Engine. Review the 21 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Electrical System. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Power Train. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

4 crash reports0 fire reports2 injury reports

Engine complaints

21 reports

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74,000 miles · Feb 8, 2018

EngineVehicle Speed Control

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 BUICK ENCORE. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE AND TRACTION WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT ALSO NOTICED THAT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. THE CONTACT PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE FOR APPROXIMATELY TWO MINUTES, RESTARTED THE VEHICLE, AND IT OPERATED NORMALLY. THE DEALER (GLOCKER BUICK OF IRONTON, 911 S 3RD ST, IRONTON, OH 45638) INFORMED THE CONTACT OF AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR WHEN THE ENGINE MAY GO INTO REDUCE ENGINE POWER MODE. THERE WERE NO RECALLS ASSOCIATED WITH THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. THE DEALER ALSO INFORMED THE CONTACT OF A THROTTLE BODY FAILURE, WHICH DID NOT FALL UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE THROTTLE BODY FAILURE WAS NOT A PART OF THE EXTENDED WARRANTY; THEREFORE, BUICK DID NOT HAVE TO REPAIR THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 74,000.

NHTSA ODI #11071842

70,000 miles · Jan 8, 2018

Engine

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LATELY I'M HAVING A ISSUE WITH THIS CAR, FIRST MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND IS STILL ON AND NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN I CAN BE AT A LIGHT OR DRIVING DOWN THE STREET AND THE ENGINE POWER REDUCE WARNING COMES ACROSS MY DISPLAY SCREEN, I CAN'T ACCELERATE SO I HAVE TO COAST IT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, SHUT IT OFF, WAIT 30 SECONDS AND RESTART THE CAR. SOMETIMES I HAVE TO DO THIS 2 OR 3 TIMES BEFORE IT DRIVES RIGHT AGAIN, SO I WENT ON THE BUICK FORUM AND SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE, THAT THEY HAVE HAD THE THROTTLE BODY CHANGED AND IT MAKES NO DIFFERENT, THAT IT COULD HAPPEN AGAIN. SO NOW I WANT GET ON THE EXPRESSWAY JUST IN CASE IT WANTS TO DO IT AGAIN, AND I'M GETTING SCARED TO DRIVE IT ON THE STREETS CAUSE IT KEEPS HAPPENING. SOME SAY CAUSE IT'S COLD WHERE THE LIVE BUT I FEEL IT SHOULDN'T BE HAPPENING ALL, LIKE ON 1/8/2018 IT HAPPENED THIS MORNING AND THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE IS 35 F AND THAT'S ABOVE FREEZING. WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT THIS CAUSE GM IS NOT REPORTING IT TO THE NHTSA, SO IF YOU DON'T GO ON THERE FORUM YOU DON'T KNOW.....HELP SCARED TO DRIVE MY CAR

NHTSA ODI #11061140

47,000 miles · Jun 22, 2017

Engine

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 BUICK ENCORE. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IDLING IN THE PARK POSITION, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESTART. THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER WERE NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 47,000.

NHTSA ODI #11000670

75,450 miles · May 4, 2016

Engine

I HAVE PROBLEM WITH THE TURBOCHARGER

NHTSA ODI #10863108

27,230 miles · Apr 8, 2015

EngineVehicle Speed Control

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MY CAR DROVE FINE AND THEN I STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT AT A BUSY INTERSECTION WHEN MY TRACTION CONTROL AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE ENGINE POWER REDUCED CAME ACROSS THE DASHBOARD. THE LIGHTS, WIPERS, RADIO AND ENGINE WAS STILL RUNNING BUT WHEN PRESSING ON THE GAS PEDAL THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. I HAD TO WAVE PEOPLE TO GO AROUND ME PUT IT IN PARK AND SHUT IT DOWN FOR 30 SECONDS. WHEN I TURNED IT ON AGAIN I HAD TO PUT IT IN REVERSE AND KEEP PUSHING THE GAS PEDAL TO GET OUT OF THE INTERSECTION THEN I PUT IT IN DRIVE AND JUST KEPT PRESSING THE GAS PEDAL AND INCHED MY WAY INTO A PARKING SPACE. AFTER SHUTTING IT OFF AND PARKING IT FOR 2-3 MINUTES I TURNED IT ON THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYED ON BUT THE CAR DROVE LIKE NORMAL TO GET ME TO THE DEALERSHIP. I GOT THIS CAR IN MAY OF 2013 AND THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED WAS FEB 2014 PRETTY COLD TEMPS AND NOW APRIL 2015 ABOUT 56 DEGREES F OUTSIDE. BOTH TIMES THE DEALER REPLACED THE THROTTLE BODY AND PERFORMED IDLE RELEARN PROCEDURE. I DON'T HAVE TIME OR MONEY TO REPLACE THIS PART EVERY YEAR. I LOVED THE SIZE, GAS MILEAGE, DESIGN AND COMFORT OF THIS VEHICLE, HOWEVER I WON'T BE BUYING ANOTHER GENERAL MOTORS VEHICLE AGAIN. I ALWAYS OWNED GM VEHICLES BUT NOT ANYMORE I SIMPLY DON'T FEEL SAFE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10704562

