Power Steering Failed Problems of Buick Enclave - part 2

I took my car in to be fixed again. I needed the running lights and a hesitation in the car fixed. So they fixed the problems, but when they went to test drive it the power steering failed. Now the power steering needs to be replaced. It seems this car is needs to be fixed all the time. I have had a lot of cars and this is the most I have ever had problems with a car. It really scares me that this can be fixed but will most likely fail again due to the problems with gm's steering.

See all problems of the 2009 Buick Enclave 🔎.

Power steering fails at low engine rpm, making it extremely difficult to turn at intersections with no gas applied.

See all problems of the 2008 Buick Enclave 🔎.

My vehicle has experienced the exact same as numerous complaints for this model and year. At low speeds, the power steering will intermittently fail. Just as everyone else, I am told I need a new steering gear, power steering pump, and alignment. This is a safety issue. Recently when trying to pull out from a gas station, the power steering failed and it was very difficult to continue turning into near lane without being pulled into the farther lane with oncoming traffic. If this would have been a daughter, I cannot imagine what would have happened (pull into oncoming traffic for a head on collision and possible death). Further, to demonstrate Buick and gm are fully aware of this problem, when I had it investigated at the local Buick dealer, the service department told me that gm changed the power steering pump after that model year because the "7-van pump" installed does not give a great amount of flow of fluid, and it is now replaced with a 12-vane pump. He probably wasn't supposed to tell me that. Buick and gm offer absolutely no assistance. It is one thing if there was something wrong with an amenity or something. But a safety issue should be recalled or assistance given. Again, there are numerous complaints of exactly the same issue. Is it going to take someone pulling out and being pulled into oncoming traffic before gm does the right thing? will an innocent person have to die before the proper action is taken? very upset with the lack of interest from gm and Buick for the sole purpose of "saving a buck". Where is the integrity?.

When driving slow usually in parking lots or a u-turn, the power steering fails and becomes very difficult to turn vehicle.

See all problems of the 2010 Buick Enclave 🔎.

When starting from a stop and moving forward the power steering unit would fail to engage, thus rendering the vehicle extremely difficult to steer. On several instances I nearly hit other vehicles in parking lots, and on one occasion I nearly hit a pedestrian. The Buick dealer advised me to replace the entire power steering unit, which I did at my expense with 67000 miles on the car. Buick refused to accept responsibility even though the service technician said that this was not the first instance he had seen of this power steering unit failure. Interestingly, I have talked to one person with a GMC arcadia and another with a Saturn outlook who experienced the same problem in the same mileage range. Those two vehicles are identical to my Buick Enclave. It appears to me that general motors should accept responsibility for this problem and issue a vehicle recall. .

I was driving and attempted to make a turn, the power steering failed and I almost crashed into another vehicle, with other traffic coming toward me around 45 mph. Over the past couple weeks, the power steering intermittently failed and took significant effort to turn. This is a used vehicle so I am unsure of the previous frequency of occurrence. I took the vehicle to the Buick dealership who found the steering gear was at fault and had to replace it at a cost of $900. Upon researching the cause, I have found that this is a common occurrence with this and other gm products. I am documenting this to assist the bureau in determining that this is a very serious safety issue with this product and should be evaluated and issued a recall.

Traveling up a mountain road, just as the car approached an approximately 180 degree turn at the top of the mountain, the power steering completely failed and I lost the ability to control the car. Fortunately, there was a scenic area pull-off at the turn were I was able to drive straight off the road immediately. Otherwise I feel this could have been catastrophic, as I have never before experienced driving without the assist of power steering. Had this failure happened 30 seconds to 2-3 minutes later when I was traveling down the mountain through a series of very sharp switchbacks (requiring speeds of 10-15 mph), I could have easily collided with another vehicle or driven off the side of the mountain.

Power steering intermittently fails when turning. Very dangerous when crossing traffic during a left turn, or when maneuvering around pedestrians in parking lots.

The contact owns a 2009 Buick Enclave. The contact stated that while driving 30 mph, the power steering failed. The contact stated that he had to increase the amount of effort in order to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 65,000.

Power steering fails intermittently when maneuvering at low speeds executing tight turns such as going into or out of a parking spot. There are many online vehicle owner complaints and this is clearly an accident waiting to happen that the ntsb needs to get in front of .

At speeds between 25 and 45 mph, the power steering fails and the wheel is hard to steer to the left or right. The problem was intermittent; however, the problem is progressively getting worse. On one occasion, I attempted the make a right-hand turn at an intersection and almost hit a car to my left. After that incident, I brought the vehicle to a certified dealer and was told the power-steering gear and pump need to be replaced at a cost of approx. $3,000. Additionally, the condition did not qualify for warranty work. I continue to drive the vehicle because I have no choice at this time, but I have to be cautious at every turn and strong-arm the steering on occasion. Not bad for a $45,000 vehicle! thanks Buick!.

Power steering fails intermittently in parking lots and at slow speeds. Am almost unable to turn the steering wheel at all, then it "gives" causing the car to jerk.

I narrowly avoided 2 accidents recently when I was unable to turn my vehicle into driveways with vehicles coming in the opposite direction. The steering wheel would not turn. The service manager at the Buick dealership said that it was a power steering failure.

Entering parking lot power steering failed. Parked, returned to vehicle and it was working. Since that time multiple failures have occurred without any warning. Very dangerous, vehicle is out of warranty and dealer and independent mechanic states the pump and rack require replacing. There are a number of similar incident reported on the internet affecting 2008, 2009, 2010 Enclaves. Recognizing that gm is now owned by the federal government, I suspect that there is little motivation for this agency to investigate the issue, but many believe it has significant safety implications. I am not one to complain, but as an aeronautical engineer this has all the ear marks of a design flaw. Reading the internet entries it appears that for $2k+ the pump and rack are replaced and then x miles down the road you are back to square one. Don't know if this issue applies to the chevy traverse and gm acadia, but suspect the whole family is sick with this problem.