What's Wrong with the 1st Generation (2008–2017) Enclave?

Enclave owners have made 555 complaints about the 2008–2017 model years. Using our PainRank™ system we've ranked it dead last in overall reliability, with significant transmission and engine concerns.

Compare With Other Enclave Generations

Common 2008-2017 Buick Enclave Problems

Some of the worst issues 1st generation Enclave owners have to deal with.

  3. Buick Over-Promised Its MPGs

    General Motors admits their estimated gas mileage for certain 2016 SUVs was a bit too optimistic. To make up for the snafu, the automaker will pay up or offer warranty extensions to 135,000 owners.

    Continue reading article "Buick Over-Promised Its MPGs" Close up of a yellow gas pump with the word 'FuelSave' on it.

  4. Inaccurate Gas Gauge

    GM vehicles have a problem with defective gas gauges that leave owners wondering just how much fuel is left in their tank. The gauge goes a little whacko once the tank is less than half full, with owners saying it sticks in place or bounces…

    Continue reading article "Inaccurate Gas Gauge" Cluster on instruments in a Buick, including a gas gauge that shows the tank is empty.

What Owners Complain About

Sometimes it helps just to tally up the complaints and see where the biggest stacks are. Use this information to learn about troublespots or to run for the hills.

Worst Issues

What Breaks the Most

Years to Avoid

1st Generation (2008–2017) Enclave Key Numbers

  1. 10 model years

    Grouping all models by their year can reveal some baddies.

  2. 555 complaints

    Running tally of owner grievances filed to CarComplaints.com.

  3. 22nd in reliability

    Overall reliability rank out of 22 eligible generations.

Recent Lawsuits for 1st Generation Enclave Owners

  • Dismissed

    Casey, et al., v. General Motors, LLC.

    3:20-CV-00299

    1. Dismissed

      In dismissing the GM class action lawsuit, the judge ruled the plaintiff fails to allege facts which support that GM was aware of any fuse block defects predating the sale of the vehicles listed in the lawsuit.

    2. Case Filed

      A General Motors fuse block class action lawsuit alleges certain GM vehicles have problems with the tension of the terminals that can cause stalled engines and other electrical malfunctions.

Recent 1st Generation (2008–2017) Enclave News

There's a lot of news out there, but not all of it matters. We try to boil down it to the most important bits about things that actually help you with your car problem. Interested in getting these stories in an email? Signup for free email alerts over at CarComplaints.com.

  3. It's been a couple weeks since GM's last recall and I can imagine that CEO Mary Barra is starting to twitch.

    Must. Recall. More. Cars. It's addictive -- at least I can only assume it is, given that GM has recalled over 15 million vehicles in 2014 alone. Well twitch no more, Mary! Just days after an internal report highlighted a pattern of incompetence, GM issued a new recall for 89,000 cars, trucks and SUVs -- restoring order to the defective automotive world we all live in these days.…

    keep reading article "Some Enclave Airbags Might Not Inflate"

  5. Last week, GM announced a recall of another 2.4 million vehicles.

    For those keeping score, that brings the total number of recalled cars and trucks in 2014 to over 13.7 million. For perspective, GM has now recalled more vehicles in the last 5 months than they've sold in the last 5 years combined. I'm not great at business, but that doesn't seem like a sustainable model.…

    keep reading article "Enclave Front Seat Belt Cables Break Over Time"

What Enclave Owners Say About This Generation

Stretched Timing Chains in the Enclave. Some Owners Are Covered. Others Are Not.

Needless to say, we are not very happy about this especially as it appears to be an issue in the past and I suspect our enclave was made with 2009 materials and therefore should be covered under the same 2009 extended warranty … Essentially they have a faulty timing chain whose extended warranty didn’t cover enough years and ours stretched and ended up damaging the engine and the total repair was $9911

2010 Enclave Owner