2015 Buick Encore Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls
Avoid The 2015 Buick Encore ranks 3rd worst out of 10 model years with a complaint index of 78 and 124 complaints, earning an Avoid verdict. Top problem areas are engine (28%), electrical system (27%), and steering (22%), backed by 4 recalls.
Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology
YearToAvoid Scorecard
- Complaint Index
- 78/100
- #3 of 10 Encore years
- Verdict
- Avoid
- vs. other years of this model
- Complaints
- 124
- unique NHTSA reports
- Recalls
- 4
- distinct NHTSA campaigns
- Crashes
- 6
- reported in complaints
- Fires
- 2
- Injuries
- 7
- Top issue
- Engine
- NHTSA overall rating
- 5 / 5 ★
- EPA combined MPG
- 27
- 24 city / 31.5 hwy
- Injuries / deaths
- 7 / 0
Top 2015 Buick Encore problems
Share of this year’s NHTSA complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.
- Engine35 (28%)
- Electrical System34 (27%)
- Steering27 (22%)
- Brakes25 (20%)
- Airbags16 (13%)
- Other15 (12%)
- Transmission & Powertrain11 (9%)
- Fuel System7 (6%)
- Structure & Body6 (5%)
- Suspension, Wheels & Tires5 (4%)
A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.
What owners report
- Airbags failed to deploy during moderate-speed frontal or side-impact crashes, even after a recall remedy was applied.
- Vehicles lunged unexpectedly in reverse or forward after sitting in a cold garage, with drivers reporting the brakes did not hold.
- ABS reportedly failed when brakes were applied around 30 mph, leading to a rear-end crash on a wet road.
- A booming noise from underneath the vehicle preceded a sudden loss of steering control and a crash.
- The power steering assist warning light came on with the steering wheel locking up, accompanied by a burning smell and a dead tachometer.
- The engine and entire electrical system shut down while driving at highway speed, killing the radio, lights, and instrument panel.
2015 Buick Encore recalls
4 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.
- NHTSA 17V437000Jul 10, 2017Seat Belts40,683 vehicles
Seat belts:pretensioner
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.
Risk: 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 16V651000Sep 8, 2016Airbags3,640,162 vehicles
Air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive
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.
Risk: 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 15V162000Mar 20, 2015Other19,831 vehicles
Equipment:other:labels
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."
Risk: 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.
2015 Buick Encore fuel economy and fuel cost
- City
- 24 MPG
- Highway
- 31.5 MPG
- Combined
- 27 MPG
- Annual fuel cost (EPA)
- $2,400
- 15,000 mi/yr
- Fuel
- Regular
- Current regular gas
- $4.32/gal
- national avg.
EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.
2015 compared with other Encore years
Frequently asked questions
- Is the 2015 Buick Encore reliable?
- Based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, the 2015 Encore ranks 3rd worst among the 10 model years covered, with a complaint index of 78 and an Avoid verdict relative to other Encore years.
- What are the main problems with the 2015 Buick Encore?
- NHTSA data shows engine complaints (28% of total), electrical system issues (27%), steering problems (22%), and brake complaints (20%) as the top reported problem areas.
- Does the 2015 Buick Encore have any recalls?
- NHTSA lists 4 recalls for the 2015 Encore, covering seat belts/airbag control module software, airbags, a labeling issue, and a steering column assembly replacement.
- What year Buick Encore should I avoid?
- NHTSA complaint data shows 2017 as the worst Encore year with a complaint index of 100, followed by 2019 at 89 and 2015 at 78, all rated Avoid.
- At what mileage do 2015 Buick Encore problems typically appear?
- Median mileage at failure varies by system: brakes failed around 20,000 miles, transmission issues around 25,000 miles, airbags around 37,100 miles, engine problems around 50,075 miles, and steering around 54,500 miles.