2018 Buick Enclave

Showing the 2018 Enclave Base. NHTSA's VIN data shows it with a 3.6 L engine, but that may not be every version of it, so the numbers below cover every version of this model year. Every version

Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.

Fuel economy
20–21 mpgcombined; city 17–18, highway 25–26; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$15,470–$16,240U.S. average; Ohio $13,820–$14,510 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA overall safety rating
5 starslowest across the versions NHTSA tested
Recall campaigns
0none on file
Owner complaints
65filed with NHTSA; not adjusted for sales

Trims

NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2018 Enclave. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.

Problems owners report

Owners have filed 65 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Enclave. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.

Complaints by part of the car
PartComplaintsCrashesFiresInjuries
Service brakes20200
Power train15100
Engine13000
Electrical system10100
Unknown or other8000
Forward collision avoidance4000
Fuel/propulsion system4000
Air bags2101
Back over prevention2100
Engine and engine cooling2000
Exterior lighting2000
Steering2000
8 more parts
Structure2000
Suspension2000
Vehicle speed control2000
Electronic stability control (ESC)1000
Lane departure1000
Seat belts1100
Service brakes, air1000
Visibility/wiper1000

Complaints by model year

Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.

  1. 2008536
  2. 2009220
  3. 2010275
  4. 2011213
  5. 2012132
  6. 201370
  7. 2014292
  8. 2015171
  9. 2016141
  10. 2017179
  11. 201865
  12. 201944
  13. 202060
  14. 202126
  15. 202214
  16. 202321
  17. 20247
  18. 202538
  19. 20262

Every Enclave year side by side

Recalls

NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2018 Enclave. NHTSA's recall lookup checks a specific VIN.

Service bulletins and investigations

Carmakers sent NHTSA 1,028 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2018 Enclave, the latest on Sep 26, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.

The parts they mention most: equipment (361), electrical system (204), engine and engine cooling (129), power train (107), engine (102).

NHTSA hasn't opened a defect investigation that covers this model year.

Maintenance

Oil

The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2018 Enclave.

Oil change near you: Jiffy Lube · Take 5

Used ones for sale

See used 2018 Buick Enclaves for sale on: Autotrader · CarMax

These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.

Specs

EPA class: standard sport utility vehicle. EPA greenhouse gas score: 4 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:

VersionEngineTransmissionFuelCity / hwy / comb
Enclave
Front-Wheel Drive		3.6 L, 6 cylAutomatic 9-spdRegular Gasoline18 / 26 / 21
Enclave
All-Wheel Drive		3.6 L, 6 cylAutomatic 9-spdRegular Gasoline17 / 25 / 20

Sources and dates

Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data