2015 Buick ENCORE - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2015 Buick Encore SUV AWD has an excellent overall safety rating of 5 out of 5. The car performed well in front crash tests, side crash tests, and rollover evaluations. Additionally, the Buick Encore comes equipped with standard electronic stability control, and optional forward collision warning and lane departure warning systems, enhancing its safety features.

However, it is worth noting that there have been 105 complaints reported for this vehicle, which is relatively high. The car has also been subject to 4 recalls, indicating potential issues that require attention. Despite these concerns, the Buick Encore's top safety ratings and advanced safety technologies make it a strong choice for consumers prioritizing safety on the road.

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Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

105

Recall Count

4

Investigation Count

0

Safety Rating

5/5

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Safety Features

2015 Buick Encore SUV AWD Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2015 Buick Encore SUV AWD

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

Optional
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

Optional

2015 Buick Encore SUV AWD Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2015 Buick Encore SUV AWD Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2013 Score 2015 Score 2022 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating 5 5 5
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 5 5 5
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5 5

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2013 Score 2015 Score 2022 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating 5 5 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 5 5 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front 5 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear 5 5 5
Overall Side Barrier Rating 5 5 5

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2013 Score 2015 Score 2022 Score
Rollover Rating 4 4 4
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating 5 5 5

Complaints for the 2015 Buick ENCORE

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2015 buick encore. the contact stated while driving 55 mph, the steering wheel seized with the electronic power steering warning light illuminated. the vehicle was towed to a gas station temporarily. the dealer was contacted and suggested the contact call the nhtsa hotline for assistance. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign number: 15v146000 (steering) as a possible solution; however, the vin was not included in the recall. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 88,326."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2026-05-01
Complaint:
"power steering failed when driving. i had another passenger with me and when avoiding a pothole in the road, the car went crazy and it took all i could to control the vehicle and not crash into anyone or another car! i am having nightmares of what could have happened to me and my passenger. on the next day, i tried to start my vehicle and the steeling wheel was locked. i had it towed to vip near me. they did a diagnosis on my vehicle and claim that i need a new steeling column and the circuit board. they did further research and found that the 2015 buick encores have had a recall on the steering. they then mentioned that there was nothing more they could do and they advised me not to drive the vehicle as it was unsafe. i then had the vehicle towed to a dealer. the dealer (jacks chevrolet) claims that my car's vin isn't included in the recall. my question is if my vehicle demonstrates the same characteristics, why isn't it part of the recall? my car is unsafe to drive! jack’s chevrolet in saco performed a diagnosis, and the issue was with the battery. from what the contact was told, the power steering is electric, and the battery had tested bad (bad cell). and they stated the power steering is working properly. the contact stated after one event of driving the vehicle after the repair, the vehicle is again demonstrating an unreasonable risk to safety. the steering wheel is locked, and the steering is uncontrolled."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2024-08-11
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2015 buick encore. the contact stated while driving 35 mph and pulling into the driveway, the vehicle decelerated independently with the check engine warning light illuminated. additionally, the "power steering fault" message was displayed, and the steering wheel became firm. the contact was able to drive the vehicle to the residence and the vehicle shutoff and failed to restart. the contact was able to jumpstart the vehicle. the contact replaced the battery but the failure reoccurred. the vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, but no cause for the failure was found. the contact stated that the failure had persisted. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. the contact was informed that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 15v146000 (steering) and advised to contact the nhtsa hotline. the failure mileage was 60,000. the vin was not available."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2024-02-06
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2015 buick encore. the contact stated while driving 45 mph, the vehicle lost power steering assist and became firm. the power steering warning light was illuminated. the contact pulled over and turned off the vehicle. after restarting the vehicle, the vehicle started operating normally. the vehicle was not diagnosed. the dealer was not contacted. the manufacturer was contacted, and the manufacturer stated that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 15v146000 (steering). the failure mileage was 50,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-11-04
Complaint:
"the car stopped having power steering and went into limp mode while i was turning into a school and then stalled."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-08-07
Complaint:
"while driving, the check engine light came on, traction assist light and then the car lost power steering. very scary."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-08-05
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2015 buick encore. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed, the vehicle loss power steering assist and stalled with the power steering assist warning light illuminated. the vehicle was towed to the contact's sister's residence. the contact called casey chevrolet located at 11700 jefferson ave, newport news, va 23606, and was notified of nhtsa campaign number: 15v146000 (steering). the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacture was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 5,000. the vin was not provided."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2021-12-07
Complaint:
"when i turn the steering wheel, you are able to hear a creaking sound that is very pronounced. this just started all suddenly. this happens when turning the steering wheel to the left as well as the right."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2020-01-04
Complaint:
"driving on the freeway and the power steering suddenly quit, and all the warning lights came on. car wont get out of low gear and reverse doesn't work"
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2020-10-01
Complaint:
"the stearing joint and bar are totaly rusted out. i live in california. and this car is a 2015 but sold in 2016. the pictures wont up load"
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2018-09-09

Recalls for the 2015 Buick ENCORE

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"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 and diagnostic module (sdm) software to activate a diagnostic test. during this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash."
Consequence:
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.
Remedy:

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.

Component(s) Involved: AIR BAGS > FRONTAL
Date of incident: 2016-09-08
Recall:
"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 not have received the complete software update necessary to remedy the recall condition. without the update, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (sdm) software to activate a diagnostic test. during this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash."
Consequence:
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.
Remedy:

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.

Component(s) Involved: AIR BAGS > FRONTAL
Date of incident: 2017-07-10

BUICK Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

BUICK ranks 20 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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