51 of the
359 complaints filed about the Buick Envision
are about the braking system —
14% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2017.
When I stop at traffic lights, my car does not immediately turn back on (it has the auto stop feature). It flashes "parking brake released" on the dashboard. Then, it starts back up. Sometimes, it has not started back up right away & the steering wheel seizes. It has also said, "Assisted Steering Reduced" & "Stabilitrack Not Engaged (or something to that effect)." When the issue started, I tried to start my car & it said to put the car in park but it was already in park. I tried repeatedly to put it drive to put it back in park & it did not register that I was shifting gears. I turned my car off & turned it back on & it shook violently. So I shut it off immediately. The safety hazard is that my car has shut off on me while I was driving, wheels turning, car in drive, going down the street! It came right back on thankfully, but the way it shut off, I would not have time to brake & let driver's behind me know there was an issue, if it had not come back on! Also, if I have to full stop somewhere in the middle of traffic or an unsafe space, and the auto stop does not restart, that is another safety hazard. The problem started December 2025. I stopped at a light & my car would not restart. I was told it was the starter. I had the starter replaced & the issue returned July 4th weekend. Now, I try to brake in a way to prevent the auto stop from engaging as much possible. I shouldn't have to do that!! Please notify General Motors to recall & fix whatever this issue is with the Buick Envision to keep our families & roads safer!! Thank you!
NHTSA complaint #11752143 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Driving home from work and I seen the "service brake assist" light popped on. I did not know what that meant, until I tried to slow down around a curve. The brake pedal was extremely firm and mad stopping in time almost impossible. I made it home and looked on internet for answers. I checked the sensors, brake fluid and checked again and no help. I noticed a puddle of oil under the car and checked the lipstick which showed i was very low on oil. The next day I had to tow the car 45 to 50 miles to dealership. The dealership had car for 3 days and told us it was the brake vacuum pump that failed. The vehicle was not under warranty and we paid over $800 to have it repaired. We live off a busy road and it was very hazardous driving it home.
NHTSA complaint #11750713 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was driving ~72 MPH on the interstate and my car suddenly downshifted and the dash read “Speed limited to 62 MPH”. I took the nearest off ramp and the brakes completely failed. The dash initially read “service transmission” and “service breaks”. After restarting the Buick Envision, the MyBuick App diagnostics stated “service breaks” only. The car was towed to the dealership this date. I have not heard from them on what has caused the brake failure yet.
NHTSA complaint #11746582 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I have a warning on my dash, "Service Brake Assist" that comes on and off, but will not stay on. The dealer says they can't identify the problem unless it stays on and then bring it in. I did some research and find a class action complaint suit in 4 different states, of several GM cars manufactured between 2017 - 2020. Mine is a 2019 Buick Envision. The class action suit identifies the "Brake Vacuum Pump" defect. The defect will be known, when you step on the brake, the pump fails by exploding, and you have little or no brake whatsoever. More than likely causing a car crash and potentially loss of life. So what am I to do ? Wait for the pump failure and CRASH! Please look into this situation and potiential save lives.
NHTSA complaint #11742967 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2017 Buick Envision. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35-40 MPH, the brakes became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to use the terrain-driving system to continue driving. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the brake hose to the brake master cylinder had failed, and the brake fluid was extremely low. The vehicle was partially repaired. The front hoses were replaced, and the mechanic informed the contact that the rear hoses needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 71,069.
NHTSA complaint #11734580 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2024 Buick Envision. The contact stated that while in reverse(R), the vehicle started rolling backwards and independently stopped. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where an employee suggested disabling the parking brake. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000.
NHTSA complaint #11728798 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving for approximately 2 1/2 hours with cruise set at 78. I did need to brake on occasion and then resume speed. For no apparent reason the car suddenly braked. Speed dropped to about 50 and then immediately resumed speed. No one was hurt. Things in the back seat pushed forward. I don’t know if it has anything to do with that incident but from them until I returned home, about 1 hour later my windows were fogging, I turned on the defrost about 3 times.
NHTSA complaint #11726219 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2021 Buick Envision. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed on the freeway, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated around a corner, with the floor mat stuck under the pedal. The driver depressed the brake pedal for an extended time, but the vehicle continued accelerating. The driver pressed the park button, which slowed the vehicle, and the driver was able to pull over safely. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, and the owner was informed about a possible recall. The dealer determined the failure was due to a stuck floor mat and sudden unintended acceleration. The front and rear brakes were replaced along with the floor mat. The floor mat was PN: 84734211. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 37,000. The VIN was not available.
