- The problem
- 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.
- The risk
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
- The fix
- 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.
Vehicle safety record
2012 Buick Enclave Problems, complaints & recalls
Owners have filed 133 complaints about the 2012 Buick Enclave with NHTSA, most often about the body, doors & structure (24) and the engine & cooling (24). Those complaints describe 9 crashes and 25 injuries. It is covered by 6 recalls, the latest in October 2021 for the frontal. For comparison, the 2011 has 213 and the 2013 has 71.
NHTSA data checked
CAbout as many problems as a typical Enclave year, for its age
#77 most complained-about 2012 vehicle
- Complaints
- 133
- Recalls
- 6
- Crashes
- 9
- Fires
- 0
- Injuries
- 25
- Deaths
- 0
Most common 2012 Buick Enclave problems
Share of all 133 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.
2012 Buick Enclave recalls 6
Recall repairs are free. Your dealer fixes them whether or not you bought the car there - check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see if yours is done. What to do
- The problem
- 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.
- The risk
- Unsecured side curtain air bags may not perform as intended, increasing the risk of injury.
- The fix
- 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.
- The problem
- 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.
- The risk
- If the open liftgate unexpectedly falls, it may strike a person, increasing their risk of injury.
- The fix
- 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.
- The problem
- 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.
- The 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.
- The fix
- 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.
- The problem
- 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.
- The 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.
- The fix
- 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.
- The problem
- 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.
- The risk
- If this occurs, driver visibility could be reduced, increasing the risk of a crash.
- The fix
- Gm will notify owners, and dealers will tighten the wiper arm nuts, free of charge. The safety recall began on april 20, 2012.
What owners say
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133 complaints about the 2012 Buick Enclave
Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners. Page 1 of 6.
I am reporting three unexpected vehicle behaviors that raise safety concerns. While stopped at a red light with the transmission in Drive and my foot remaining on the brake pedal, the vehicle suddenly lurched forward. I had not released the brake. On another occasion, after I had parked and turned the vehicle off, the driver's power seat moved all the way backward and the seatback reclined all the way down without my intentionally activating those adjustments. Afterward, while the vehicle was still off, the...
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doors repeatedly locked and unlocked without anyone touching the controls. I am concerned about unexpected vehicle movement and uncommanded operation of the seat and door locks. I request that NHTSA review these incidents for a possible safety defect.
While driving, the vehicle suddenly and without warning experienced a severe, dangerous loss of acceleration. The dashboard immediately displayed a "Reduced Engine Power" warning message along with a "Service StabiliTrak" light, forcing the vehicle into an immediate electronic fail-safe "limp mode." This sudden, drastic reduction in engine power severely restricts the vehicle's ability to maintain safe roadway speeds, accelerate from a stop, or merge safely into traffic, posing an immediate rear-end collision...
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hazard to myself and other motorists. Furthermore, the defect simultaneously disables critical active safety systems by shutting down the StabiliTrak and Traction Control networks. A diagnostic scan revealed code P2138 (Accelerator Pedal Position Sensors 1-2 Correlation Not Plausible). Investigation reveals that this is a widespread, systemic safety defect caused by design flaws in the vehicle's body. Rainwater and moisture from clogged factory sunroof drains or cowl seams leak directly down into the interior cabin wall, pooling into the primary instrument panel-to-body wiring harness block (X218 connector) in the driver's side footwell. This water intrusion causes green corrosion on the delicate pins, short-circuiting the 5-volt reference sensor circuit for the throttle controls while the vehicle is in motion. General Motors is fully aware of this exact defect and has documented it internally via Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) #10-00-89-017H (and related GM TSBs). Because this defect causes unexpected, immediate engine failure and disables traction safety networks while driving, it constitutes a severe safety hazard that should be escalated to a mandatory safety recall.
While sitting at a traffic light my engine runs rough, then it dies
Transmission needs replacing
Fuel pump, throttle body, and High pressure fuel pump. Car makes door lock noises and's completely cuts off while driving over 20 times now on highway and all. Have gotten several things repaired in addition to these listed things and after repairing car works fine for a few months then needing to be replaced again. No codes are being given other then abs, traction control warning and stabilitrak
Steering wheel airbag warning. Seat belts fraying. The underneath welding for the support bar, potentially the rear axel, came unwelded.
