MODELYEARINDEX

Which Buick Enclave years to avoid

Across 12 scored model years, the 2011 and 2010 model years carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · Buick Enclave Full report
F
Grade 2010–2021
2011 vs model median 3.0×
Model median3× median
Airbags & Restraints 24
Drivetrain 22
Body & Interior 12
Avoid

2010 · 2011

Best

2017 · 2021

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2010
2.48× 118 F
2011
3.03× 124 F
2012
1.20× 56 C
2013
0.94× 38 C
2014
1.19× 48 C
2015
1.21× 51 C
2016
0.74× 32 B
2017
0.70× 24 B
2018
1.01× 42 B
2019
0.99× 38 B
2020
0.81× 32 C
2021
0.38× 24 A
2022 P
0.61× 21 B
2023 P
0.57× 23 A
2024 P
0.36× 11 A
2025 P
1.31× 57 C

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2010 F 118 reports · median 59,000 mi

  1. Steering 62

    My 2010 buick enclave has now had the steering rack fail twice in it's first year. The steering pump has now failed. This starts off as a rub and then soon after begins to have grinding in the steering wheel. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Brakes 8

    The contact owns a 2010 buick enclave. While driving on an incline, the vehicle intermittently rolled backward. He has to exert great force during brake application to stop the vehicle. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Drivetrain 8

    The contact owns a 2010 buick enclave. The contact stated that the brake booster failed and caused the brakes to seize while traveling 45 MPH. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

4 crash · 1 fire · 3 injuries

2011 F 124 reports · median 40,000 mi

  1. Airbags & Restraints 24

    Air bag light kept coming on. Love buick, columbia sc replaced module. Several days later air bag light came on again with a message " service airbag ". owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Drivetrain 22

    The vehicle rolls back on any incline. There is no hand brake in the center console, and according to dot safety this is not legal. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Body & Interior 12

    I purchased a new buick enclave on or about 4 feb. 2011, on or about 12 april 2011 I had the back window down without knowing it as I hit about 45 MPH this horrible noise appeared in the car. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

18 crash · 2 fire · 17 injuries

The best year for the Enclave

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2021 is the best-scoring Enclave model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 85.6 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2021 0.38× 24 A
2017 0.70× 24 B
2018 1.01× 42 B

Recalls

23 campaigns on record.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
14V266000 SEAT BELTS 2010–2014 1,339,355
14V118000 AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW 2010–2013 1,176,407
23V334000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2014–2017 995,085
15V415000 STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE 2010–2012 691,144
10V375000 SEAT BELTS 2010 207,210
20V668000 POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 2019, 2020 194,105
14V614000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2014 106,307
14V223000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL 2014 51,640
12V151000 VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:LINKAGES 2011, 2012 47,846
21V115000 TIRES 2020 33,838
15V609000 VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR 2016 29,295
15V044000 TIRES 2015 9,074

+ 11 further campaigns

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2011 were reported at a median of 40,000 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Buick Enclave years should you avoid?
2011, 2010 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Buick Enclave model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the Buick Enclave?
2021 is the best-scoring Buick Enclave model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 85.6 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Buick Enclave have?
23 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Buick Enclave model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2011 Enclave
Complaints in window
124
Severity-weighted
194
Model median (weighted)
64
vs model median
3.03×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
6
Open investigations
0
Score 10 F