Buick Enclave slipping problems

Filed Sep 28, 2026 · Engine, Transmission · MO

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

Filed Oct 28, 2025 · Fuel system, Transmission · WA

The vehicle began shuddering and losing power during normal driving. The issue occurs at various speeds, especially between 35–60 mph, and feels as though the car is slipping or will stall. A certified service center diagnosed a failing torque converter, which is part of the transmission/power train. The repair estimate was several thousand dollars. This failure poses a safety risk because the vehicle can suddenly lose acceleration or struggle to move in traffic. The service center confirmed the defect but stated there is no recall or assistance from Buick or GM. I have contacted Buick Customer Care and GM Executive offices with no response. The vehicle remains unsafe to drive.

Filed Sep 15, 2024 · Transmission · MN

When pulling onto a county road with traffic the transmission kept slipping and the engine would rev higher. It took a lot longer to get up to speed and the cars behind me had to brake quickly.

Filed Aug 2, 2024 · Engine, Transmission · VA

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.

Filed May 11, 2024 · Engine, Transmission · OH

I bought the vehicle in December 2020 from a dealership in Mason, Ohio named Borcherding Buick GMC. I asked, specifically to make sure the vehicle did not have any issues, especially transmission issues and for this to be researched, as well. I was not made aware of Bulletin No.: 18-NA-358, which affected Buick Enclave models from 2014-2017. I purchased the vehicle and sent a wire transfer for the purchase price to the dealership through my bank, USAA. We began experiencing transmission slips about a year into the ownership, and I had my mechanic look into the issue. He had just replaced the transmission on my wife’s 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan previously when it experienced a catastrophic failure and had to be replaced. This is the reason I asked to make sure the transmission on the 2014 Buick Enclave was working correctly and properly and there were no known issues. The mileage of the vehicle was under 60,000 miles at the time of purchase, so this should not have been an issue for the vehicle at all and the previous owner was, apparently, an elderly woman who had the vehicle serviced at the shop, but I cannot confirm this. The point being, there was a known issue with this vehicle that was not disclosed to me that General Motors was aware of and could have led to me not purchasing the vehicle. We needed an SUV to drive my wife and daughter(s) to and from volleyball tournaments and something that we did not have to worry about. The result is a replacement transmission paid for by me out of pocket by a GM dealership. GM refuses to acknowledge their faulty transmission. The rebuilt transmission is experiencing the same issues the old one was and GM wants me to take it in and have it “looked at”. The transmission is faulty! They know this and they refuse to reimburse my costs and refuse to acknowledge the dangers this transmission imposes to drivers and our families! Please investigate this transmission and their engineering.

Filed Aug 16, 2023 · Transmission · OH · crash

GM has known about the issues with their transmission in the 2014 -2017 Buick Enclave models. They were found under the federal safety agency Technical Service Bulletin: 18-NA-358 dated October 2020. I have reported this problem to GM, with the information that they requested. The issue here is that the manufacturer currently has a class-action lawsuit filed against it and will have another if they refuse to acknowledge the failures of their transmission in this vehicle. The following expert from the TSB states the following: Some customers may comment that the vehicle may have a severe launch shudder in 1st gear from a stop, or while driving along when in 4th gear, or during the 2-3 upshift or 3-2 downshift. Some customers may also comment on one or more of the following conditions: • Flare • Slide/bump • Slip • Harshshift The problem here is that with the advanced knowledge they had, they knowingly and willingly refused to issue a recall on these vehicles, which has severe outcomes for owners. My wife, who was driving the Enclave was nearly rear-ended at highway speeds when the vehicles behind her were in proximity to her slowed vehicle. The vehicle began to shudder and again when she began driving when the traffic moved. The transmission slips from gears and I verified this myself taking a test drive if the vehicle. This could have led to serious injury or death to my wife! GM refuses to provide any relief from this issue, nor do they wish to accept any amount of responsibility. My question is this, how can GM a take any part in a recall of a major safety component as the airbag system of a vehicle, regardless of mileage, yet they are not held to account for one of the largest components of a vehicle to get out of a hazardous situation when stopped or accelerating? I am asking the federal safety agency to find GM sat fault for producing inferior transmissions in the 2014-2017 Buick Enclave and provided deeply discounted pricing or free remediation as a recall for these vehicles.

Filed Dec 10, 2019 · Steering · 50,000 miles · AR

Approximately four years ago, my steering started slipping and becoming tighter in tight (<95 degree) turns. Within a short time span, the problem became constant. It is impossible to enter or exit a parking spot. The dealer quoted me $2500 to repair and said the problem is frequent on buick enclaves from 2010 on.

Filed Oct 21, 2019 · Acceleration, Engine · 100,000 miles · NJ

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 buick enclave. While driving 50 MPH, the vehicle started to jerk, the gears slipped, the rpms increased, the vehicle failed to accelerate, and the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The contact coasted the vehicle to the side of the road and powered off the engine. The vehicle was restarted, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission failed after having the vehicle for 9 months and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer and was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.*dt

Filed Sep 7, 2019 · Transmission · CA

The transmission is slipping and failing to shift into the next gear on acceleration. The problem is intermittent and has been progressively getting worse over the last 7 months. Now it is at the dealer and they won't cover the repair because the warranty expired 2 months ago. The exact same thing happened to my prior buick enclave which I traded in (because of this problem) when I purchased my current vehicle.

Filed Apr 3, 2019 · Engine · 1,245 miles · AE

Note: mileage is 1240 miles, just purchased three months ago with 54 miles on it and shipped to germany (dod civilian). While in europe, I am using the vehicles' "metric" setting (kph versus MPH), which switches the speedometer to read kph and auto tunes the engine to the appropriate levels to match kph. I have been driving this vehicle for the last three weeks until the issue happened last night around 1830 hours cet. Issue: while accelerating and tuning left from a stop (stop light with the city), the engine suddenly loss power then jerked into a lower gear, but somehow got stuck in 3rd gear restricting max speed of about 25-30 MPH running at 5000 rpms. After several attempts to stop, start, and proceed, I found the vehicle seem to be slipping when shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear, but would not go beyond 3rd gear causing the engine to strain and rev at an unsafe levels. Tried several times to shift to "l" to manually engage the engine, but it kept changing back to "d" automatic. Also noted that when the vehicle reaches the next programmed gear shift (e.g. 2nd gear to 3rd gear) it then jerks, stalls for about 2-3 seconds, then suddenly engages 3rd gear running at extremely high rpms and never shifts beyond that. Now check engine light is on. Vehicle has never been in an accident, damaged, or wrecked.