CSR
Check a VIN

Look up

About

Buick · NHTSA safety record

2013 Buick Enclave

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 70 safety complaints about the 2013 Buick Enclave with the US government. Of those, 3 describe a crash, 1 mentions a fire, 7 people were injured and no death is recorded. 4 recall campaigns are open against it, covering the air bags and the seat belts.

The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 14 complaints, 20% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 53,500 miles, the median across the 50 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers November 2013 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

70 complaints on file

70

Complaints

3

Describe a crash

1

Mention fire

7

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
ENGINE 14 · 20%
POWER TRAIN 14 · 20%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 12 · 17%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 12 · 17%
STEERING 12 · 17%
AIR BAGS 10 · 14%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 8 · 11%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 6 · 9%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 5 · 7%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 3 · 4%
SEAT BELTS 3 · 4%
STRUCTURE 2 · 3%
0 8 15

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 70.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2018 at 13.

16 12 8 4
13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2013 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2013 Buick ENCLAVE, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test SUV AWD SUV FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 15.5% 16.9%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

4 on file

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

21V782000 · October 7, 2021

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

General Motors, LLC · up to 555 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:CRITICAL FASTENERS

21V246000 · April 8, 2021

The defect
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.
The risk
Unsecured side curtain air bags may not perform as intended, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy
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.

General Motors, LLC · up to 108 vehicles across all model years covered

SEAT BELTS

14V266000 · May 20, 2014

The defect
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.
The 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.
The remedy
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.

General Motors LLC · up to 1,339,355 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW

14V118000 · March 17, 2014

The defect
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.
The 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.
The 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.

General Motors LLC · up to 1,176,407 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations

2 on file

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Outboard Front Seat Belt Anchor Cable Failure

EA20002

Closed engineering analysis · opened August 31, 2020 · closed August 30, 2024 · led to recall 21V245

the seat belts

On August 31, 2020, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened Engineering Analysis (EA) EA20002, as an upgrade of Recall Query (RQ) RQ19003. This investigation, related to recall 14V-266, was opened to investigate instances of detachment of the flexible steel seat belt anchor cable attached to the outboard side of the front seats in vehicles manufactured by General Motors (GM). The subject vehicles included model year (MY) 2009 through 2014 GMC Acadia, Buick Enclave, and Chevrolet Traverse SUVs as well as MY 2009 through 2010 Saturn Outlook SUVs. These vehicles were previously repaired for this defect under recall 14V-266. The subject vehicle population is approximately 1.3 million vehicles. Special Coverage N192219480, issued in June 2019, addressed the subject defect in vehicles that previously received the recall remedy repair for subject recall 14V-266. The Special Coverage allows for component replacement for 12 years or 180,000 miles from the initial sale date, whichever comes first. Special Coverage N192219480 instructed service technicians to inspect the driver’s seat belt anchor cable for any damage to the protective sleeve and if damage was observed, the cable was replaced with a new sleeve as well as a new closeout piece that relocated the cable to mitigate the subject condition. In view of the Special Coverage conducted by General Motors, the high detectability of the subject failure, and the low rate of occurrence, this Engineering Analysis is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov. Please see the attached document “EA20-002 Detailed Closing Summary” for more a detailed closing resume summary.

Seat Belt Anchor Cable Failure

RQ19003

Closed recall query · opened May 28, 2019 · closed August 31, 2020

the seat belts

On May 19, 2014, General Motors LLC (GM) notified the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) that it would conduct Safety Recall 14V266 to address fatigue and separation of the flexible steel cable that connects the front outboard seat belts to the seat-mounted belt pre-tensioner in 1.4 million model year (MY) 2009-2010 Saturn Outlook, 2009-2014 Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Chevrolet Traverse (Lambda Platform) vehicles.The remedy was to inspect for signs of damage and replace pre-tensioner anchor cables as needed. Re-work was conducted to relocate the pre-tensioner anchor cable out of the occupant entry path. ODI has subsequently received four (4) Vehicle Owners Questionnaires (VOQ) reporting anchor cable separations with no apparent warning in covered vehicles after the Recall 14V266 remedy had been applied.ODI opened RQ19-003 to assess the effectiveness of the actions GM took in Recall 14V266 and review the full warranty and complaint data related to seat belt anchor cable separations and replacements. ODI continues to receive occasional cable failure complaints both for the subject vehicles and other GM models and model years that have also been previously recalled addressing this condition.Although the cable separation complaint rate is very low, over the past three years ODI has received two (2) additional VOQ?s citing belt cable separations for Lambda platform vehicles outside the scope of recall 14V266, (11217092, 11118075) and complaints for other GM models covered in a number of similar Safety Recalls:* 15V269, 2011-12 Chevrolet Malibu (11181115, 11288168); * 16V209, 2014-15 Silverado 1500, Sierra 1500 (11254364, 10935183, 10953851, 11025376, 11282043, 11288701, 11309884); and * 16V518 2014-16 Caprice Police Pursuit, SS (10905644, 10990669, 11340893).ODI's review of GM's data confirms the low potential failure rate for the vehicles covered by recall 14V266. However, ODI believes that complainants may not recognize accumulating cable fatigue damage from the visual cues available in routine vehicle use.ODI is upgrading RQ19-003 to an Engineering Analysis to more closely assess seat belt conditions and strength levels in the field. This work will include the collection of seat belt samples from a wider range of recalled and peer vehicles for detailed analysis and testing.The ODI reports (VOQs) associated with this RQ19-003 can be viewed at NHTSA.gov under the following reference numbers: 11144704, 11076704, 11185619, 11151922, 11164011, 10967518, 11113486, 11115648

