Buick Enclave 2013

Buick has been on the upswing the past few years, introducing new models that are much more desirable than the so-so products of the past. When it debuted, the Buick Enclave was one of the first vehicles to set Buick in the right direction. The Enclave shares a platform with GM's latest group of large crossovers and features an upscale interior, a powerful 3.6-liter V6 and plenty of room for both passengers and cargo. For a new or used large luxury crossover SUV, the Enclave is one of the better choices available.

Current Buick Enclave

A full-size crossover SUV, the Buick Enclave sports a number of family-friendly features, such as a roomy cabin with easily accessed and adult-friendly third-row seats. There are four trim levels: base, Convenience, Leather and Premium, all with standard seven-passenger seating. An available second-row bench seat increases capacity to eight. For power, the Enclave has a 3.6-liter V6 rated at 288 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed automatic and front-wheel drive are standard. All-wheel drive is optional.

Ford F-150 SVT

Although Ford promotes its F-150 SVT Raptor as a hardcore off-roader, the purpose-built truck is turning out to be a bit of a softy. Several Raptor owners have complained of their beds coming out of alignment, with the truck’s rear frame section apparently to blame. The Raptor’s bed-alignment problems have been noted on Web sites before, but a recent post on RaptorForumz.com has garnered some added attention. A group of 14 Raptor owners recently set out on an off-road adventure, but only four of those trucks returned with their frames intact.

As illustrated in the pictures below, most of the trucks returned from the off-road trip with their beds at a rearward angle. Although Ford has yet to officially diagnose the problem, forum moderator BlueSVT (who also happens to own one of the damaged Raptors) blames the bed sagging issue on the Raptor’s weak rear frame.

The Raptor’s rear frame section isn’t fully boxed, making it weaker than the rest of the truck. To make matters worse, the non-boxed section of frame thins above the rear axle to accommodate bump stops.

Under normal driving conditions, the rear axle has plenty of clearance under the bump stops. However, when the Raptor gets on the kind of terrain it was designed for, the rear axle can easily slam against the bump stops, bending the weaker part of the frame.

The frame problem appears to be widespread, with plenty of documentation on the RaptorForumz Web site. Ford has yet to comment on the phenomenon, but will likely have to answer to angry owners in the coming weeks. If BlueSVT’s assessment of the issue proves to be accurate, it begs the question as to how Ford missed such a glaring problem during the Raptor’s development.