2013 Buick Enclave Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe a cluster of dashboard warnings — service stabilitrak, traction control off and reduced engine power — that can slow the vehicle suddenly and are hard for shops to pin down, and a transmission that shudders, hesitates or fails outright. Air bag warning lights and power steering loss are also common themes, and many reports arrive between roughly 40,000 and 100,000 miles.

1. 1
   Electronic stability control

   Stabilitrak light, reduced engine power and stalling

   • 12 complaints (17%)
   • median 67,000 mi at 5.5 yrs old (10 state mileage)
   • filed 2014–2024

   Complaints describe the message center lighting up with service stabilitrak, traction control off and engine power reduced, often together with the check engine light, while driving or pulling away. The vehicle then loses speed sharply, and some owners describe the engine dying altogether and having to restart it at the roadside. Several say stalls, relays, fuse boxes or an ECM were replaced, sometimes more than once, without a lasting cure, and a few report no code was stored when the vehicle was checked. Reported from roughly 25,000 to 100,000 miles, at all speeds and with no clear pattern of weather or road type.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the check engine and stabilitrak warnings have appeared and what was diagnosed; have a scan tool read stored codes during a test drive, and check that the underhood fuse box and battery connections are secure.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “For the last six months I've had messages saying service stabilitrak, service traction control, engine power reduced, and then it slowed immediately which was frightening when you ate going 60 MPH. My local dealership says its fuse nox which id arcing and will be almodt 600 to fix. Now my power steering pump is failing, terrible noises wgen turning and recalls have been issued to 2012s. Very tired of being afraid to drive my car.”

   NHTSA complaint #11171583, filed 2019-01, 66,000 miles

   “My 2013 Buick Enclave started having problems back in december. When I was driving all of the sudden the car chimed about 3 times then all the sudden the dashboard read the following: 1.engine power is reduced 2.service traction control off 3.service stabilitrak 4.the engine light comes on at the same time, the engine power started to die down and I was barely moving. It was hard to steer and all power functions greatly reduced. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11194984, filed 2019-04, 68,000 miles
2. 2
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission shudder, hesitation or failure

   • 13 complaints (19%)
   • median 92,000 mi at 5.5 yrs old (7 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2017–2026

   Owners describe shuddering or jerking under light acceleration, hesitation when pulling away, harsh or rough shifting, and in some cases a transmission that stopped driving the vehicle entirely. A number of complaints mention a rebuild or replacement, and some note the problem returned afterwards. Dealers are described as flushing fluid, reprogramming, or saying the behavior was normal. Mostly reported between about 50,000 and 140,000 miles, with shuddering often noticed at low speeds and light throttle.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Test drive at low speed and light throttle and feel for shudder or hesitation, ask for transmission service records, and check the fluid level and condition.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My 2013 Buick Enclave transmission needed to be rebuilt after only 140,000 miles. While my cars transmission was being repaired there were 5 other Buick Enclaves being rebuilt as well. The internet shows that it is the number 1 car issue in Buick Enclaves. There needs to be some kind of recall for this issue. There is no reason that a transmission should be rebuilt on so many Enclaves.”

   NHTSA complaint #11492541, filed 2022-11

   “I purchase this vehicle used from hennessey Buick dealership 9 months ago as certified used car. May 4 traveling on interstate 75 north, at sixty five miles per hour/the transmission give a loud band sound and the car stopped in middle of highway. With traffic traveling both ways. The drive train stop pulling. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10983876, filed 2017-05, 73,000 miles
3. 3
   Air bags

   Air bag warning light stays on

   • 11 complaints (16%)
   • median 58,000 mi at 6.6 yrs old (8 state mileage, few)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2014–2026

   Complaints describe the service air bag light coming on intermittently or staying on, sometimes shortly after purchase. Owners report visits to dealers and independent shops where no code was found, and say they were told to move the driver's seat or that the system checked out fine. Some complaints are from owners trying to find out whether open air bag recalls apply to their vehicle. Reported across a wide mileage range, from around 28,000 to over 100,000 miles, often appearing intermittently.

