2018 Buick Enclave
The 2018 Buick Enclave is sold in the U.S. as a gas large SUV with 2 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Enclave FWD, is EPA-rated at 21 mpg combined. NHTSA lists no recall campaigns for this model year so far (Safety Signal A). Owners have filed 66 complaints, most often about the service brakes. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.
Specs & fuel economy
Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enclave FWD | Gas | FWD | 3.6L 6-cyl | 18 | 26 | 21 | $3,200 |
| Enclave AWD | Gas | AWD | 3.6L 6-cyl | 17 | 25 | 20 | $3,350 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 39476, 39482.
Emissions & certification
Source: EPA emission certificates| Configuration | Smog rating | Emission standard | Where it can be sold new | SmartWay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enclave AWD, Enclave FWD | 5 / 10 | California LEV-III ULEV70 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 70 | All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards | — |
Certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S.
The smog rating scores tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and is comparable only within a model year. The standard is the federal bin or California tier the configuration was certified to. Both come from the EPA certificate behind the window sticker.
Specifications filed with NHTSA
Source: NHTSA vPICDimensions Exterior
| Body style | Sport Utility Vehicle [SUV]/Multipurpose Vehicle [MPV] |
| Doors | 4 |
| GVWR class | Class 2E: 6,001 - 7,000 lb (2,722 - 3,175 kg) |
Engine Basics
| Cylinders | 6 |
| Displacement | 3.6 L |
| Engine configuration | V-Shaped |
Fuel Economy
| Fuel | Gasoline |
Seating
| Seat rows | 3 |
| Seating capacity | 7 seats |
Transmission
| Drivetrain | FWD/Front-Wheel Drive |
| Transmission | Automatic |
| Transmission speeds | 9 |
Driver assistance
Standard: Anti-lock brakes, Backup camera, Blind-spot monitoring, Electronic stability control, Forward collision warning, Lane keeping assist
Optional: Adaptive cruise control, Automatic emergency braking, Lane departure warning
Filed by the manufacturer with NHTSA under the federal vehicle-identification rule and decoded from the VIN pattern — not a manufacturer press kit, so it describes the configurations we could identify rather than every trim (seen: Avenir, Essence, Premium). Figures for the trim you are looking at may differ.
Dimensions & weight
Source: Transport Canada| Length | 204.3 in |
| Width (body, without mirrors) | 78.7 in |
| Height | 70.1 in |
| Wheelbase | 120.9 in |
| Track, front | 67.3 in |
| Track, rear | 66.9 in |
| Curb weight | 4,361–4,614 lb |
| Weight distribution, front/rear | 58/42 |
Measured by Transport Canada for its Canadian Vehicle Specifications database, which covers the North American versions of each model — here 2 configurations: 4-door SUV AWD, 4-door SUV FWD. Where a range is shown, those versions differ. Width is the body without mirrors, which is why it can read narrower than a brochure figure. Before we used it we checked it against the US manufacturer press kits we hold (27 Sep 2026): wheelbase agreed within 1% on every vehicle we could compare, length on 98%, and the curb weight fell inside the manufacturer's range on 96%. Source dataset. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Licence.
Factory warranty running out?
The 2018 Buick Enclave is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. What an extended plan does and does not cover is worth reading before a dealer quotes you one.
What to check before you buy →Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
Recalls (0)
Source: NHTSA recall databaseNo NHTSA recall campaigns are on file for the 2018 Buick Enclave. New campaigns appear here within a week of NHTSA posting them.
These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above. nhtsa.gov/recalls shows both for a VIN.
Hear about a recall before the letter does
The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2018 Buick Enclave, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.
Parts & accessories for the 2018 Buick Enclave
Search by fitment on eBay Motors — OEM take-offs, aftermarket, and the trim pieces dealers no longer stock. The listing and the price are the seller's.
