Reliable Auto DB

2014 Buick Encore reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 60 complaints with NHTSA about the 2014 Buick Encore over 13 years — 5 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Encore years here — under the median of the other years, which is 6. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Frontal, Seats, and Electrical.

2013 Buick Encore
Photo by Mr.choppers, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0
Complaints

60

Per year

5

Recalls

4

Years on the road

13

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (25 of 60), then Electrical system (13) and Powertrain (9). Those filings include 3 that report a crash and 3 that report an injury.

Next to 2013 and 2015

The 2013 Encore has 52 complaints, 8 per year, and the 2015 has 124 complaints, 11 per year. The 2014 has fewer complaints per year than the 2013. The 2014 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2014 Buick Encore. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (4)

Recall air bags, frontal 2017-07-10 · NHTSA campaign 17V437000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse and Chevrolet Spark EV, Caprice PPV and SS vehicles, 2014-2017 Buick Encore and Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles, 2015-2016 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Trax, Suburban and Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL vehicles, and 2015-2017 GMC Sierra HD 2500 and 3500 vehicles. While being previously remedied for recall 16V-651, the affected vehicles may not have received the complete software update necessary to remedy the recall condition. Without the update, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 17287.
Recall air bags, frontal 2016-09-08 · NHTSA campaign 16V651000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, 3500 HD, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles and 2014-2017 Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500, Trax, Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle, GMC Sierra 1500, Buick Encore, and 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Spark EV and SS vehicles. In the affected vehicles, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16007.
Recall Seats 2014-07-23 · NHTSA campaign 14V446000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall equipment, electrical 2014-07-02 · NHTSA campaign 14V417000
Summary 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.
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.

Complaints by component (60 total)

Engine
25
Electrical system
13
Powertrain
9
Fuel and propulsion system
8
Air bags
5
Service brakes
5
Engine and engine cooling
3
Lane departure
3
Seat belts
3
Exterior lighting
2
Speed control
2
Steering
2
Equipment
1
Seats
1
Tires
1
Visibility and wipers
1
Wheels
1
Show 9 more Show less
Crash-flagged

3

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

3

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

420146201542016420174201872019920203202132022820233202452025
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "The car only has 54700 I am orginal owner. Drivers seat does not work, Catalytic converter, GM Service Bulletin #43210. Ask if your VIN is affected or if they’ve seen similar failures in 2014 models. This car is a lemon."
    Seats, Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2025-10-17
  • "Coolant leak and cover gasket failure. Buick has been in the shop multiple times for coolant issues and leaks. Next step is for the shop to remove the entire front end to adequately repair. Constant issue and other…"
    Engine · filed 2025-09-03
  • "The contact owns a 2014 Buick Encore. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the instrument cluster displayed a black screen. In addition, the low air pressure warning light was illuminated. The…"
    Electrical system · filed 2025-06-17
  • "The contact owns a 2014 Buick Encore. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the…"
    Engine and engine cooling · filed 2025-06-16
  • "On March 18 , 2025 I purchased a 2014 Buick Encore with an implied warranty, the vehicle had 128,644 miles on the odometer. At the time of purchase the check light was not on and the vehicle had no visible or audible…"
    Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2025-06-04

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2014 Buick Encore SUV AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2014 Buick Encore SUV FWD 4 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Encore 1.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 25 33 28 MPG $2300
Encore all-wheel drive 1.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 23 29 25 MPG $2600

Specs and fitment

First generation, 2013–2022
Body styles Crossover
Oil 5W-30 full synthetic (1.4L turbo and 1.4L NA) , 5 qt capacity
Tire size 215/55R18

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA campaign 15V-146 covers certain 2015 Buick Encore vehicles: the steering column housing may wear the power-steering circuit board and cause a sudden loss of electric power steering assist; dealers inspect and replace the column as needed. Campaign 16V-651 covers certain 2014-2017 Encore vehicles among a large multi-model GM population where SDM software may prevent frontal air bags or pretensioners from deploying; dealers reflash or replace the SDM. Campaign 18V-774 covers certain 2019 Encore vehicles left in SDM manufacturing mode so air bags may not deploy; dealers reprogram the SDM. Campaign 20V-668 covers certain 2019-2020 Encore vehicles (with many other GM models) for missing bolts on a start/stop transmission accumulator endcap that can leak fluid and progress to loss of propulsion or fire risk; dealers inspect and replace the accumulator if bolts are missing. Shared campaign unit counts cover multiple nameplates.

Compare

Previous year 2013 Buick Encore Next year 2015 Buick Encore See every Buick Encore model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2014 Buick Encore reliable?

Owners have filed 60 complaints with NHTSA about the 2014 Buick Encore over 13 years — 5 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Encore years here — under the median of the other years, which is 6. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Frontal, Seats, and Electrical.

What are common problems with a 2014 Buick Encore?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (25 of 60), then Electrical system (13) and Powertrain (9). Those filings include 3 that report a crash and 3 that report an injury.

Is the 2014 Buick Encore more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 Encore has 52 complaints, 8 per year, and the 2015 has 124 complaints, 11 per year. The 2014 has fewer complaints per year than the 2013. The 2014 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015.

Has the 2014 Buick Encore been recalled?

The 2014 Buick Encore has 4 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2014 Buick Encore?

Owners have filed 60 complaints about the 2014 Buick Encore with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2014 Buick Encore get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2014 Buick Encore is 26.5 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Buick Encore take?

5W-30 full synthetic for the 1.4L turbo and 1.4L naturally aspirated engines on the GK generation (2013-2022).

What tire size does the Buick Encore use?

215/55R18 is the common GK-generation size listed on this site.

What does NHTSA campaign 15V-146 cover on the Encore?

Certain 2015 Encore vehicles: the steering column housing may wear the power-steering circuit board and cause a sudden loss of electric power steering assist; dealers inspect and replace the column as needed.