2016 Buick Encore Problems, Recalls & Reliability
Verdict
CautionComplaint Index
67/100
#4 most-complained of 10 Encore years
The 2016 Buick Encore has 79 NHTSA complaints and a Complaint Index of 67, ranking 4th worst of 10 model years. Engine problems dominate at 53% of complaints, with a median failure mileage of 51,750 miles, earning it a Caution verdict.
- Complaints
- 79
- Recalls
- 2
- Crashes / fires
- 6 / 1
- Injuries / deaths
- 14 / 0
- NHTSA overall rating
- 5 / 5 ★
- EPA combined MPG
- 28
- 25.5 city / 32 hwy
Top 2016 Buick Encore problems
NHTSA owner 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%)
What owners report
- Engine emits burning oil odor and smoke at idle or startup, with visible oil pooling on top of the engine.
- Strong odor inside the cabin paired with an illuminated check engine light, sometimes traced to a faulty ECM or MAP sensor.
- Engine stalls unexpectedly at low mileage, including while turning, and the vehicle can fail to restart in the morning.
- Fuel odor detected at startup after the car sat overnight, in one case linked to a fuel line leak needing hose replacement.
- Frontal airbags and seatbelt pretensioners sometimes failed to deploy in a crash while side curtain airbags deployed, despite recall repairs.
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 shows the 2016 Encore has a Complaint Index of 67 and ranks 4th worst among 10 model years, earning a Caution verdict relative to other Encore years.
- What are the most common problems with the 2016 Buick Encore?
- Engine issues make up 53% of complaints (42 of 79), with a median failure mileage of 51,750 miles. Fuel System (16%) and Transmission & Powertrain (14%) follow.
- Does the 2016 Buick Encore have any recalls?
- NHTSA lists 2 recalls for the 2016 Encore, both related to airbag and seat belt systems requiring an SDM software reflash. Neither is a do-not-drive recall.
- How does the 2016 Encore compare to other years?
- The 2015 (Complaint Index 78) and 2017 (Complaint Index 100) Encore years are both rated Avoid, worse than 2016's index of 67. The 2020-2022 model years score far lower, with indexes of 22, 0, and 11.
- What is the fuel economy of the 2016 Buick Encore?
- EPA rates the 2016 Encore at 28 mpg combined (25.5 city / 32 highway), with an estimated annual fuel cost of $2,300.