The contact owns a 2012 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and hesitated while attempting to accelerate and depressing the accelerator pedal. During the failure, the check engine warning light momentarily illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. Additionally, while opening the rear liftgate door, there was a clicking sound coming from the driver's side rear liftgate door strut. The...
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cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V415000 (STRUCTURE). The failure mileage was 118,000.
The tailgate lifts up and then slams down violently
My car has shut off multiple times , electrical shorts, intermittent no start, intermittent misfires all the time but randomly , injector codes even when replaced and injectors are good , yes come check out my vehicle no shops can find out what's the problem practically the whole front end has been replaced and problems still happening it is congruent with a recall but shows nothing from vin
When pulling onto a county road with traffic the transmission kept slipping and the engine would rev higher. It took a lot longer to get up to speed and the cars behind me had to brake quickly.
Driving along and engine power reduced causing car to slow significantly - like downshifting two gears. Lights / traction control lights came on dash. Errors flashed - "Traction Control Off", "Service Stabilitrak", "Engine Power Reduced" All of this not only caused a slight bit of confusion, but placed us in danger with the flow of traffic. A repair shop replaced the gas pedal, however issue persists. Research indicates the throttle body sensor might be at fault - so we replaced this. Issue persisted, so I spent...
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time online and found a GM TSB indicating a known issue and extending the warranty 10 years or 120K miles for P2138 Code. At this point, this issue persists intermittently, so we do not consider the vehicle safe to drive.
The contact owns a 2012 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lunged forward while accelerating. The failure was more persistent at speeds of 40 MPH and lower. There were no warning lights illuminated. Additionally, while turning the steering wheel to the left or the right there was a clunking sound coming from the steering wheel. The vehicle had been taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 83,000.
What does it mean when my car says service StabiliTrak and service traction control? Its main function is indicating that the traction system has been turned off manually to remind you to turn it back on when necessary. However, the StabiliTrak warning light may also signal potential damage to vehicle components that allow the system to work effectively. Loss of Power to Engine, Can't stear, feels like its about to blow up. It seems very usual for the Enclaves, Traverses and Acadias. And I had the same problem out of my 2014 Traverse LTZ
If any warning light comes on such as my add air to a tire (it always tells me the wrong tire), all of the warning lights start flashing. Things shut off (radio, dash lights, backup camera) and sometimes the car will shut completely down and come back on. I am afraid to drive very far.
I purchased this vehicle (used)on 01/12/2021. 5 weeks later the brakes pedal went to the floor. It has done this randomly several times. Usually I can get the car stopped, put it in park and pump the brake pedal a few times and the pedal will be back to normal.When this happens it's usually at a low speed and I can get the car stopped but it takes a while. I have attempted to talk to Gen. Motors at Detroit seeking information as to how can I repair this problem. I got no help from Detroit. My local Buick shop...
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manager tells me it could be any number of things. Maybe a sensor or something in the brake system or a vaccuum problem. I need to know what to do to fix this problem before I get into a wreck.
Purchased car used from car dealer. Dealer states his mechanic inspected vehicle. I drove off the lot with no issues. Less than 48 hrs later, service airbag light comes on. Vehicle was stationary, ignition turned on when light came on. Light comes on, goes off and repeats this...
The hatch door slam down by its self and it hit my daughter and my husband two different times because it slam down with no warning .
The contact owns a 2012 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that after pressing the liftgate button to the open the rear liftgate, the liftgate door opened before suddenly falling downward and closing. During the incident the liftgate door had made contact with the owners head. The contact sustained bruised head which did not require medical treatment. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed that the VIN was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V415000(Structure). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced that same failure listed in the recall. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 105,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that while driving uphill and while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle was jerking. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired after the dealer made a contract for the repair; however, the failure recurred, and the contact stated that the vehicle was jerking while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was...