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

STRUCTURE:BODY

3 injured · 6,028 miles

THE FRONT DOORS OF THE 2013 BUICK ENCLAVE HAVE RAZOR SHARP CORNERS THAT CAN CUT THE CALF OF YOUR LEG AS YOU EXIT THE VEHICLE. THE DOORS ARE DESIGNED WITH A SHARP CORNER THAT JUTES OUT ON ITS LOWER EDGE. AS A DRIVER, I HAVE BEEN CUT TWICE IN THE 6 MONTHS I HAVE OWNED THE VEHICLE, ONE TIME EVEN THROUGH A PAIR OF JEANS! OTHER MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY HAVE ALSO BEEN CUT. ALL CUTS DREW BLOOD. *TR

NHTSA complaint 10553486. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

1 injured · fire

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 BUICK ENCLAVE. THE CONTACT STATED THE HEATER OVERHEATED AND AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT SUSTAINED A BURN TO THE FOOT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER, WHO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE DID NOT OVERHEAT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA complaint 10609799. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 2,000 miles

The contact owned a 2013 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH and attempting to make a right turn around a curve, the driver-side curtain airbag deployed unexpectedly and struck the contact's left temple, causing the contact to lose consciousness. While unconscious, the contact's foot remained depressed on the accelerator pedal, causing the vehicle to crash into a ditch, at which point the front passenger-side and rear driver-side and passenger-side airbags also deployed. Medical attention was required. The contact sustained an injury to the left temple, head pain, and pain extending from the left side of the neck into the shoulder blade. A police report was not

NHTSA complaint 11759995, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · 11,500 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 BUICK ENCLAVE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE CRASHED HEAD-ON INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CONTACT WAS INJURED AND REQUIRED IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 11,500.

NHTSA complaint 10595132. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
Transmission slip, surging forward, grinding, not shifting, shuts down completely

NHTSA complaint 11767347. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
No first gear. Engine stalls if car is brought to a halt. On take off, car will stall if given too much throttle. If able to roll from dead stop, it will jerk and hesitate as if in too high of gear or dragging clutch.

NHTSA complaint 11718186. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
Steering wheel is so stiff it over works my arms and shoulder muscles burn it hard to turn literally feels as if the wheels is kind of bumping the frame 5 days steering wheel started to make a weird noise that is now persistent and sounds like a rubbing rubber sound and I have been getting electric shock every time I’m getting out the car and go to close the door since this started making a static like electric sound in the dash over my steering wheel they all at the same time on the same day February 4,2026 scared my car might catch fire

NHTSA complaint 11716882. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

109,000 miles

The contact owns a 2013 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had not been taken to the dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 109,000.

NHTSA complaint 11610032. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Check engine light illuminated due to transmission clutch not being adequate in manufacturing. Transmission causes motor to shudder due to clutches slipping. Whether in automatic or manual, when accelerating in low RPM, the entire car begins to shudder instead of downshifting. Transmission has been replaced twice, with no corrections. Happens every time the car is driven.

NHTSA complaint 11606223. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Buick Enclave

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2025 37 0 —
2022 13 1 —
2021 25 2 —
2020 59 6 —
2019 42 1 —
2018 65 0 —
2017 179 3 —
2016 141 4 —
2015 171 5 —
2014 292 7 —
2012 132 6 —
2011 212 6 —
2010 275 6 —

Other 2013 Buick models

Lacrosse 129 Verano 107 Regal 91 Encore 52

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Buick on this site — 63 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst