2016 Buick Encore problems & reliability
79 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Buick Encore, alongside 2 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
4 complaints report injuries (14 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2016 Buick Encore vehicles were involved in 30 fatal crashes with 14 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 40 | 51% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 13 | 16% |
| Power Train | 11 | 14% |
| Electrical System | 9 | 11% |
| Unknown OR Other | 8 | 10% |
| Air Bags | 7 | 9% |
| Steering | 5 | 6% |
| Seat Belts | 4 | 5% |
| Structure | 4 | 5% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 3 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 32,626 miles (middle 50% between 11,575 and 58,875 miles), based on 40 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“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 road with the same paint peeling issues that there’s no formal recall as of yet and we are not…”
Structure · filed Jul 31, 2026
“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 car for 3 days before repair done. For $1800 repair bill. Said it was a circuit card in the…”
Engine · filed Feb 21, 2026
“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 to drive. This issue has almost caused multiple accidents because the car is so under powered that…”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Feb 2, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
1,251 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2016 Buick Encore. The 10 most recent:
PI to help diagnose A/C concern
PIT5099J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 21, 2026
This preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.
PIT3271Q · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 2026
This Preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a GDS2 Session Log and upload to a Technical Assistance Case in CX Connect.
PIP6104 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 9, 2026
This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
PIP4902V · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 9, 2026
This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
PIP4902U · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 8, 2026
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have had multiple repair attempts that are being performed on customer’s vehicles that exhibit vibration conditions…
PIT5214G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 20, 2025
New Vehicle Monitoring Programs Section in IVH
13598 · Other · issued Sep 9, 2025
This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
PIP4902T · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 14, 2025
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have an intermittent no crank, no start, or start stall concern with the security light coming on. Technician may…
PIC5650M · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 7, 2025
This PI communicates a procedure to clean oil leaking from the rain sensor.
PIC6086J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 18, 2025
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2016 Buick Encore has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2016 Buick Encore?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 32,626 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.