2008 Buick Enclave: Dirt. Power Steering Failure. Coincidence?

Hmm... I KNEW Edmunds editors weren't innocent angels as they make themselves out to be.

Wait for X5's steeringor suspension failure in the next few weeks...

Glad we have the full story. Too bad certain members prematurely undertook a crusade to prove that all GM cars have faulty steering systems from the factory.

I suppose one could argue these are not SUV's technically, and maybe they don't belong offroad.

Depending on how long you drove in those conditions, you might want to have the air filter replaced as well. They get plugged up quickly in those conditions.

Regardless, this should not have caused power steering failure, unless the cap was off and dirt got into the pump.

I've taken my CAR up many a nasty dirt road and have had nothing more than a tire blowout. This shouldn't cause a power steering failure if everything is sealed up like normal.

I'm about to start WWIII here, but I bet this wouldn't have happened to the CX-9 or the Veracruz.

Hey, at least all four shocks didn't die.

$64,000 Question: Was the engine cover on or off during this excursion?

"$64,000 Question: Was the engine cover on or off during this excursion?" On.
-mike

There is a simple fix to that. Just include a warning sticker on all SUVs that say these vehicles are not intended for off roading purposes, they are designed solely for the purposes of posing on the street. There, problem solved!

Yeah, this looks like a mostly flat dirt road, and the on-road oriented X5 had no issues what so ever(as far as we know), the MT testing for SOTY did some dirt climbing with the Enclave, with hills and plenty of dirt. And all of the contenders had no issues to speak of, Enclave included, ANY car should be able to handle dirt, especially one without AWD(because AWD on most crossovers is designed for wet conditions, not dirt so it's harder on those systems)

Sounds similar to what happened to the Silverado in our fleet,twice!

The only difference is, the power brakes also goes out whenever this happens, and this is a 2002 truck i'm talking about. So sad GM!

Heck, some Californian vehicles have "gone through" that much dirt just because of all the ash from wildfires nearby. Anyone who goes camping can easily drive through that much dirt too (plenty of Corollas and Priuses at the campsite last time I went). I hope there's more to it than that.

That color-changing paint really hides the dirt well. Can't even tell that it's been off-road!

All cars can go off road.
All crossovers can go off-road.
You don't need an "SUV" to go off-road.
In Europe, all crossovers are reviewed as off-roaders.
No car should have a problem on a dirt ROAD. That's an actual ROAD for crying out loud.
You can take a Toyota Camry and do that "off-road" without a hitch.

Crossovers go off-road with no difficulties, unless you're talking about rock climbing on rock climbing play courses, with wheels off the ground.

why would anyone think the Enclave is made for off road use? Its not for "posing", its for use on the road just like a car. Because it's a crossover people think it should be trail rated. If a manufacturer thinks that damage is caused by abnormal use of a product they often wont honor a warranty repair.

I would NEVER have taken this vehicle off on this kind of road - don't you guys KNOW the Enclave doesn't HAVE a CABIN FILTER for heaven sake. Whoever did the driving I'm sure sucked in as much dust as the Enclave did.

I'm still having trouble understanding how GM could NOT provide a cabin filter - even a basic one. Heck my 2001 ESCAPE has one! How can this be an unimportant item in a 35K dollar CUV?

I'm confused. What has the power steering system that is a sealed system have to do with dust and dirt? Unless it was damaged because of a rock or other debris, why would one have anything to do with the other? Sure, your air filter might get clogged, but that's about it.