2008 Buick Enclave CX: Power Steering Failure

And things were going so well. 19,000 miles of goodness, then it sends you over a cliff.

My 2000 Chevy Silverado had the shaft on the power steering pump break at 10K miles. I keep hoping to see our cars get better, but so far it doesn't look like it, especially after reading that Chrysler post earlier about the shifter + sign rubbing off...

this wouldnt happen in a lexus. :P

hmm, at least it started for 19,000 miles, that nissan a blog bought didn't even do that in mile 1.
 
As for this being a reflection of GM's quality...
 
A single failure is now reflective of quality?
 
And people wonder, why some around here seem like crazy GM/domestic defenders;
Because we see this stupid illogical sterotyping going on left and right.

Because this isn't a single failure, this has happened in more than one GM, and this has been one unfixable issue for all GM's, and another issue for the Enclave.
Did you forget about the Aura's steering issue that quick? Maybe not the same but an issue with the steering nonetheless.
 

FYI Cerro Norroesto road is fantastic motorcycle/sports car territory. It's also a really nice drive to take a right off 33 before that and explore the Carizzo National monument. There are really fun dirt roads all alongside that following the ridge in the mountains. You can also park on the San Andreas Fault. I took my Wranlger up there and suggest Edmunds takes theirs!
As for the steering failure - unless there are other Enclaves that are doing this then maybe it's a one-off...

"A single failure is now reflective of quality?"
 
Well, that was the conclusion when the Hyundai air condition had some problems.
 
May I remind the comment:
 
"a leak at 6,241 miles? houston we have a problem. Sorry thats crap that a brand new car is already lossing stuff."

It could be a one-off problem, but it's still not good. Kind of ironic, the "unreliable Germans" in the LT fleet (Q7, X5, 135i, 330i, C300, R500, Mini) haven't suffered any major powertrain/mechanical issues like the Fit or Silverado transmission problems, the Veracruz A/C failure, or now both the Enclave and Aura's steering problems. :-)

I've owned fourteen cars in the last twenty eight years. Two of them eventually developed slow leaks in the power steering (a Monte Carlo and an Accord). Neither one was a safety hazard, and both happened after more than 100k miles.
 
This is fundamentally different. And yes, a single failure in such a critical vehicle system in a new vehicle IS reflective of quality (or the lack thereof).
 
Would you be so sanguine, opfreak, if it had been the brakes?

Word of the day "sanguine". Nice work Stephen.
There have been some good points brought up. Some supposedly reliable cars that have been in Edmunds' fleet have had major problems - Honda Pilot, Honda Fit etc etc while the Germans have had no such issues, but get slammed (C300) for maybe a faulty sunroof.

I'm sorry desmo, but a faulty sunroof is game over for me. I don't give a crap if my steering or transmission fails, worrying about that is what wussies do. But if I can't sun the top of my head while letting in a trickle of outside air, good day sir!

yeah, and the transmission in my mother's camry went out at 21,000 miles.
 
That's a major component as well.
 
There's also a squeak and a whump in the rear end on my sister's mercedes.
 
My Silverado has been flawless.

I think someone is locked in your sister's mercedes trunk.

Honda's get passes because they're so great.

"I think someone is locked in your sister's mercedes trunk."
 
Wow, given time that will likely smell much worse than the stale A/C smell we keep reading about :)

Great quality...I love it!
 
Dan...any comments?

I thought this was GM's best vehicle ever.no? http://66.160.188.111/roadtests/Comments/2188#cm

GM's best doesn't mean, the best.
 
It's still pretty nice, save for some GM issues that bleed out to all their vehicles using this transmission and steering system.

Well, since we here so much about how GM has now turn corner,this is pretty pathetic.this is exactly the same problem with the silverado.

Cars are getting more complex, yes, but isn't power steering a pretty mature technology?

The power steering on my '06 Chevy Impala needed to be repaired at 7,500 miles due to a faulty pressure hose. It has been fine since.
 
I also have the intermediate steering shaft issue, and the warped brake rotor issue.
 
Hey, at least GM is consistent :P
 
Now that I think about it, the power steering on my '88 Chevy Beretta was shot at 40,000 miles.

For me, the most worrysome part about this failure is this: it'll give more ammunition to all of the engineers and quality types within GM (and in other companies) who support Electronic Power Steering. I hate EPS. I've never met one yet that was as good as a well-tuned hydraulic system. The best ones are merely decent. Most feel like videogame steering controllers. They may come around someday, but I'm still waiting.

The Fit has great electric steering.

I agree that *generally* speaking, EPS is not as good as hydraulic steering. But then again, *generally* speaking, GM's hydraulic steering has never been that great; so if EPS delivers better reliability, then GM should just go with it.
 
As someone else mentioned, it's very strange -- you'd think they would have perfected the technology by now.

For right now, this has to be considered one car, one issue.
 
If, like the Aura, a parade of people start lining up telling similar stories of such an issue, that's completely different.