Find parts for this Enclave →Owner complaints
Source: NHTSA complaint database5 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 1 injuries · 0 deaths reported
15 per 10,000 built · Buick reported 42,600 Enclave built (its Early Warning production report to NHTSA)
Filed per year: 2018: 10 · 2019: 8 · 2020: 9 · 2021: 3 · 2022: 6 · 2023: 5 · 2024: 3 · 2025: 11 · 2026: 11
Most-cited components
In owners' own words
Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, one per problem area. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed.
While driving on very slick roads on a highway, I attempted to brake the vehicle in preparation to making a left hand turn. I could not stop the vehicle. The wheels kept pushing me forward. I could feel the ABS pulsing but the vehicle would not stop. Luckily, no one was ahead of me or I would have hit the vehicle.
Second time in less than a month on a 2018 Buick Enclave that air conditioning unit/evaporator in vehicle is not working and vehicle is blowing hot air only. This occurs whether vehicle is in motion or stationary. This happens when vehicle is first powered on or over an extended drive (45 mins). Does not oscillate with change in speed.
While at a stop sign at a busy intersection, pressed brake and tachometer went to off instead of auto-stop. Engine still on but pressing gas didn't do anything.. Transmission light went on. Had to push the start/stop button a few times before engine turned off and on again
Buick not a year old, in our garage very strong odor of gasoline cannot let it inside the garage it smells strong going into house attached to garage!
I was driving on a highway 6 in waterloo indiana and my sunroof exploded and the entire glass was shattered and had a huge hole. The explosion was like a short gun going off. I thought some one shot or threw something but there was no overpass. I called the police just to make sure and a report was filed
The e-break warning came on twice after releasing the e-break when parked, the warning came on shortly after pulling from a shopping center parking lot. The e-break light was flashing with the 'service light' active and a display notification of emergency break issues.
Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.
Reported by Buick itself: 22 death-or-injury claims on this model year in its quarterly Early Warning reports to NHTSA (49 CFR 579.21): 26 injured, as claimed, not verified — about 52 per 100,000 built. Every Enclave model year, by year and system → Dated and by system, they are exhibit F of the defect dossier.
When owners reported it
miles, typically
Half the 33 owner reports with an odometer reading on file fall between 11,000 and 60,000 miles. That is when problems get reported, which is not the same as when they start — and not a failure rate, because nobody knows how many of these cars never had a problem at all.
Median mileage by component
| Component | Reports | Median miles | Vs same age |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes | 15 | 23,000 | 0.81× |
Vs same age is this model year’s median for the system divided by the median of every 2018-model-year complaint about the same system, all makes: under 1× means owners of this car reported it at lower mileage. Which systems go early across the whole fleet: the component study.
Odometer readings as filed by owners with NHTSA. Readings under 100 or over 400,000 miles are dropped as data entry rather than history, and a component needs at least 12 readings before a median is shown for it.
Crash ratings
Source: NHTSA NCAP| Configuration | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUV AWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 15% |
| SUV FWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 17% |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.
Service bulletins & campaigns
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications- Term not in NHTSA’s summary · GM warranty extension 22-NA-244This warranty administration service bulletin provides information about GM Accessories - Dealer-Installed, Repaired or Replaced During Warranty Coverage Period.
The term and the vehicles it covers are the manufacturer’s, as NHTSA’s summary of each filing states them; a dealer checks one particular car by its VIN. Every GM warranty extension (33) → · Every warranty extension on file, all makes →
Most often about: Equipment, Engine, Electrical System, Power Train, Unknown Or Other.
- PIT5698F Service bulletin2026-09-26 · Unknown Or Other
- This PI provides Diagnostics tips on how the LIN bus works and how to diagnosis it.
- PIP4902W Service bulletin2026-09-04 · Unknown Or Other
- This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
- PIT5099J Service bulletin2026-07-21 · Unknown Or Other
- PI to help diagnose A/C concern
- PIT3271Q Service bulletin2026-04-01 · Unknown Or Other
- This preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.
