Steering loses power (locks up) at low speeds. I struggled to turn at all. If my wife was driving she would have crashed, she would not have been strong enough to control the car.
2008 Buick Enclave steering complaints
Page 4 of 4: complaints 71 to 99 of 99, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Steering loses power (locks up) at low speeds.
Lost total steering at low speed, luckily I was in and open area and not in close quarters like a parking lot.
Steering locked up while turning at low speed, almost hit another car in the process. Buick knows this is an issue on the enclave platform, still, no recall. If I did get into an accident and a fatality occurred, litigation would have been in order. Is this what buick is waiting for? Someone to get injured, this is a safety issue. The original sticker price for my 2008 buick enclave was north of $40,000, wow and they can't get something as simple as a steering rack and pump right? This needs to be a recall, I just had to pay $2800 to get this fixed, and not really sure if it will or will not happen again in the future. I just can't believe there is no recall for this, apparently buick does not care one bit about their customers and definitely does not want repeat business. I will tell everyone I know to avoid buick at every expense and never, never, never buy an enclave. I am also considering selling the enclave and buying something that is worth it and safe.
Steering rack system had to be replaced due to steering issues while driving. When we took it in to the dealer we were told that it needed to be replaced as it wasn't safe to drive in that condition. We were told that the steering could fail or lockup.
Steering unit emits growling noise when turning the wheels. There is feedback thru the steering wheel. I have had the power steering fluid changed at 10,000 mile intervals and that seems to help, but the service station that changes my oil tells me that the unit needs to be replaced! He has seen the same issue on the gmc acadia and saturn SUV as well. Also, we continue to have wet carpet on the passenger side due to the sun roof leaking.
During wet weather, the power steering seems to shut down and making it very hard to steer the car. This has happened many times over the past two years. It seems to happen after just starting out and driving thru a small puddle of water and after a few miles seems to operate normally. This is the same complaint I have seen from other owners and needs to be considered for a recall because this is an accident waiting to happen. We had one close call, how ever do to the low speed was able to stop the car in time. Somehow water must be getting into the steering components.
The steering is now making a loud moaning noise. Will be taking to dealer to try to fix. Reading many reports online that this is a wide spread issue.
While turning into parking spots or in an intersection while at low speeds the steering becomes extremely difficult if not impossible.
The steering on my car is almost impossible when I am driving under 15 MPH. Places such as parking lots, backing out of my driveway, etc has become dangerous for me to maneuver. I am very concerned for my safety. I took it to the shop today and they're telling me it's a known issue but there is no recall...it's going to cost me over $2,000 to fix. The power steering pump and rack need replaced. It's completely ridiculous for buick to not stand behind this!
Entering parking lot power steering failed. Parked, returned to vehicle and it was working. Since that time multiple failures have occurred without any warning. Very dangerous, vehicle is out of warranty and dealer and independent mechanic states the pump and rack require replacing. There are a number of similar incident reported on the internet affecting 2008, 2009, 2010 enclaves. Recognizing that gm is now owned by the federal government, I suspect that there is little motivation for this agency to investigate the issue, but many believe it has significant safety implications. I am not one to complain, but as an aeronautical engineer this has all the ear marks of a design flaw. Reading the internet entries it appears that for $2k+ the pump and rack are replaced and then x miles down the road you are back to square one. Don't know if this issue applies to the chevy traverse and gm acadia, but suspect the whole family is sick with this problem.
Loss of power steering during turns.
Steering would click, grind & knock while driving, particularly when turning. We took our enclave to an independent shop where they found that the rack and pinion assembly had to be completely replaced. It was a safety concern, so we had the independent shop replace the rack and pinion assembly immediately. I've contacted gm as well as the local dealership several times regarding this issue. Asking for reimbursement of repair costs since this is a design flaw by gm, not a consumer driving issue. I have 60k miles on my 2008 enclave and all maintenance has been kept up to date on this vehicle and we are the original owners. I was told that they would in no way reimburse me because one I took the vehicle to an independent shop not a dealership and two my bumper to bumper warranty is out and rack and pinion assembly is under bumper to bumper not the power train warranty which is available to us for the next year (approx). I told gm that there are several postings on the internet (including regarding rack and pinion issues with the enclave. I was told that the internet was free and anyone could post on there. My response back was I personally know two enclave owners that this happened to and their repairs were covered by buick because their warranty hadn't expired. Gm told me there is no recall to date. I find this to be disappointing as there obvious design flaw issues with the enclave. I am getting the run around and on my latest call with a supervisor at gm I was told that he would pass the information to his manager, but I probably wouldn't get a call back because they are more hr they don't handle customer issues. I was told to send a letter to gm via usps. The enclave is unsafe to drive as the steering can lock up at any time. I believe that this should be investigated more closely and as a result I believe a recall will be done.
While turning into parking spots or in an intersection while at low speeds the steering becomes extremely difficult if not impossible.
At low speeds, the power steering seizes up, making the car virtually impossible to steer.
Power steering would grind, occurred for over 20,000 miles, and dealer could not diagnose the problem on several instances of being in for maintenance. Steering would be sluggish at times but not easily reproduced for dealer service. Independent shop found massive leakage in the rack and pinion system on both sides as well as complete leakage from the rear differential. Independent shop indicated both were significant safety issues requiring immediate repair; they also were surprised at the dealer's inability to diagnose the issue.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 buick enclave. The contact stated that while driving 15 MPH, the steering wheel seized. The contact stated that the failure recurred approximately 25-40 times. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer for inspection where they advised that the steering pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified and stated that there was no recall on the vehicle. The failure mileage was 30,000. The consumer stated he heard a clicking noise whenever he turned the steering wheel. The dealer replaced the power steering pump, power steering gear, steering column . The consumer stated he would loose power steering assist when driving and the steering wheel would lock up. , there was excessive play in the steering. The consumer hit a pillar, when the steering locked up, and caused damage to the vehicle. The dealer replaced several components within the steering several times. The key would get stuck in the ignition. Updated 01/28/13
Intermittent problem with power steering. The steering becomes extremely difficult at times, making this a very hazardous situation.
