Recall Alert: 2011-12 Chevrolet Traverse, Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia

General Motors is recalling 50,001 model-year 2011 and 2012 versions of its midsize crossovers due to problems their windshield wiper arms, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The recall affects Chevrolet Traverse, Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia models registered in the following Snow Belt states: Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Alaska and the District of Columbia. In these vehicles, snow or ice buildup on the windshield wipers restricts them and could loosen the arm, rendering it inoperable. This decreases visibility and increases the risk of a crash.

GM will notify owners starting April 16, and dealers will tighten the wiper arm nuts free of charge. Owners can call NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236 for more info.

Second-Row Supremacy for Three-Row Crossovers

There's one hard and fast reality about three-row crossovers: You — or more likely your kids — have to get past the second row to get to the third. It's just plain logic.

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At the 2012 New York auto show, one of my favorite second rows in terms of third-row access is found in GM's trio of three-row crossovers — the Buick Enclave, Chevy Traverse and GMC Acadia. All three have recent upgrades for the upcoming model year, but even the current models are appealing.

2013 Buick Enclave: Photo Gallery

The 2013 Buick Enclave gets the same treatment that its sibling crossovers — the Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia — received for the model year, including a new face and interior updates.

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The Enclave is the only one of the trio to get the new front center airbag as standard equipment. The Enclave also gets the new IntelliLink multimedia system standard, too.

2013 Buick Enclave: Up Close

Buick unveiled the redesigned Enclave in New York today, and its look is sleeker and more up-to-date. The grille is a bit bigger and LEDs surround the headlight cluster and taper back along the hood a bit give a more upscale look, a la Audi, a brand that Buick is happy to point out it outsold in 2011. The Enclave's rear end seems less bulbous than the previous generation, with the exhaust outlets worked into the bumper.

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Buick says the interior design came after studying equestrian equipment, and there's certainly that feel inside with ample leather coverings. In addition, Buick has added the same ambient blue lighting inside that it features in its current sedan lineup. The most noticeable change inside is the center stack. It was one of the old Enclave’s stodgiest features, and the new version has IntelliLink, Buick’s entertainment system.

Intellilink, which comes standard, has customizable screens much like MyFord Touch, but Buick says it will be easy to use. We'll have to try it out to see if it delivers on that promise. It has a 7-inch screen that also displays the standard backup camera's image. The climate controls are also updated, with knobs that are large but seem substantial unlike the plastic feel of the previous generation. While the center stack is updated, the steering-wheel controls remain the same as the previous generation.

2013 Buick Enclave at 2012 New York Auto Show

• Competes with: Acura MDX, Infiniti JX, Lincoln MKT
• Looks like: Small changes should maintain sales
• Drivetrain: 288-hp, 3.6-liter V-6 engine; six-speed automatic transmission; front or all-wheel drive
• Hits dealerships: This fall

We've seen GM's updated versions of the GMC Acadia and the Chevy Traverse, and now the company's luxury three-row crossover gets similar enhancements. Most noticeable is a reworked hood running into an industrial-styled grille and, as is par for the course these days, LED running lights.

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The back gets similar LED lights and a few other slight tweaks you can see in the photos below, and there are some new wheel choices, but the Enclave will probably be the hardest to tell apart from its predecessor of the three.

What's the Most Affordable Full-Size Crossover?

The full-size, three-row crossover segment is relatively new to the automotive landscape. You need to look back only four or five years to see how quickly the segment has changed from just a handful of models to more than 15 models today.

For folks who find minivans anathema, these large crossovers are the best alternatives. Some — like the Chevrolet Traverse — are roomy enough that there's little tradeoff in terms of passenger room. The unibody architecture of large crossovers makes them generally more maneuverable and fuel efficient compared with three-row, full-size SUVs, like the Chevrolet Suburban and Ford Expedition.

Check Out: $37,000 SUV Shootout

Recent converts from SUV to crossover pedigree include the Dodge Durango and Ford Explorer, which are now competing against fairly old stalwarts like the Honda Pilot and Toyota Highlander.