- PIP6104 Service bulletin2026-03-09 · Unknown Or Other
- This Preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a GDS2 Session Log and upload to a Technical Assistance Case in CX Connect.
- PIP4902V Service bulletin2026-03-09 · Unknown Or Other
- This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
- PIP4902U Service bulletin2026-01-08 · Unknown Or Other
- This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
- PIT5214G Service bulletin2025-11-20 · Unknown Or Other
- This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have had multiple repair attempts that are being performed on customer’s vehicles that exhibit vibration conditions without utilizing the support of General Motors Technical Assistance Center. If valid vibration frequency or Road Force Variation data has been collected and a repair attempt does no
A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.
Diagnostic trouble codes on file
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaintsCodes documented against this model year in the federal record. A code appearing here does not mean this vehicle will set it — it means the code is part of this nameplate-year's documented history.
| Code | What it means | Most often filed under | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|---|
| P0011 P0011 on Buick → | Camshaft timing on bank 1 is more advanced than commanded. | Electrical System · Battery → | 9 bulletins · 1 owner report |
| P0014 P0014 on Buick → | The second camshaft on bank 1 is timed further advanced than commanded. | Electrical System · Battery → | 9 bulletins · 1 owner report |
| P0021 P0021 on Buick → | Camshaft timing on bank 2 is more advanced than commanded. | Electrical System · Battery → | 9 bulletins · 1 owner report |
| P0024 P0024 on Buick → | Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard. | Electrical System · Battery → | 9 bulletins · 1 owner report |
| P0300 P0300 on Buick → | Misfire detected, but not isolated to one cylinder. | Engine · Ignition coils → | 10 bulletins |
| B3055 B3055 on Buick → | Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard. | Electrical System · Battery → | 9 bulletins |
| B3060 B3060 on Buick → | Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard. | Electrical System · Battery → | 9 bulletins |
| B3935 B3935 on Buick → | Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard. | Electrical System · Battery → | 9 bulletins |
| C056D C056D on Buick → | Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard. | Parking Brake · Parking brake cable → | 8 bulletins |
| C056E C056E on Buick → | Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard. | Parking Brake · Parking brake cable → | 8 bulletins |
| P0747 P0747 on Buick → | Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard. | Power Train | 8 bulletins |
| P0308 P0308 on Buick → | Cylinder 8 is misfiring. | Engine · Ignition coils → | 7 bulletins |
Generic codes (the second character is 0 or 2) mean the same thing on every vehicle sold in the United States. Manufacturer-specific codes (1 or 3) mean whatever the automaker assigned, and no honest source can define them for you — which is why the ones here carry the evidence instead of a definition. A code is a link when enough separate federal documents name it across the catalogue to be worth a page of its own; the rest are listed here, where the vehicle is the context that makes them mean something.
Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
At the New York inspection station
Source: New York State DMVIn New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2018 Buick Enclave failed the emissions check on 5.8% of first inspections — higher than the 3.0% for every 2018 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 1.4% (every 2018 vehicle: 1.9%).
failed emissions
765 initial inspections of 748 vehicles.
| Measure | The 2018 Enclave | Every 2018 vehicle | Behind it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Failed the emissions check | 5.8% | 3.0% | 765 |
| Failed the safety inspection | 1.4% | 1.9% | 765 |
| Air-bag warning lamp stayed lit | 0.13% | 0.22% | 765 |
| Miles driven a year | 10,779 | 10,002 | odometer at inspection |
| Average odometer | 89,149 | 82,833 | odometer at inspection |
New York’s emissions test on these model years is an on-board diagnostics check: it fails a car whose check-engine light is on or whose self-tests have not finished. First inspections only, so a car that failed and came back is counted once; private and special plates, not taxis, livery or commercial plates. A rate appears only where at least 200 inspections stand behind it. “Every 2018 vehicle” is every 2018 model-year car, SUV and pickup inspected in the same window, all makes. This is the state’s record of test results, not a reliability score by itself. Source: New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Vehicle Inspections (data.ny.gov, Open NY terms).
