Owners have filed 48 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the engine, electrical, and transmission. The 9 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2020Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/9 checked
2020 Buick Enclave: inspection sheet
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/1
Engine off, key in hand0/1
Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/4
At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/3
These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.
These years share the 2020's design and most of its parts, so their problems are the ones to look for on this car too.
Worth adding to your 2020 checks
Worth adding to your 2020 checks
Worth adding to your 2020 checks
EPA figures for each version of the 2020 Buick Enclave. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.
| Version | Drive | EPA rating |
|---|---|---|
| 3.6L 6-cyl | AWD, FWD | 20–21 mpg |
Owners report these failures starting around the mileages below. A car inside one of these ranges deserves a closer look at that part, or records showing it was already fixed.
Electrical faults and warnings
28,500–38,000 miles
Front exhaust pipe bracket failure
31,500–52,580 miles
NHTSA complaints for the 2020 Buick Enclave, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
The front exhaust pipe mounting bracket breaks away or its welds crack, leaving a hole in the pipe. Symptoms include rattling, a loud exhaust note and a strong exhaust smell. Owners worry about fumes entering the cabin, and one reports them coming through the air vents for months with no warning light. The fix usually means replacing the front pipe or flex pipe, and one dealer quoted $1000. A separate complaint describes repeated low-oil alerts within a month of an oil change, which a mechanic traced to a fault in the engine and transmission assembly.
The flex pipe bracket cracks, causing a ticking sound under the hood and an exhaust smell in the cabin. In one case this damaged the catalytic converter at 52,580 miles, and both parts needed replacing. Another report describes the car jerking and vibrating after being shifted into drive, with the check engine light and other warnings coming on. A shop later found a clogged catalytic converter and failed brake and transmission control modules.
The engine shuts off without warning at stops or while driving, sometimes cutting all power, including the hazard lights. Some cars show low-voltage and charging system warnings, one at about 38,000 miles. Others won't shift into park and stay switched on until the battery is disconnected. In one crash report, the liftgate failed to latch and cargo fell out onto the road. Owners also report a black backup camera screen, a horn that honks on its own, hazards flashing randomly and false tire-pressure alerts. Dealers often can't reproduce these faults.
The transmission can slam into park while pulling away from a light, nearly causing a rear-end collision. On some nearly new cars, it shifted hard and jerked within the first few miles, the check engine light came on, and the car eventually stopped shifting and would not restart. Owners also describe transmissions locking in park or drive and needing a tow, and jerking at low speed. One crash with injuries happened when the vehicle surged forward into a garage door after being shifted into drive. Another owner reports burning 1 to 2 quarts of oil between changes.
The wheel locks up during turns, and power assist cuts out right after. Warning messages appear at the same time, including "Service ESC" and "Steering Assist is Reduced Drive with Care", along with the stability control lights. Dealers find error codes but can't reproduce the fault. The detailed report describes repeated visits and a brake control module reprogramming that did not stop the problem. Losing assist mid-turn is a loss-of-control risk.
The brakes grind during both normal and hard stops. One report describes a noise that suggested the anti-lock system was not working properly, making the car harder to stop. That problem started right after the car was bought used without a warranty. Other complaints in this group are brief and mention only grinding.
The car can lose speed suddenly at highway speed. In one case it dropped from about 75 mph to 20 mph while a "can not shift" message appeared, at about 7,100 miles. A fuel tank sensor was replaced, but the failure came back. Another report describes a check engine light, hard starting and fluctuating gauges after refueling. Replacing evaporative emission parts, including the purge solenoid, did not fix it.
The driver's seat belt buckle won't latch unless the tongue is pushed in several times. In at least one car it got worse until the belt could not be fastened at all. That leaves the driver unbelted. The two reports describe the same driver-side buckle problem.
Excerpts from complaints Enclave owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.
2020 Buick Enclave mounting bracket separated from the front exhaust pipe which caused a hole to appear in the exhaust pipe. This is a known issue for 2019, 2021, and 2022 Buick Enclaves. No warning light The exhaust fumes along with Carbon Monoxide were coming through my ac vents for several months. There is no indication on when the mounting bracket separated.
Filed with NHTSA, November 2024
Front exhaust bracket detached from exhaust. An issue that has resulted in a hole in my exhaust. This same issue has been identified and warranty extended for 2019 and 2021 enclaves with the same engine and exhaust parts. Dealership wants to change $1000 to fix the issue.
Filed with NHTSA, March 2025
Infotainment screen will appear black when it should be showing the image from the rear-facing camera, and is showing a red triangle and a circle with a line through it.
Filed with NHTSA, April 2024
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2020 ranks second for owner complaints among 8 Enclave years, about 1.8 times the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.
Redesigns and mid-cycle updates change what can go wrong.
The 2020 is the third model year of the Enclave's second generation (2018–2024).
Buick updated the Enclave for 2022, so a 2020 does not have those changes.
What changed for 2022 (not on a 2020)
Recall repairs are free at any Buick dealer, but the seller may never have had them done. Check each campaign number against the VIN.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, XT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, Traverse, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, 2018-2021 Chevrolet Express, GMC Savana, 2019-2020 Chevrolet Blazer, Silverado 1500, GMC Acadia, Sierra 1500, and certain Continental tires sold to the aftermarket for various model year 2018-2021 vehicles. The affected tires were cured for too long during production.
Risk: Over cured tires may develop a break in the sidewall resulting in sudden air loss or a belt edge separation which could lead to a tread/belt loss. Either condition can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tires, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 22, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N212329050.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT5, GMC Acadia and Chevrolet Traverse vehicles and 2020-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles. The vehicles may have been manufactured with Continental tires that were overcured.
Risk: Overcured tires may experience a carcass break in the sidewall resulting in a sudden air loss or could develop a belt edge separation which could lead to partial or full tread/belt loss. Either condition increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect vehicles and replace tires that have DOT number and production mold number combinations identified by Continental, free of charge. The recall began December 17, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202319030.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse, 2018-2020 Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Terrain, 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, 2019-2020 Buick Encore, Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Acadia, and 2020 Cadillac XT6 vehicles. The start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing bolts.
Risk: Missing bolts on the start-stop accumulator endcap could result in a transmission oil leak and may progress to a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash. A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of fire.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the start-stop transmission accumulator and replace it if any bolts are missing, free of charge. The recall began December 15, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick Customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313440.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT5, Cadillac XT6, Chevrolet Traverse, and GMC Acadia vehicles. The fuel pump's jet nozzle may have a plastic burr remaining from the manufacturing process, possibly causing a blocked nozzle and an insufficient fuel supply to the engine.
Risk: Insufficient fuel supply can result in an engine stall without warning, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump module. The recall began November 16, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick Customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202314760.
General Motors, LLC. (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT5 and XT6, Chevrolet Blazer, Silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500 and Traverse and GMC Acadia and Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 vehicles. The diffuser component of the Roof-Rail Air Bag (RRAB) inflator may not have been properly crimped to the inflator and could separate from the inflator during air bag deployment.
Risk: If the diffuser separates from the inflator during deployment, RRAB performance may be degraded, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspect RRAB modules, free of charge. The recall began September 3, 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223, or Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's number for this recall is N202305380.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Enclave and Chevrolet Traverse vehicles. The right-hand frame rail in the engine compartment may be cracked.
Risk: A crack in the frame rail may reduce crash performance, increasing the risk of an injury.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace the vehicle, free of charge. The recall began October 4, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438 or Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's number for this recall is N192268310.
Cars shoppers compare with the Buick Enclave, with their own 2020 checklists.
2020 owner complaints, side by side
