2008 Buick Enclave Problems and Recalls (534 Complaints)
The most-reported problem on the 2008 Buick Enclave is Transmission / driveline (20% of 534 owner reports). There are 6 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Transmission / driveline — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 534 complaints · 6 recalls
What problems show up on the 2008 Buick Enclave?
106 of 534 filings named Transmission / driveline (20% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.
Second is Airbags (91 reports).
There are 6 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Glass / wipers / cameras, Airbags, and Body / frame. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.
The previous year is not published here. Use the year list to jump around.
What owners reported
System named most often: Transmission / driveline 106 complaints · 19.9% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
- Crashes 13
- Fires 10
- Injuries 41
- Deaths 0
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Which systems owners named
Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.
“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.
View component data as a table
| System / Component | Complaints | Share of Reports | Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) | 106 | 19.9% | 2 crashes · 0 fires |
| Airbags (AIR BAGS) | 91 | 17.0% | 3 crashes · 0 fires |
| Steering (STEERING) | 80 | 15.0% | 3 crashes · 0 fires |
| Body / frame (STRUCTURE) | 59 | 11.1% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Engine (ENGINE) | 43 | 8.1% | 1 crashes · 6 fires |
| Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) | 41 | 7.7% | 1 crashes · 1 fires |
| Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY) | 23 | 4.3% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Suspension (SUSPENSION) | 8 | 1.5% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) | 8 | 1.5% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Unclassified NHTSA leftover | 142 | 26.6% | 1 crashes · 3 fires |
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
When reports and recalls showed up
When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.
- Campaign 08V410000 was reported 161 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 14V118000 was reported 2,379 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 15V415000 was reported 2,484 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 21V782000 was reported 5,140 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2007-Q4 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2008-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2008-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2008-Q3 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2008-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2009-Q1 | Owner reports | 10 | |
| 2009-Q2 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2009-Q3 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2009-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2010-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2010-Q2 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2010-Q3 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2010-Q4 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2011-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2011-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2011-Q3 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2011-Q4 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2012-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2012-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2012-Q3 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2012-Q4 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2013-Q1 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2013-Q2 | Owner reports | 18 | |
| 2013-Q3 | Owner reports | 12 | |
| 2013-Q4 | Owner reports | 15 | |
| 2014-Q1 | Owner reports | 17 | |
| 2014-Q2 | Owner reports | 38 | |
| 2014-Q3 | Owner reports | 27 | |
| 2014-Q4 | Owner reports | 24 | |
| 2015-Q1 | Owner reports | 11 | |
| 2015-Q2 | Owner reports | 16 | |
| 2015-Q3 | Owner reports | 21 | |
| 2015-Q4 | Owner reports | 25 | |
| 2016-Q1 | Owner reports | 20 | |
| 2016-Q2 | Owner reports | 14 | |
| 2016-Q3 | Owner reports | 14 | |
| 2016-Q4 | Owner reports | 10 | |
| 2017-Q1 | Owner reports | 14 | |
| 2017-Q2 | Owner reports | 11 | |
| 2017-Q3 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2017-Q4 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2018-Q1 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2018-Q2 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2018-Q3 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2018-Q4 | Owner reports | 14 | |
| 2019-Q1 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2019-Q2 | Owner reports | 12 | |
| 2019-Q3 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2019-Q4 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2020-Q1 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2020-Q2 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2020-Q4 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2021-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2021-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2021-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2021-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2022-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2022-Q2 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2022-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2023-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2023-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2024-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2024-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2025-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2025-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 08V410000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 08V441000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 10V240000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 14V118000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 15V415000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 21V782000 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | EA08010 |
Safety Recalls (6)
Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.
In short, these campaigns were filed about Glass / wipers / cameras, Airbags, and Body / frame.
-
Recall campaign 08V410000
Glass / wipers / cameras
- Report date
- Component:
- Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY)
- Consequence:
- IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR, DRIVER VISIBILITY COULD BE REDUCED, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW WIPER CRANK ARM, DRIVER'S SIDE LINK, AND A CRANK ARM NUT. THE RECALL BEGAN O OCTOBER 13, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463, SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876, OR THROUGH THEIR WEBSITE AT HTTP://WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
-
Recall campaign 08V441000
Safety recall 08V441000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- THIS MAY CAUSE OTHER ELECTRICAL FEATURES TO MALFUNCTION, CREATE AN ODOR, OR CAUSE SMOKE INCREASING THE RISK OF A FIRE.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL INSTALL A WIRE HARNESS WITH AN IN-LINE FUSE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080; CADILLAC AT 1-800-982-2339 OR HTTP://WWW.CADILLAC.COM; CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438; SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876 OR HTTP://WWW.SATURN.COM, GMC AT 1-866-996-9436; OR HUMMER AT 1-800-732-5493; OR THROUGH THEIR WEBSITE AT HTTP://WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
-
Recall campaign 10V240000
Safety recall 10V240000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- IT IS POSSIBLE FOR THE HEATED WASHER MODULE TO IGNITE AND A FIRE MAY OCCUR.
- Remedy:
- 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.
-
Recall campaign 14V118000
Airbags
- Report date
- Component:
- Airbags (AIR BAGS)
- Consequence:
- 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.
- Remedy:
- 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.
-
Recall campaign 15V415000
Body / frame
- Report date
- Component:
- Body / frame (STRUCTURE)
- Consequence:
- If the open liftgate unexpectedly falls, it may strike a person, increasing their risk of injury.
- Remedy:
- 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.
-
Recall campaign 21V782000
Airbags
- Report date
- Component:
- Airbags (AIR BAGS)
- Consequence:
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy:
- 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.
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
What owners actually wrote
Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.
Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07
Showing 10 of 534 complaints · page 1 of 22
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Dealer Jeff Wyler Chevrolet replaced car cabin battery & failed to vent battery gas hose to the vehicle exterior. Hose is laying in well of battery compartment & filling the vehicle with hydrogen gas. General Motors has been informed & car is not safe to drive. Dealer installed a date altered dead cell battery (fully documented) creating a toxic & dangerous situation with no immediate assistance to resolve or reimburse. My grandbabys car seat is located above this battery compartment & we can’t use our car. Is my car now combustible or explosive?
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact owns a 2008 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that the vehicle had failed to start intermittently. The contact stated that upon attempting to turn off the vehicle, the vehicle failed to turn off. The contact stated that her husband, who was a mechanic, had inspected underneath the hood and noticed that the wiring harness underneath the engine was melting. The contact's husband scanned the vehicle with a vehicle scanner and retrieved diagnostic trouble codes that indicated a computer module failure. The contact's husband purchased the module, and the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the module was installed and flashed; however, the failure persisted. Additionally, the contact's husband diagnosed that the wiring harness failure had caused the battery to overcharge and fail. The contact's husband replaced the battery and the alternator; however, the failure persisted. Additionally, the contact stated that the liftgate struts had failed, causing the lift gate to close unintendedly after being lifted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Electric issues, the recall for the sunroof was not disclosed and was not inspected properly…water and debris get clogged and goes into the in the engine.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
1st incident was 6/29/24 my driver seat airbag deployed. 2nd incident happened 8/3/24 when the airbag on the driver side deployed the whole side from the front to the back of the trunk.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Unknown
CrashFireInjuryDeath
i was driving fine until i slowed down and tried to turn, the steering wheel was hard to turn and making a grinding noise. it works fine going on the highway. i noticed this was a big issue with the enclave and wondering why this isnt recalled? ive spent enough money on this that i didnt have and cant afford another expense. i do not have a warranty on it. no check engines light and fluids are good
CrashFireInjuryDeath
I didn’t have any accidents but I when to many mechanics shops and each saying that it is an electrical problem with my 2008 Buick enclave CXL 3.6 also an issue with the airbag on the dash it showing service airbag soon I brought this car a couple of years ago and the airbag light was on when I brought it. VIN [XXX] I can be reach at [XXX] [XXX] or email me at [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
CrashFireInjuryDeath
ASB
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact owns a 2008 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she noticed that water was leaking inside the vehicle through the sunroof. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that there were several unknown point of entry of water, and mold had developed in the parts of the vehicle that were mostly affected by the water intrusion. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing electrical failures due to water damage. The contact stated that the windshield wipers were operating erratically and other unknown electrical parts had failed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who could not determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. There was no further information provided. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 53,000.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
At 65,000 Transmission went out 100,000 Electrical issue due to lose ground wire under fuse box 121,000 Electrical issue caused battery to drain and vehicle not turn off. Even if key out of ignition 121,000 Driver Side Curtain Airbags deployed when battery replaced
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems on the 2008 Buick Enclave?
Owners named Transmission / driveline most often — 106 of 534 reports (20%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.
Are there recalls for the 2008 Buick Enclave?
NHTSA lists 6 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Glass / wipers / cameras, Airbags, and Body / frame. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.
What should I inspect before buying a 2008 Buick Enclave?
Look up the VIN for open recalls. Have a shop drive it and check the transmission: hard or delayed shifts, burnt-smelling fluid, and 4WD engagement if equipped. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.
Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?
No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.
Estimated Ownership Cost
EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates
Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Adjacent Model Years
Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Methodology & Data Integrity
Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.