2016 Buick Encore problems: recalls, complaints and whether this is a year to avoid
The 2016 Buick Encore has 80 owner complaints on record with NHTSA, which ranks it 2 of 4 Buick Encore model years by complaint volume. The worst year is 2015 (124); the cleanest is 2014 (60). 2 recall entries cover this year.
Is 2016 a good year for the Buick Encore?
Complaint volume is fairly even across this nameplate, so the model year is a weaker signal here than it is on many cars. Read the components below rather than the totals.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Recall entries |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 74 | 0 |
| 2016 ← this page | 80 | 2 |
| 2015 | 124 | 4 |
| 2014 | 60 | 4 |
Older years have been on the road longer and collect more complaints for that reason alone, and a year that sold in higher volume collects more while being no worse.
This retrieval holds 4 of the nameplate’s model years. 2017 is absent, which means no records came back for it — not that it was clean. The ranking above is among the years shown.
The 2016 accounts for 24% of every complaint filed against the Buick Encore in this retrieval, which works out to 8.0 complaints per year on the road across the 10 years since it was sold new — the figure to compare against other years, because it removes the advantage a newer car gets simply from having had less time to accumulate reports.
Complaints fell against the preceding year: the 2016 carries 65% of the 2015’s reports. Some of that is age, but a drop this large between consecutive years often marks a fix.
Which recalls cover the 2016?
NHTSA records 2 recall entries against the 2016 Buick Encore. The campaign text for this year was not part of the stored sample — check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, which is the only way to know whether a specific car’s campaigns were carried out.
What do owners report on the Buick Encore?
Across every Buick Encore year, not the 2016 alone — NHTSA does not split component totals by model year.
- Engine — 69 reports
- Electrical System — 42 reports
- Steering — 40 reports
- Power Train — 38 reports
If your 2016 is doing something now, these are the guides for that system — each opens with whether it is safe to keep driving:
Which other Buick Encore years should you compare?
← 2015 Buick Encore · 2018 Buick Encore → · All Buick Encore years
If you are deciding between years, the table above is the short answer and the Buick Encore page carries the full run with the component breakdown. Before money changes hands, run the VIN for open recalls and read the inspection checklist — ten minutes in the seller’s driveway finds most of what matters.
Check a 2016 before you commit
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