Reliable Auto DB

2016 Buick Enclave reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2016 Buick Enclave holds 141 complaints after 11 years, a rate of 5 per year. Enclave years here cluster close together — the other years’ median is 5 complaints per year. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Inflator, Frontal, and Seats.

2012 Buick Enclave
Photo by MercurySable99, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

141

Per year

5

Recalls

4

Years on the road

11

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (110 of 141), then Powertrain (10) and Engine (9). The most filings arrived in 2024 (67 of 141). Those filings include 2 that report a crash and 3 that report an injury.

Next to 2015 and 2017

The 2015 Enclave has 171 complaints, 4 per year, and the 2017 has 179 complaints, 4 per year. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2017.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2016 Buick Enclave. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (4)

Recall air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2023-05-10 · NHTSA campaign 23V334000
Summary General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014-2017 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and GMC Acadia vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to a manufacturing defect.
Remedy Dealers will replace the driver's air bag module, free of charge. GM began mailing final owner letters February 23, 2024 and will continue mailing through December 2025. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N232404980.
Recall air bags, frontal 2021-10-07 · NHTSA campaign 21V782000
Summary General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2008-2017 Buick Enclave and 2013-2017 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to a manufacturing defect.
Remedy Dealers will replace the driver's air bag module, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on November 3, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 10, 2022. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N212349040.
Recall Seats 2015-12-11 · NHTSA campaign 15V833000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, and Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured November 6, 2015, to November 12, 2015. The affected vehicles have a the third row left lower seat frame that may have welds that are not in the correction location.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the third row left side lower seat frame, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on January 29, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782 or Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's number for this recall is 21930.
Recall visibility, windshield wiper, motor 2015-09-29 · NHTSA campaign 15V609000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, and Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured August 18, 2015 to September 24, 2015. Due to a manufacturing defect, the windshield wiper motor may overheat when used.
Remedy GM has notified owners, and dealers will replace the windshield wiper motor cover assembly, free of charge. Owners are advised not to use their front windshield wipers until the wiper cover has been replaced. If weather conditions prevent operation of the vehicle without using the windshield wipers, GM will make arrangements to pick up the vehicle for servicing. The recall began on September 30, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 15780.

Complaints by component (141 total)

Air bags
110
Powertrain
10
Engine
9
Electrical system
8
Seat belts
3
Steering
3
Structure
3
Fuel and propulsion system
2
Equipment
1
Visibility and wipers
1
Wheels
1
Show 3 more Show less
Crash-flagged

2

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

3

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

6201622017620186201932020220214202232202367202410202532026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "I purchased this used 2016 Buick Enclave in July 2026. Shortly after purchase, the vehicle began repeatedly jerking and hesitating while driving. During occurrences, Traction Control/StabiliTrak warnings appeared and…"
    Powertrain, Electrical system, Engine · filed 2026-08-31
  • "Traction stabilization light comes on very frequently and vehicle loses power, step on gas and it sputters can’t get out of any one’s way, they throw parts at it and never fixes. From feedback off internet a big problem…"
    Powertrain, Electrical system, Engine · filed 2026-07-08
  • "I am seeing that these have been repaired, when in fact it has not been repaired."
    Air bags · filed 2026-02-26
  • "Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 Buick Enclave on November 25, 2025 from an independent dealer. It was later discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. At the time of purchase, the Odometer reading was…"
    Electrical system · filed 2025-12-01
  • "We have had spark plugs fixed twice in the past 4 months and they keep faltering. Both mechanics changed them"
    Unknown or other · filed 2025-08-22

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2016 Buick Enclave SUV AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2016 Buick Enclave SUV FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Enclave all-wheel drive 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic 6-speed All-wheel drive 15 22 17 MPG $3800
Enclave front-wheel drive 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic 6-speed Front-wheel drive 15 22 18 MPG $3600

Specs and fitment

First generation, 2012–2017
Body styles SUV
Oil 5W-30 (~6 qt with filter, 3.6L V6) , 6 qt capacity
Tire size 255/65R18, 255/60R19, or 255/55R20 (trim dependent)

Known issues for this generation

Recall 21V782000 covers certain 2008-2017 Buick Enclave vehicles (with Chevrolet Traverse on the same campaign) where the driver's frontal air-bag inflator may rupture on deployment. Dealers replace the driver's frontal air-bag module. Recall 21V246000 covers certain 2010-2015 and 2017 Enclave vehicles (with Traverse and Acadia) for a passenger-side frontal air-bag inflator condition; dealers replace the passenger frontal air-bag module.

Compare

Previous year 2015 Buick Enclave Next year 2017 Buick Enclave See every Buick Enclave model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2016 Buick Enclave reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2016 Buick Enclave holds 141 complaints after 11 years, a rate of 5 per year. Enclave years here cluster close together — the other years’ median is 5 complaints per year. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Inflator, Frontal, and Seats.

What are common problems with a 2016 Buick Enclave?

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (110 of 141), then Powertrain (10) and Engine (9). The most filings arrived in 2024 (67 of 141). Those filings include 2 that report a crash and 3 that report an injury.

Is the 2016 Buick Enclave more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2015 Enclave has 171 complaints, 4 per year, and the 2017 has 179 complaints, 4 per year. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2017.

Has the 2016 Buick Enclave been recalled?

The 2016 Buick Enclave has 4 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2016 Buick Enclave?

Owners have filed 141 complaints about the 2016 Buick Enclave with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2016 Buick Enclave get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2016 Buick Enclave is 17.5 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What generation is the 2019 Buick Enclave?

Second generation (2018-on).

What oil does a Buick Enclave take?

US generation notes list 5W-30 full synthetic for the 3.6L V6 across both generations here.

What tire sizes does a Buick Enclave use?

First-gen pages list 255/65R18; second-gen trims also use 255/55R20 on upper levels.