2011 Buick Enclave: engine and transmission complaints
HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
45%
77 of 172 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system
45% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2011 Buick Enclave are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. That is a model-level pattern, not bad luck.
Worse than 56% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).
Excludes 40 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 36%).
The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.
What owners reported
AIR BAGS,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM11/06/2014CRASH1 INJURED
2011 BUICK ENCLAVE, ALL RECALLS COMPLETED. WHEN TURNING INTO DRIVEWAY FROM A TOTAL STOP VEHICLE EXPERIENCED UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION AND CRASHED THROUGH PART-WAY UP GARAGE DOOR, SIDE WALL OF GARAGE, (RIGHT WHEEL OVER 6" CONCRETE FOUNDATION), PUSHED ITEMS STORED IN GARAGE INTO FRONT WALL AND MOVED WALL 12" INTO LAUNDRY R…
STEERING,POWER TRAIN,ENGINE11/13/20131 INJURED
DRIVING OFF OF A HIGHWAY. SUDDEN ENGINE SEIZE STEERING LOCK AND ZERO POWER. CAR ROLLED TO A COMPLETE STOP. LUCKILY WE WERE IN A TURNING LANE AND WERE ABLE TO ROLL INTO A SAFE WAITING AREA. NO ONE IN THE VEHICLE WERE INJURED BODILY YET THE MENTAL ANGUISH AND FEAR WAS UNBEARABLE. HAD THIS HAPPENED ON THE HIGHWAY FIVE MIN…
ENGINE08/31/2026
I drove to work just fine on May 19th, 2020, when I got off work around 3pm. I started the car and as I was about to pull out on Brightleaf BLVD in smithfield, NC my car just stopped. I contacted OnStar and they pulled many codes P02AD,P0300 x2, P0305 x 2 at 126,362 miles with 73% oil life remaining. I contacted by Me…
Three of 77 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.
Recall campaigns on this model year (6)
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
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 deploym…
AIR BAGS:CRITICAL FASTENERS
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 m…
SEAT BELTS
General Motors is recalling certain model year 2009-2014 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured April 14, 2008, through May 14, 2014, Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufacture…
This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.
Before you buy a 2011 Buick Enclave
Ask the seller whether the transmission has ever been repaired or replaced, and whether the car has shown shuddering, slipping, delayed or harsh shifts, or a whine at speed.
Drive it from a cold start and long enough to warm up. Many transmission faults hide once the car is warm.
Get an independent pre-purchase inspection from a mechanic you choose, and tell them to focus on the transmission.
6 recall campaigns on this model year. Whether a specific car still has one open depends on the VIN; the report checks that.
Ask for service records. A transmission already replaced under warranty is a different car from one that was not.
Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.
Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history
report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition
of any individual vehicle.
