2009 Buick Enclave Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Aug 15, 2025 · 220 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other Enclave years
Far more complaints than other years 4th of 19 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
Not rated

Owners have filed 220 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Buick Enclave. That ranks 4th out of 19 Enclave model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is steering (108 complaints, 49%), typically at around 70,000 miles. Complaints mention 3 crashes, 6 fires, 11 injuries. There are 8 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 3 defect investigations involving it.

Buick Enclave
26 Buick Enclave Avenir - Shot at Earnhardt Buick GMC in Mesa AZ. Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: HJUdall, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.

Compare with another car

Most common 2009 Buick Enclave problems

Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.

Steering108 · ~70,000 mi
Engine35 · ~96,207 mi
Power Train33 · ~91,000 mi
Electrical System22 · ~60,398 mi
Unknown or Other12 · ~97,591 mi
Vehicle Speed Control11 · ~116,950 mi
Air Bags9 · ~75,673 mi
Electronic Stability Control (esc)9 · ~74,321 mi
Engine and Engine Cooling8 · ~54,500 mi
Structure8 · ~46,000 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Steering problems10849%70,000“steering pump” (20%)$2,800
Engine3516%96,207——
Power Train3315%91,000——
Electrical System2210%60,398——
Unknown or Other125%97,591——
Vehicle Speed Control115%116,950——
Air Bags94%75,673——
Electronic Stability Control (esc)94%74,321——
Engine and Engine Cooling84%54,500——
Structure84%46,000——
Seat Belts73%104,250——
Suspension63%126,350——
Service Brakes, Hydraulic52%16,000——
Fuel/propulsion System42%86,000——
Exterior Lighting21%111,385——
Latches/locks/linkages21%83,094——
Seats21%151——
Service Brakes21%49,986——
Equipment10%15,000——
Fuel System, Gasoline10%35,000——
Tires10%38,000——
Wheels10%55,000——

One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2014, with 52 complaints
2009: 3200932010: 772011: 7201172012: 992013: 302013302014: 52522015: 292015292016: 26262017: 122017122018: 14142019: 9201992020: 10102021: 2202122022: 332023: 4202342025: 33

n = 220 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2009 Buick Enclave recalls (8)

Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.

Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator moduleOct 7, 2021 · NHTSA campaign 21V782000 · 555 vehicles

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.

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

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.

Structure:body:hatchback/liftgateJun 30, 2015 · NHTSA campaign 15V415000 · 691,144 vehicles

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.

Risk: If the open liftgate unexpectedly falls, it may strike a person, increasing their risk of injury.

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.

Seat beltsMay 20, 2014 · NHTSA campaign 14V266000 · 1,339,355 vehicles

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.

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.

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.

Air bags:side/windowMar 17, 2014 · NHTSA campaign 14V118000 · 1,176,407 vehicles

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.

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.

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.

Seat beltsAug 12, 2010 · NHTSA campaign 10V375000 · 207,210 vehicles

Problem: 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. If the buckle contacts the seat frame, additional effort is required to return the seat to a seating position. If sufficient force is applied, the buckle cover could be pushed down the strap, exposing and partially depressing the red release button.

Risk: The safety belt may not restrain the occupant as intended during a crash, increasing the risk of injury to the seat occupant.

Fix: 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. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, buick at 1-866-608-8080, gmc at 1-866-996-9463, and saturn at 1-800-972-8876, or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.

Electrical systemJun 4, 2010 · NHTSA campaign 10V240000 · 1,365,070 vehicles

Problem: 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 chevrolet traverse vehicles equipped with a heated washer fluid system (hwfs). A recall was implemented in 2008 to add a fuse to the control circuit harness to address the potential consequences of a printed circuit board (pcb) electrical short. However, there have been new reports of thermal incidents on hwfs modules after this improvement was installed. These incidents resulted from a new failure mode attributed to the device's thermal protection feature. The significance varies from minor distortion to considerable melting of the plastic around the hwfs fluid chamber.

Risk: It is possible for the heated washer module to ignite and a fire may occur.

Fix: 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 disabled and removed from the vehicle. The safety recall began on june 11, 2010. Owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080, cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, saturn at 1-800-972-8876, gmc at 1-866-996-9463 and hummer at 1-800-732-5493 or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.

Power train:automatic transmission:lever and linkage:column shiftMar 6, 2009 · NHTSA campaign 09V073000 · 276,729 vehicles

Problem: 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 braking effect", and fmvss 114, "theft protection and rollaway prevention". On some of these vehicles, the transmission shift cable adjustment clip may not be fully engaged. If the clip is not fully engaged, the shift lever and the actual position of the transmission gear may not match. With this condition, the drive could move the shifter to "park" and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear may not be in "park".

Risk: The driver may not be able to restart the vehicle and the vehicle could roll away after the driver has exited the vehicle, resulting in a possible crash without prior warning.

Fix: 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. The recall is expected to begin on or before march 24, 2009. Owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080, chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, gmc at 1-866-996-9463, pontiac at 1-800-620-7668 and saturn at 1-800-972-8876 or at www.gmownercenter.com.

Seat belts: rear/other:buckle assemblyNov 24, 2008 · NHTSA campaign 08V615000 · 16,667 vehicles

Problem: 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. 209, 'seat belt assemblies.' these vehicles may have been built with a safety belt buckle in the second or third row that is missing a rivet.

Risk: In a vehicle crash, if the rivet is missing, the buckle may separate from the mounting strap, increasing the risk of injury to the passenger.

Fix: 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. Owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080; chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438; gmc at 1-866-996-9463; saturn at 1-800-972-8876; or through their website at <a href=http://www.gmownercenter.com>http://www.gmownercenter.com</a> .

To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.

NHTSA defect investigations

  • Outboard Front Seat Belt Anchor Cable Failure (EA20002) — opened Aug 31, 2020, closed Aug 30, 2024, led to recall 21V245.
  • Seat Belt Anchor Cable Failure (RQ19003) — opened May 28, 2019, closed Aug 31, 2020.
  • Fleet Vehicle Recall Completion Audit (AQ10001) — opened Nov 18, 2010, closed Dec 28, 2015.

Recent owner reports

Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.

Every time I turn right my car turns off. I am able to restart after. I’ve taken it to several mechanic's and no one seems to know the issue. I’ve had my battery change circuits change a tune up and my gas filter changed and the car still doesn’t work.

Steering · received Aug 15, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11681021

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…

Electrical System · received Jul 9, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11672171

The contact owns a 2009 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the rear tailgate unintentionally opened. The contact stated that once the failure had occurred, the contact closed the rear tailgate, and the rear tailgate was inoperable and failed to open. No…

Latches/locks/linkages · received Mar 18, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11649030

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…

Steering · received Oct 20, 2023 · NHTSA complaint 11551090

The seat caught on fire. Origin of fire started in the seat according to fire officials.

Electrical System · received May 21, 2023 · NHTSA complaint 11523103

Other Buick Enclave years

← 2008 Enclave · 2010 Enclave →

See all Buick Enclave problems by year, every Buick model, or the Buick VIN decoder.

Similar Buick models

Embed this 2009 Buick Enclave badge on your site

Copy this code into your blog or forum post. It shows live complaint and recall counts and links back here.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2009 Buick Enclave?

Owners most often report steering, engine, power train problems. The top one, steering, accounts for 108 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2009 Buick Enclave?

Yes, 8 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2009 Buick Enclave a good year?

Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Enclave model years, the 2009 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.