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Buick · NHTSA safety record

2021 Buick Encore GX

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

Owners have filed 53 safety complaints about the 2021 Buick Encore GX with the US government. Of those, 2 describe a crash, 4 people were injured and no death is recorded. 2 recall campaigns are open against it, covering equipment and the brakes.

The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 15 complaints, 28% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 45,000 miles, the median across the 15 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers June 2021 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

53 complaints on file

53

Complaints

2

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

4

People injured

0

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 rose 43% year on year: 20 in the twelve months to 2026-Q2, against 14 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 15 · 28%
POWER TRAIN 11 · 21%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 7 · 13%
SERVICE BRAKES 7 · 13%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 6 · 11%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 4 · 8%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 4 · 8%
EQUIPMENT 2 · 4%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 · 4%
LANE DEPARTURE 2 · 4%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 · 4%
AIR BAGS 1 · 2%
0 8 15

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 53.

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 16.

20 15 10 5
21 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2021 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 2021 Buick ENCORE GX, 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% 18.5%
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

EQUIPMENT:MECHANICAL:ACCESSORY SCISSOR/SCREW/BOTTLE JACK/LIFT:STAND

21V440000 · June 10, 2021

The defect
General Motors, LLC. (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Buick Encore GX and 2021-2022 Chevrolet Trailblazer vehicles. The emergency jack, if not positioned as directed in the vehicle owner's manual, can fracture while in use.
The risk
A fractured jack can cause the vehicle to collapse, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the jack, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters informing owner of the safety risk are expected to be mailed July 26, 2021. A second notice will be mailed once remedy parts become available. 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 A212335470.

General Motors, LLC · up to 135,400 vehicles across all model years covered

SERVICE BRAKES

20V588000 · September 24, 2020

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Corvette and Cadillac CT4, CT5 and XT4, 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer, and 2020-2021 Buick Encore GX vehicles. Sensor connection contamination in the electronic brake boost system may cause an interruption of communication between the sensor and the brake boost system.
The risk
If communication with the sensor is interrupted, the electronic brake boost assist could be lost. Extra pedal force will be required to slow and stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the electronic brake boost module, free of charge. The recall began December 9, 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223, or Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's number for this recall is A202307260.

General Motors LLC · up to 3,677 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.

SEAT BELTS

2 injured · crash · towed

The contact rented a 2021 Buick Encore GX. The contact stated while idled at a stop light, another vehicle driving at approximately 45-50 MPH crashed into the rear of their vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained bruises and thigh injuries. The front passenger sustained a chest rash from when the seat belt retracted. There was a 9-year-old occupant seated at the rear however the seat belt failed to retract causing her to jolt forward almost to the front driver’s side seat. There was no medical attention received for any of the injured. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The

NHTSA complaint 11456559, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SUSPENSION

1 injured · crash · towed · 76,000 miles

The contact's girlfriend owned a 2021 Buick Encore. The contact stated that while his girlfriend was driving at 20 MPH, an abnormal, snapping sound emitted from the vehicle as the steering wheel independently shifted to the right and crashed into two parked vehicles. The contact stated that the suspension warning light appeared on the instrument panel after the failure and later discovered that the vehicle's suspension had detached. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. The contact's girlfriend was taken to the hospital where she was treated for a laceration on her left forearm which required nine stitches. She also suffered severe bruising to both arms, elbows, and hips. No other

NHTSA complaint 11626175, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

1 injured · 2,500 miles

The contact owns a 2021 Buick Encore GX. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the brake pedal was lightly depressed and the vehicle unintentionally came to an instant stop; the vehicle then began to shudder. The contact's mom was seated in the front passenger side of the vehicle and sustained a neck injury after the failure occurred. There was no one injured that was not in the vehicle. No medical attention was required. The vehicle was drivable and was driven to a dealer who did not provide a diagnosis but informed the contact that, the failure may have been occurring due to the Vacuum Module in the braking system needing to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired;

NHTSA complaint 11610192, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

BACK OVER PREVENTION

87,402 miles

The contact owns a 2021 Buick Encore. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the radio display screen was blank. While reversing, the rear-view camera briefly displayed an image before going blank. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure by phone. The failure mileage was approximately 87,402.

NHTSA complaint 11765233. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
Vehicle does not recognize it is in Park even when the shifter is placed in that position. As a result, the vehicle cannot be turned off. GM has issued a technical service bulletin for this issue, but has not yet performed a recall.

NHTSA complaint 11760794. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
The Frontview camera or its software is the issue. It allows the car to drift outside of the lane on both sides of the car before warning and or pulling you back over but then it just pulls you to the other line and lets you cross it back and forth if you let it and every time crossing the line. Extremely dangerous if you don't know that it's not functioning correctly. Also her adaptive cruise control doesn't work and I know for a fact it uses the same camera to work to be able to tell when a vehicle is ahead of you which her car does show the symbol for when a car is ahead of you but it doesn't slow down her cruise control leaving a gap between the 2 cars so again if you didn't pay

NHTSA complaint 11760679, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
While driving check engine suddenly illuminated following by a "warning reduced engine power" message. Car began driving sluggish and driving over 35mph caused serious trembling. After multiple diagnosis with several engine codes pointing to issues with ECM, and mass air flow sensor, and the wiring affliated . I took the vehicle to the GMC dealership to get vehicle serviced and was told the wiring had broken and melted which caused the check engine to come on and the vehicle to drive the way it did. The cause was the zip tie being tied too tight as stated in GMs own bulletin number 22-NA-008. This should be a bulletin it should be a recall!

NHTSA complaint 11749150. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

81,000 miles

The contact owns a 2021 Buick Encore GX. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was firm while depressed, with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and several unknown diagnostic trouble codes were retrieved. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, but the vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V588000 (Service Brakes); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 81,000.

NHTSA complaint 11747114. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Due to defective LIN BUS 2 failure to read mass air flow sensor, vehicle suddenly goes into limp mode. This speed control issue is documented in GM Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) #22-NA-008 and PIP5934, 2022.

NHTSA complaint 11742772. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Buick Encore GX

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2025 15 1 —
2024 31 2 —
2022 32 1 —
2020 70 2 —

Other 2021 Buick models

Enclave 25 Envision 23

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