2014 Buick Enclave Powertrain & Transmission Problems

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.

The Service Air Bags indicator has been on for 3 years and I have tried to get this taken care of with Buick, East Side Madison as I have indicated on another complaint form December 06 2024 NHTSA ID Number: 11629225. Now, today my daughter tried to open the door and the car's electrical system went haywire and would not let her out. I had to manually get a key to unlock the door. The electrical system is now not functioning correctly. A relative just had the same thing happen, couldn't get out of her car, the car started on fire and she couldn't get out and was burned alive. I would like the manufacture to repurchase this car as soon as possible. It is not safe and I am afraid someone is going to get killed in this car if it is not taken off the road. Please let me know if we can get this done without lawyers involved. Thank you. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

GM has known about the issues with their transmission in the 2014 -2017 Buick Enclave models. They were found under NHTSA 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 NHTSA 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.

At 85,000mi my transmission failed while driving on the highway. The dealership kept the transmission so it can not be inspected. This was extremely dangerous with my whole family in the car too. No lights illuminated on the dash board just rpm flew up with the vehicle not moving. There were no indications that anything was going to fail. No stored or active codes were detected in the vehicle. The issue I was told was the problem was #16-NA-013 No Reverse, No Third. This issue is supposed to only be on 2016 vehicles and mine was the first. The dealership stapled this #16-NA-013 document to my invoice. The only fix was an entirely new transmission for $7500.

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.

TRANSMISSION IS SHIFTING HARD. WAS SHIFTING HARD ONLY ON A TURN BUT IS NOW SHIFTING HARD AS YOU ARE JUST DRIVING ON A STRAIGHTWAY.

TAKATA RECALL IN THE ALMOST 3 YEARS I'VE OWNED MY 2014 BUICK ENCLAVE, THERE HAVE BEEN 2 OCCURRENCES WITH THE SAME TRANSMISSION ISSUE. THE CODES ARE: P0700, P182E AND P0306. THE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND FLASHES FOR ROUGHLY 30 SECONDS. THE FIRST OCCURRENCE WAS IN THE CITY, ABOUT 35MPH AND THE SECOND WAS ON THE HIGHWAY WITH A SPEED OF 60MPH. BOTH TIMES I'VE PULLED OFF THE ROAD AND THE LIGHT DISAPPEARS. WHEN I TAKE IT IN, THE CODES ARE PULLED AND CLEARED. THE MECHANIC CAN NOT GET THE CODE TO REAPPEAR. MY BUICK HAS NEVER SHIFTED RIGHT, NOTICING PADDING AND JERKING BEFORE AND AFTER SWITCHING GEARS. THE MECHANIC SAID THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE TRANSMISSIONS AND THE REPAIR BILL WILL BE AROUND $3,500.00 FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION. A 5 YEAR OLD VEHICLE SHOULD NOT BE HAVING THESE ISSUES!! BUYING A 2 YEAR OLD VEHICLE AT $28K, OWNING IT FOR LESS THAN 3 YEARS AND HAVING TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION DOES NOT SIT RIGHT IN MY BOOK. GM NEEDS TO FIX THIS TRANSMISSION PROBLEM AND SOON!

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 BUICK ENCLAVE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER DRIVING INTO THE GARAGE AND SWITCHING THE GEAR SHIFTER TO THE PARK POSITION AND AFTER RELEASING THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY SHIFTED INTO REVERSE AND CRASHED INTO THE GARAGE DOOR. NO POLICE REPORT OR INJURIES WERE REPORTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE LOCAL DEALER BRADS COTTAGE GROVE CHEVROLET (2775 ROW RIVER RD, COTTAGE GROVE, OR 97424) WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTER CABLE WAS FAULTY AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE BUT NO ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000.