Enclave by model year
all years, side by side →Common questions about the 2018 Enclave
Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kitsDoes the 2018 Buick Enclave have any recalls?
No NHTSA recall campaigns are on file for the 2018 Buick Enclave. New campaigns appear here within a week of NHTSA posting them, and a clean sheet on a recent model year often just means the vehicle is new.
How safe is the 2018 Buick Enclave?
NHTSA gave the 2018 Buick Enclave 5 stars overall in its New Car Assessment Program tests — 4-star frontal crash, 5-star side crash, 4-star rollover. WhichTrim also grades it A (100/100) on its recall record, which is a different question from crash protection.
What is the fuel economy of the 2018 Buick Enclave?
Across the 2 EPA-rated configurations of the 2018 Buick Enclave, the best EPA combined figure is 21 mpg. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.
What are the dimensions of the 2018 Buick Enclave?
Transport Canada measured it at 204.3 in long, 78.7 in wide (body, without mirrors), 70.1 in tall, on a 120.9 in wheelbase. Curb weight: 4,361–4,614 lb depending on configuration. Those are its measurements of the North American versions; every figure is in the table above.
What do owners complain about on the 2018 Buick Enclave?
Owners have filed 66 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Buick Enclave, most often about service brakes, power train, engine. Of those, 5 involved a crash, 1 reported injuries. Complaints are unverified owner reports, so treat the pattern as a signal and the individual report as an anecdote.
How clean is the 2018 Buick Enclave?
The EPA smog rating for the 2018 Buick Enclave is 5 out of 10. That score covers tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, and it only compares vehicles within the same model year. It is certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. Its configurations were certified to different standards — California LEV-III ULEV70, Federal Tier 3 Bin 70 — which the table above lists per configuration.
Are there service bulletins for the 2018 Buick Enclave?
The manufacturer has filed 1027 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2018 Buick Enclave, most often covering equipment, engine, electrical system. The most recent is dated 2026-09-26. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.
How does the 2018 Buick Enclave do at state inspection?
In New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2018 Buick Enclave failed the emissions check on 5.8% of first inspections — higher than the 3.0% for every 2018 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 1.4% (every 2018 vehicle: 1.9%). The figures are New York State DMV’s own inspection records, first inspections only, and the table above sets each one against every vehicle of the same model year.
What we hold, and what an empty row means
Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.
| Data | Held | Source | What it covers — or what empty means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel economy & configurations | 2 configurations | EPA certification records | Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures. |
| Emission certificates | 2 configurations | EPA emission certificates | Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new. |
| Recalls | none | NHTSA recall campaigns | No campaign has been filed. Because the register is complete, an empty row here means there is nothing to find — not that we are missing it. |
| Owner complaints | 66 | NHTSA complaint database | Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold. |
| Crash ratings | 2 tested | NHTSA NCAP | Only the configurations NHTSA chose to crash-test, which is never all of them. |
| Service bulletins | 1027 | NHTSA manufacturer communications | Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall. |
| Investigations | none | NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation | No defect investigation has been opened. |
| Driver-assist crash reports | none | NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01 | No report has been filed. Only entities named in the order report, and only crashes they hear of — so this is also what an unequipped car, or a manufacturer without telematics, looks like. |
| Specifications filed with NHTSA | 12 fields | NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns | What the manufacturer filed under the federal VIN rule — a configuration, not the full trim ladder. |
| Measured dimensions | 7 fields | Transport Canada, Canadian Vehicle Specifications | Length, width, height, wheelbase, track and curb weight, measured on the North American versions. |
| Trims, pricing & equipment | none | Manufacturer press kit | We have not transcribed a press kit for this model year yet. This is our gap, not the manufacturer's — the one row here where an empty cell means we are behind. |
Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-10-26. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.
Sources & method
Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.
EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed nightly.