NHTSA complaint #11719389 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My 2025 Buick Envision with 10,000 miles on it has squeaky brakes. My previous 2023 Envision had the same problem, Brakes check out ok, but squeak persists.
NHTSA complaint #11716626 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2017 Buick Envision. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal seized. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact forcefully depressed the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. The contact stated that upon restarting the vehicle, the message "Service Brake Assist" was displayed, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the brake vacuum pump and the exhaust camshaft had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000. The VIN was not available.
NHTSA complaint #11662442 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2022 Buick Envision. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle failed to respond. The message "No Lane Assist - Caution" was displayed. The contact pumped the brake pedal until the vehicle responded. The contact was able to pull into a parking lot. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the failure was related to the brake system computer chip. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where the same repair was performed. Additionally, the contact stated while starting the vehicle, the messages indicating transmission and steering failures were displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the failure could be related to the body control module (BCM). The vehicle was being diagnosed. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 11,000.
NHTSA complaint #11622662 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The customer service recall caused the battery to drain in which caused all electrical functions to malfunction. My breaks locked up while I was driving. My abs light came on, transmission light, collision, check engine, and steering wheel light came on. It was multiple incidents, but with my breaks locking up is the approximate date I put in statement. I was driving in a parking lot.
NHTSA complaint #11620405 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2023 Buick Envision. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 MPH and attempting to stop the vehicle, the brakes failed to immediately activate while depressing the brake pedal. The contact attempted to steer the vehicle to prevent crashing into the vehicle in front and became aware that the vehicle had lost power steering functionality. The contact had to depress the brake pedal to the floorboard for the vehicle to come to a stop. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle to continue driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the brake module had failed; however, the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the steering failure. The contact stated that the brake module had been replaced. Approximately one month later the failure recurred while driving approximately 25-30 MPH, the failures reoccurred while decelerating a stop light. The contact depressed the brake pedal to the floorboard to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was returned to the dealer and the vehicle was diagnosed with instrument cluster failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 1,500.
NHTSA complaint #11611171 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
October 2023 my brake on the drivers side ruptured that let to the master cylinder. Lost brake pressure and all brake fluid resulting in no braking ability at all. May 9th 2024 took my vehicle for scheduled maintenance and was told vehicle was in excellent condition. 20 days later the brake line on the passenger side ruptured leading to the master cylinder resulting brake fluid leakage and no brake performance. This issue is a previous recall and should be reinstated. I've spent twelve hundred dollars on repairs for an issue that publicized as an open recall. I could have lost my life and Buick GMC refuse to do anything about it.
NHTSA complaint #11594293 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2023 Buick Envision. Brakes failed. This was a new car driven 1k miles. There was no warning notification, no alert and no dashboard lights prior to this incident. Of course I had expected the normal brake resistance when I stepped on the pedal. Instead, my foot sunk closer to the floor. I pressed the pedal as hard as I could a few times until it slowed to a stop. I do not drive fast so this was to my advantage. I was later told that the Allstate Milewise device that I had been using was not recommended but in this case it was not a factor. The service manager shared documentation that there was potential system conflicts with this. This was not disclosed to me with my 2020 Envision. Therefore, I continued to use it in the 2023 vehicle. I forwarded the information to Allstate, so they could investigate further. I received call back saying to return the device and find alternative insurance options. When I was told to pick up my car, I asked what was found to cause the brake failure and to highlight the fix in the receipt. A reset of the software was the final fix: LOOKS LIKE ALL MODULES ON CAN BUS 2 LOST BRAKE CONTROL MODULE TESTED CHARGING SYSTEM WITH THE DCBS AND PASSED PERFORMED GLOBAL RESET SCANNED ALL MODULES DID FIND UPDATE FOR THE SERIAL DATA GATEWAY UPDATE MODULE 45YY212842554” I was told that until this happens again that is all they can do.
NHTSA complaint #11587326 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The vacuum pump failed, causing the gear to explode, which in turn damaged the cam shaft. Yes, this is available for inspection. The brake was unable to be depressed, requiring extreme force to being able to safely stop at an area that was safe to do so. I turned the car off and it made a funny sound. When I tried to start the car, it would no longer start. The car was towed to my local auto mechanic and then to the closest Buick dealership. The dealership diagnosed the problem outlined above. No warning lights.
NHTSA complaint #11574510 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2022 Buick Envision. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH and coming to a red light, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop immediately. The contact shifted to neutral before the vehicle came to a complete stop. The engine continued to rev abnormally as if the vehicle was accelerating. After several minutes, the engine stopped revving excessively, and the contact was able to continue driving. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that excessive force was needed to depress the brake pedal. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 21,000.
NHTSA complaint #11566350 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.