2013 Buick Encore

The defect

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Buick Verano and 2016 Chevrolet Malibu as the electronic park lock lever may allow the ignition key to be removed without the transmission being in PARK. Also, certain 2013 Buick Encore, 2011 Buick Regal, 2013-2014 Buick Verano, 2011-2016 Chevrolet Cruze, 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2011-2013 GMC Terrain vehicles may have been serviced with similar defective replacement electronic park lock levers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."

The risk

If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.

The remedy

GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick 1-800-521-7300, and GMC 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 50490 and 50491.

General Motors LLC · up to 8,367 vehicles across all model years covered

The defect

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Buick Encore vehicles manufactured August 23, 2012, to March 1, 2013, and model year 2013 Cadillac ATS vehicles manufactured April 23, 2012, to May 1, 2013. In the affected vehicles, the driver and passenger lap belt pretensioner cables may not lock in a retracted position, allowing the seat belts to extend when pulled upon.

The risk

If the seat belts do not remain locked in the retracted position when under load, the seat occupant may not be adequately restrained in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

The remedy

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace both front the driver's and the passenger's lap belt pretensioners, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. GM sent interim notifications on October 7, 2014 and will send a second notification when remedy parts are available. The recall began on November 20, 2014. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 14171.

General Motors LLC · up to 48,114 vehicles across all model years covered

The defect

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Buick Encore and Cadillac ATS; 2014 Cadillac CTS, ELR, Chevrolet Caprice and SS vehicles; and 2014-2015 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra Trucks. Due to an incomplete weld on the seat hook bracket assembly, the front seats in the affected vehicles may not stay secured in place during a high load condition such as a crash.

The risk

A seat that does not stay secured increases the risk of occupant injury in a vehicle crash.

The remedy

GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the seat hook bracket assembly weld and replace the lower seat track, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on August 15, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), and 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14340.

General Motors LLC · up to 124,007 vehicles across all model years covered

The defect

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Buick Encore all-wheel-drive vehicles manufactured August 23, 2012, to September 9, 2013; Verano vehicles manufactured August 8, 2012, to June 20, 2013; Chevrolet Cruze vehicles manufactured August 7, 2012, to August 16, 2013, and 2012-2014 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured May 10, 2011, to August 16, 2012 equipped with a Calix oil pan/block heater. In cold temperatures, the insulation on the engine block heater cord can become damaged, allowing the wires to be exposed.

The risk

Exposed wires increase the risk of electrical shock and personal injury if the cord is handled while it is plugged in.

The remedy

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the engine oil pan/block heater cord with a new cord that is rated for temperatures of minus 40 degree Celsius. The recall began in August 2014. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14257.

General Motors LLC · up to 2,990 vehicles across all model years covered

The defect

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Buick Encore vehicles manufactured April 10, 2013, to May 8, 2013, and Chevrolet Spark vehicles manufactured December 30, 2012, to March 1, 2013. In the affected vehicles, an improper weld on the passenger side front air bag inflator may result in the air bag not deploying.

The risk

If the air bag does not to deploy in the event of a crash, there is an increased risk of injury to the front passenger.

The remedy

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger side front air bag, free of charge. The recall began on July 30, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick) or 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet). GM's number for this recall is 14211.

General Motors LLC · up to 61 vehicles across all model years covered

The defect

General Motors is recalling certain model year 2013 Buick Encore vehicles manufactured between December 9, 2012 and December 28, 2012, and equipped with a heated steering wheel. The steering wheel fastener may not have been properly installed. This could cause the steering wheel to come loose or separate from the steering column.

The risk

If the steering wheel separates from the steering column while driving, the ability to steer could be lost, increasing the risk of a crash.

The remedy

General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and make any necessary repairs on the steering wheel. These services will be provided at no charge to the customer. The safety recall began on May 21, 2013. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-521-7300. This is General Motors campaign number 13098.

General Motors LLC · up to 144 vehicles across all model years covered

Still open engineering analysis · opened September 17, 2021

the air bags

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.Consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substance that traps and holds moisture) in US vehicles are under recall. These "non-desiccated" inflators either have been or are required to be replaced.In some cases, the remedy part for these recalled inflators was, or will be, an inflator using either propellant 2004 or 2004L that does contain a desiccant. None of these "desiccated" remedy parts (which were installed in older model year vehicles) are currently under recall for a degradation concern. Certain subsets of desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004 for use as original equipment, however, have been recalled for a degradation concern. All Takata inflators produced with propellant 2004L contain desiccant, and none of these desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L are under recall for a degradation concern. There have been no reported field ruptures in any non-recalled desiccated PSAN inflators.It is understood that desiccants fully saturate at some threshold, at which point any additional moisture will not be captured. This means the degradation process observed in non-desiccated inflators using propellant 2004 may also occur in non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004, assuming additional moisture enters the inflator and high temperature cycling occurs. Based on available information, desiccant saturation can occur within the first five years in the worst environments, and the time required for full saturation is affected by multiple factors. While no present safety risk has been identified, further work is needed to evaluate the future risk of non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004.Three entities -- Takata (now known as TK Global), the Independent Testing Coalition, and Exponent -- have been studying the long-term behavior of Takata desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004L (as well as 2004) in the presence of moisture and temperature cycling. The research efforts, which include development of predictive modeling techniques and field sample analysis, are ongoing. To date, none of the researchers have identified field evidence showing that propellant 2004L is undergoing a degradation process that leads to aggressive deployment and potential rupture. However, the time in service of such inflators remains short compared to that of the inflators using propellant 2004. Further study is needed to assess the long-term safety of desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L.The Office of Defects Investigation is opening this investigation to examine whether a safety defect related to propellant degradation exists in non-recalled desiccated PSAN frontal inflators manufactured by Takata. This investigation will require extensive information on Takata production processes and surveys of inflators in the field. Lists of recall actions that may have used desiccated PSAN inflators as remedy parts, as well as the makes and models originally manufactured with them, is available with the downloadable version of this document (see nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=EA21002 -- note this information is subject to change/revision as the investigation proceeds). This investigation does not supersede EA15-001, which remains open.

