Power Steering Fluid problems of the 2009 Buick Enclave

My steering continues to lock up when driving. Making turns steering gets tight. I have had almost had an accident due to this safety issue. At this point I am concerned for my safety and children when driving. There seems to be alot of issues and complaints regarding a replacement steering gear/rack pinion and leaking fluid. At one point do gm think about the safety of their customers. This repair cost is $1709. 04. On top of other repairs I just paid $1812. 44 to fix other issues that I can somewhat understand but the steering gear and rack pinion is definitely an issue of concern to all families and can definitely loose their life. Every day I get in my vehicle my concern is will my family loose their life if my steering lock up or I cant avoid an accident due to the issue.

The contact owns a 2009 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that while sitting at a complete stop, smoke emitted into the cabin from under the hood. The engine compartment then became engulfed in flames. The fire department was called to the scene and the vehicle was towed to a private mechanic where it was discovered that the power steering components had failed and allowed fluid to leak onto the manifold. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.

I brought my car into the dealership in late 2012 for a sound that it was making when I turned my steering wheel. They told me it was "an air bubble in the power steering line" the sound never went away and only got worse- I brought it back into the shop this week- 11/13/13- not the dealership- and I am not being told that my power steering is going out and it has been leaking fluid and damaged my rack and pinion. Clearly there are numerous other customers with this same issue and people have had their power steering fail on them while driving- this is a huge safety issue and in my opinion due to the rate of occurrence should be addressed by the manufacturer.

The steering will bind up and almost lock up resulting in a very difficult turn. This is a major safety issue as if the vehicle will not turn there could easily be a crash. This "steering lock up" issue seems to happen while turning into an entrance, or parking lot or turn signal or onto another road. There are no issues while driving but having a vehicle lock up while trying to turn is a problem. This safety issue not only affects the driver and passengers but it also affects the safety of the general public. This vehicle has been in the Buick shop 3 times for this issue-1st time I was told it was the power steering fluid, but that didn't fix it. The second time I was told it was a defective water pump leaking onto the drive belt but that didn't fix it. The 3rd time I was told that they could not find the issue but they would file a claim. Well, the issue still exists and I have emailed Buick customer service with no response but this is a major safety issue that must be resolved!.

Squeaking breaks and steering noise. Resubmitted for repair could not duplicate at dealership. Resubmitted in 2011 and 2013, water pump replaced, steering gear box replaced, steering pump replaced, throttle body cleaned. Engine timing off at idle, harsh/ruff transition between gear shifts. Rear hatch failed to operate. Sensor replaced, then actuator replaced, then control buttons replaced then final control button and internal door sensors replaced not by warranty, rear hatch struts failed and dropped on child and owners heads, open and close buttons non responsive on remote for the hatch. Only the interior hatch release button worked. Onstar would not power down, no notice it was connected, dropped cell calls and killed battery. Upon jumping, the control module for onstar failed as did cellular antenna not covered by warranty. Brakes squeaking and fluttering plus pulse at slow down. Master cylinder had hydraulic fluid leaking into brake lines, boost pump failed and repeated flushing did not clear the system. Air in lines caused brake failure near collision avoided with evasive operator driving maneuvers, 3rd flush cleared the lines not covered by warranty. Steering unstable on uneven roadways and in left and right turns, repeat/recur, final submission 4th time, engine mount broken and possible spark plugs for idle problems. Replaced sparke plugs did not resolve idle speed or hard shift out of 3/5 gears. A/c outage three times, no leak detected, freon loaded and reloaded: evaporator coil diagnosed as problem. Total dash disassembled, several electrical issues surfaced since including onstar, ecm errors, nav sys stayed on, cell phone not connecting and check engine light illuminating without cause codes. Over $16500 in repairs completed on this vehicle, some covered by warranty, some not, by 2013 nearly all repairs not covered by extended warranty.