CSR

Buick · NHTSA safety record

2025 Buick Encore GX

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

Owners have filed 15 safety complaints about the 2025 Buick Encore GX with the US government. Of those, 1 mentions a fire and no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering back-over prevention.

The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 6 complaints, 40% of the total.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers May 2025 to August 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

15 complaints on file

15

Complaints

0

Describe a crash

1

Mention fire

0

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.

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
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 6 · 40%
POWER TRAIN 3 · 20%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 · 20%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 2 · 13%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 · 13%
AIR BAGS 1 · 7%
ENGINE 1 · 7%
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 1 · 7%
LANE DEPARTURE 1 · 7%
SEAT BELTS 1 · 7%
SERVICE BRAKES 1 · 7%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 · 7%
0 4 8

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 15.

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 11.

12 9 6 3
25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2025 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 2025 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

1 on file

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

26V539000 · August 20, 2026

The defect
General Motors, LLC is recalling certain 2024-2025 Buick Envista, 2024-2026 Buick Encore GX, Chevrolet Trailblazer, and 2025 Chevrolet Trax vehicles. The rearview camera screen may display a distorted or blank image.
The risk
A rearview image that does not display correctly reduces the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera, if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed beginning September 16, 2026. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's number for this recall is A262554900. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on August 20, 2026.

General Motors, LLC · up to 306,511 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.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

fire

On the morning of 11/01/2025, the vehicle was in volved in a fire. The cause of the fire is uncertain so the insurance company is investigating it and asked I report it to the NHTSA.

NHTSA complaint 11698548. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
While driving my 2025 Buick Encore GX Avenir, I experienced a sudden, catastrophic electronic and mechanical failure. Without warning, the brake pedal became extremely stiff, requiring massive physical effort to slow the vehicle down. Simultaneously, the dashboard displayed warning lights indicating that both the StabiliTrak system and the Power Steering system were disabled, causing a sudden loss of steering assist.The vehicle was towed via Buick Roadside Assistance to Ewing Buick in [XXX]. This simultaneous failure of braking, steering, and stability control represents an extreme safety hazard. The vehicle is currently at Ewing Buick, who is the dealership that sold me the vehicle in

NHTSA complaint 11759400, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

20,000 miles

The contact owned a 2025 Buick Encore GX. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the GPS failed to operate properly. Additionally, the air conditioning system was inoperable. The contact stated that while driving in the heat, the contact to briefly became unconscious. Due to the failure, OnStar was contacted to providing GPS assistance. After arriving to the destination, the navigation system started operating as designed. The dealer was contacted and diagnosed the vehicle with engine under-boost failure, loss in communication with the telematics communication interface control module, an open ethernet bus, an auxiliary heater command low voltage, lost communication

NHTSA complaint 11751200, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Second complete powertrain failure on March 14, 2026 at 13,993 miles, nine days after first repair (complete transmission replacement for bone-dry sealed transmission). Symptoms: sudden loss of power on highway (unable to exceed 20 mph with accelerator fully depressed), hollow sound, noise described as "like a rock tumbling around inside." OnStar diagnostics returned "No Error Code Found" twice (11:14 AM and 11:17 AM) during active failure. Dealer (Loveland Buick GMC) diagnosed "battery issue" but provided indefinite loaner with no return date. Symptoms are consistent with engine bearing or connecting rod failure matching Cook et al. v. General Motors (Case No. 1:26-cv-00229, D. Del., filed

NHTSA complaint 11728488, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
nStar remote diagnostic system returned five false-negative results across two confirmed mechanical failures. January 2, 2026: two diagnostics at 5:50 PM and 5:53 PM returned "No Error Code Found" while the transmission was actively failing. At 8:39 PM, the system identified P0700 and P2714 (Transmission System Failure, "Service within 1 day"). March 14, 2026: two diagnostics at 11:14 AM and 11:17 AM returned "No Error Code Found" while the vehicle could not exceed 20 mph on a highway. OnStar agent instructed a permanently disabled driver with a [XXX] passenger to continue driving during the first failure. GM issued a September 2025 TSB for "Loss of OnStar Connectivity" affecting all makes.

NHTSA complaint 11728489, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
Sealed transmission found "bone dry" at approximately 13,000 miles. No consumer-accessible dipstick. Complete transmission failure January 2, 2026. Second complete powertrain failure March 14, 2026, nine days after first repair completed. Symptoms on second failure (loss of power, hollow tumbling sound) consistent with engine bearing/connecting rod failure matching Cook et al. v. General Motors (Case No. 1:26-cv-00229, D. Del.) covering 1.2L/1.3L turbo engines. Dealer diagnosed "battery issue" on second failure and provided indefinite loaner. Vehicle purchased June 2025. Two failures within 9 months and 13,000 miles on a sealed powertrain system the consumer cannot inspect.

NHTSA complaint 11728490. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Component: Parking Assist / Driver Assistance Sensors / Object Detection Incident Description: While operating my Buick Encore GX, I executed a controlled, low-speed right turn and struck a stationary structural column within the vehicle’s path. The column was a fixed, solid object located in close proximity to the vehicle—precisely within the range the vehicle’s parking assist and object detection systems are intended to detect. No audible or visual warning was provided at any time prior to impact. According to the owner’s handbook, these systems are designed to detect nearby obstacles and provide alerts during low-speed maneuvers, including turning and parking. The conditions of this

NHTSA complaint 11726256, quoted in part. 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
2024 31 2
2022 31 1
2021 52 2
2020 67 2

Other 2025 Buick models

Enclave 36 Envista 29 Envision 7

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Buick on this site — 63 vehicles, 173 recall campaigns and 2 open investigation s.

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