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2025 Buick Encore

Gas

Small Sport Utility Vehicle 2WD
3 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-10-26

Safety Signal

94 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record

RecallsNHTSA campaigns 1

Complaints1 fire reported 15

Crash ratingNHTSA overall 5★

Fuel economybest combined, EPA 30 mpg

2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016

The 2025 Buick Encore is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact SUV with 3 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Encore GX FWD, is EPA-rated at 30 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of A. Owners have filed 15 complaints, most often about the electrical system. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Buick Encore — photograph via Wikimedia Commons — Buick Encore · Photo: Navigator84 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Trims & pricing

Source: manufacturer press kitCompare a trim →

Trim	Powertrain	Drive	MSRP	HP	Torque	Cargo (2nd row)	Wheels
Preferred	Gas	FWD	—	137 hp	162 lb-ft	23.5 cu-ft	18 in
Preferred	Gas	AWD	—	155 hp	174 lb-ft	23.5 cu-ft	18 in
Sport Touring	Gas	FWD	—	155 hp	174 lb-ft	23.5 cu-ft	19 in
Sport Touring	Gas	AWD	—	155 hp	174 lb-ft	23.5 cu-ft	19 in
Avenir	Gas	FWD	—	155 hp	174 lb-ft	23.5 cu-ft	19 in
Avenir	Gas	AWD	—	155 hp	174 lb-ft	23.5 cu-ft	19 in

MSRP excludes destination. Open a trim for the complete spec sheet and standard/optional equipment. Have the car in front of you? Decode its VIN to see which of these trims it is and what it was priced at.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov

Configuration	Powertrain	Drive	Engine / motor	City	Hwy	Comb	Annual fuel*
Encore GX FWD	Gas	FWD	1.3L 3-cyl turbo	29	31	30	$2,250
Encore GX FWD	Gas	FWD	1.2L 3-cyl turbo	30	31	30	$2,250
Encore GX AWD	Gas	AWD	1.3L 3-cyl turbo	26	28	27	$2,500

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 47785, 47786, 47791.

Emissions & certification

Source: EPA emission certificates

Configuration	Smog rating	Emission standard	Where it can be sold new	SmartWay
Encore GX FWD	6 / 10	California LEV-III SULEV30 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 30	All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards	—
Encore GX AWD	6 / 10	Federal Tier 3 Bin 30 / California LEV-III SULEV30	All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards	—

Certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S.

The smog rating scores tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and is comparable only within a model year. The standard is the federal bin or California tier the configuration was certified to. Both come from the EPA certificate behind the window sticker.

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Recalls (1)

Source: NHTSA recall database

●moderate

Back Over Prevention

A262554900

306,511 vehicles 0% reported repaired built Apr 3, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024

Problem General Motors, LLC is recalling certain 2024-2025 Buick Envista, 2024-2026 Buick Encore GX, Chevrolet Trailblazer, and 2025 Chevrolet Trax vehicles. The rearview camera screen may display a distorted or blank image. Risk A rearview image that does not display correctly reduces the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash. Fix Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera, if necessary, free of charge. Letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed September 17, 2026. Another letter will be mailed once the parts are available. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's number for this recall is A262554900. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on August 20, 2026.

Filed with NHTSADefect report PDF Owner letter PDF Remedy instructions PDF Dealer notice PDF

NHTSA campaign 26V539000 reported Aug 20, 2026 General Motors, LLC the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above. nhtsa.gov/recalls shows both for a VIN.

Whether any of this applies to one specific Encore

A campaign covers a build range, not a model year, so two identical-looking cars from 2025 can differ. Both of these check a VIN against the manufacturer’s own list, free, in about ten seconds. Buick publishes its own lookup because federal rule 49 CFR 573.15 requires it to, and to keep it current to within seven days.

NHTSA VIN check →Buick’s own VIN lookup →

Hear about a recall before the letter does

The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2025 Buick Encore, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database

15complaints filed

0 involved a crash · 1 a fire · 0 injuries · 0 deaths reported

3.0 per 10,000 built · Buick reported 50,392 Encore built (its Early Warning production report to NHTSA)

Filed per year: 2025: 4 · 2026: 11

Most-cited components

Electrical System 6

Unspecified 3

Power Train 3

Forward Collision Avoidance 3

Back Over Prevention 2

Lane Departure 1

In owners' own words

Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, one per problem area. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed.

While driving my 2025 Buick Encore GX Avenir, I experienced a sudden, catastrophic electronic and mechanical failure. Without warning, the brake pedal became extremely stiff, requiring massive physical effort to slow the vehicle down.

Service Brakes Aug 25, 2026 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11759400

The contact owned a 2025 Buick Encore GX. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the GPS failed to operate properly. Additionally, the air conditioning system was inoperable. The contact stated that while driving in the heat, the contact to briefly became unconscious.

