Buick Encore Complaints (2017)

90 consumer complaints on file.

#11563558January 4, 2024
ENGINE
There is a known defect with the GM Ecotec engines, specifically the lack of retaining clip for the internal PCV valve, allowing it to become dislodged and drawn into the engine. Without the PCV valve, tremendous engine pressure is produced, leading to broken gaskets causing vacuum leaks, misfiring, severe vibration, and loss of power when accelerating (which can be a safety issue). Dorman produced a video outlining the issue and has re-engineered the part to prevent the issue from occurring: "Why GM 1.4L Ecotec engine intake manifold and valve covers repairs are often related" [XXX] This appears to be a fairly wide-spread issue with the GM Ecotec engines, and GM should perform a recall to replace these parts, and reimburse those who had to replace themselves. This also causes error codes requiring spark plugs to be replaced (they get fouled by oil) and the MAF Sensor. In troubleshooting, I also had to replace the distributor power bar and air intake hose. I have recipts for all parts, but file upload is not working on this site. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11543849September 11, 2023
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
The contact owns a 2017 Buick Encore. The contact stated when the vehicle was first started, the vehicle accelerated to approximately 10 MPH and then the vehicle shifted into LIMP Mode. The contact stated that the check engine and stabili-trak warning lights were illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an Auto Parts store where DTC code: P2138 was retrieved. The failure was related to the accelerator position sensor. The contact was informed that the accelerator pedal needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 22,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11534118July 24, 2023
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2017 Buick Encore. The contact stated while driving 45-50 MPH, the vehicle started overheating and the high engine temperature warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull over and waited for the vehicle to cool down. Once the vehicle cooled down, the contact was able to operate the vehicle normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced again. The vehicle was not repaired because the warranty had expired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 80,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11532298July 14, 2023
ENGINE
The contact owned a 2017 Buick Encore. The contact stated that the vehicle was at a standstill in a traffic light, she saw smoke exiting from the hood of the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated a bystander informed the vehicle was on fire. The contact was able to exit the vehicle safely before the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The contact stated no one was injured nor sought medical attention. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. A police report was filed. The insurance company deemed the vehicle was a total loss. The vehicle was towed to a towing lot. The vehicle was not diagnosed. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 47,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11529256June 27, 2023
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I was sitting at the bank drive through about to leave when out of nowhere I got a warning sign on my dashboard that said service stabilitrak my engine light starts flashing and my stabilizer light came on. My suv acted like it lost power and I had problems getting it to go it was like my gas petal was stuck for a second. When the car shifted it self it started jerking.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11505622February 5, 2023
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE
Back in July 2022 I started receiving error messages of the stabilitrak system to get checked by OnStar. I took to Ed Martin Buick in Carmel, In they thought that it was from possibly pressing brake and pedal at same time and fixed code. Then about two weeks later I got the same error code, I took to Ray Skillman Northeast Buick they said it was a transmission manufacturing defect and had to do with Manifold which they fixed under power train warranty. Now February 2023 I have same issue Stabilitrak error message. I have to take back again to Ray Skillman Northeast Buick. This is an ongoing issue and should not be receiving same codes car only has 67,000 miles and should not be having transmission issues either.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11501163January 10, 2023
AIR BAGS
On 12/27/22 around 9:40pm my husband and I were traveling home on the 580 Altamont pass going towards Tracy. I was traveling next to the slow lane. My speed limit was at 65! There was 18 wheeler 53 footer on the right of me on the slow lane. The 18th wheeler with no signal began drifting his trailer in my lane hit my right side and proceeded to drag my 2017 Buick Encore all the way to the left slammed the truck up against the cement barrier. And rolled the back end of his trailer onto the hood of the right side of the car and he disconnected. Side air bags and front airbags did not deploy. Which cause injury to my front of my body and back and spine injuries to my body and to my husband as well.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
20
Deaths:
0
#11494319November 20, 2022
ENGINE
Bought a 2017 Buick Encore November 2020 less than 6 months into owning the car check engine light came on. Purge solenoid as well as the Camshaft and 1 other component had a leak brought it to dealership and it was covered under warranty for repairs. Fast forward about a year and a half there is another leak will be bringing back to dealership and paying out of pocket for leaks because of a rough idle, poor fuel economy, and another check engine light problem. Have also read articles about this particular cars not fairing well in the temperatures changes during the seasonal changes. Yet there is no recalls and no mention of Buick or GMC being held responsible for this recurring problem.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11489848October 18, 2022
ENGINE
