2016 Buick Encore — Should You Buy One?
Typical asking price: $8,000–$12,000. There are 2 high-severity known issues you need to know before handing over a check.
Kestrel Take
A quiet, small, easy-to-park crossover with the same 1.4L turbo that makes the Cruze and Sonic a running maintenance bill. The sound insulation is genuinely good for the class. The cooling system is genuinely made of brittle plastic.
What we checked
Partly reconciled against public records, 2026-09-11
NHTSA holds 79 owner complaints for the 2016 Buick Encore, across 2 recall campaigns.
A big number here usually means a lot of these were sold, not that it is a bad vehicle — popular models collect more complaints for the same rate of trouble. So the total on its own says little. What is worth reading is the shape of it. 54% of them are about one thing — the engine. That much concentration is a genuine pattern rather than background noise, and it is the first thing to check on any example you look at.
2 recall campaigns cover this model year. Recalls are repaired free, for any owner, with no time limit on most safety campaigns — but only if someone books it in. Ask the seller to show it was done, or have any dealer check the VIN; it takes them a couple of minutes and costs nothing.
Not written up yet: the fuel system (13 complaints), the transmission and drivetrain (11 complaints). Those groups are in the public record and are not covered by the issues below. Treat them as something to ask about, not as absent.
Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.
Known Issues for the 2016 Buick Encore
Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents.
Water outlet housing, thermostat housing, and turbo coolant lines all crack with heat cycles. Expect several over the vehicle's life.
Repair cost (estimate): $200-$700 per leak
Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (43), steering (5).
Rough idle, whistling, and rear main seal damage if left. The oil-cap suction test diagnoses it instantly.
Repair cost (estimate): $150-$450
Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (43).
Carbon-restricted oil feed lines starve the turbo bearings.
Repair cost (estimate): $900-$1,800
Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (43).
Stretch on neglected engines, producing a cold-start rattle and correlation codes.
Repair cost (estimate): $1,200-$2,200
Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (43).
138 horsepower in a heavy little crossover. It is not quick, and that is fine if you know it going in.
Repair cost: Not yet priced
Source: not yet checked against public records.
Walk-Away Red Flags
- ✗Coolant level dropping
- ✗Whistling at idle
- ✗Cold-start rattle
- ✗Any overheating history
Good Signs
- ✓Cooling system parts already replaced with the updated versions
- ✓Complete oil change records with dexos-spec synthetic
- ✓Low mileage, one older owner
Found a specific Buick Encore?
This page covers what goes wrong on the 2016 Buick Encore in general. The Kestrel report covers this specific car— the asking price vs. market, the photos, the seller's description, and a BUY / NEGOTIATE / WALK AWAY verdict with a negotiation script.
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Not ready to pay for one? The free read is instant and needs no card — it checks the asking price against the market and names the top issues for this year. It stops short of the verdict, because that needs the photos.
Known issues on this page are based on documented owner reports, NHTSA complaints, class-action records, and manufacturer technical service bulletins. Individual vehicles vary. A pre-purchase inspection by a trusted mechanic is always worth doing.
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