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2015 Buick ENCORE: complaints, problems and recalls

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

124 owner complaints analyzed

4 distinct recall campaigns

33,200 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2015 model year. Data snapshot: . 80 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Electrical System is the most frequently named component, appearing in 30 of 124 complaints (24.2%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
TopicMatching reportsShare of complaints
Steering behavior3326.6%
Braking behavior2419.4%
Electrical and battery issues129.7%
Transmission and shifting118.9%
Engine operation86.5%
Fuel system concerns10.8%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Electrical System
30
Engine
29
Steering
27
Service Brakes
20
Air Bags
16
Unknown Or Other
15
Power Train
11
Fuel/Propulsion System
7
Component breakdown data
CategoryCount
Electrical System30
Engine29
Steering27
Service Brakes20
Air Bags16
Unknown Or Other15
Power Train11
Fuel/Propulsion System7

Electrical System: 30; Engine: 29; Steering: 27; Service Brakes: 20; Air Bags: 16; Unknown Or Other: 15; Power Train: 11; Fuel/Propulsion System: 7

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000
34
25,000 to 49,999
16
50,000 to 74,999
17
75,000 to 99,999
9
100,000 to 149,999
4
150,000 and above
0
Reported problems by failure mileage data
CategoryCount
Under 25,00034
25,000 to 49,99916
50,000 to 74,99917
75,000 to 99,9999
100,000 to 149,9994
150,000 and above0

Under 25,000: 34; 25,000 to 49,999: 16; 50,000 to 74,999: 17; 75,000 to 99,999: 9; 100,000 to 149,999: 4; 150,000 and above: 0

Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (34). 44 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2015
9
2016
9
2017
15
2018
12
2019
17
2020
14
2021
12
2022
7
2023
9
2024
12
2025
4
2026
4
Complaints over time data
CategoryCount
20159
20169
201715
201812
201917
202014
202112
20227
20239
202412
20254
20264

2015: 9; 2016: 9; 2017: 15; 2018: 12; 2019: 17; 2020: 14; 2021: 12; 2022: 7; 2023: 9; 2024: 12; 2025: 4; 2026: 4

Pattern summary

Electrical System leads the component reports. Steering behavior appears in 33 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 24 complaint narratives. Electrical and battery issues appears in 12 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Examples from the source records

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10723516 · 2015-06-04 (June 4, 2015)

NEW BUICK 2015 ENCORE 1. APPYING BRAKES WHEN BACKING OUT OF GARAGE CREATES A SHRILL SQUEAL. 2. WHEN SLOWING FOR THE STOP SIGN AT THE END OF THE STREET, APPLYING BRAKES MAKES A MOANING SOUND AND SLIGHT VIBRATION. 3. WHEN I APPLY BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN AT ABOUT 5 MPH SUCH AS STOPPING AT AN INTERSECTION, THE BRAKES 'GRAB' RATHER THAN SLOWING SMOOTHLY. ALL PROBLEMS HAPPEN IN THE MORNING AFTER THE CAR HAS SET OVERNIGHT, AND THEY USUALLY GO AWAY AFTER DRIVING ENOUGH TO USE THE BRAKES A NUMBER OF TIMES. LAST WEEK I DROVE IN A H…

Owner-reported narrative. 87 miles reported. Look up ODI 10723516 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10745133 · 2015-07-30 (July 30, 2015)

ALMOST EVERY DAY THE 1 ST & 2 ND TIME THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED THERE IS A GRINDING NOISE & IT FEELS LIKE THE BRAKES ARE GRABBING. ON MY CAR IT SEEMS TO BE COMING FROM THE DRIVERS SIDE.MY CAR PARKS IN THE GARAGE. 1 ST TIME DEALER SAID THERE WAS A BIT OF RUST ON THE CALIPERS THEY CLEANED THEM UP..NEXT MORNING SAME THING..2 ND TIME BACK TO DEALER THEY SAID IT'S PROBABLY CONDENSATION & IT'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE THAT WAY..MY RESPONSE WAS THAT'S UNACCEPTABLE & I WILL CONTINUE TO BRING MY CAR BACK TILL ITS FIXED.THEY LATER TOLD ME THERE WAS A SERVICE BULL…

Owner-reported narrative. 25 miles reported. Look up ODI 10745133 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10761516 · 2015-09-04 (September 4, 2015)

WHILE BRAKING TO STOP FOR A TRAFFIC LIGHT ON A BUSY 45 MPH SPEED LIMIT ROAD, THE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING. I SHIFTED INTO PARK TO RESTART IT. ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WAS DEAD EXCEPT POWER SEATS AND DOOR LOCKS. ENGINE WOULD NOT START AND NO OTHER ELECTRICAL RELATED EQUIPMENT WORKED INCLUDING ENGINE, GEAR SHIFT, INSTRUMENT PANEL, RADIO, LIGHTS,TURN SIGNALS, AND EMERGENCY LIGHTS. TWO SAFETY ISSUES BECAUSE THE CAR COULD HAVE BEEN REAR ENDED: 1). COULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF PARK TO PUSH CAR OFF THE ROAD. NONE OF THE 4 LADIES IN THE CAR COULD GET…

Owner-reported narrative. 3,600 miles reported. Look up ODI 10761516 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10764675 · 2015-09-17 (September 17, 2015)

DRIVING ABOUT 45-50 MPH AND THE CAR SUDDENLY TURNED OFF. THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME STIFF AND ALL THE ELECTRICAL POWER TURNED OFF, AND THE DASH BOARD SCREEN WAS BLACK. I THEN TURN THE IGNITION KEY OFF AND RESTARTED THE CAR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MAIN DRIVING ROAD.