1)Numerous Gas Cap ‘red warnings’ were fixed each time 2)Driver-side ‘Seat Belt’. Fixed. 3)Check engine light ‘off and on’ will quit after 5-10 minutes 4)Stabilitrak/Traction-control (red light warnings), on and off, finally stayed on: Took back to Parsons of Antigo, WI dealership for repair; they said it was fixed. I left dealership at their closing time, started car, the car was shaking, called dealership/told them what was happening/they said bring it back on Monday—this was a Thursday evening after 6 PM! a. I had to drive this ‘shaking-car’ home approximately 35 miles away, while going about 30-40 mph/in a shaking car, seems car wanted to stop. Very frightening in the dark night. b.I had a wrecker come and take the car back to dealership. I do not care to deal with dealership after this—I changed to different dealership. c.About 3 years ago, while driving on US 8 outside of Rhinelander the car just ‘simply’ went off the highway; I quickly managed to bring the car back onto the highway blacktop. Is this for real? i.Until July 2025 I worked 40 hours/week and I believed and trusted that the repair services would inform me that I needed to beware of ‘this or that’; when usual car maintenance was completed. d.In 2019, going through a ‘Traffic Circle’ in Green Bay, WI area; this vehicle just would not stop (as I need to wait for cars coming from the left) and somehow, I made it through that circle without hitting another car or damaging this car! The police officer asked, ‘What happened?’ and I told him, ‘I have no idea what happened’. I was given a ticket for $175; that was mailed with a check before a certain date. i.Now, after reading all the ‘recalls and complaints’ I can understand ‘the why’ I had to endure driving with this vehicle’s unreliable mechanisms” throughout these years. 5)2021 Air bag ‘red light’ for Service recall Airbag/serviced. 2-19-2026 airbag another warning to replace again. PeopIe say this car looks like new. A 'lemon' buy

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.

SHORTLY AFTER TAKING OWNERSHIP OF THE VEHICLE, WE NOTICED A "CLUNKING" WITHIN THE TRANSMISSION WHEN GOING UP A SMALL INCLINE AT APPROX 15 MPH. THE PROBLEM HAS PERSISTED FOR YEARS AND WE'VE HAD THE DEALER INVESTIGATE MULTIPLE TIMES WITH NO REMEDY. THE ISSUE IS NOW MORE VISIBLE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS BETWEEN 60 AND 65 MPH. WE RECENTLY DROPPED OFF WITH THE DEALER WHERE THEY APPLIED A SOFTWARE PATCH WHICH HAS SLIGHTLY REDUCED THE ISSUE, BUT HAS NOT RESOLVED. WE STILL HAVE A "CLUNKING" TRANSMISSION AT 15MPH UP AN INCLINE AND AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. I HAVE SEEN OTHERS REPORTING THE SAME PROBLEM.

POWER STEERING FAILS MOMENTARILY (DURING VOLTAGE DROP?) & SUDDENLY RETURNS MAINLY DURING SLOW SPEED TURNS.

I'VE EXPERIENCED ONGOING INTERMITTENT ISSUES WITH THE TRANSMISSION SLAMMING INTO GEAR, AROUND 2ND AND 3RD GEAR, AND CHANGING THE TRANSMISSION OIL AS NOT ALLEVIATED THE ISSUE.

ON 11/30, WE TURNED ON THE CAR, THE ENGINE LIGHT ON THE DASH CAME ON TO SERVICE ENGINE. WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP. WE WERE INFORMED THE PROBLEM IS IN THE TRANSMISSION. IT NEEDED A TORQUE CONVERTER, A PUMP AND NEW GASKETS. THEY'VE HAD THE CAR SINCE 12/2, AND INFORMED US THEY WERE WAITING FOR THE GASKETS WHICH WILL POSSIBLY BE TWO MORE WEEKS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 BUICK ENCLAVE. WHILE DRIVING UP AN INCLINE AT APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO JERK WHEN SHIFTING BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND GEAR. THE FAILURE OCCURRED 12 TIMES IN COLD WEATHER TEMPERATURES OF 30 DEGREES OR LESS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,000. UPDATED 05/18/16*LJ

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 BUICK ENCLAVE. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE, THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILED TO PROPERLY CHANGE OVER AND THE RPMS RACED ALONG WITH A DELAYED RESPONSE IN WHICH THE VEHICLE JERKED UPON THE GEARS CHANGING OVER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE AUTHORIZED DEALER NUMEROUS TIMES AND THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO REPLICATE OR DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SUNROOF FRACTURED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER FOR FURTHER INSPECTION AND DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE.... UPDATED 06-02-15 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEALER REPLACED THE SUN ROOF. THE TRANSMISSION, GPS, AND THE TURN SIGNALS WERE NOT WORKING PROPERLY. UPDATED 11/6/15*JS

The contact owns a 2014 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and decelerating to make a turn, the vehicle experienced a hard shift. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the same assessment was made, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was operating as designed. Additionally, the contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

I PUT THE CAR AT 'N' GEAR POSITION, BUT THE CAR WENT BACKWARD. I STOPPED THE CAR, TOOK OUT THE KEYS, AND RESTARTED. THE SECOND TIME, ABOUT 2 MONTHS AFTER THE FIRST INCIDENT, THE CAR STARTED TO ROLL WHEN I PUT THE CAR AT 'P' GEAR POSITION. *TR