Transmission completely went out. Also for about 1 year , the power steering has made a loud squeaking noise and the dealer said it couldn't be fixed.
A terrible screeching noise LED me to bring my car to the buick dealer for repair.... They replaced the steering gear, the steering pump, fluid, etc. With a cost to me of 1409.99. Had I not heard the noise, I would have lost steering...... The car was just out of warranty.... Far too early for this to have happened.
Steering column makes a clicking and squeaking sound when turning. Also, when slowing down to turn and at complete rest, the power steering goes out, making it difficult to turn. We were told by the dealer in our area that there were several complaints on this issue and he thought a recall would be issued, soon.
Power steering! Issues with the power steering locking up while the car is in motion. Major safety issue. It is the worst when turning into a parking spot, however when driving around a corner at normal speeds it is very hard to handle and changing lanes on the highway was also an issue. You can hear a roaring noise coming from the steering column.
Grinding noise when turning steering wheel
Vehicle was making a right hand turn into a parking lot at approximately 15 MPH when the steering wheel jerked to the right. The resulting jerking movement/feedback resulted in the operator under steering the vehicle and striking a large boulder on the shoulder of the parking lot entrance. The vehicle sustained moderate damage to the bumper, skirting and right front fender. This vehicle had it's power steering rack replaced less than 12 months prior for the same performance issue. In the summer of 2010 gm redesigned the power steering racks for all lambda platform vehicles (buick enclave, gmc acadia, saturn outlook, and chevy traverse) presumably as a result of complaints lodged by customers directly through dealers or general motors.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 buick enclave. The contact stated while driving at speeds of 25 MPH, there was an abnormal knocking from the vehicle front end. The dealer replaced the tie rods to correct the failure. On a separate occasion, the power steering and water pump failed and the dealer replaced both components. The contact stated there were several failures in the vehicle including warped rotors and brakes at 22,000 miles and several unknown recall repairs. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency recall campaign id number: 10v240000 (electrical system) and was not satisfied with the $100 refund offered by the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 22,000 and the current was unknown. Updated 10/27/10.
I was driving my enclave and I pulled into a parking lot I lost power steering. I called on star and they said it was not something they could diagnose. Suggested I check the ps fluid...I did and it was just below the min line. I added fluid, it got better but I could still sense some problem. Svc shop said there was a leak, needed to replace the rack and pinion. Bringing to dealer next. I've seen several complaints/articles about pw pump problems, leaks. I have 60,200 miles. Seems like this is a big safety issue (what if I lost ps on the highway), why isn't gm doing something about it?
My 2008 buick enclave became unable to control in the rain at 55 MPH. Took to dealer after 3 day run around was told that there was a bulletin on this vehicle that the steering position sensor became wet and started boosting steering control. They replaced sensor and inner fenders (to keep moisture off sensor) this vehicle was the most dangerous thing I have ever tried to control. How can anything stay dry under the hood of a car in the rain??
Snowy conditions - about 2 inches on the ground; as I began to descend the hill near my home I tried to apply the brakes to keep a slow pace down the hill. Brakes failed and I began to slide down the hill. Steering was unresponsive; messages interchangeably flashed on the dashboard - 'service stabilitrak' and 'service traction control'. I had no control over the vehicle, and halfway down the hill jumped an 8" curb. Fortunate that the vehicle swerved to the right because there were parked cars to the left. Also, fortunate there were no people/children around, who could have been hit. $3000 damage to the underside of the vehicle. Very frightening to lose complete control of the car - I thought awd, ABS, traction control and stabilitrak are supposed to help the driver maintain control of the vehicle in adverse conditions. Everything failed at once. Got the vehicle to the closest gm dealership; they ran diagnostics and surprise, everything checks out. They have no indication anything failed, so nothing further they can do except repair the physical damage. I experienced a complete failure of brakes, steering, traction, and electronic stability control and the dealership is telling me I did not - that the conditions were slick and that's what caused the accident. Isn't that when all of those safety features are supposed to engage? This is the first time I experienced a malfunction like this in this vehicle. Now I'm afraid to drive the vehicle, once it's fixed, esp. With other passengers. I may not even keep it.
I was driving on randall road traveling about 50 MPH. I slowed to enter a right turn lane and the steering began to shudder when I moved the steering wheel. I braked aggressively and was able after much effort to maneuver the enclave into a parking space. I phoned my husband and upon arrival found that the steering wheel would not move with the engine running. He phoned the dealer and buick assistance. After 3 hours the car was loaded on a truck and taken to the dealer. The service person stated that the cooler line had developed a pin hole leak and lost fluid to the power steering system. I am still waiting since the steering pump was also damaged. No mention of replacing the rack and pinion (my husbands help with that term). I do not feel comfortable driving a car that the steering locks up if the power steering system fails. This could have been a fatal outcome under different circumstances because I could not steer the car. This is the third safety related problem since it was delivered december 31, 2007. The driver windshield wiper came loose (husband fixed) and the right rear strut weld failed leaking oil all over the garage floor and making the car feel loose driving it to the dealer for repairs. We have also noticed the passenger seat belt sign does not always work. I do not trust this car. The only bright spot is the dealership has been very responsive.
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