10.0

really awful
Typical Repair Cost:
$400
Average Mileage:
53,000 miles
Total Complaints:
1 complaints

Most common solutions:

  1. not sure (1 reports)
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2014 Buick Encore:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #1

Oct 172016

Encore

  • Automatic transmission
  • 53,000 miles

I bought my 2014 Buick Encore in January 2015 - bought it new. A few weeks after I bought it I was unable to unlock the door using the key fob. I was able to unlock it manually. The car started, but all of my presets were gone. About an hour later the key fob worked again and all of my presets were back to normal. I called the dealership and they said to bring it in if it happens again. I also noticed that the ignition switch would get very hot to the touch after about 45 minutes of driving, and I could smell a burning smell. Since it was January, I wasn't sure if this was due to running the heater so I just paid attention to it and waited for March to come around. It was still happening so I took it to the dealer to have both issues checked. They couldn't find anything wrong and they said it was normal for the ignition to get hot in this car - the dealer called Buick engineers and they were told by them that this was normal for this car. I insisted that there was an underlying ELECTRICAL ISSUE with this car and asked them to check the computer and electrical systems. They said both were fine. I wasn't satisfied because I still believe that there is an electrical issue with this car and everyone pretends like it's normal. The dealer called Buick and was able to get me an extended warranty on all electrical and steering components, because I INSISTED and told them that this car was going to break as soon as the warranty went out. I had 7,000 miles on the car at that time. I've now had the car a little over a year and a half. During that time I have had several things go wrong: driver rear window broke, ABS light comes on and off randomly and I can feel it stop working...then it will just start working again. My tire pressure sensors were reversed, and after having 3 flat tires Discount Tire discovered the issue and corrected it. Then, at around 52,250 miles (200 miles after my warranty went out) my car started idling rough upon acceleration from a stop and acting like it would die, then my check engine light came on. I stopped at Auto Zone to pull the code and it showed p0171, p0106, and p1101. The next day the car wouldn't start. During the 45 minutes that I waited for the two truck I tried to start it over and over. It would click and the check engine light would show but it wouldn't turn over. Right before the tow truck showed up it started. The dealer replaced the pcv valve, the battery (it had a bad cell) and the starter. They had the car for two weeks because every time they addressed one issue another one popped up. Two days after I picked it up the check engine light came back on and it was idling rough again. Took it to another dealer (the original one I bought it from) and they said it was the a/c pressure switch and it's not covered under my powertrain or the extended warranty (which I DID have to use as soon as my warranty went out...JUST like I predicted) - they told me this would cost $400. I insisted again that they check the computer (PCM, ECM, ECU...whatever they call it) because there is an UNDERLYING ISSUE with this car. I have NEVER had so many problems with a car from 2,000 to 50,000 miles. The dealership just keeps telling me that it's normal wear and tear and there is nothing wrong with the computer if there's not a code. Well..if the computer that diagnoses itself is broken then how can you know for sure that it can tell you what is wrong?? They can't and won't answer this question. They practically tell me that it is NORMAL for a BUICK to SUCK from day one. I have owned 6 cars previous to this one (this is my first BUICK) and I drive them for 4-5 years at which point they have 110,000-120,000 miles on them. I have NEVER had ANY issues with any of my previous cars before 75,000-80,000 miles and even then they are minor wear and tear issues. The Buick Encore has a FUNDAMENTAL problem....a problem that is at it's CORE and I can only conclude that Buick owners are used to this as the dealership seems to think this is perfectly normal. This is the first, and will be the last BUICK I will EVER own.

Update from Aug 8, 2017: Update: My car now has 73,000 miles on it and the air conditioner works just fine although my car is currently back in the shop because check engine light came on and it won't start. It looks like the same exact issue it was in for 10 months ago. Bottom line - nothing was ever wrong with the a/c pressure switch. The dealership that tried to tell me that just wanted $400 and they looked for something that was outside of warranty. That dealership is Ewing Buick GMC in Plano, Texas. They also sold me this broken car and insist that it's normal for it to be constantly breaking down.

- aroose, Nevada, TX, US