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What 52 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Buick Encore GX

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (52)Crash / fire / injury (4)Engine (21)Electrical system (8)Transmission & drivetrain (7)Speed control (6)Airbags (5)Fuel system (4)Brakes (3)Seat belts (3)Tires (3)Engine & cooling (2)

2 of 52 complaints match · Transmission & drivetrain · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Oct 9, 2014Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemAirbagsCrash1 injury

IN A LINE OF TRAFFIC GETTING READY TO MAKE A LEFT TURN AND WITHOUT WARNING, THE ENGINE RACED CAUSING THE CAR TO ACCELERATE AND SLAM INTO THE REAR OF ANOTHER CAR CAUSING OVER $5K WORTH OF DAMAGE TO THE ENCORE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT GO OFF. THE IMPACT WAS SO INTENSE THAT THE REAR GLOVE BOX OPENED TOSSING THE CONTENTS OUT INTO THE TRUNK. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10643646

Mar 26, 2014BrakesTransmission & drivetrainCrash

2013 BUICK ENCORE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO ABS AND ALL WHEEL DRIVE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM ISSUES. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED THE BRAKES WOULD SQUEAK, RUB AND GRAB. ON THANKSGIVING DAY, WHILE DRIVING DOWN HIS DRIVEWAY, ON SNOWY DAY, THE ABS LOCKED UP AND THE VEHICLE WENT OFF THE ROAD INTO A PLOWED SNOW BANK, IN WHICH THE BUMPER WAS CRACKED. ALSO, AS HE WIFE WAS DRIVING, THE VEHICLE PULLED TO THE RIGHT, AS SHE BRAKED. ON TWO OCCASIONS, THE AWD DRIVE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD. *JB

NHTSA ODI 10574525

Working with the data? Download all 52 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 12, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2013 Buick Encore GX verdict →