Electrical System at 20,000 miles Jul 17, 2026 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11751200

Sealed transmission found "bone dry" at approximately 13,000 miles. No consumer-accessible dipstick. Complete transmission failure January 2, 2026. Second complete powertrain failure March 14, 2026, nine days after first repair completed.

Power Train Apr 1, 2026 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11728490

Second complete powertrain failure on March 14, 2026 at 13,993 miles, nine days after first repair (complete transmission replacement for bone-dry sealed transmission). Symptoms: sudden loss of power on highway (unable to exceed 20 mph with accelerator fully depressed), hollow sound, noise described as "like a rock tumbling around…

Engine Apr 1, 2026 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11728488

Component: Parking Assist / Driver Assistance Sensors / Object Detection Incident Description: While operating my Buick Encore GX, I executed a controlled, low-speed right turn and struck a stationary structural column within the vehicle’s path.

Forward Collision Avoidance Mar 23, 2026 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11726256

The contact owns a 2025 Buick Encore GX. The contact stated that after refueling the vehicle, the gas pump nozzle was difficult to remove from the fuel filler neck when the vehicle was done refueling. The contact stated that there was one fueling station that he avoided due to the spring that was wrapped around the nozzle.

Fuel/Propulsion System at 300 miles Jan 7, 2026 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11709394

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Reported by Buick itself: 1 death-or-injury claim on this model year in its quarterly Early Warning reports to NHTSA (49 CFR 579.21): 1 injured, as claimed, not verified — about 2.0 per 100,000 built. Every Encore model year, by year and system → Dated and by system, they are exhibit F of the defect dossier.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

Configuration	Overall	Frontal	Side	Rollover	Rollover risk
SUV AWD	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★★☆	18%
SUV FWD	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★★☆	18%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking.

Service bulletins & campaigns

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications

Extended coverage on file 1 filing by the manufacturer with NHTSA naming this model year

Term not in NHTSA’s summary · GM warranty extension 22-NA-244This warranty administration service bulletin provides information about GM Accessories - Dealer-Installed, Repaired or Replaced During Warranty Coverage Period.

The term and the vehicles it covers are the manufacturer’s, as NHTSA’s summary of each filing states them; a dealer checks one particular car by its VIN. Every GM warranty extension (33) → · Every warranty extension on file, all makes →

Communicationsfiled with NHTSA 389

Most recentmanufacturer date 2026-10-07

Kindsas classified by NHTSA 378 service bulletins, 5 service campaigns, 3 over-the-air updates

Most often about: Unknown Or Other, Engine, Electrical System, Power Train, Structure.

PIT6110L Service bulletin
2026-10-07 · Unknown Or Other
This Preliminary information communicates an issue with the SES MIL and DTC P062B and engineering is currently investigating.
PIT6457C Service bulletin
2026-09-28 · Unknown Or Other
This preliminary information is for technicians that may see DTCs that are history and should not perform any part replacements. They should follow the notes mentioned prior to anything being replaced.
PIC6540K Service bulletin
2026-09-28 · Unknown Or Other
This Preliminary information communicates to dealers a procedure to reset the radio.
PIT5698F Service bulletin
2026-09-26 · Unknown Or Other
This PI provides Diagnostics tips on how the LIN bus works and how to diagnosis it.
PIC6629F Service bulletin
2026-09-10 · Unknown Or Other
This PI is to instruct dealer on diagnostic procedures that need to be completed prior to replacing a radio or IPC display
PIP4902W Service bulletin
2026-09-04 · Unknown Or Other
This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
PIT5995B Service bulletin
2026-09-04 · Unknown Or Other
This Preliminary Information provides the dealer information of the location of the rear seat child anchors.
PIT6196A Service bulletin
2026-08-28 · Unknown Or Other
This Preliminary Information provides a diagnostic tip for diagnosing an issue with Cruise Control, Adaptive Cruise and Lane Keep Assist Turns Off or Inoperative.

A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.

Diagnostic trouble codes on file

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints

Codes documented against this model year in the federal record. A code appearing here does not mean this vehicle will set it — it means the code is part of this nameplate-year's documented history.

Code	What it means	Most often filed under	Where it appears
P219A P219A on Buick →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Unknown Or Other	9 bulletins
P0496 P0496 on Buick →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Unknown Or Other	3 bulletins
B3055 B3055 on Buick →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Unknown Or Other	2 bulletins
B3060 B3060 on Buick →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Unknown Or Other	2 bulletins
B3935 B3935 on Buick →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Unknown Or Other	2 bulletins
C0750	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Unknown Or Other	2 bulletins
C0755	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Unknown Or Other	2 bulletins
C0760	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Unknown Or Other	2 bulletins
C0765	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Unknown Or Other	2 bulletins
C0775	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Unknown Or Other	2 bulletins
P0621	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Unknown Or Other	2 bulletins
P062B P062B on Buick →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Unknown Or Other	2 bulletins

Generic codes (the second character is 0 or 2) mean the same thing on every vehicle sold in the United States. Manufacturer-specific codes (1 or 3) mean whatever the automaker assigned, and no honest source can define them for you — which is why the ones here carry the evidence instead of a definition. A code is a link when enough separate federal documents name it across the catalogue to be worth a page of its own; the rest are listed here, where the vehicle is the context that makes them mean something.

