2013 Buick Enclave problems & reliability
68 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2013 Buick Enclave, alongside 4 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
4 complaints report injuries (6 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2013 Buick Enclave vehicles were involved in 22 fatal crashes with 14 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine → | 13 | 19% |
| Power Train → | 13 | 19% |
| Electrical System → | 12 | 18% |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) → | 12 | 18% |
| Steering → | 12 | 18% |
| Air Bags | 9 | 13% |
| Unknown OR Other | 8 | 12% |
| Exterior Lighting | 6 | 9% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 5 | 7% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 3 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 54,000 miles (middle 50% between 28,000 and 87,000 miles), based on 49 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“No first gear. Engine stalls if car is brought to a halt. On take off, car will stall if given too much throttle. If able to roll from dead stop, it will jerk and hesitate as if in too high of gear or dragging clutch.”
Unknown OR Other · filed Feb 16, 2026
“Steering wheel is so stiff it over works my arms and shoulder muscles burn it hard to turn literally feels as if the wheels is kind of bumping the frame 5 days steering wheel started to make a weird noise that is now persistent and sounds like a rubbing rubber sound and I have been getting electric shock every time…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Feb 9, 2026
“The contact owns a 2013 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had not been taken to the dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 109,000.”
Air Bags · filed Aug 21, 2024
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Outboard Front Seat Belt Anchor Cable Failure
Engineering Analysis EA20002 · opened Aug 31, 2020 · closed Aug 30, 2024 · led to recall 21V245
- Seat Belt Anchor Cable Failure
Recall Query RQ19003 · opened May 28, 2019 · closed Aug 31, 2020
Technical service bulletins
1,686 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2013 Buick Enclave. The 10 most recent:
This is to advise about a part concern
PIT6002C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 27, 2026
This preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.
PIT3271Q · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 2026
This Preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a GDS2 Session Log and upload to a Technical Assistance Case in CX Connect.
PIP6104 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 9, 2026
This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
PIP4902V · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 9, 2026
This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
PIP4902U · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 8, 2026
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have had multiple repair attempts that are being performed on customer’s vehicles that exhibit vibration conditions…
PIT5214G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 20, 2025
New Vehicle Monitoring Programs Section in IVH
13598 · Other · issued Sep 9, 2025
This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
PIP4902T · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 14, 2025
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have an intermittent no crank, no start, or start stall concern with the security light coming on. Technician may…
PIC5650M · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 7, 2025
This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
PIP4902S · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 9, 2025
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2013 Buick Enclave has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2013 Buick Enclave?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 54,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.