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then taken to two independent mechanics, who retrieved failure codes from the wheel speed sensor. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. After filing a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, the contact was advised to file a complaint with the NHTSA hotline. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 128,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that while placing groceries into his vehicle, an abnormal noise began to emit from the rear liftgate. As the contact moved out of the way, the liftgate slammed down independently without warning. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V415000 (Structure) which he linked to the failure. The contact called the manufacturer and he was informed that his vehicle was not included in the recall. The contact was then referred to a dealer for assistance. The dealer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
I was in a accident and the air bag hurt me very bad driver side tooth gone tissue want go down what can I do
The contact owns a 2012 Buick Enclave. The contact stated while driving in a parking lot at approximately 5 mph and making a right turn, the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle revved up and accelerated to about 20 mph while the brake pedal as depressed. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle ran into a building wall as the engine continued revving. The contact shut the engine down and put the vehicle into park. The contact stated that the air bags did not deploy. The contact was...
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injured with a slight cut on the ring finger on his left hand. The contact did not seek medical attention for the cut on his finger. The police were called and wrote an accident report. The contact had the vehicle towed to a tow lot first and then to a body shop. The contact did not have the local dealer diagnose the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired but was pending repairs. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph a second vehicle crashed into the passenger side causing severe damage to the vehicle. During the crash, the passenger-side curtain air bags did not deploy. The driver sustained neck, back, and shoulder inquiries. The front passenger sustained head neck and back injuries. The second-row driver-side passenger suffered a head injury. The second-row passenger-side occupant suffered a head and neck and arm injury. The service dog...
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located in the 3rd row was also injured during the crash. Medical attention was sought a couple of days after the incident. A police report was taken at the scene. The vehicle was not towed. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 132,000
The contact owns a 2012 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, he would hear loud abnormal rattling and ticking sounds coming from the corner between the front passenger's side and the windshield. There were no warnings lights were illuminated. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 129,000.
Loss of power steering when brakes applied. This is dangerous to make turns and park the vehicle. Buick has already issued at least one NHTSA service bulletin regarding this issue, in which the power steering pump failure causes intermittent drops of hydraulic pressure that will cause reduced or loss of steering assist
Buick Enclave: every year compared
| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 142 | 4 | C |
| 2015 | 171 | 5 | C |
| 2014 | 292 | 7 | F |
| 2013 | 71 | 4 | B |
| 2012 | 133 | 6 | C |
| 2011 | 213 | 6 | D |
| 2010 | 275 | 6 | D |
| 2009 | 220 | 8 | D |
| 2008 | 536 | 6 | F |
2012 Buick Enclave vs rivals
| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 Buick Enclave | 133 | 6 | C | |
| 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee | 1,645 | 11 | D | Compare |
| 2012 Ford Edge | 1,135 | 3 | D | Compare |
| 2012 Kia Sorento | 880 | 5 | F | Compare |
| 2012 Dodge Durango | 640 | 10 | D | Compare |
| 2012 Hyundai Santa FE | 355 | 1 | C | Compare |
| 2012 GMC Acadia | 302 | 5 | C | Compare |
| 2012 Subaru Outback | 295 | 16 | C | Compare |
| 2012 Mazda CX-9 | 221 | 4 | F | Compare |
More sales usually means more complaints, so compare similar vehicles of the same year. The grade compares each vehicle with its own model's other years.
Questions about the 2012 Buick Enclave
Does the 2012 Buick Enclave have any recalls?
Yes - NHTSA lists 6 recalls for the 2012 Buick Enclave: frontal (October 2021); critical fasteners (April 2021); hatchback / liftgate (June 2015); seat belts (May 2014) and more. Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether yours has been fixed.
What are the most common problems with the 2012 Buick Enclave?
By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the body, doors & structure (24), engine & cooling (24), airbags (21).
How many complaints has the 2012 Buick Enclave had?
133 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on June 25, 2012 and the latest on October 31, 2026. Of these, 9 describe a crash and 0 a fire, and together they report 25 injuries and 0 deaths.
Is the 2012 Buick Enclave a reliable vehicle?
Its Safety Index is 40 out of 100 (grade C: about as many problems as a typical Buick Enclave year, for its age). The index weighs complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls against how long the vehicle has been on the road, compared with the same model's other years. It is not a measure of every repair - read the complaints and owner experiences, and have any used vehicle inspected before you buy.
Which Buick Enclave years have the most complaints?
2008 (536), 2014 (292), 2010 (275). See every Buick Enclave year compared.
What should I do if my 2012 Buick Enclave has a problem?
If it is a safety problem, stop driving it if it is unsafe and contact your dealer. Report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem - enough reports start investigations and recalls - and share your experience here so other owners know what to look for.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data