At the New York inspection station

Source: New York State DMV

New York inspections 0.10%

failed the safety inspection

2,033 initial inspections of 2,002 vehicles.

Measure	The 2025 Encore	Every 2025 vehicle	Behind it
Failed the safety inspection	0.10%	0.36%	2,033
Air-bag warning lamp stayed lit	0.10%	0.16%	2,033
Miles driven a year	7,082	8,354	odometer at inspection
Average odometer	10,418	12,194	odometer at inspection

New York does not emissions-test model years this new, so the safety inspection is the record here. First inspections only, so a car that failed and came back is counted once; private and special plates, not taxis, livery or commercial plates. A rate appears only where at least 200 inspections stand behind it. “Every 2025 vehicle” is every 2025 model-year car, SUV and pickup inspected in the same window, all makes. This is the state’s record of test results, not a reliability score by itself. Source: New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Vehicle Inspections (data.ny.gov, Open NY terms).

Encore by model year

all years, side by side →

Year Safety Recalls Complaints

2026 A 1 4 30 mpg 2025 this page A 1 15 30 mpg 2024 B 2 32 30 mpg 2023 A 0 28 30 mpg 2022 A 1 42 30 mpg 2021 B 2 62 31 mpg 2020 C 4 89 31 mpg 2019 B 2 88 28 mpg 2018 A 0 74 30 mpg 2017 B 2 90 30 mpg 2016 B 2 80 30 mpg

Common questions about the 2025 Encore

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Does the 2025 Buick Encore have any recalls?

NHTSA has posted 1 recall campaign for the 2025 Buick Encore. The most serious on file is 26V539000, covering Back Over Prevention. 1 of them was filed with no repair available at the time — NHTSA's file records what the manufacturer had in hand on the filing date, not what exists today. Check your own VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a recall applies to specific build ranges, not every car.

How safe is the 2025 Buick Encore?

NHTSA gave the 2025 Buick Encore 5 stars overall in its New Car Assessment Program tests — 5-star frontal crash, 5-star side crash, 4-star rollover. WhichTrim also grades it A (94/100) on its recall record, which is a different question from crash protection.

What is the fuel economy of the 2025 Buick Encore?

Across the 3 EPA-rated configurations of the 2025 Buick Encore, the best EPA combined figure is 30 mpg. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.

What do owners complain about on the 2025 Buick Encore?

Owners have filed 15 complaints with NHTSA about the 2025 Buick Encore, most often about electrical system, unspecified, power train. Of those, 1 a fire. Complaints are unverified owner reports, so treat the pattern as a signal and the individual report as an anecdote.

How clean is the 2025 Buick Encore?

The EPA smog rating for the 2025 Buick Encore is 6 out of 10. That score covers tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, and it only compares vehicles within the same model year. It is certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. Its configurations were certified to different standards — California LEV-III SULEV30, Federal Tier 3 Bin 30 — which the table above lists per configuration.

Are there service bulletins for the 2025 Buick Encore?

The manufacturer has filed 389 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2025 Buick Encore, most often covering unknown or other, engine, electrical system. The most recent is dated 2026-10-07. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.

How does the 2025 Buick Encore do at state inspection?

In New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2025 Buick Encore failed the safety inspection on 0.10% of first inspections — lower than the 0.36% for every 2025 model-year vehicle inspected. The figures are New York State DMV’s own inspection records, first inspections only, and the table above sets each one against every vehicle of the same model year.

What we hold, and what an empty row means

Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.

Data	Held	Source	What it covers — or what empty means
Fuel economy & configurations	3 configurations	EPA certification records	Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures.
Emission certificates	3 configurations	EPA emission certificates	Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new.
Recalls	1	NHTSA recall campaigns	A complete federal register: every campaign covering this model year, with severity and advisory flags.
Owner complaints	15	NHTSA complaint database	Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold.
Crash ratings	2 tested	NHTSA NCAP	Only the configurations NHTSA chose to crash-test, which is never all of them.
Service bulletins	389	NHTSA manufacturer communications	Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall.
Investigations	none	NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation	No defect investigation has been opened.
Driver-assist crash reports	none	NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01	No report has been filed. Only entities named in the order report, and only crashes they hear of — so this is also what an unequipped car, or a manufacturer without telematics, looks like.
Specifications filed with NHTSA	none	NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns	We had no VIN pattern to decode for this model year, or the manufacturer filed nothing usable.
Trims, pricing & equipment	6 trims	Manufacturer press kit	Transcribed from the manufacturer's own press material, every value carrying the document it came from.

Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-10-26. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed nightly. Trim-level specifications and pricing are transcribed from the manufacturer's official press kit; every value carries its source in the data file.

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