Owner-reported narrative. 2,300 miles reported. Look up ODI 10764675 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10778389 · 2015-09-29 (September 29, 2015)

DRIVING ALONG AT APPROX. 55 MPH ON A MAIN HIWAY SLOWED TO APPROX. 40 MPH TO MAKE A TURN, WHEN SUDDENLY THE ENGINE STOPPED OPERATING. EVERYTHING SHUT DOWN, NO STEERING, NO BRAKES. ON STAR DID NOT RESPOND, CAR WAS DISABLED ABOUT 5-7 MINUTES, TRIED TO START SEVERAL TIME WITH THE KEY. SERIOUS ISSUE, HAD CAR TOWED TO DEALER, FOUND NOTHING WRONG AND NO CODES WERE OBTAINED FROM THE COMPUTER SYSTEM!

Owner-reported narrative. 2,100 miles reported. Look up ODI 10778389 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10781784 · 2015-10-13 (October 13, 2015)

1. WHILE STOPPED ON AN INCLINE, EVEN A SMALL INCLINE, THE VEHICLE ROLLS BACKWARDS 6-12" WHEN MOVING FOOT FROM BRAKE TO ACCELERATOR (THE VEHICLE HAS AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION). WE HAVE COME CLOSE TO HITTING TWO VEHICLES BEHIND US WHEN STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT AND THE VEHICLE SLID BACKWARDS. 2. BECAUSE OF DESIGN, THERE ARE COLUMNS REDUCING VISIBILITY THROUGH AN ALREADY SMALL REAR WINDOW. THE PROVIDED REAR VIEW CAMERA HAS ALMOST NO RESOLUTION AND UNDER MOST NORMAL LIGHTING CONDITIONS IS TOTALLY USELESS,. THE RESULT IS THERE IS NO WAY TO SEE WHAT …

Owner-reported narrative. 50 miles reported. Look up ODI 10781784 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10807948 · 2015-12-02 (December 2, 2015)

THE C0LLISION WARNING SYSTEM NOT WORK PROPERLY. THE OUTSIDE DETECTION SYSTEM SHUTS ITSELF OFF NOW AND THEN SOMETIMES GIVING A MESSAGE "OUTSIDE DETECTION SYSTEM NOT AVAILABLE." ALL THIS OCCURS WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION WHICH FOR ME IS A SAFETY C0NCERN. IT HAS HAPPENED OFF AND ON SINCE PURCHASING THE VEHICLE.

Owner-reported narrative. 1,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10807948 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10808929 · 2015-12-07 (December 7, 2015)

WHEN WE PURCHASED THIS AUTO WE WERE TOLD THE BRAKES WOULD MAKE A NOISE BUT THAT IT WAS NOT A PROBLEM. WE WERE NOT TOLD THAT THEY WOULD GRAB STRONGLY ENOUGH TO THROW THE DRIVER FORWARD AT THE SLIGHTEST TOUCH. THE PROBLEM INITIALLY OCCURRED EACH TIME THE VEHICLE WAS FIRST STARTED BUT NOW HAPPENS MORE FREQUENTLY AND IS MUCH MORE SEVERE. IS VERY DANGEROUS WHEN THERE IS MOISTURE IN THE AIR OR WHEN THE WEATHER IS COOLER. I FEEL THAT IT IS A DEFINITE SAFETY HAZARD.

Owner-reported narrative. 400 miles reported. Look up ODI 10808929 at NHTSA ↗

Recall history

4 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.

15V146000 · Steering:Electric Power Assist System

Reported: 2015-03-13 (March 13, 2015)

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Buick Encore vehicles manufactured November 27, 2014, to February 24, 2015, and 2015 Chevrolet Trax vehicles manufactured November 18, 2014, to February 17, 2015. The steering column assembly housing may contact the power steering printed circuit board causing the circuit board to wear.

Consequence: The circuit board wear may cause a sudden loss of electric power steering assist, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the steering column assembly, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 24, 2015. 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 15168.

NHTSA campaign record ↗
15V162000 · Equipment:Other:Labels

Reported: 2015-03-20 (March 20, 2015)

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Buick Encore vehicles manufactured August 26, 2014, to February 9, 2015, and 2015 Chevrolet Trax vehicles manufactured October 13, 2014, to February 3, 2015. The affected vehicles have tire placards that do not provide the rim size information for the front or rear wheels. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims and Motor Home/Recreation Vehicle Trailer Load Carrying Capacity Information for Motor Vehicles with a GVWR of 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds) or less."

Consequence: If the label is missing front and rear rim size information, the owner may replace the rims with ones that are an incorrect size, increasing the risk of crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and will send owners a corrected label, free of charge. The recall April 29, 2015. 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 15166.

NHTSA campaign record ↗
16V651000 · Seat Belts:Pretensioner | Air Bags:Frontal:Sensor/Control Module-Inactive | Air Bags:Frontal

Reported: 2016-09-08 (September 8, 2016)

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.

Consequence: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.

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.

NHTSA campaign record ↗
17V437000 · Seat Belts:Pretensioner | Air Bags:Frontal:Sensor/Control Module-Inactive | Air Bags:Frontal

Reported: 2017-07-10 (July 10, 2017)

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.

Consequence: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.

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.

NHTSA campaign record ↗