the bill of sales indicated that the mileage was 133,000. The contact stated that while registering the vehicle with Carshield, the contact was informed that the mileage was reported in January 2025 at 163,000. The dealer was made aware of the issue.
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. …
The seat caught on fire. Origin of fire started in the seat according to fire officials.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Buick Enclave. While driving 10 MPH and making a right turn, the contact noticed that the graco child safety seat that was latched in the second row seating on the driver side was moving. The contact also mentioned that the daytime running lights failed to operate, as well as the key fobs. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and dealer several times for the lights and key fobs, where the battery and sensor have ben replaced in the key fob and the bulbs have been replaced for the light. However, the failures recurred several times afterwards. The vehicle was not diagnosed for the seat belt issue. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
Two month old battery went dead. Discovered water surrounding the battery and soaked all under carpeting on floor boards. Warranty is expired and since I am a widow on fixed income can not take it to Buick as they charge exorbitant prices for problems that should be covered and not happen. Aaa driver said there appears to be a seal someplace near battery that has come off letting water come up through the underside and collect around battery .
Car spuddering on acceleration and inclines. Check engine light on. Needs all spark plugs and coils replaced again. Codes p0300, p0302, p0303 stored. Miss fire on 2 and 3 cyclinders. Also, needs replace line and recharge system as ac discharge line is leaking.
We replaced coil 4 and 2 back in dec 2015, then number 1 on 10-30-2017, and now they are stating numbers 3 and 5 are bad...is this normal? Do we have a defective car? All of the GM cars we have owned, we have never have to replace 1 much less 5!!
I would not recommend this vehicle, it is pretty expensive for all the problems we've had. It has already been recalled twice for two different problems. In December it started misfiring, hesitating and becoming sluggish. After taking it to three different repair facilities they figured out the pistons were misfiring and three ignition coils(all on the same side) had to be replaced. While I realize the time frame of the warranty has passed, we were under the mileage for warranty coverage. I guess automobile makers penalize you for not putting a lot of miles on your car. Now, just three months later with only a few more thousand miles added - out of the blue I'm driving down the road and numerous warning lights come on. Park assist goes off, all wheel drive goes off, ABS warning light, and brake warning light all come on at the same time. …
Squeaking brakes and steering noise. Resubmitted for repair could not duplicate at dealership. Resubmitted in 2011 and 2013, water pump replaced, steering gear box replaced, steering pump replaced, throttle body cleaned. Engine timing off at idle, harsh/ruff transition between gear shifts. Rear hatch failed to operate. Sensor replaced, then actuator replaced, then control buttons replaced then final control button and internal door sensors replaced not by warranty, rear hatch struts failed and dropped on child and owners heads, open and close buttons non responsive on remote for the hatch. Only the interior hatch release button worked. OnStar would not power down, no notice it was connected, dropped cell calls and killed battery. Upon jumping, the control module for OnStar failed as did cellular antenna not covered by warranty. Brakes squeaking and fluttering plus pulse at slow down. …
Related recalls
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…
Electrical complaints in other Enclave years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2009 Buick Enclave?
NHTSA has 22 complaints about the electrical system of the 2009 Buick Enclave, 10% of the model year's 220 complaints. The component named most often is instrument cluster/panel (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2009 Buick Enclave electrical problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 10V-240 (electrical system, Jun 4, 2010). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2009 Buick Enclave electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 63,000 miles, and 30% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 2 fires and 0 injuries to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.