Buick Encore by Model Year: Problems, Recalls and MPG

Every Buick Encore model year since 2016: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash tests.

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Sep 28, 2026

Every model year since 2016 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 30 mpg combined, arrived in 2016. Excludes the Encore GX, which EPA lists alongside the Encore from 2020 to 2022.

Complaints in each year's first three years

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2019 Encore Most described: the check engine light coming on, then stalling or shutting off while driving	23	86	2
2017 Encore Most described: the check engine light coming on, then loss of power or limp mode	22	89	2
2018 Encore Most described: the check engine light coming on, then loss of power or limp mode	18	74	0
2016 Encore Most described: the check engine light coming on, then stalling or shutting off while driving	16	79	2
2020 Encore Most described: the check engine light coming on	5	19	2
2021 Encore Most reported: engine	3	9	0

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	27 mpg Gas	0	8
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	27 mpg Gas	0	9
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	27 mpg Gas	2	19
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	28 mpg Gas	2	86
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	30 mpg Gas	0	74
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	30 mpg Gas	2	89
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	30 mpg Gas	2	79

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2019: 86 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Buick Encore
Model year	Complaints
2016	79
2017	89
2018	74
2019	86
2020	19
2021	9
2022	8

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 27 to 30 mpg (every year from 2016 to 2022); highest in 2016.

2022: gas 27 mpg

Show as a table

Buick Encore best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version
2016	30
2017	30
2018	30
2019	28
2020	27
2021	27
2022	27

Questions

Which Buick Encore years have the most problems?

A typical Buick Encore year drew only 17 owner complaints in its first three years (the range is 3 to 23), too few to rank the years fairly. The 2022 is left out as a partial model year with few sold.

Which Buick Encore years have the most recalls?

The 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2020 have the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (2 each). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. No recall for 2016 to 2022 models tells owners not to drive the car or to park it outside.

What are the most common Buick Encore problems?

In the 364 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2016 to 2022 models, apart from warning lights, owners most often describe loss of power or limp mode (41 complaints, most of them for the 2017, 2018, and 2019); stalling or shutting off while driving (33 complaints, most of them for the 2016, 2018, and 2019); and smoke or a burning smell (27 complaints, most of them for the 2016, 2017, and 2019). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Buick Encore year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 30 mpg combined, first reached by the 2016 gas version.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Sep 18, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Sep 29, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Sep 28, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.