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RIRecallIndex

2023 Buick Enclave leads 2025 Buick Enclave by 12 points on the RecallIndex Safety Score. The gap is meaningful and traces typically to either fewer recalls or lower complaint volume on specific systems.

For a used-car purchase decision, the right next step is checking VIN-specific recall status on nhtsa.gov for each candidate vehicle. Any open recall is a free repair at the dealer, regardless of vehicle age, so an open-recall flag is a fix-and-buy situation rather than a deal-breaker.

Verdict

The 2023 Buick Enclave has a meaningfully stronger NHTSA safety record than the 2025 Buick Enclave — 79/100 (Grade B) vs 67/100 (Grade B). The gap reflects some combination of fewer or smaller recalls, lower complaint volume, and fewer crash or fire reports.

Side-by-Side NHTSA Safety Metrics

Every figure below is pulled directly from NHTSA\'s public Recalls and Complaints databases. Lower is better for everything except the Safety Score.

Metric2025 Buick Enclave2023 Buick Enclave
RecallIndex Safety Score67/100 (B)79/100 (B)
Total Recalls00
Active Recalls00
Total Complaints3117
Crash Reports22
Fire Reports00
Injuries32
Deaths00

Recall History

Neither vehicle has any NHTSA recall campaigns on record as of the latest refresh. That can change at any time — recalls can be issued years after a model year ends — so verify by VIN before purchase.

For VIN-specific recall checks on either vehicle, use the official NHTSA Recalls portal. Recall remedies are performed free of charge by the manufacturer\'s authorized dealer network under the federal Motor Vehicle Safety Act.

Crash, Fire, and Injury Reports

Both vehicles have crash, fire, injury, or death reports flagged in NHTSA complaints. 2025 Buick Enclave: 2 crash, 0 fire, 3 injuries, 0 deaths. 2023 Buick Enclave: 2 crash, 0 fire, 2 injuries, 0 deaths. NHTSA captures these flags from consumer-reported complaints — they don't establish causation but signal which vehicles have generated the most safety-event reports.

Crash, fire, injury, and death tags appear in NHTSA\'s consumer complaint database. NHTSA uses these tags as one signal among many when deciding whether to open a defect investigation.

RecallIndex Score Breakdown

The Safety Score combines four factors. The bars below show each vehicle\'s score on each factor — taller is better.

B2025 Buick Enclave
Recall Severity100/100
Complaint Rate38/100
Crash/Fire Rate80/100
Trend0/100
B2023 Buick Enclave
Recall Severity100/100
Complaint Rate66/100
Crash/Fire Rate80/100
Trend29/100

How This Comparison Is Built

Every figure in this comparison is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Recall counts and active-recall flags come from NHTSA\'s Recalls API. Complaint volume, crash and fire reports, injuries, and deaths come from NHTSA\'s consumer Complaints database. Component categorization uses NHTSA\'s standard taxonomy. The RecallIndex Safety Score weights each input by published methodology weights — read the full step-by-step on the methodology page. We do not adjust NHTSA\'s underlying data; this comparison is a transparent re-presentation of public records.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is safer, the 2025 Buick Enclave or the 2023 Buick Enclave?

Based on NHTSA recall and complaint data aggregated into the RecallIndex Safety Score, the 2023 Buick Enclave has the stronger record at 79/100 (Grade B). The score weights recall severity (40%), complaint frequency (30%), crash and fire reports (20%), and trend direction (10%). It is not a substitute for a vehicle history report or in-person inspection.

How many recalls do these vehicles have?

The 2025 Buick Enclave has 0 NHTSA recall campaigns on record (0 active). The 2023 Buick Enclave has 0 (0 active). To check whether a specific VIN is affected by an active recall, use NHTSA's VIN lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

How many NHTSA complaints have been filed against each?

2025 Buick Enclave: 31 consumer complaints. 2023 Buick Enclave: 17 complaints. Complaint volume scales with production, so a high-selling model can show more complaints in absolute terms even when the per-unit rate is normal. The RecallIndex Safety Score normalizes for this.

What is the RecallIndex Safety Score?

The RecallIndex Safety Score is a 0-100 (A-F) score built from four NHTSA-derived signals: recall severity (40%), complaint frequency (30%), crash and fire reports (20%), and trend direction (10%). It does not measure reliability (repair cost or frequency) or insurance claim rates — only NHTSA-reported safety events. The full methodology is on the methodology page.

Where does this comparison data come from?

Every figure on this page comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public Recalls and Complaints databases. RecallIndex aggregates and re-presents the data; we do not modify NHTSA's underlying records. For non-motor-vehicle product recalls see the Consumer Product Safety Commission (cpsc.gov/Recalls); for FDA-regulated items see fda.gov.

Explore More

Source: NHTSA Recalls and NHTSA Complaints — public domain. Cross-reference CPSC for non-vehicle items and FDA Recalls for FDA-regulated products. Last refreshed May 2026.