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Buick · NHTSA safety record

2019 Buick Encore

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 86 safety complaints about the 2019 Buick Encore with the US government. Of those, 9 describe a crash, 2 mention a fire, 10 people were injured and 1 death is recorded. 2 recall campaigns are open against it, covering the power train and the air bags.

The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 33 complaints, 38% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 34,000 miles, the median across the 31 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers March 2019 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

86 complaints on file

86

Complaints

9

Describe a crash

2

Mention fire

10

People injured

1

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

Complaints more than doubled year on year: 22 in the twelve months to 2026-Q2, against 9 in the twelve before.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
ENGINE 33 · 38%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 12 · 14%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 12 · 14%
AIR BAGS 11 · 13%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 10 · 12%
POWER TRAIN 10 · 12%
SERVICE BRAKES 7 · 8%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 7 · 8%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 6 · 7%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 5 · 6%
SUSPENSION 4 · 5%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 3 · 3%
0 15 31

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 86.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2026 at 19.

20 15 10 5
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2019 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2019 Buick ENCORE, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test SUV AWD SUV FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 17.9% 19.8%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

2 on file

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

20V668000 · October 29, 2020

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse, 2018-2020 Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Terrain, 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, 2019-2020 Buick Encore, Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Acadia, and 2020 Cadillac XT6 vehicles. The start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing bolts.
The risk
Missing bolts on the start-stop accumulator endcap could result in a transmission oil leak and may progress to a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash. A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of fire.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the start-stop transmission accumulator and replace it if any bolts are missing, free of charge. The recall began December 15, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick Customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313440.

General Motors LLC · up to 194,105 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS

18V774000 · November 1, 2018

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019 Buick Encore, Chevrolet Spark, Traverse, and Trax vehicles. The Sensing Diagnostic Module (SDM) on these vehicle may not have been turned off of "manufacturing mode," preventing the air bags from deploying in the event of a crash.
The risk
If the air bags do not deploy in the event of a crash, it can increase the risk of injury.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the SDM module to the correct mode, free of charge. The recall began November 6, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 and Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 18365.

General Motors LLC · up to 12 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

1 death · 1 injured

I got my car from Buick of Long Island City I was giving the wrong key mess up battery the car will not start and I crashed

NHTSA complaint 11504755. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

3 injured · crash · towed · 135,000 miles

The contact owned a 2019 Buick Encore. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at 35 MPH, another vehicle failed to yield at a left turn, driving northbound, and crashed into the contact's vehicle on the front driver's side. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. The contact's daughter and granddaughter were both injured and were later treated at the local hospital for soreness in various parts of their body. Both occupants sustained emotional trauma as a result of the accident. The other driver was also injured as a result of the accident and was transported to the hospital by ambulance; their injuries are unknown. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed from the

NHTSA complaint 11706615, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · towed · 110,000 miles

The contact owns a 2019 Buick Encore. The contact stated that while driving at 20-25 MPH, the vehicle was suddenly rear-ended when the other vehicle failed to stop at a stop sign. As a result, the vehicle spun around and hit the curb, and a stop sign where it came to a stop. The driver-side and passenger-side air bags did not deploy. After the impact, the contact received a notice on her phone that there was a problem with the air bag. The vehicle failed to restart after the crash. The contact went to the Urgent care clinic and was transported to the Hospital via ambulance. The contact suffered injuries to her neck. The contact's passenger was injured and waiting for a medical diagnosis. A

NHTSA complaint 11633125, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 12,700 miles

OCT 9TH - I WAS COMING HOME FROM WORK ON OCTOBER 9TH AFTER WORKING A 12-HOUR SHIFT. IT WAS DARK. I WAS GOING SOUTH ON HAPPY VALLEY. I PULLED UP TO A FOUR-WAY STOP ON HAPPY VALLEY AND VICTORY ROAD. I STARTED TO PULL INTO THE INTERSECTION. A GIRL TRAVELING EAST TO WEST DIDN'T STOP AT HER STOP SIGN. WHEN I GOT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION, SHE HIT ME. THE SPEED LIMIT WAS 45 MPH COMING FROM HER DIRECTION, BUT I DO NOT KNOW HOW FAST SHE WAS TRAVELING. SHE HIT MY CAR AND IT SPUN MY CAR. I REMEMBER HITTING MY HEAD 2 TIMES ON THE SIDE WINDOW AND MY BODY TWICE AGAINST THE DOOR. MY AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY. MY CAR FACED THE AIRPORT WHEN IT CAME TO A STOP AND WAS FACING WEST.

NHTSA complaint 11376707. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

fire

Car erupted into flames while I was driving on expressway fire started in engine bay I have police report

NHTSA complaint 11765545. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM

1 injured · 60,000 miles

The contact owns a 2019 Buick Encore. The contact stated that the flex pipe was cracked, causing the contact to become ill from the fumes. The contact stated that there was an abnormal odor occasionally coming from the engine. No warning light was illuminated. The contact expressed concerns about the safety of driving the vehicle with the fumes entering the vehicle from the flex pipe. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the flex pipe was cracked in half and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 60,000.

NHTSA complaint 11765102. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Loss of acceleration due to cracked turbo boost. I guess you need a special 2019 vin # to be included in a recall. Recall for 2017 2018 and a select few 2019 very disappointed with this big repair job that is a known problem. I'm done with Buick.

NHTSA complaint 11755596. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Turbo boost failed. shows recalls for this issue on 2018 and 2019 Buick Encores, but GMC states mine is not covered.

NHTSA complaint 11753564. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
92,000 miles my catalytic convertor went bad, had for 5 years. This resulted in lag when trying to accelerate and pull out in traffic. It cost $3,000 to fix as well as the turbocharger being broke. The blind spot detection to passenger side mirror stays on at all times and should only come on when there is an object detected in the right side blind area. I'm [XXX] old and have never ever has a catalytic convertor go bad. Buick should be responsible for these repairs. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint 11751732. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

fire

On XXX, at approximately 1:00 p.m., my 2019 Buick Encore unexpectedly caught fire while I was operating it in [XXX]. Prior to the fire, I experienced abnormal symptoms, including the vehicle failing to restart, a hissing sound, smoke coming from the engine compartment, and then visible flames. The smoke changed from black to white and then green before the fire intensified. I safely exited the vehicle before the fire spread. The exact component that failed is unknown. Based on my observations, the fire appeared to originate from the engine compartment or underneath the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was declared a total loss. This incident placed my safety at serious risk because the

NHTSA complaint 11750846, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Buick Encore

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2020 19 2 —
2018 74 0 —
2017 89 2 —
2016 79 2 —
2015 124 4 —
2014 60 4 —
2013 52 6 —

Other 2019 Buick models

Enclave 42 Regal 19

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Buick on this site — 63 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst