2012 Buick Enclave Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated May 16, 2026 · 132 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other Enclave years
More complaints than other years 9th of 19 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
5 out of 5 stars

Owners have filed 132 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Buick Enclave. That ranks 9th out of 19 Enclave model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is engine (24 complaints, 18%), typically at around 107,000 miles. Complaints mention 9 crashes, 25 injuries. There are 6 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 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 2012 Buick Enclave problems

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

Engine24 · ~107,000 mi
Structure24 · ~76,000 mi
Air Bags21 · ~75,000 mi
Electrical System19 · ~66,000 mi
Unknown or Other19 · ~88,000 mi
Steering17 · ~59,500 mi
Power Train13 · ~56,569 mi
Fuel/propulsion System6 · ~80,000 mi
Service Brakes6 · ~75,000 mi
Seat Belts3 · ~44,042 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Engine2418%107,000——
Structure2418%76,000——
Air Bags2116%75,000——
Electrical System1914%66,000——
Unknown or Other1914%88,000——
Steering1713%59,500——
Power Train1310%56,569——
Fuel/propulsion System65%80,000——
Service Brakes65%75,000——
Seat Belts32%44,042——
Suspension32%45,000——
Vehicle Speed Control32%159,000——
Electronic Stability Control (esc)22%89,825——
Fuel System, Gasoline22%35,847——
Seats22%350——
Tires22%———
Visibility22%96,000——
Visibility/wiper22%———
Equipment11%———
Exterior Lighting11%12,000——
Fuel System, Other11%34,794——
Service Brakes, Air11%24,704——

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

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2019, with 19 complaints
2012: 2201222013: 442014: 102014102015: 17172016: 142016142017: 772018: 172018172019: 19192020: 102020102021: 11112022: 4202242023: 332024: 7202472025: 552026: 220262

n = 132 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2012 Buick Enclave recalls (6)

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.

Air bags:critical fastenersApr 8, 2021 · NHTSA campaign 21V246000 · 108 vehicles

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.

Risk: Unsecured side curtain air bags may not perform as intended, increasing the risk of injury.

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.

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.

Visibility:windshield wiper/washer:linkagesApr 9, 2012 · NHTSA campaign 12V151000 · 47,846 vehicles

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.

Risk: If this occurs, driver visibility could be reduced, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will tighten the wiper arm nuts, free of charge. The safety recall began on april 20, 2012.

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.

Recent owner reports

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

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…

Engine · received May 16, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11738309

While sitting at a traffic light my engine runs rough, then it dies

Engine · received Mar 28, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11727724

Transmission needs replacing

Electrical System · received Jul 23, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11675512

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…

Fuel/propulsion System · received Apr 29, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11657657

Steering wheel airbag warning. Seat belts fraying. The underneath welding for the support bar, potentially the rear axel, came unwelded.

Air Bags · received Mar 8, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11647163

Other Buick Enclave years

← 2011 Enclave · 2013 Enclave →

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

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2012 Buick Enclave?

Owners most often report engine, structure, air bags problems. The top one, engine, accounts for 24 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2012 Buick Enclave?

Yes, 6 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2012 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 2012 has more complaints than most years, and NHTSA rates it 5 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.