Power steering fails intermittently in parking lots and at slow speeds. Am almost unable to turn the steering wheel at all, then it "gives" causing the car to jerk.
2009 Buick Enclave steering complaints
Page 5 of 5: complaints 101 to 108 of 108, newest first, as owners wrote them.
For about a month now, our power steering seems to be tightening up when steering a tight radius like turning a sharp corner or pulling into a parking space. It is very frequent occurring every day now. I have 3 kids I drive daily to multiple locations and am worried about my and their safety. If I was driving at a high speed and had to swerve to avoid something in my path this would make me very nervous. I have read many blogs about this issue and gm had better take this into serious consideration for a world-wide recall. I cannot believe for the price of this vehicle the amount of issues it has. Very very disappointed in this car.
In the last 2 months, I have had multiple problems with the power steering tightening and locking up, narrowly avoiding running off the road or into another vehicle several times. When I took the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnostic, they declared that the power steering rack had malfunctioned and that there were metal shavings in the power steering pump. Both the power steering rack and pump would need to be replaced. It was also determined that this was not caused by wear and tear. When I researched similar complaints online it appears that this is a recurring problem with the 2008 and 2009 buick enclaves due to faulty equipment by gm. I am very concerned that this make result serious accidents and request the federal safety agency to look into this matter.
The power steering on my 2009 buick enclave intermittently (3-4 times per day) locks up preventing me from turning the wheel. After an incident, the power steering seems to re-engage. However, there have been multiple close calls when I have not been able to turn quickly. From the buick/gm message boards, this seems to be a very common problem with little to no action from buick/gm.
Steering went out without warning. Items necessary to correct problem are replacement of power steering and gears. Gm does not cover under power train warranty. By simply viewing edmunds.com you will see that this problem has affected multiple years and multiple consumers. The issue is an obvious design problem for buick and should be recalled and fixed.
I was slowing down to make a right turn into my parents drive when the power steering failed (felt like it was locking up). At the time I was pulling a small trailer so I had to pass up the driveway to keep from getting into an accident. I turned around again and everything seemed fine. Later that day it happened again and then it was 6 weeks before it happened again. I called my service advisor who said there may be air in the line. I had just serviced my car. The symptoms continued off and on for several months off and on...and I finally had the rack and pinion replaced on june 14, 2012 as well as the power steering pump. I am very concerned there may be other similar vehicles with similar issues that may cause a serious or even fatal accident.
The steering will bind up and almost lock up resulting in a very difficult turn. This is a major safety issue as if the vehicle will not turn there could easily be a crash. This "steering lock up" issue seems to happen while turning into an entrance, or parking lot or turn signal or onto another road. There are no issues while driving but having a vehicle lock up while trying to turn is a problem. This safety issue not only affects the driver and passengers but it also affects the safety of the general public. This vehicle has been in the buick shop 3 times for this issue-1st time I was told it was the power steering fluid, but that didn't fix it. The second time I was told it was a defective water pump leaking onto the drive belt but that didn't fix it. The 3rd time I was told that they could not find the issue but they would file a claim. Well, the issue still exists and I have emailed buick customer service with no response but this is a major safety issue that must be resolved!
Tl*the contact owns a 2009 buick enclave. The contact was driving approximately 35 MPH on normal road conditions; proceeding to a traffic signal. Suddenly, there was a vibration noise coming from the power steering system. The driver pulled over to the side of the road and inspected the vehicle. The vehicle was able to resume operation. The failure occurred whenever the brakes were depressed. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing. The failure was related to the power steering pump which was replaced. The failure mileage was 1,000. The current mileage was 11,000. The consumer stated the vehicle developed a power steering noise and vibration feeling when holding the steering wheel. Gm stated the noise was normal. Updated 04/16/10.
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