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. …
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. …
My wife took a trip to springfield ill. From paris mo. On 5/5/21 she drove appox 50 miles toward springfield on i72 e.her tachometer started shooting up about 5-6 thousand RPM at 70mph .hot transmission light came on.I told her to stop an let it cool.the light went off and she put it in gear only to find she only had low gear.we took it to s & k Buick in springfield ill. Where they diagnosed it . The wave plate in the transmission had exploded.when we explained this vehicle only has 52,000 miles they or GM would do nothing for us.we find that ridiculous.they only used that transmission for 2 years and abruptly stopped using it.we have read of many of these with the same issue on the internet sites. …
Was driving on ramp to enter highway, with my three 6 and younger children, and also 7 months pregnant! The Enclave just stalled and still can not start but one time it did, but it sounded like it was going to blow up making weird noises so I shut it off right away. I have been researching this and I see it is very common with 2009 & 2010 enclaves. I don't understand why nothing has been done? If this happened shortly later I would have been on the highway and several people could be involved getting hurt or killed. I have had it less than a year, with less than 104,000 miles on it. Also has wheel bearing issues which I replaced front now the rear ones need to be done. What is up with this neglect and no one to assist us consumers until someone gets seriously hurt or killed! …
Driving on a freeway speed posted 80mph, 2009 Buick Enclave RPM's began to shoot from 2000 RPM to 5000rpm when pushing on accelerator. Forward movement continued for short distance at 2000 RPM. Traffic was merging to one left lane for construction on a bridge. Pulled off to the right and stopped. Before entering one lane of traffic over bridge. After putting car in park, I tried to move forward in drive and then reverse. The transmission was completely gone. If I had entered that bridge with traffic pushed into one lane it could have been a disaster. Cars were entering that bridge at at least 70 MPH. I feel this is a very dangerous situation and see that GM has extended the warranty on these vehicle transmissions to 120,000 miles. I have owned the car since 30 ,000 miles and have been the only driver. I am 68 years old and have never towed anything with it. I baby a car. …
My dealership identified a significant problem with the power steering gear on my vehicle that constituted a significant safety issue. Had it not been caught, my power steering inevitable would have failed while driving and resulted in a crash. I was also advised by the dealer and have learned through research that this is a very common problem affecting Buick enclaves and other similar GM suvs and crossovers. The repair work to correct this manufacturer defect is over $1500 and conveniently not covered by warranty. This is a significant and unacceptable issue and should result in a recall of all affected vehicles and reimbursement of repair costs to affected owners.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Buick Enclave. While driving 50 MPH, the vehicle started to jerk, the gears slipped, the rpms increased, the vehicle failed to accelerate, and the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The contact coasted the vehicle to the side of the road and powered off the engine. The vehicle was restarted, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission failed after having the vehicle for 9 months and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer and was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Buick Enclave. While driving 45 MPH, the vehicle hesitated, jerked, and failed to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the #1 cylinder misfired and the plugs and pcv valves were replaced. The mechanic then took the vehicle for a test drive and diagnosed that the transmission failed and the vehicle could no longer be shifted into reserve, third gear, or sixth gear. It was diagnosed that the transmission wave plate failed and needed to be repaired or replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer stated that there were no open recalls. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.
Driving on interstate 75 north of cincinnati oh in bumper to bumper traffic on 7-13-15 in left lane when buzzer sounded ,traction control light came on and engine lost power. Trying to get to shoulder was a bad experience as traffic was having one hell of a time trying to cope with a car that suddenly wasn't moving. How a bad accident didn't happen, I just say it was good luck! We really like our Buick Enclave and would like to keep it. I have a code reader and no code was revealed. I pushed the traction control button several times and reentered traffic and the car ran fine for the next two hours to home......
When in reverse, the vehicle will still roll forward on a decline and when drive, it rolls backwards when on an incline. It acts as a stick shift. I was going up an incline coming out of a parking lot and stopped. When I took my foot off of the brake to go, the car rolled backwards and almost hit the car behind me. I pulled into my driveway and took my foot off of the brake and it rolled two lengths before I put on the brake to stop it from going in the street. While reversing into my inclined driveway, if I don't keep my foot on the gas to control momentum or it will roll forward.
Related 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.
Transmission complaints in other Enclave years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2009 Buick Enclave?
NHTSA has 33 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2009 Buick Enclave, 15% of the model year's 220 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2009 Buick Enclave transmission problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 09V-073 (column shift, Mar 6, 2009). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2009 Buick Enclave transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 91,000 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.