Clean Feeds
Home › Recalls › Buick › Encore › 2013

2013 Buick Encore recalls, complaints and safety ratings

There are 6 US recalls for the 2013 Buick Encore, and 4 in Canada. Owners filed 52 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine. Its best NHTSA overall crash rating is 4 stars.

6US recalls
0urgent recalls
52owner complaints
4★overall crash rating

Is your car affected?

Check by VIN to confirm the exact model and see every recall for it.

Recalls are issued for a make, model and model year. Whether the repair has already been done on one specific car is known only to its manufacturer and dealers. Check your vehicle's official status at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a dealer.

US recalls (6)

Electrical system: ignition

2016-07-05 · campaign 16V502000 · 8,367 vehicles

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Buick Verano and 2016 Chevrolet Malibu as the electronic park lock lever may allow the ignition key to be removed without the transmission being in PARK. Also, certain 2013 Buick Encore, 2011 Buick Regal, 2013-2014 Buick Verano, 2011-2016 Chevrolet Cruze, 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2011-2013 GMC Terrain vehicles may have been serviced with similar defective replacement electronic park lock levers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."

Risk and remedy

Risk: If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick 1-800-521-7300, and GMC 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 50490 and 50491.

Seat belts: front

2014-08-08 · campaign 14V488000 · 48,114 vehicles

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Buick Encore vehicles manufactured August 23, 2012, to March 1, 2013, and model year 2013 Cadillac ATS vehicles manufactured April 23, 2012, to May 1, 2013. In the affected vehicles, the driver and passenger lap belt pretensioner cables may not lock in a retracted position, allowing the seat belts to extend when pulled upon.

Risk and remedy

Risk: If the seat belts do not remain locked in the retracted position when under load, the seat occupant may not be adequately restrained in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace both front the driver's and the passenger's lap belt pretensioners, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. GM sent interim notifications on October 7, 2014 and will send a second notification when remedy parts are available. The recall began on November 20, 2014. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 14171.

Seats

2014-07-23 · campaign 14V446000 · 124,007 vehicles

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Buick Encore and Cadillac ATS; 2014 Cadillac CTS, ELR, Chevrolet Caprice and SS vehicles; and 2014-2015 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra Trucks. Due to an incomplete weld on the seat hook bracket assembly, the front seats in the affected vehicles may not stay secured in place during a high load condition such as a crash.

Risk and remedy

Risk: A seat that does not stay secured increases the risk of occupant injury in a vehicle crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the seat hook bracket assembly weld and replace the lower seat track, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on August 15, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), and 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14340.

Equipment: electrical

2014-07-02 · campaign 14V417000 · 2,990 vehicles

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Buick Encore all-wheel-drive vehicles manufactured August 23, 2012, to September 9, 2013; Verano vehicles manufactured August 8, 2012, to June 20, 2013; Chevrolet Cruze vehicles manufactured August 7, 2012, to August 16, 2013, and 2012-2014 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles manufactured May 10, 2011, to August 16, 2012 equipped with a Calix oil pan/block heater. In cold temperatures, the insulation on the engine block heater cord can become damaged, allowing the wires to be exposed.

Risk and remedy

Risk: Exposed wires increase the risk of electrical shock and personal injury if the cord is handled while it is plugged in.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the engine oil pan/block heater cord with a new cord that is rated for temperatures of minus 40 degree Celsius. The recall began in August 2014. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14257.

Air bags

2014-06-06 · campaign 14V298000 · 61 vehicles

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Buick Encore vehicles manufactured April 10, 2013, to May 8, 2013, and Chevrolet Spark vehicles manufactured December 30, 2012, to March 1, 2013. In the affected vehicles, an improper weld on the passenger side front air bag inflator may result in the air bag not deploying.

Risk and remedy

Risk: If the air bag does not to deploy in the event of a crash, there is an increased risk of injury to the front passenger.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger side front air bag, free of charge. The recall began on July 30, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick) or 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet). GM's number for this recall is 14211.

Steering: steering wheel/handle bar

2013-03-28 · campaign 13V105000 · 144 vehicles

General Motors is recalling certain model year 2013 Buick Encore vehicles manufactured between December 9, 2012 and December 28, 2012, and equipped with a heated steering wheel. The steering wheel fastener may not have been properly installed. This could cause the steering wheel to come loose or separate from the steering column.

Risk and remedy

Risk: If the steering wheel separates from the steering column while driving, the ability to steer could be lost, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and make any necessary repairs on the steering wheel. These services will be provided at no charge to the customer. The safety recall began on May 21, 2013. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-521-7300. This is General Motors campaign number 13098.

Canadian recalls (4)

Show 4 Canadian recalls

Seats and restraints

2014-08-11 · campaign 2014-343

On certain vehicles, the front outboard driver and passenger seatbelt pretensioners may not function as designed in the event of a crash. The pretensioners could retract upon deployment but fail to lock in the retracted position, allowing the seat belt to return to the original position. This could increase the risk of injury in a crash that warrants seatbelt pretensioner deployment. Correction: Dealers will replace affected pretensioners.

Seats and restraints

2014-07-29 · campaign 2014-315

On certain vehicles, the hook bracket assembly for either front seat may have been manufactured with an incomplete weld. If the weld is incomplete and the assembly is exposed to a high load condition, the hook may separate from the seat track. This could increase the risk of occupant injury during a crash. Correction: Dealers will inspect the weld, and if necessary, replace the lower seat track.

Accessories

2014-07-03 · campaign 2014-274

On certain vehicles, insulation on the engine block heater power cord may become damaged if the cord is handled during very cold days (temperatures below -25C). This could create an electrical shock hazard, which could result in personal injury. Correction: Dealers will replace the block heater cord.

Airbag

2014-06-06 · campaign 2014-214 · 25 vehicles

On certain vehicles, welds on the passenger airbag end caps could separate from the airbag inflator. If this occurs, the airbag may not deploy properly. Failure of the passenger airbag to fully deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of personal injury to the seat occupant. Correction: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the passenger airbag assembly.

Owner complaints (52)

Owners filed 52 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Buick Encore (4 crashes, 2 injuries reported). Among 10 model years of this model, it ranks #7 for the most complaints (median 74).

Most-reported problemComplaints
Engine21
Electrical system8
Power train7
Vehicle speed control6
Air bags5
Fuel/propulsion system4
Tires3
Seat belts3

Crash test ratings

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2013 Buick Encore.

VersionOverallFrontalSideRollover
2013 Buick Encore SUV FWD4★5★5★4★
2013 Buick Encore SUV AWD5★5★5★4★

Fuel economy

EPA ratings for each 2013 Buick Encore version.

VersionCity MPGHighway MPGCombinedYearly fuel cost
Encore 1.4 L Automatic (S6)253328$2,400
Encore AWD 1.4 L Automatic (S6)232925$2,700
Need this data in your app?
Recalls, complaints, crash ratings and fuel economy as a JSON API. Decode up to 50 VINs per call and get a daily feed of new recalls.
Explore the API →

Sources: NHTSA recalls, complaints and 5-Star Safety Ratings, US EPA fuel economy and Transport Canada's Vehicle Recalls Database (contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada). Recalls updated 2026-10-30.