AutoUtility currently tracks 124 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2015 Buick Encore. Electrical System issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 30 complaints (24.2% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 6 filings cite a crash, 2 cite a fire, 6 report one or more injuries.

Key Problem Findings
  • Total NHTSA Complaints: 124 reports
  • #1 Reported Problem Area: Electrical System (30 reports • 24.2% of submitted complaints)
  • Secondary Problem Areas: Engine & Cooling (28), Steering System (27)
  • Crash-Citing Complaints: 6 filings
  • Fire-Citing Complaints: 2 filings
  • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 6 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Reporting Methodology: Statistics describe unverified consumer submissions voluntarily filed with NHTSA. Complaint volume is not normalized for vehicle sales volume or miles driven. Multiple components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission.
Total Complaints
124
Submitted to NHTSA ODI
Crash-Citing Complaints
6
Filings citing a collision
Fire-Citing Complaints
2
Filings citing smoke or fire
Complaints Reporting Injuries
6
Filings citing one or more injuries
Complaints Reporting Fatalities
0
Consumer filings citing fatalities

Most Reported Problems for 2015 Buick Encore

Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records

#1 Problem Area 24.2% of complaints

Electrical System

30 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
🔥 1 fire report
#2 Problem Area 22.6% of complaints

Engine & Cooling

28 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
✓ 0 crashes or fires cited
#3 Problem Area 21.8% of complaints

Steering System

27 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
🔥 1 fire report
#4 Problem Area 20.2% of complaints

Brakes & Traction Control

25 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 2 crash reports 🩹 1 injury report entry
#5 Problem Area 14.5% of complaints

Air Bags & Restraints

18 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 2 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 2 crash reports 🩹 3 injury report entries
Domain Share Note: Share percentage represents the proportion of unique complaint filings referencing each vehicle system. Because single complaints may cite multiple systems (such as engine and electrical simultaneously), domain percentages represent individual category incidence and may sum to over 100%.

Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2015 Buick Encore

Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis

AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.

Powertrain & Transmission 8.9% of complaints

Loss of Motive Power While Driving

11 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Engine & Cooling 2.4% of complaints

Engine Coolant Intrusion / Oil Leak

3 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Steering System 2.4% of complaints

Steering Sticking, Binding or Assist Loss

3 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Symptom Identification Method: A complaint may describe more than one symptom, so percentages may sum to more than 100%. Symptom identification reflects text contained in consumer-submitted complaint records and does not establish a confirmed mechanical diagnosis.

Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2015 Buick Encore

Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Engine & Cooling NHTSA ODI ID: #11753438
Filed: 07/29/2026

"Weber road auto service replaced the engine using county PRC and out-of-pocket funds, and the newly installed used engine has an active engine oil cooler leak, creating an immediate vehicle fire and sudden engine stalling hazard. Also there’s a leak at the ac compressor, condenser and coupler..."

Incident Date: 06/26/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: ENGINE
Powertrain & Transmission NHTSA ODI ID: #11746663
Filed: 06/26/2026

"The turbo in my vehicle has a check engine light come on and than the engine does no act right. The repair shop that looked at car stated that the manufacture knows this is a known issue and they have not made a recall as several cars my year range has this going on. If this is a known issue why is..."

Incident Date: 05/12/2025 • Raw NHTSA Component: POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Brakes & Traction Control NHTSA ODI ID: #11742919
Filed: 06/09/2026

"Transmission wouldn't shift out of 2nd gear and wouldnt shift into reverse. Has no power steering or power brakes"

Incident Date: 05/30/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: STEERING,POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES
Air Bags & Restraints NHTSA ODI ID: #11737000
Filed: 05/11/2026

"The seatbelt systems light has come on in my 2015 Buick Encore."

Incident Date: 03/31/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: AIR BAGS
Engine & Cooling NHTSA ODI ID: #11687354
Filed: 09/15/2025

"The contact owns a 2015 Buick Encore. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator, the vehicle hesitated before accelerating. The contact became aware of oil underneath the vehicle on the driveway, resulting in a complete loss of power. The vehicle leaked oil and lost the vehicle lost..."

Incident Date: 09/15/2024 • Raw NHTSA Component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Consumer Narrative Notice: Excerpts are sanitized text descriptions submitted by vehicle owners to the federal ODI database. They reflect the reporting consumer's observations at the time of filing and have not been independently confirmed by vehicle manufacturers or government investigators.

Complaint History for Buick Encore

Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)

Model Year NHTSA Complaints Crash Reports Safety Recalls Detailed Report
2015 Buick Encore Current Page 124 6 4 Current
2016 Buick Encore 79 6 2 View 2016 Problems →
2017 Buick Encore 89 12 2 View 2017 Problems →
2018 Buick Encore 74 10 0 View 2018 Problems →
2019 Buick Encore 84 9 2 View 2019 Problems →
2020 Buick Encore 19 1 2 View 2020 Problems →
2021 Buick Encore 9 0 0 View 2021 Problems →
2022 Buick Encore 8 1 0 View 2022 Problems →
2023 Buick Encore 0 0 0 View 2023 Problems →
2024 Buick Encore 0 0 0 View 2024 Problems →
2025 Buick Encore 0 0 0 View 2025 Problems →
2026 Buick Encore 0 0 0 View 2026 Problems →
Comparative Disclaimer: Complaint totals are unadjusted historical counts and are not normalized for vehicles sold, active fleet size, or total road mileage. Newer model years naturally have had less calendar exposure time to accumulate owner filings.

Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2015 Buick Encore

Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 56 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications

Vehicle Component / System Total Complaints Crash Reports Fire Reports Reported Injury Entries Reported Fatality Entries
Steering NHTSA category: STEERING 15 0 0 0 0
Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE 12 0 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES 11 1 0 1 0
Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS 9 0 0 0 0
Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 7 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 5 0 1 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 4 0 0 0 0
Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 3 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 3 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 0 0 0 0
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE 2 0 0 1 0
Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 0 1 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER 2 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS 1 1 0 2 0
AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 1 0 1 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN 1 1 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS 1 0 0 0 0
SEAT BELTS,SEATS 1 0 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,AIR BAGS 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,STRUCTURE 1 1 0 1 0
SUSPENSION,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY 1 0 0 1 0
Data Attribution & Reporting Methodology: Complaints are unverified voluntary submissions to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Because multiple vehicle components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission, component-level rollups may sum to more than the unique complaint count (124). Injury and fatality entries in the detailed table reflect raw values entered by reporting consumers across individual submissions; they are not deduplicated casualty statistics and may include duplicate or unverified entries. Complaint volume is not normalized for sales volume or vehicle mileage and does not represent an audited component failure rate.
Official US Government Data Provenance

The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.