2021 Buick Enclave problems & reliability
25 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2021 Buick Enclave, alongside 2 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.
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2021 Buick Enclave vehicles were involved in 15 fatal crashes with 4 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 6 | 24% |
| Service Brakes | 6 | 24% |
| Unknown OR Other | 4 | 16% |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 12% |
| Structure | 3 | 12% |
| Engine | 2 | 8% |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 2 | 8% |
| Power Train | 2 | 8% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 4% |
| Lane Departure | 1 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2021 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed with the contact and her daughter inside the vehicle, her daughter's seat belt became extremely tight. The seat belt failed to unlatch, forcing the contact to cut the seat belt to remove her daughter from the seat. The…”
Seat Belts · filed Jul 28, 2026
“The muffler and tail pipe has fallen off 6 times and ive had to get repaired. I believe it is due to the bad torque converter that others have complained about and goggle says that is a likely failure on the buick.”
Power Train · filed Jun 17, 2026
“The liftgate of my vehicle began opening on it's own at no apparent interval, but now occurs frequently while waiting for a repair part to come in. This has happened while parked - including in public parking lots (where someone malicious could have entered the vehicle and the closed the liftgate after entering the…”
Structure · filed Jun 15, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
655 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2021 Buick Enclave. The 10 most recent:
PI to help diagnose A/C concern
PIT5099J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 21, 2026
This Preliminary information communicates an issue with an OTA pending message still displayed after an OTA event and how to reset/clear the message.
PIT5966F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 23, 2026
Pi created to provide GM dealers with information on gathering information for projection issue
PIC6423A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 11, 2026
This Preliminary information communicates to dealer to perform a MEC reset for wireless projection issues
PIC6551B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 11, 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
Improvements to OnStar functionality.
N25-250552 · Over The Air · issued Mar 21, 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 communicates to the field on how to diagnosis a GPS issue with the Telematic module with no DTC'ss
PIT6425D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 2, 2026
Improvements to OnStar functionality. During the update process, your radio may stay on up to 5 minutes after you exit the vehicle. This is expected behavior when an update package is onboard the vehicle. Do not service…
N25-250552 · Over The Air · issued Feb 5, 2026
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 2021 Buick Enclave has 2 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 2021 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.