16,948 miles · Jan 12, 2015

EngineSteering

WAS MAKING A TURN FROM A SIDE STREET AND THE POWER STEERING STOPPED WORKING AND THEN THE ENGINE SHUT OFF. WAS ABLE TO PULL INTO A PARKING SPOT NEAR THE CORNER. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RE-START AND HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP UPDATED STEERING WHEEL CODES. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10671754

7,561 miles · Sep 18, 2014

Engine

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 BUICK ENCORE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 80 MPH, THE VEHICLE DECELERATED AND STALLED. THE "REDUCED ENGINE POWER" WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE THROTTLE COLLAR, WHICH CONTROLLED ALL THE FUEL THAT FEEDS TO THE ENGINE, WAS DEFECTIVE. THE T…

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NHTSA ODI #10637180

7,776 miles · May 9, 2014

Engine

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 BUICK ENCORE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER DRIVING IN REVERSE, SHE SHIFTED INTO DRIVE AND THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE WAS UNABLE TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 7,776. ..…

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NHTSA ODI #10587368

16,500 miles · Mar 19, 2014

Engine

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I LIVE IN MINNESOTA. ON A -30 DEGREE DAY IN JANUARY I DROVE TO WORK (30 MILES ONE WAY). WHEN I LEFT FOR LUNCH I DROVE ABOUT A QUARTER MILE AND STARTED SMELLING A BURNING SMELL SIMILAR TO WHEN FOLLOWING A VEHICLE THAT IS BURNING OIL. MY CAR WAS NEW SO I DIDN'T THINK IT WAS ME. I WENT ABOUT 2 MILES AND STOPPED FOR A STOP LIGHT AT WHICH POINT MY ENGINE STARTED TO SPUTTER. I PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN SHIFTED BACK INTO DRIVE. I MANAGED TO PULL OUT OF TRAFFIC AND WITH BLACK SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE TAILPIPE, THE CAR DIED. IT WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND STRANGELY IT WAS THE SECOND ENCORE THAT DAY WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. AFTER SITTING IN THE WARM GARAGE OVER NIGHT, THE TECHNICIANS COULD NOT RECREATE THE PROBLEM. THE DIAGNOSTICS SHOWED NOTHING. I PICKED THE CAR UP AFTER A FEW DAYS AND IT WAS FINE FOR TWO WEEKS. THEN ON ANOTHER BITTERLY COLD DAY, IT HAPPENED AGAIN. THE CAR STARTED TO SMELL, BLEW BLACK SMOKE AND DIED. AGAIN IT WAS TOWED. AT THAT POINT A GM ENGINEER OUT OF MINNEAPOLIS CAME UP TO ASSESS MY CAR AS WELL AS SOME OTHERS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS TIME PARTS WERE REPLACED INCLUDING THE THROTTLE BODY SENSOR AND SOME AIR INTAKE PARTS. IT APPEARS AS THOUGH IT IS NOT UNCOMMON IN COLDER CLIMATES. I HAVE BEEN ON THE BUICK FORUMS AND HAVE FOUND OTHER INCIDENCES DOCUMENTED. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE REPLACEMENT PARTS ARE THE SAME PARTS THAT FAILED BEFORE SO THIS IS A PATCH NOT A FIX. NEXT WINTER THIS WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. IT IS AWFUL TO HAVE A NEW CAR THAT I CAN'T TRUST. I'M NERVOUS EVERY TIME I DRIVE IT WHEN IT'S REALLY COLD. NEXT TIME IT COULD DIE WHILE I'M IN TRAFFIC ON AN INTERSTATE OR I COULD BE STRANDED SOMEWHERE IN DANGEROUSLY COLD TEMPERATURES. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10573306

11,540 miles · Mar 3, 2014

Electrical SystemEngineVehicle Speed Control

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CAR RAN GREAT THEN I STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT. WHEN IT TURNED GREEN THE TRACTION CONTROL AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. ENGINE POWER REDUCED CAME ACROSS DASH AND THE CAR FAILED TO ACCELERATE, THE CAR, RADIO AND LIGHTS WERE STILL ON. ALMOST CAUSED 3 DIFFERENT ACCIDENTS TRYING TO GET OUT OF TRAFFIC.SCAN CHECK SYSTEM, P2101, PER DOCUMENT ID:[XXX] DIAGNOSIS WAS TO REPLACE THROTTLE BODY AND PERFORM JDLE RELEARN PROCEDURE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ODI #10566897

Official recalls

16V502000 · Electrical System:ignition; Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm)

Jul 5, 2016

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."

Consequence & remedy

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

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.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Electrical System:ignition

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

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.

Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm)

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

14V488000 · Seat Belts:front

Aug 8, 2014

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

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.

14V446000 · Seats

Jul 23, 2014

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.

Consequence & remedy

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

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.

14V417000 · Equipment:electrical

Jul 2, 2014

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.

Consequence & remedy

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

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.

14V298000 · Air Bags

Jun 6, 2014

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

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.

13V105000 · Steering: Steering Wheel/handle Bar

Mar 28, 2013

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.

Consequence & remedy

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

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.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

EA21002 · Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

Opened Sep 17, 2021 · No close date supplied

Status: open (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module; Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module

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.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module

Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module