Reliable Auto DB

2016 Buick Encore reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2016 Buick Encore has 79 complaints with NHTSA after 11 years, or 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 2 recalls on file, including Frontal.

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

79

Per year

5

Recalls

2

Years on the road

11

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (40 of 79), then Fuel and propulsion system (13) and Powertrain (11). Those filings include 6 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 4 that report an injury.

Next to 2015 and 2017

The 2015 Encore has 124 complaints, 11 per year, and the 2017 has 89 complaints, 7 per year. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2017.

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 2016 Buick Encore. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (2)

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.

Complaints by component (79 total)

Engine
40
Fuel and propulsion system
13
Powertrain
11
Electrical system
9
Air bags
7
Steering
5
Seat belts
4
Structure
4
Engine and engine cooling
3
Speed control
3
Wheels
3
Lane departure
2
Service brakes
2
Suspension
2
Visibility and wipers
2
Exterior lighting
1
Seats
1
Show 9 more Show less
Crash-flagged

6

Fire-flagged

1

Injury reports

4

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

320167201762018122019920208202132022620231120248202562026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "We noticed the paint bubbling on one of her doors on the car and took it to the dealership who took no accountability. Now the car is peeling in the back and we’ve also noticed the same car, same model and make on the…"
    Structure · filed 2026-07-31
  • "Ignition switch getting very hot"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-07-13
  • "power steering failure while driving at highway speeds. In traffic had a warning come on power steering fault. Then wheel was hard to turn. Had to use strength to steer car home approx. 25 miles. Took to dealer they had…"
    Suspension, Engine · filed 2026-02-21
  • "Turbo exhibits exact same symptoms of 17-18 encore recall for the turbo. I frequently get the p0299 code the car becomes sluggish and hesitates to take off from a stop when this code comes on making this car dangerous…"
    Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-02-02
  • "On my way home in December 2025, my car started to sputter and make noises. All of a sudden the car started going about 10-15 miles. I almost go hit by several vehicles, because they had to put on brakes, I was trying…"
    Powertrain, Unknown or other, Engine · filed 2026-01-17

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2016 Buick Encore SUV AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2016 Buick Encore SUV FWD 5 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 1.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 27 33 30 MPG $2150
Encore all-wheel drive 1.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 26 31 28 MPG $2300
Encore all-wheel drive 1.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 23 30 26 MPG $2500

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 2015 Buick Encore Next year 2017 Buick Encore See every Buick Encore model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2016 Buick Encore reliable?

The 2016 Buick Encore has 79 complaints with NHTSA after 11 years, or 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 2 recalls on file, including Frontal.

What are common problems with a 2016 Buick Encore?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (40 of 79), then Fuel and propulsion system (13) and Powertrain (11). Those filings include 6 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 4 that report an injury.

Is the 2016 Buick Encore more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2015 Encore has 124 complaints, 11 per year, and the 2017 has 89 complaints, 7 per year. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2017.

Has the 2016 Buick Encore been recalled?

The 2016 Buick Encore has 2 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 2016 Buick Encore?

Owners have filed 79 complaints about the 2016 Buick Encore with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2016 Buick Encore get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2016 Buick Encore is 28 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.