crash · 2,000 miles

DRIVER OF 2013 BUICK ENCORE WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 35-40 MPH WHEN STRUCK AT PERPENDICULAR ANGLE ON PASSENGERS SIDE. CONTROL OF THE CAR WAS LOST. THE ENCORE TIPPED, LANDING ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. THE DRIVER WAS CONSCIOUS, BUT SMELLED FUMES. AN ASTHMATIC, THE DRIVER SENSED AN ONCOMING ATTACK AND BEGAN SCREAMING TO BE PULLED FROM THE VEHICLE. A HEROIC BYSTANDER CLIMBED ONTO THE VEHICLE, WAS ABLE TO OPEN THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR TOWARD THE SKY, AND PULLED HER FROM THE VEHICLE BEFORE PARAMEDICS ARRIVED. AMAZINGLY, THE DRIVER WALKED AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE UNHARMED. ACCORDING TO REPORTS, TIPPING UNDER THESE CONDITIONS IS RARE. THE 2013 BUICK ENCORE MUST BE …

NHTSA complaint 10543765, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

crash

2013 BUICK ENCORE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO ABS AND ALL WHEEL DRIVE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM ISSUES. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED THE BRAKES WOULD SQUEAK, RUB AND GRAB. ON THANKSGIVING DAY, WHILE DRIVING DOWN HIS DRIVEWAY, ON SNOWY DAY, THE ABS LOCKED UP AND THE VEHICLE WENT OFF THE ROAD INTO A PLOWED SNOW BANK, IN WHICH THE BUMPER WAS CRACKED. ALSO, AS HE WIFE WAS DRIVING, THE VEHICLE PULLED TO THE RIGHT, AS SHE BRAKED. ON TWO OCCASIONS, THE AWD DRIVE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD. *JB

NHTSA complaint 10574525. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

My car had problems with overheating. I check my oil and coolant levels. My car show check engine light so I took it to mechanics to get check. The invoice states possible blown head gaskets. I research online similar complaints with other Buick Encore 2013. I just this car March 2023 has about 89000. I am making payments.

NHTSA complaint 11561388. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

The check engine light came and took the car to O'Reillys and was informed it had low turbo boost code took car to the dealership and they indeed confirmed that was the issue and that it would be over $3000.00 to fix!!! I bought this car 4 months ago and this seems to be an issue with a few other owners as well Buick needs to recall this part!!! If not fixed it may cause deceleration or overheat and start to burn into the manifold of the exhaust. No other parties have looked at the car except the dealership. only lamp that came on was the check engine light and it was sometimes go off and then come back on.

NHTSA complaint 11532722. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

The turbo charger is underboost and can explode the engine with oil flying everywhere

NHTSA complaint 11430630. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

TURBO WENT OUT TWICE WITHIN 3 MONTHS. ALSO I WAITED FOR 6 WEEKS ON A BACK ORDERED PART. SO MUCH SERVICE WORK... PROBLEM AFTER PROBLEM THIS CAR IS A LEMON. THE PAINT LITERALLY FELL OFF THE MIRRORS WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR.

NHTSA complaint 11258455. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WAS DETERMINED CADILLAC CONVERTER NEEDS TO BE REPLACED ONLY HAS 89105 MILES ON IT

NHTSA complaint 11232474. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

59,000 miles

I WANTED TO REGISTER A CONCERN ABOUT MY 2013 BUICK ENCORE. TWO DAYS AGO, WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY, MY SUNROOF LITERALLY EXPLODED. THE GLASS SHARDS DIDN'T INJURE ME, BUT I FELT HELPLESS WHILE ON THE EXPRESSWAY. THERE WAS NOTHING INDICATING CONCERNS OR ISSUES WITH THE SUN ROOF, I AM FORTUNATE TO ESCAPE HARM, BUT WANTED GM TO BE AWARE OF THIS DANGER. WE HAVE BEEN LIFELONG GENERAL MOTORS CUSTOMERS FOR OVER NEARLY 50 YEARS, AND FELT THE NEED TO BRING THIS TO YOUR ATTENTION.

NHTSA complaint 11206613. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.