2014 Buick Encore problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (11) · Power Train (6) · Electrical System (6)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Buick Encore model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
41 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (4)
Seat Belts:pretensioner 2017-07-10 · campaign 17V437000 · 40,683 vehicles
Defect: 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
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.
Fix: 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.
Seat Belts:pretensioner 2016-09-08 · campaign 16V651000 · 3,640,162 vehicles
Defect: 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
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.
Fix: 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.
Seats 2014-07-23 · campaign 14V446000 · 124,007 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Buick Encore and Cadillac ATS; 2014 Cadillac CTS, ELR, Chevrolet Caprice and SS vehicles; and 2014-2015 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra Trucks. Due to an incomplete weld on the seat hook bracket assembly, the front seats in the affected vehicles may not stay secured in place during a high load condition such as a crash.
Risk: A seat that does not stay secured increases the risk of occupant injury in a vehicle crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the seat hook bracket assembly weld and replace the lower seat track, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on August 15, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), and 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14340.
Equipment:electrical 2014-07-02 · campaign 14V417000 · 2,990 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Buick Encore all-wheel-drive vehicles manufactured August 23, 2012, to September 9, 2013; Verano vehicles manufactured August 8, 2012, to June 20, 2013; Chevrolet Cruze vehicles manufactured August 7, 2012, to August 16, 2013, and 2012-2014 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured May 10, 2011, to August 16, 2012 equipped with a Calix oil pan/block heater. In cold temperatures, the insulation on the engine block heater cord can beco
Risk: Exposed wires increase the risk of electrical shock and personal injury if the cord is handled while it is plugged in.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the engine oil pan/block heater cord with a new cord that is rated for temperatures of minus 40 degree Celsius. The recall began in August 2014. 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 14257.
Service bulletins (1,569)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-26 · PIT5698F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this pi provides diagnostics tips on how the lin bus works and how to diagnosis it.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-04 · PIP4902W · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Unknown Or Other 2026-04-01 · PIT3271Q · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-09 · PIP6104 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a gds2 session log and upload to a technical assistance case in cx connect.
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-09 · PIP4902V · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Unknown Or Other 2026-01-08 · PIP4902U · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Showing the 6 most recent of 1,569 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-10-17 · Seats“the car only has 54700 i am orginal owner. drivers seat does not work, catalytic converter, gm service bulletin #43210. ask if your vin is affected or if they’ve seen similar failures in 2014 models. this car is a lemon.…”
2025-09-03 · Engine“coolant leak and cover gasket failure. buick has been in the shop multiple times for coolant issues and leaks. next step is for the shop to remove the entire front end to adequately repair. constant issue and other complaint relay the same…”
2025-06-17 · Electrical System · 88,000 mi“the contact owns a 2014 buick encore. the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the instrument cluster displayed a black screen. in addition, the low air pressure warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, the failure was not duplicated. the contact was stopped by the police due to the …”
2025-06-16 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 70,000 mi“the contact owns a 2014 buick encore. the contact stated while driving approximately 35 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated. the contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and replaced the 02 sensor. the vehicle was repaired; however, the check engine warning light became illuminated again. the co…”
2025-06-04 · Fuel/Propulsion System“on march 18 , 2025 i purchased a 2014 buick encore with an implied warranty, the vehicle had 128,644 miles on the odometer. at the time of purchase the check light was not on and the vehicle had no visible or audible mechanical issues. not 14 days after purchase there was a strong odor of burning oil due to an oil leak dripping into the splash shie…”
2024-12-16 · Electrical System“my 2014 buick encore at random times when i turn the key to start the vehicle it just clicks once then complete power out even though the battery is fully charged. to deal with the issue i need to open the hood, unplug the negative from the battery and reconnect it. then try again. i do this at least once every week, sometimes multiple times throug…”
2024-06-19 · Steering“on two occasions, there was a loss of steering assist while making a 90 degree right turn at an intersection. after forcing the steering wheel back straight, steering assist resumed. the vehicle can be made available for inspection. no warning lamps illuminated. contacted buick customer assistance. 2015 buick encore has a recall for loss of stee…”
2024-01-27 · Electrical System“my antitheft alarm keeps going off and on. yesterday my info screen went black had no back up cameras no way to control any of the car panel instruments. that was 1-26-24. sometimes the info screen will blink off and on as i’m driving. it acts like there’s a short or something somewhere. my door locks do not always respond sometimes the doors un…”
2023-10-11 · Engine And Engine Cooling:exhaust System · 61,009 mi“the contact owns a 2014 buick encore. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was hesitant to accelerate and lost power while on an incline. traction and engine warning light was illuminated the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. the contact was informed that the failure was due to the thermostat heater contr…”
2023-08-18 · Engine · 109,978 mi“the contact owns a 2014 buick encore. the contact stated that while driving at 25 mph, the vehicle made an abnormal sound and overheated. the check engine warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was towed to the dealer, who informed the contact that the turbo charger needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was not made …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.