   Recall 21V782000Recall 21V246000Recall 14V118000

   What to check: Confirm with a dealer whether the air bag recalls listed for this model year have been completed, and check that the air bag warning light goes out after the bulb test on start-up.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I purchased this vehicle on 05/25/2017. I noticed that night that the service air bag light kept coming on. I looked it up and found that some of these models had recalls on the air bag system. I am trying to find out if there is a recall(s) on this vehicle and if so have they been resolved or how do I get them resolved?”

   NHTSA complaint #10991766, filed 2017-05, 68,271 miles

   “The service air bag light came on. I took it to independent auto service shop then the dealership, neither could find anything wrong with them. I was told to keep moving my driver side seat up and back every so often...that might get it to go off. Seriously, that is what dealership told me. So, during oil change I asked auto shop to take a look at service air bag issue. They said no computer code came up, so I need to take it to the dealership. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11195317, filed 2019-04, 98,000 miles
4. 4
   Electrical system

   Infotainment screen and electrical dropouts

   • 10 complaints (14%)
   • median 53,000 mi at 6.2 yrs old (8 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2014–2022

   Complaints describe the radio or navigation screen going black, sometimes with a loud pop, and the backup camera dropping out with it. Others report the air conditioning controls, gauges and warning chimes cutting out and returning, and occasional no-start or key-stuck-in-ignition situations. Owners say the dealer could not reproduce the fault or found nothing wrong. Reported from very low mileage (under 5,000 miles) up through about 110,000 miles, often intermittent and sometimes recurring several times a month.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Cycle the radio, navigation and backup camera through reverse and check that the screen stays on, and ask about battery age, prior no-start events, and any wiring harness repairs.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “After any amount of rain, the vehicle will not shut off after turning the key to the off position and removing the keys. The vehicles dash lights all go off with the exception of the check engine light . The vehicle remains running. I have to pull a fuse to get it to shut off. Then, the next morning I have to jump it to get it to start.”

   NHTSA complaint #11414206, filed 2021-04, 167,000 miles

   “We leased a 2013 Buick Enclave in dec. 2012. Ever since we've had the vehicle we have had an issue with the entertainment/navigation center. The unit shorts out when we are backing up the vehicle, usually when we are going back and forth to park in our garage. Sometimes it shuts down with a loud pop which is very unsettling. When this happens the backup camera shuts down as well. We have to restart the system before it works again. This happens several times a month and sometimes several times a week.”

   NHTSA complaint #10579737, filed 2014-04, 1,000 miles
5. 5
   Steering

   Power steering assist loss or noise

   • 14 complaints (20%)
   • median 52,900 mi at 6.1 yrs old (10 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2014–2026

   Owners describe the steering wheel suddenly becoming very hard to turn, sometimes only for a moment and sometimes along with other dashboard warnings, and in a few cases while at low speed or when manoeuvring. Complaints mention noisy or leaking power steering pumps and racks replaced at significant cost. Some report the same behavior returned after a pump or brake module replacement. Reported mostly between about 50,000 and 110,000 miles, often alongside the stabilitrak and traction warnings.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Turn the wheel lock to lock while parked and listen for whine or groan, check the fluid level and look for leaks at the pump and rack, and ask whether the steering system has been serviced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving my 2013 Buick Enclave, I made a left turn into the stop and shop supermarket entrance when I felt the steering wheel become very hard to turn, seconds after it went back to bein normal. This all happened while a young lady was in the cross walk. No one was hurt, but I don't wanna it to get to that either.”

   NHTSA complaint #11129821, filed 2018-09, 104,000 miles

   “Brake seemed as if it had a sound when purchased but dealership said it was inspected. I now find that it leaks fluid and I spent over $600 to replace the pump. Now as the dealership was diagnosing and repairing a separate issue they've notified me that there is a failed steering rack. The power steering rack repair is estimated to be $2,000. As this is a definite safety issue I am reporting in hopes of Buick assisting with this known failure. Invoice to be uploaded when repair is completed.”

   NHTSA complaint #11437307, filed 2021-10

Buying note. Have a pre-purchase inspection that scans all modules for stored codes and includes a low-speed test drive to feel for transmission shudder. Ask for proof that the open air bag recalls were completed, and budget for possible steering and electrical diagnosis given how often owners describe faults that were hard to reproduce.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.