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2019 Buick Encore

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2019 Buick Encore do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 67.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

30 reports with mileage · 54 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 32 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

9 crash reports1 fire reports6 injury reports

Air Bags complaints

11 reports
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Mileage unknown · May 8, 2026
Air BagsEngineSuspension

Car has airbag light on. The car keeps leaking which then caused damage to my spark plugs and coil pack. It then led to the O2 sensors being burned. It has been at the dealership multiple times within a 3-week time frame. The low fuel light comes on when it is on a full tank, then it begins to hesitate and the car lunges forward…

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Car has airbag light on. The car keeps leaking which then caused damage to my spark plugs and coil pack. It then led to the O2 sensors being burned. It has been at the dealership multiple times within a 3-week time frame. The low fuel light comes on when it is on a full tank, then it begins to hesitate and the car lunges forward when at a complete stop. Tires act like they cannot keep traction when all 4 tires are brand new and front rotors and brakes have been replaced. Yes, all my concerns have been brought to many dealerships' attention. It is unsafe and unreliable. The dealership said they could not replicate the issue but once I get back into my car it starts up.

NHTSA ODI #11736708

135,000 miles · Dec 22, 2025
Air BagsCrashInjury

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 bot…

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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 scene to an independent tow yard, where it was deemed a total loss. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was destroyed. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.

NHTSA ODI #11706615

Mileage unknown · Sep 4, 2025
Air BagsCrashInjury

The airbags never deployed. I sustained a brain injury in the accident along with whiplash. I told the deputy on scene, that they did not deploy. My insurance looked at it. They totaled the car out. It is now sitting in a junk yard somewhere.

NHTSA ODI #11685017

40,000 miles · Aug 29, 2025
Air Bags

The contact owns a 2019 Buick Encore. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving approximately 35 MPH and following the roadway to the left, all the side air bags deployed unexpectedly. The contact stated that his daughter was not aware of any warning lights being illuminated during the failure. The contact had the v…

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The contact owns a 2019 Buick Encore. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving approximately 35 MPH and following the roadway to the left, all the side air bags deployed unexpectedly. The contact stated that his daughter was not aware of any warning lights being illuminated during the failure. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer; however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

NHTSA ODI #11683986

110,000 miles · Dec 30, 2024
Air BagsCrashInjury

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 de…

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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 police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The insurance company was pending an investigation. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

NHTSA ODI #11633125

Mileage unknown · Feb 22, 2024
Air BagsPower Train

Recall 20V668000 Recall 18V774000

NHTSA ODI #11573502

Mileage unknown · Jan 4, 2023
Air Bags

For no apparent reason my air bag sensor light comes on intermittently while driving.

NHTSA ODI #11500092

30,000 miles · Feb 24, 2021
Air Bags

I AM GETTING CONTINUOUS EMAILS SAYING THAT THERE HAS BEEN AN ISSUE DETECTED WITH MY AIRBAGS. THE AIRBAG LIGHT WILL SPORADICALLY COME ON, AND WHEN SOMEONE IS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT THE AIRBAGS DO NOT ALWAYS TURN ON.

NHTSA ODI #11397674

12,700 miles · Nov 27, 2020
Air BagsEngineUnknown Or OtherCrashInjury

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 …

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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 ODI #11376707

Mileage unknown · Jul 2, 2020
Air Bags

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 BUICK ENCORE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONTAL PASSENGER'S SEAT AIR BAG SENSOR WAS INOPERABLE. THE AIR BAG SENSOR FAILED TO RECOGNIZE AN OCCUPANT SEATED IN THE PASSENGER'S SEAT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO RICK MATTHEWS BUICK GMC (15164 CORTEZ BLVD, BROOKSVILLE, FL 34613) ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS H…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 BUICK ENCORE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONTAL PASSENGER'S SEAT AIR BAG SENSOR WAS INOPERABLE. THE AIR BAG SENSOR FAILED TO RECOGNIZE AN OCCUPANT SEATED IN THE PASSENGER'S SEAT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO RICK MATTHEWS BUICK GMC (15164 CORTEZ BLVD, BROOKSVILLE, FL 34613) ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED BY THE DEALER THAT THE FAILURE WAS IRREPARABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE VIA THE MAIL HOWEVER, THE CONTACT RECEIVED NO RETURN CORRESPONDENCE FROM THE MANUFACTURER. THE CONTACT ALSO ATTEMPTED TO REACH THE MANUFACTURER BY PHONE ON FOUR OCCASIONS BUT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. *BF

NHTSA ODI #11337158

Official recalls

2

20V668000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission

Oct 29, 2020

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

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.

18V774000 · Air Bags; Air Bags: Air Bag/restraint Control Module

Nov 1, 2018

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the air bags do not deploy in the event of a crash, it can increase the risk of injury.

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.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Air Bags: Air Bag/restraint Control Module

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.

Consequence: If the air bags do not deploy in the event of a crash, it can increase the risk of injury.

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.

Air Bags

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.

Consequence: If the air bags do not deploy in the event of a crash, it can increase the risk of injury.

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.

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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.