2016 Buick Encore Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls
Caution The 2016 Buick Encore has a Complaint Index of 67, ranking 4th-worst among the model's 10 years, with a Caution verdict. Engine problems dominate at 53% of complaints, alongside two recalls for airbag-related seat belt and airbag issues.
Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology
YearToAvoid Scorecard
- Complaint Index
- 67/100
- #4 of 10 Encore years
- Verdict
- Caution
- vs. other years of this model
- Complaints
- 79
- unique NHTSA reports
- Recalls
- 2
- distinct NHTSA campaigns
- Crashes
- 6
- reported in complaints
- Fires
- 1
- Injuries
- 14
- Top issue
- Engine
- NHTSA overall rating
- 5 / 5 ★
- EPA combined MPG
- 28
- 25.5 city / 32 hwy
- Injuries / deaths
- 14 / 0
Top 2016 Buick Encore problems
Share of this year’s NHTSA complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.
- Engine42 (53%)
- Fuel System13 (16%)
- Transmission & Powertrain11 (14%)
- Electrical System10 (13%)
- Other8 (10%)
- Airbags7 (9%)
- Steering5 (6%)
- Structure & Body5 (6%)
- Suspension, Wheels & Tires5 (6%)
- Seat Belts4 (5%)
A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.
What owners report
- Engine gives off a burning oil odor and smoke at idle or startup, sometimes with visible oil on top of the engine.
- Some drivers report a strong odor inside the cabin along with a check engine light, tied to sensor issues that required repeat dealer visits.
- A near-new vehicle reportedly failed to start or stalled shortly after starting, including one instance where the engine shut off mid-turn.
- Fuel odor was noticed after the car sat overnight, later traced to a fuel line leak needing hose replacement.
- Frontal airbags and seat belt pretensioners reportedly failed to deploy in some crashes even as side curtain airbags deployed.
2016 Buick Encore recalls
2 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.
2016 Buick Encore fuel economy and fuel cost
- City
- 25.5 MPG
- Highway
- 32 MPG
- Combined
- 28 MPG
- Annual fuel cost (EPA)
- $2,300
- 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.
2016 compared with other Encore years
Frequently asked questions
- Is the 2016 Buick Encore reliable?
- NHTSA data gives the 2016 Encore a Complaint Index of 67 and a Caution verdict, making it the 4th-worst of the 10 model years covered, mainly due to engine-related complaints.
- What is the biggest problem with the 2016 Buick Encore?
- Engine issues are the top problem area, accounting for 42 of 79 complaints (53%), with a median mileage at failure of 51,750 miles.
- Does the 2016 Buick Encore have any recalls?
- NHTSA lists two recalls for the 2016 Encore: one for seat belt/airbag control module software (campaign 17V437000) and one for airbags (campaign 16V651000). Neither is a do-not-drive recall.
- How does the 2016 Encore compare to other years?
- The 2016 model's Complaint Index of 67 is worse than the 2013 (33), 2014 (44), and 2020-2022 model years, all rated Good or Best, but better than the 2015, 2017, and 2019 models, which are rated Avoid.