The full-size crossover market will expand soon, with the three vehicles on the horizon: the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder (which switches to a crossover platform), the 2013 Infiniti JX35 and the upcoming Jeep Grand Wagoneer.

Buick Continues 2013 Encore Reveal on Facebook

More details are emerging about Buick’s newest vehicle, the 2013 Encore SUV. We first saw an initial teaser shot in mid-December. Recently, the automaker revealed a third quadrant of the masked Encore image that’s posted on its Facebook page. The five-passenger crossover SUV will be the brand’s first compact SUV. It shares styling cues with the other SUV in Buick’s lineup, the midsize Enclave. The Encore will be unveiled on Jan. 10 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

2013 Buick Encore Facebook Page

All Buicks to Get Standard Multimedia System

Later this year, Buick will begin rolling out its IntelliLink multimedia system as standard across the brand’s entire lineup. Among other features, it will give owners access to Pandora internet radio.

The new 2012 Buick Verano and 2012 Regal will come standard with a 7-inch touch-screen, while the LaCrosse will get an 8-inch screen. The 2013 Buick Enclave will get a touch-screen and IntelliLink standard, too.

Much like Chevrolet’s MyLink system, IntelliLink gives Buick owners access to Pandora and Stitcher internet radio streaming programs and a better voice-recognition system, which allows for simple voice commands. There’s also upgraded USB connectivity, including the ability to play music from a memory stick as well as an MP3 player. Those updates are on top of other recent OnStar enhancements that include hands-free texting and Facebook updates, along with navigation and traffic updates.

When the launch is completed, Buick will be one of the first automotive brands to offer a multimedia system as standard equipment. 

GM Introduces Industry-First Front Center Airbag

GM will add a front center airbag to its 2013 Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave vehicles. This industry-first airbag deploys from the right side of the driver’s seat and creates a barrier between the two seats in the front row.

Why create a barrier between the two seats? When far-side collisions — a front occupant is involved in a crash on opposite side of where they’re seated — occur, head, chest and spinal injuries can be severe. This happens because far-side occupants are either flung into the other seat or a passenger, if present, causing harm to both occupants, says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Nearly 29% of fatalities for belted front occupants in side-impact non-rollover crashes are caused by these incidents, according to NHTSA.

The front center airbag is designed to restrain the driver and front occupant from colliding with each other or other objects in the cabin, and it acts as an energy-absorbing cushion to absorb the colliding vehicle’s reciprocal force.

The airbags will be standard on the 2013 Buick Enclave and standard on GMC Acadia and Chevy Traverse when equipped with power seats. The added airbag would give the large crossovers seven airbags, when equipped. All three crossovers already have top safety accolades from NHTSA and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The center airbag will also help improve roll-over safety, says GM.

Toyota said it’s also working on a center airbag, but it hasn’t released the safety system on a model yet.

Update: GM has cofirmed that the 2013 crossovers will debut a year from now, in the fall of 2012. 

2011 Honda Odyssey, Three GM Crossovers Earn IIHS Top Safety Pick Awards

The 2011 Honda Odyssey, 2011 Chevrolet Traverse, 2011 Buick Enclave and 2011 GMC Acadia each earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Top Safety Pick designation in the minivan and large SUV categories.

To earn the award, a vehicle must receive the top rating of Good in front, side, rear and rollover crash tests. The vehicle also must be equipped with electronic stability control, which is standard on the above models.

The vehicle also must pass the institute’s roof-strength test. To pass, a vehicle’s roof must be able to withstand the force of four times the vehicle’s weight.The Honda Odyssey can withstand 5.15 times its own weight; the GM CUVs can withstand four times.

The GM crossovers are built off the same structural platform, so each received an identical score.

Measurements taken from the dummies used during tests of the Odyssey and GM crossovers show a low risk of significant injury in a 40-mph frontal offset crash. However, IIHS points out that in the Odyssey, a leg injury is possible. Side impact testing — a 31-mph perpendicular crash test — also shows a low risk of injury to the driver and/or rear passenger.

The 2011 Odyssey and GM crossovers also received five-star ratings in National Highway Traffic Safety Administration testing earlier this year.