2018 Buick Encore

Brought my car to get an oil change and was told they could not do it as my oil filter housing unit is cracked and leaking oil they said to check for recalls as this is an issue with other vehicle same problem. Upon checking i was informed that Buick is not making this a recall item at this time. They put in enough oil for me to get home.

COMPONENT FAILURE: THE ENGINE TIMING CHAIN. YES, IT IS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION. SAFETY RISK: VEHICLE HESITATED AND LOST POWER IN TRAFFIC, CAUSING MY VEHICLE TO AUTOMATICALLY SLOW DOWN WHERE I WAS NO LONGER DRIVING AT THE SPEED LIMIT. MY SAFETY AND OTHER DRIVERS AROUND ME WAS COMPROMISED AS THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED A MAJOR ACCIDENT SHOULD I HAVE BEEN REAR ENDED. I HAD IT TOWED TO LAMBERT BUICK, CUYAHOGA FALLS, OHIO. THEY DIAGNOSED A TIMING CHAIN MALFUNCTION WHICH WAS CONFIRMED BY DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. I WAS ADVISED NOT TO DRIVE VEHICLE DUE TO ENGINE DAMAGE POTENTIAL. I HAD IT TOWED BACK TO MY HOME AND HAVE NOT DRIVEN IT SINCE. VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED BY THE MANUFACTURER, POLICE, INSURANCE OR ANYONE ELSE. THERE WAS NO WARNING, MESSAGES OR ANY SYMPTOMS PRIOR TO THE ENGINE TIMING CHAIN ISSUE. A WARNING LIGHT ONLY CAME ON WHEN THE CAR HESITATED AND LOST POWER IN TRAFFIC.

The contact owns a 2018 Buick Encore. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to coast to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the timing chain, resulting in damage to the crankshaft. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 98,507.

When crossing through an intersection at approximately 45mph, I was struck by another vehicle, speed unknown, who failed to stop at a stop sign. My vehicle was struck on the front passenger corner. My vehicle continued in a forward motion for several hundred feet. Both driver and front passenger wore seat belts, however the driver struck her head on steering wheel, loosing consciousness for several minutes. Side airbags deployed, however front air bags did not

The car experienced issues with the fan turning off when car was turned off. It caused the battery to die. The car was serviced at the dealership and the tech found that the fuse block overheated and melted, causing poor electrical connections. They replaced the damaged parts and repaired the wiring. This still did not explain the fan not turning off and after the fuse block repair, the cooling fan was still sticking on. After pushing the dealership to further look into the issue the mechanic determined the issue was inside the fan assembly (it was assembled in the wrong direction), so they replaced the cooling fan. The dealership stated that this was a manufacturing error. They said this could have caused an engine fire and there was absolutely no warnings - just a fan that was stuck on. This could have put me and my new baby at risk for an engine fire and could cause issue for other owners if there were more assembly errors. The car is available for inspection if needed. It was only inspected by technicians at the dealership.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Encore. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the transmission malfunctioned while in first gear, and the vehicle hesitated to accelerate from being stationary. Additionally, the message "Stabilizer" was displayed. The cause of the failure was not yetbeen determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 147,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Buick Encore. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle was shaking abnormally with the check engine and stabili-trak warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and turned off and restarted the vehicle and the warning lights were cleared, and the vehicle drove normally. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but was a recurring failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and replaced the ignition coils and spark plugs; however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 109,800.

While driving, my car began to glitch out. The screens started turning on and off, the doors began locking and unlocking, and I lost my ability to steer, brake, and accelerate. It caused me to run a red light and I almost got into a severe accident. This issue has occurred several times, and during more recent occasions the car has turned off completely while driving. There were no warning lights or messages indicating that something was wrong with the car, but sometimes when I turn the car back on, it says “calibrating.” If Buick has sold cars that are capable of losing complete control, this should be investigated immediately.