BUICK ENCORE · model year

2022 BUICK ENCORE

11 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

5 / 5 ★

New Car Assessment Program

The 2022BUICKENCORE carries 11 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires, 1 injury, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall 5/5 rating, with 5/5 front crash, 5/5 side crash, and 4/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2022 ENCORE is unknown or other with 4 filings, followed by power train (2) and air bags (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 1 investigation file overlapping the 2022 ENCORE. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

11
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths
2022 BUICK ENCORE — NHTSA crash-test profile NHTSA NCAP crash-test star ratings for the 2022 BUICK ENCORE. Overall composite: 5.0 of 5 stars across 3 safety dimensions. Front CrashSide CrashRollover 5.0 NHTSA NCAP of 5 stars
  • Front Crash 5.0 ★
  • Side Crash 5.0 ★
  • Rollover 4.0 ★
NHTSA overall 5.0/5 stars, with front-crash, side-crash and rollover ratings from standardized NCAP barrier and dynamic tests.

Total Complaints

11 filings

Crashes Reported

1 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

NHTSA NCAP overall: 5/5 — Top NCAP rating · Front: 5/5 · Side: 5/5 · Rollover: 4/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
UNKNOWN OR OTHER4
POWER TRAIN2
AIR BAGS1
SEAT BELTS1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL1

Recent Complaints

20251129POWER TRAIN

I have had my vehicle to a GM dealer on a few occasions with the EMC code stored in the vehicle and an active check engine light on. While I’m driving - now during 70 percent or more of my trips - my vehicle loses power very suddenly and lunges me forward. I’m unable to stop and go on hills of any noticeable grade and have narrowly missed being in an accident many times. The dealer’s service manager has told me I should just BF glad the car is drivable when I have expressed ongoing safety concerns. I cannot get assistance from GM nor from the dealer in having this warranty connected part replaced. I do not have any other vehicle to drive, and I know I’m unsafe. I teach school and must get back and forth to work.

20251129UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I have had my vehicle to a GM dealer on a few occasions with the EMC code stored in the vehicle and an active check engine light on. While I’m driving - now during 70 percent or more of my trips - my vehicle loses power very suddenly and lunges me forward. I’m unable to stop and go on hills of any noticeable grade and have narrowly missed being in an accident many times. The dealer’s service manager has told me I should just BF glad the car is drivable when I have expressed ongoing safety concerns. I cannot get assistance from GM nor from the dealer in having this warranty connected part replaced. I do not have any other vehicle to drive, and I know I’m unsafe. I teach school and must get back and forth to work.

20251129VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

I have had my vehicle to a GM dealer on a few occasions with the EMC code stored in the vehicle and an active check engine light on. While I’m driving - now during 70 percent or more of my trips - my vehicle loses power very suddenly and lunges me forward. I’m unable to stop and go on hills of any noticeable grade and have narrowly missed being in an accident many times. The dealer’s service manager has told me I should just BF glad the car is drivable when I have expressed ongoing safety concerns. I cannot get assistance from GM nor from the dealer in having this warranty connected part replaced. I do not have any other vehicle to drive, and I know I’m unsafe. I teach school and must get back and forth to work.

20251005POWER TRAIN

The EMC on the vehicle appears to be faulty. The vehicle is burning more than double the fuel than it should, and I’m able to smell a strong oil burning odor while driving it. The SUV lunges you forward violently when this defect begins to act up, which can be at any point in a short or longer trip. The vehicle has little to no power once this is triggered and seems to go into limping mode. I’ve had this to a dealer three times, and they have failed to repair the issue. The first time I left it there for almost a month and within three miles of the dealership, the same problem happened. The dealer denies that the repair should be covered under the emissions regulation, which makes GM-BUICK responsible for repairs of this equipment until 8 years or 80,000 miles.

20251005UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The EMC on the vehicle appears to be faulty. The vehicle is burning more than double the fuel than it should, and I’m able to smell a strong oil burning odor while driving it. The SUV lunges you forward violently when this defect begins to act up, which can be at any point in a short or longer trip. The vehicle has little to no power once this is triggered and seems to go into limping mode. I’ve had this to a dealer three times, and they have failed to repair the issue. The first time I left it there for almost a month and within three miles of the dealership, the same problem happened. The dealer denies that the repair should be covered under the emissions regulation, which makes GM-BUICK responsible for repairs of this equipment until 8 years or 80,000 miles.

20250807UNKNOWN OR OTHER

My Encore is full of mice and mice droppings. The man at the dealership said GM should have screens or other safety measures done at the factory. This car has just 10,000 mils and I keep it in pristine condition. People can't believe how clean I keep it and this happens??? The tech told me there are at least 8-10 spots were mice come in. It is too easy for them. My brand new car is going to be totaled or close to it. I have AAA, but am already with all the added fee's at Enterprise car rental and my $500 deductible $700 out of pocket! I'm [XXX] and on a very fixed income. I'm still making car payments for the next 4 or 5 years. It's like never smoking and getting lung cancer. I didn't do anything wrong. GM is responsible. The are very irresponsibly in their manufacturing. Should I get a lawyer? The man who's meeting with the adjuster from my insurance told me how dangerous it was for driving this car. He said the smell (which I was unfortunately used to it, it's called olfactory fatigu

20240608UNKNOWN OR OTHER

While driving on interstate highway, CEL illuminated. When able to stop and check, DTC codes P1467 & P146b where detected. These codes deal with the Evap Purge system. The pump was recalled in model year 2021 for the make, model and engine in this vehicle. Failure to fix this issue results in increased fuel vapor escaping to the atmosphere as well as potential system damage. Since the same part was faulty in the previous model year, it seems GM did not correct the issue. A recall should be issued or an extended warranty with reimbursement in the 2022 model year also. Thank you.

20240429ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

The contact owns a 2022 Buick Encore. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the GMC mobile app alerted the contact of emissions failures and advised to contact the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the emission pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred 9-months later. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer, Simms Chevrolet Co (4220 W Vienna Rd, Clio, MI 48420) where it was diagnosed that the emission pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer ordered the part. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 30,474.

Mileage: 30,474

20240422FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

The contact owns a 2022 Buick Encore. The contact stated that while parked and refueling the vehicle, the contact observed an abnormal gasoline odor. Additionally, when the contact entered the vehicle there was an abnormally strong strong gasoline odor inside the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 22,786.

Mileage: 22,786

20230522SEAT BELTS

Seatbelts on my year old Encore with only 15k are frayed and unraveling, I am having the vehicle in for other unrelated repairs on Friday and will be certain to inform the dealership at that time but feel that this is extremely dangerous and totally unacceptable in a year old vehicle and I feel like I or my passengers could be injured or thrown from the vehicle in the event of an accident, no warning lamps or messages prior to failure.

20230503CrashAIR BAGS

None of my air bags went off in my car and my car was totalled. My insurance company has possession of the car now.

Compare 2022BUICKENCORE to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2022 BUICK ENCORE have?
The 2022 BUICK ENCORE has 11 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 1 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2022 BUICK ENCORE?
The 2022 BUICK ENCORE received an overall NHTSA safety rating of 5/5, front crash rating of 5/5, side crash rating of 5/5, and rollover rating of 4/5.
What are the most common problems with the 2022 BUICK ENCORE?
The most-complained component for the 2022 BUICK ENCORE is UNKNOWN OR OTHER with 4 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include POWER TRAIN and AIR BAGS.
Is the 2022 BUICK ENCORE safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2022 BUICK ENCORE has an NHTSA safety rating of 5/5. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.