AutoUtility currently tracks 79 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2016 Buick Encore. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 35 complaints (44.3% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 6 filings cite a crash, 1 cites a fire, 4 report one or more injuries.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 79 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Engine & Cooling (35 reports • 44.3% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Fuel & Propulsion System (13), Powertrain & Transmission (11)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 6 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 1 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 4 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2016 Buick Encore
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Engine & Cooling
Fuel & Propulsion System
Powertrain & Transmission
Electrical System
Air Bags & Restraints
NHTSA records list 2 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #17V437000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
- Campaign #16V651000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2016 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.
Loss of Motive Power While Driving
Engine Overheating / Temperature Warning
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2016 Buick Encore
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"We noticed the paint bubbling on one of her doors on the car and took it to the dealership who took no accountability. Now the car is peeling in the back and we’ve also noticed the same car, same model and make on the road with the same paint peeling issues that there’s no formal recall as of yet..."
"Ignition switch getting very hot"
"power steering failure while driving at highway speeds. In traffic had a warning come on power steering fault. Then wheel was hard to turn. Had to use strength to steer car home approx. 25 miles. Took to dealer they had car for 3 days before repair done. For $1800 repair bill. Said it was a circuit..."
"Turbo exhibits exact same symptoms of 17-18 encore recall for the turbo. I frequently get the p0299 code the car becomes sluggish and hesitates to take off from a stop when this code comes on making this car dangerous to drive. This issue has almost caused multiple accidents because the car is so..."
"On my way home in December 2025, my car started to sputter and make noises. All of a sudden the car started going about 10-15 miles. I almost go hit by several vehicles, because they had to put on brakes, I was trying to go up then down a hilly road. I finally was able to get to an Auto Advance..."
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 | 124 | 6 | 4 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Buick Encore Current Page | 79 | 6 | 2 | Current |
| 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 → |
Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2016 Buick Encore
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 35 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 3 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SEAT BELTS,SEATS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,WHEELS,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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.