Vehicle check engine light (illuminated amber picture of an engine) came on. Vehicle started running rough. Difficulty keeping the vehicle running at idle. Engine running rough/poor acceleration. Drove vehicle to local service center and left for diagnosis and repair. Service center scanned computer for codes. Found the P.C.V. vacuum control in the valve cover had torn its diaphragm and the engine was running with 19" of vacuum in it, where it is normally at 2"- 3" of vacuum. Service center obtained and installed new dealer valve cover assembly with P.C.V. control valve and gasket. Service center said they have repaired three-four of these in past few weeks. Service center said recall may be forthcoming. Have documentation.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11484663September 15, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
This car has front and back wheels differential issues. I bought this car last month and was on the highway when I heard loud clicking noises and tried to reverse and almost hit another driver. I took the car to 4 repair shops and was told to send it back to Carvana or Buick because of mechanical issues where Pep Boys decline to repair for they didn’t have the heavy equipment so I finally got the car towed for the fifth time to Faulkner Buick in Trevor’s PA where it’s currently at! Also I found out from Buick that they car had a major brakes and rotors problem that I didn’t did for as I stated I just bought this car last month and was not put 100 miles on it and I can’t afford to get it repaired! Carvana isn’t supportive of the above issues and I want my money back asap!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11463620May 6, 2022
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:TURBO/SUPERCHARGER
The contact owns a 2017 Buick Encore. The contact stated while his daughter was driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle stalled inadvertently. The contact's daughter was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic on three separate occasions where the turbo charger, the under-boost sensor, and spark plugs were replaced. However, the failure recurred several days after the repair. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring predominantly while driving 70-80 MPH. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED AND ADVISED THE AFTER MARKET TURBO WAS THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. AFTER THE TURBO WAS REPLACED, THE CATLYTIC CONVERTOR BECAME AN ISSUE. THE CONSUMER STATED THERE WAS A NEW DRAGGING NOISE.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11463635May 6, 2022
POWER TRAIN, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
Vehicle has been in and out of shop since Feb 2022 for 'limp mode' disabled due to faulty booster or something. Vehicles leave driver stranded unable to accelerate or maneuver vehicle to avoid a collision. I'm told this is a well known problem for both this vehicle and the chevy cruze although no recalls are out for this huge safety issue. Somebody is seriously going to get injured if driver is unable to move car to safety when it just dies on the highway or road. All documentation is available for the excessive repairs that don't resolve the issue the correction only last from 24 hours to 2 weeks before the light comes on again and car dies.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11461985April 24, 2022
VISIBILITY/WIPER
On numerous occasions, windshield wipers stop moving even though wipers are engaged to on, causing poor visibility for driving.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11451403February 10, 2022
AIR BAGS, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
1.BOTH OF MY AIRBAGS ARE SHOWING OFF. WHEN A PASSENGER IS PRESENT ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE, THE PASSENGER AIRBAG STILL LIGHTS UP AS OFF. 2. IF THE AIRBAGS DO NOT DEPLOY IN AN ACCIDENT, DUE TO THE SENSOR THIS WILL BE VERY DANGEROUS. 3. VEHICLE HAS BEEN INSPECTED. 4.THE MANIFOLD AND INTAKE DID NOT WORK. THE CAR ONLY HAS 87,000 MILES ON IT. THE DATE OF NUMBER 4 IS 2/10/2022.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11449751February 1, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Unable to use radio/rearview camera putting at higher risk of crashing when backing out.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11433628September 20, 2021
POWER TRAIN
Turbo failure on car caused lack of power to the vehicle when accelerating
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11428384August 9, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
Electrical System/Technical Issues with Intellink features. Vehicle will not come out of VALET Mode. Wifi shows several addresses of info I'm never used & I'm not using. The Cruise Control feature of vehicle Has Never worked since car was purchased Brand New off the lot. Warning signal constantly appears on dashboard in red for a second but unable to read it* too brief. The dealership has all the info. Part was already replaced. Has been reset many times over & reported then it starts back for no clear stated reason. Dealership will have best date info. Please assist.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11422930June 30, 2021
SERVICE BRAKES
The contact owns a 2017 Buick Encore. The contact stated while reversing, the brake assist warning light illuminated, and the brake pedal was depressed but failed to respond. After the warning light disappeared, the brake started to respond. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis however, the warning light was no longer illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated the failure persisted since the vehicle was purchased. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer however, the mechanic was still unable to diagnose the vehicle with the warning light illuminated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11419457June 3, 2021
AIR BAGS
Was rear ended by a suspect fleeing police, he hit me about 100 mph, pushed my car into the rear of the car in front of me. Air bags did not deploy.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11414325April 28, 2021
AIR BAGS
I WAS AT A STANDSTILL WAITING ON TRAFFIC TO PASS TO MAKE A LEFT TURN. I WAS REAR ENDED AND IT CAUSED ME TO GO INTO SOMEONE'S YARD AND HIT THEIR CAR AS WELL. MY AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY DURING THIS ACCIDENT. THE IMPACT WAS ENOUGH TO SEND ME DOWN THE STREET INTO SOMEONE'S YARD BUT NOT ENOUGH TO DEPLOY MY AIRBAGS?
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
2
Deaths:
0

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