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What 80 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Buick Envision

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 (80)Crash / fire / injury (7)Electrical system (24)Brakes (21)Engine (11)Transmission & drivetrain (10)Lights (7)Steering (7)Body & structure (3)Seat belts (3)Fuel system (2)Seats (2)

7 of 80 complaints match · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jan 23, 20261 injury

The liftgate has randomly started closing on me while I'm loading groceries at least 3 times in the past year. Every time it has hit me in the forehead with enough force to cause intense pain for several days. Otherwise, it works normally so there is no way I know to intentionally reproduce the issue. It has not been inspected because, again, it has happened like 3 times in the past year. Very painful, but doesn't seem likely to be something obvious.

NHTSA ODI 11712844

Feb 5, 2025SeatsFire

I used the remote start on my key fob to warm up the vehicle before work. About 10 minutes later, I went to my vehicle to leave, I noticed the car was on fire. I opened the door and saw that the driver seat was on fire. I ran inside the house to get cups of water to put the fire out. Looks like the seat warmer on the driver side failed and ignited the leather seat. My life was at risk since a fire ensued. I was put in danger by having to put the fire out myself before it caused further damage. Also breathing in the fumes of the leather was a potential danger. The problem has not been reproduced. The car is currently at the dealership to be further inspected. No warning signs came up before the fire. No police reports were filed

NHTSA ODI 11640965

May 4, 2023Electrical systemFire

I had just left the driveway at my in-laws house, which is approx. an hour and 45 minutes from my home. Within moments, randomly, the sun roof popped open, as if someone had hit a remote. It would not close, and after trying for a bit, decided to drive home and we would address it there. When I hit the open road, the roof went the rest of the way open and then about two miles from the house, I starting choking on the smell of burning plastic. I immediately pulled over on to the shoulder of a side road, turning off the car. My husband was in a vehicle behind me and came over and we were both very concerned the vehicle was going to catch on fire. He tried to pull the fuse in the panel, but when we turned the vehicle back on, there was smoke coming from the sunroof motor area, and the smell was atrocious. The inside hood liner was very warm near the rear of the vehicle with the motor. At that point, we decided to call a tow truck, because it was obvious there was an electrical short. Because the sun roof was stuck open, we had to get a car cover to protect it from the rain coming in. The dealership investigated the next day, and confirmed there was an electrical short that was throwing high-voltage power in to the sunroof. It had melted the motor and wires around it, and had we gone any further, the voltage would have caused a more significant fire. They had to do significant repairs, costing $1400, as well as some clean-up of the interior to try and ensure we weren't continuing to breathe burnt-plastic fumes.

NHTSA ODI 11520456

Oct 28, 2022Electrical systemBrakesCrash

Brakes failed while coming to a stop causing me to crash into the back of someone. Also all dash and radio and shifter lights went out and came back on at the same time brakes failed. Brake issue still not fixed by GM Buick.

NHTSA ODI 11491377

Jan 8, 2019Electrical systemCrash

COMPUTER SCREEN DISPLAY FREQUENTLY GOES VERY DIM AND SOMETIMES COMPLETELY OUT SEVERAL TIMES THERE HAS BEEN NO DISPLAY SHOWING WHEN WE WERE BACKING UP PLUS THE WARNING BEEPER DIDN'T COME ON. WE HAVE HAD 2 MINOR ACCIDENTS WHEN WE WERE BACKING UP BECAUSE OF THE FAILURE OF THE COMPUTER SCREEN AND WARNING BEEPER. I HAVE COMPLAINED TO OUR DEALERSHIP HOLM AUTOMOTIVE IN ABILENE , KS FOR AT LEAST 2 YEARS AND THEY DO NOT SEEM TO THINK IT IS A PROBLEM. I HAVE MANY PHOTOS AND VIDEOS PLUS A HANDWRITTEN LOG OF THIS ISSUE. I HAVE ALSO BEEN IN CONTACT WITH BUICK.

NHTSA ODI 11165120

Nov 26, 2018Electrical systemLatches & locks1 injury

CAR HAS ELECTRONIC CHILD SAFETY DOOR LOCKS ACTIVATED WHEN USING THE HARD BUTTON THAT TYPICALLY LOCKS ONLY WINDOWS. WIFE TOOK A NAP IN BACK SEAT ON LUNCH BREAK AT WORK, DIDN'T REALIZE WINDOW LOCK BUTTON WAS ACCIDENTALLY ENGAGED, LOCKED WITH REMOTE FROM BACK SEAT WHILE CAR WAS RUNNING. DOOR REMOTE WOULD NOT ALLOW THE BACK DOORS AND PASSENGER DOOR TO REMAIN LOCKED AND DOOR HANDLES WOULD NOT OPEN FROM INSIDE EVEN WHEN USING THE REMOTE. SHE WAS TRAPPED IN THE BACK. WITH A VERY BAD BACK AND KNEE IT WAS NOT EASY TO CLIMB TO FRONT DRIVER SIDE DOOR TO UNLOCK FROM THERE, THE ONLY PLACE THIS WOULD WORK. IF LOCKING WITH THE REMOTE, UNLOCKING WITH REMOTE SHOULD BE POSSIBLE AND WAS NOT. LITERALLY TRAPPED IN BACK SEAT AND ONLY WAY OUT IS TO GET TO THE FRONT SEAT TO UNLOCK FROM THERE. WHAT IF GRANDMA WAS BACK THERE WHEN SOMETHING HAPPENED LIKE CAR SHUT OFF? VERY BAD SITUATION AND A LIFE SAFETY ISSUE. I'VE NEVER OWNED A CAR THAT HAD ELECTRONIC CHILD LOCKS TIED TO WINDOW LOCK SWITCH. SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO BE TRAPPED IN CAR. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11153668

Feb 26, 2018Body & structure1 injury

2017 BUICK ENVISION. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO FRONT DRIVER AND PASSENGER DOOR EDGES BEING RAZOR SHARP. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE SHARP DOOR EDGES CAUSED A SEVERE LACERATIONON THE PASSENGER RIGHT LEG. THE CONSMER REQUESTED TO RELEASED FROM THE LEASE AND REIMBURED PAYMENTS MADE *JS.

NHTSA ODI 11074809

Working with the data? Download all 80 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 2017 Buick Envision verdict →