Last updated: 2026-10-10

Buick Enclave vs Hyundai Palisade: Reliability Compared

Reliability favors the Buick Enclave over the Hyundai Palisade by a wide margin. Owners filed far fewer complaints per vehicle sold. The Palisade also carries many more recalls, plus widespread brake, seat belt, windshield, and rear shock reports.

How Do the Buick Enclave and Hyundai Palisade Generations Compare?

Most used Palisades a shopper will see belong to the first generation, which ran from the 2020 through 2025 model years and received a facelift for 2022. The second generation brought the 2026 model year. The 2020 and 2021 cars are the weakest. The 2025 and 2026 years score well, but they are too new to judge, since complaints build with time. The Enclave's second generation ran from 2018 through 2024, with a refresh in 2022, so that is where most used examples sit. The third generation began with the 2025 model year. The 2022 refresh marks a dividing line between earlier and later second-generation builds.

Verdict

The Buick Enclave is more reliable than the Hyundai Palisade, scoring 76/100 vs 65/100.

Reliability favors the Buick Enclave by a large margin. The Palisade still holds a good standing, but owners filed 31.7 complaints per 10,000 sold, against 2.6 for the Enclave. Federal recall records also show 33 Palisade recalls across seven model years, versus 10 for the Enclave across nine. The Palisade's trouble is broad: brakes, seat belts, windshields, rear shocks, and the instrument cluster all draw many reports. The Enclave's complaints are fewer and more scattered, so it is the safer bet for most used buyers.

Key Differences

  1. 1Buick Enclave has 29.1 fewer complaints per 10k sold
  2. 2Buick Enclave has 23 fewer total recalls
  3. 3Buick Enclave scores 11 points higher in reliability

Category Scoreboard

3Buick Enclave
—
0Hyundai Palisade
Reliability ScoreTotal RecallsComplaint Rate

Buick Enclave vs Hyundai Palisade: Which Is More Reliable?

Buick Enclave vs Hyundai Palisade at-a-glance reliability comparison
MetricBuick EnclaveHyundai Palisade
Reliability Score76/10065/100
Years Tracked97
Total Recalls1033
Complaints per 10k Sold2.631.7
Year Wins70

What Are the Common Problems With the Buick Enclave and Hyundai Palisade?

Brakes are the biggest Palisade complaint, with 317 reports of ABS pulsing over bumps and the car rolling on at low speed, 15 of them crash-linked. Seat belt buckles that unlatch while driving, windshields that crack within the first few thousand miles, and rear self-leveling shocks that fail again and again follow. Seat belts and suspension carry crash-linked Palisade reports, and the Enclave's main areas show none there. Enclave owners mostly report a power liftgate that opens by itself, hard shifts and transmissions that lock up, early brake grinding, and a broken exhaust pipe bracket. Its transmission complaints include three crash-linked reports.

Buick Enclave vs Hyundai Palisade common problem areas comparison
ComponentBuick EnclaveHyundai Palisade
SERVICE BRAKES0.4Very Low5.3Average
SEAT BELTS0.1Very Low3.9Average
VISIBILITY/WIPER—None3.7Average
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM0.4Very Low2.1Low
UNKNOWN OR OTHER0.3Very Low2.2Low
SUSPENSION—None2.3Low
POWER TRAIN0.4Very Low1.6Low
ENGINE0.3Very Low1.4Low
STEERING0.1Very Low0.9Very Low
STRUCTURE—None1Very Low
VISIBILITY—None0.7Very Low
TRAILER HITCHES—None0.4Very Low
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL—None0.2Very Low
AIR BAGS—None0.2Very Low
EXTERIOR LIGHTING—None—None
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING—None—None
FUEL SYSTEM—None—None
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM—None—None
SEATS—None—None
LANE DEPARTURE—None—None
BACK OVER PREVENTION—None—None

Complaints per 10,000 units sold, aggregated across all tracked model years from NHTSA owner reports.

How Does Buick Enclave vs Hyundai Palisade Reliability Compare by Year?

Buick Enclave vs Hyundai Palisade year-by-year reliability scores
YearBuick EnclaveHyundai PalisadeEdge
202681/1000R / 0C72/1002R / 23CBuick Enclave
202577/1000R / 31C70/1003R / 139CBuick Enclave
202477/1000R / 7C63/1005R / 304CBuick Enclave
202379/1000R / 17C62/1005R / 326CBuick Enclave
202276/1001R / 12C65/1005R / 241CBuick Enclave
202175/1002R / 21C61/1006R / 354CBuick Enclave
202068/1006R / 48C59/1007R / 521CBuick Enclave

Best years to cross-shop: The 2023 Buick Enclave scored 79/100 and the 2022 Hyundai Palisade scored 65/100 — the strongest shared model years that have been on the road for at least two years, where available.

Who Should Buy the Buick Enclave vs the Hyundai Palisade?

Choose the Enclave if you want the lowest chance of repeat problems. Its complaint volume is small, and the issues owners describe, such as a liftgate that pops open or an exhaust bracket that cracks, are narrower than the Palisade's list. Target 2023, one of its strongest years, and be cautious with 2019 and 2020, its weakest. Test the transmission for hard shifts or jerking at low speed, and listen for brake grinding on a test drive. Choose the Palisade only if you need its features and can accept more risk. Skip 2020 and 2021, its weakest years. Check the windshield for cracks, confirm the seat belt buckles latch and hold, and listen for clunking from the rear. Ask whether the rear shock repair under TSB 22-SS-001H was done, since owners past warranty report being refused. The 2025 and 2026 years rate well, but they are recent and have had little time to collect complaints.

Buick Enclave vs Hyundai Palisade: Common Questions

Is the Hyundai Palisade more reliable than the Buick Enclave?
No. The Enclave leads by a large gap. Both hold a good standing, but Palisade owners filed 31.7 complaints per 10,000 sold, compared with 2.6 for the Enclave. The Palisade also has more recalls and a wider spread of problems, including brakes, seat belts, and windshields.
Which has more recalls, the Palisade or the Enclave?
The Palisade has more. Federal recall records show 33 recalls across its seven model years, while the Enclave has 10 across nine model years. That is more than three times as many for the Hyundai, even with fewer model years on the road.
What are the most common Palisade problems?
Brakes lead, with 317 complaints about the ABS pulsing over bumps and the car rolling on at low speed. Next come seat belt buckles that come unlatched while driving, windshields that crack within the first few thousand miles, and rear shocks that fail around 20,000 to 37,000 miles.
What goes wrong most often on the Buick Enclave?
Electrical complaints lead, mainly a power liftgate that opens on its own while parked or driving. Power train follows, with hard shifts, jerking at low speed, and transmissions locking in park or drive. Brake grinding early in the car's life and a cracked front exhaust pipe bracket also appear.
Which model years should I avoid?
Avoid the 2020 and 2021 Palisade and the 2019 and 2020 Enclave, which are the weakest years for each. The 2026 Enclave and 2025 and 2026 Palisade look strong, but they are recent and have had little time to collect complaints.

Decided between Buick Enclave and Hyundai Palisade? Run a VIN check before you buy — uncover hidden accidents, title issues, and open recalls.

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How we score the Buick Enclave and Hyundai Palisade

Scores weight complaint severity at 35%, repair costs at 30%, recall impact at 20%, and the spread of complaints across systems at 15%, with complaint counts adjusted for US sales. Read the full methodology.

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