2008 Buick Enclave Problems, Recalls & Reliability
779 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2008 Buick Enclave, alongside 6 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 100/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Transmission & drivetrain leads the reports, typically around 82,040 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2008 Buick Enclave sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 2013, 2016, 2018–2021.
Avoid
Where 2008 sits among all Enclave years
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2008 Buick Enclave. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the traction control warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Enclave
“Passenger airbag sensor does not work with passenger sitting in seat at any time.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Enclave
“The power steering seems to fail at times. It becomes very difficult to turn the wheel after stopping at an intersection or traffic light. It's also difficult to make turns into traffic when i have to quickly merge into the flow of traffic.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Enclave
“Various problems with electrical. Had harness replaced (come to find out its due to water leak). Air bag sensors go off and on so you really don't know if its working or not. Engine shutdown completely and now when its started the engine makes loud knock. Was told possible timing chain. Only has…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Enclave
“I have a 2008 buick enclave, the sunroof is leaking which is causing damage to other parts of the vehicle. This should be a recall!”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Enclave
“Sunroofs has been leaking since we bought it and now all the electrical stuff is going bad. It's a safety hazard. No one will help”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Enclave
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 626 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 82,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 61,000 and 115,700 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (6)
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.
Fix: 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.…
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured January 3, 2007, to February 29, 2012, 2009-2012 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles manufactured July 6, 2008, to March 9, 2012, 2007-2012 GMC Acadia vehicles…
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the power liftgate actuator motor control unit so that the motor will prevent the rapid closing of the lift gate, free of charge. The…
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…
Fix: 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…
GM IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2009 BUICK, LUCERNE; CADILLAC DTS; HUMMER H2; MODEL YEAR 2008-2009 BUICK ENCLAVE; CADILLAC CTS; MODEL YEAR 2007-2009 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE ESV, ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, SILVERADO, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; GMC…
Fix: DEALERS WILL PERMANENTLY DISABLE AND REMOVE THE HEATED WASHER FLUID MODULE. AN UPDATED PAGE FOR THE OWNER MANUAL WILL BE PROVIDED AND INSERTED IN THE OWNER MANUAL TO DOCUMENT THAT THE FEATURE HAS…
GM IS RECALLING 857,735 MY 2006-2008 BUICK LUCERNE; CADILLAC DTS; HUMMER H2; MY 2007-2008 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE ESV, ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, SILVERADO, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; GMC ACADIA, SIERRA, YUKON, YUKON XL, SATURN OUTLOOK; AND MY 2008 BUICK…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A WIRE HARNESS WITH AN IN-LINE FUSE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080; CADILLAC AT 1-800-982-2339 OR…
GM IS RECALLING 88,809 MY 2008 BUICK ENCLAVE, AND MY 2007-2008 GMC ACADIA AND SATURN OUTLOOK VEHICLES CURRENTLY OR PREVIOUSLY REGISTERED IN THE FOLLOWING STATES: ALASKA, COLORADO, CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MAINE, MARYLAND,…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW WIPER CRANK ARM, DRIVER'S SIDE LINK, AND A CRANK ARM NUT. THE RECALL BEGAN O OCTOBER 13, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463, SATURN…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 08V441000.
Technical service bulletins
1,116 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2008 Buick Enclave. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2008 Enclave TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2008 Buick Enclave reliable?
The 2008 Buick Enclave drew 779 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 100/100, scored against the model's worst year (2008).
What are the most common 2008 Buick Enclave problems?
The top reported problems for the 2008 Buick Enclave are transmission & drivetrain (141 complaints), airbags (116), and steering (100).
At what mileage do 2008 Buick Enclave problems show up?
Owners most often report 2008 Buick Enclave problems around 82,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 61,000 and 115,700 miles.
Does the 2008 Buick Enclave have recalls?
6 recall campaigns apply to the 2008 Buick Enclave. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.