2018 Buick Encore Engine Problems

Brought my car to get an oil change and was told they could not do it as my oil filter housing unit is cracked and leaking oil they said to check for recalls as this is an issue with other vehicle same problem. Upon checking i was informed that Buick is not making this a recall item at this time. They put in enough oil for me to get home.

The contact owns a 2018 Buick Encore. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to coast to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the timing chain, resulting in damage to the crankshaft. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 98,507.

COMPONENT FAILURE: THE ENGINE TIMING CHAIN. YES, IT IS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION. SAFETY RISK: VEHICLE HESITATED AND LOST POWER IN TRAFFIC, CAUSING MY VEHICLE TO AUTOMATICALLY SLOW DOWN WHERE I WAS NO LONGER DRIVING AT THE SPEED LIMIT. MY SAFETY AND OTHER DRIVERS AROUND ME WAS COMPROMISED AS THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED A MAJOR ACCIDENT SHOULD I HAVE BEEN REAR ENDED. I HAD IT TOWED TO LAMBERT BUICK, CUYAHOGA FALLS, OHIO. THEY DIAGNOSED A TIMING CHAIN MALFUNCTION WHICH WAS CONFIRMED BY DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. I WAS ADVISED NOT TO DRIVE VEHICLE DUE TO ENGINE DAMAGE POTENTIAL. I HAD IT TOWED BACK TO MY HOME AND HAVE NOT DRIVEN IT SINCE. VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED BY THE MANUFACTURER, POLICE, INSURANCE OR ANYONE ELSE. THERE WAS NO WARNING, MESSAGES OR ANY SYMPTOMS PRIOR TO THE ENGINE TIMING CHAIN ISSUE. A WARNING LIGHT ONLY CAME ON WHEN THE CAR HESITATED AND LOST POWER IN TRAFFIC.

During normal driving the car would lose power. RPM's would drop and with engine sputtering. No trouble codes show up.

Engine stalls, intake hose, power issues, multiple oil leaks

I have been alerted by General Motors, via a letter that I received in March, 2024, that, due to a defect, my car's (a 2018 model year Buick Encore) engine may have a "condition where the turbocharger could fail" and that "the engine may run rough or have reduced power." In the letter, they have offered "additional protection for the condition" if the "condition occurs...within 10 years of the date your car was originally placed in service or 120,000 miles...whichever occurs first." On [XXX], my car was at 126,819 miles, and had all of the symptoms of the issue that were described in the March 2024 letter ("the Malfunction Indicator Light (Check Engine Light) will illuminate and a diagnostic trouble code will set. Additionally, the engine may run rough or have reduced power.") On May 3, 2024, I contacted GM at the phone number provided in the March 2024 letter ((800) 521-7300.) I was told by the GM representative that, because I was "over the mileage", that any GM dealer would have to charge me a $130.00 Diagnostic Fee to diagnose the issue, and, that even after diagnosing, there was no guarantee that GM would fix the issue, because I was "over the mileage". The GM representative also said I could ask the dealer to waive the Diagnostic Fee, at the dealer's discretion. If, after paying the Diagnostic Fee, and if the Diagnostic Fee revealed that my car did have the "turbocharger fail condition", that I could THEN contact GM to see IF they would cover the repair cost. In May, 2024, my car was at about 128,000 miles. I contacted two GM dealers: Les Stanford Buick in Ferndale, MI, and James Martin Chevy in Detroit, MI. Both refused to waive the Diagnostic Fee. So, in other words: - GM has created a defective, potentially DANGEROUS product, that GM acknowledges is defective. - GM created a warranty extension in which GM arbitrarily extended the warranty mileage and time. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2018 Buick Encore. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact's husband noticed there was oil leaking onto the ground underneath the vehicle. The contact’s husband, who is a certified mechanic, diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the failure was caused by a leaking oil cooler pipe. The contact was informed that the oil cooler pipe needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact stated that the leak was persistent. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact referenced GMC recall 43210; however, the contact was informed that the VIN was not associated with the recall. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 152,000.

Stalling and shuts off. Low power when accelerating. Car has been so slow to take off that when merging into on coming traffic I have to move to shoulder & then try again to prevent an accident. Coughs, putt & squeaking sounds.Car shakes while in park or not in motion. Check engine light on.

There are many Buick Encores, including 2018 that have a problem with acceleator position sensors. My car’s vin # shows that it does not have this notice, and thus no problem. However, in July this 2018 Buick Encore went into ‘limp mode, check engine light came on. Code for problem was 2138 (accelerator Pedal Position Sensor) The initial dealer solution was to apply dielectric grease. However, this ‘cure’ lasted . 15 miles, when it went into limp mode,,, again check engine icon came on THIS is very dangerous, as it cannot accelerate and from a stop, it does not move until a minute later… that is so frightening, I again took it to the deaer, same code of P2138, and now they recommend the accelerator pedal positon sensor replacement…. THIS is identical to the problems with the other Encores, This is a severe safety issue, and the rest of the 2018 Buick Encores should be included for notification AND repair .

The contact owns a 2018 Buick Encore. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle was shaking abnormally with the check engine and stabili-trak warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and turned off and restarted the vehicle and the warning lights were cleared, and the vehicle drove normally. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but was a recurring failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and replaced the ignition coils and spark plugs; however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 109,800.

Turbo charger has A leak, dealer stated they knew it had a leak but they couldn't find it. All they did was clear the code. My car has A check engine light, and a trouble code of PO299, does not maintain proper speed, has issues with acceleration.

We took our 2018 buick encore in to get the turbo fixed for the recall. The mechanic told us he can't test the turbo on it because the oil line going into the turbo isn't working and he has multiple other vehicles in for the SAME issue and they have been sitting in his back lot since December because he can't get the part in because everyone is out of stock. We will have to pay out of pocket for the oil line issue which will be $2300. So the turbo going bad is not the only issue this recall should cover. Because the oil line supplying the turbo should be included with the recall!

Overdrive recall and check engine lights is on. We were just informed about the recall from our mechanic

The contact owns a 2018 Buick Encore. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that soon after the warning light appeared, the engine struggled to remain running. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal while in park to prevent the engine from shutting off. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle hesitated upon depression of the accelerator pedal while driving at various speeds. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

I have been employed in the Automotive Parts and Repair business for over forty years. I notice my vehicle exhaust sounded different than usual. I suspected the flex pipe part of the front exhaust pipe was leaking. This was confirmed by my local auto repair shop during a service visit. During my time as GM Parts Manager I can speak from experience to the problems these flex pipes cause because I kept two or three of them on the shelf to repair vehicles. My concern is exhaust fumes entering the passenger compartment of my vehicle because the flex pipe leaking which is just off the exhaust manifold. I contacted the local dealership where my vehicle was purchased because there still is a "Emission Warranty in effect. My 2018 Buick Encore has less than 50000 miles on it . I also contacted the Northeast Region District Service Manger with my concerns.

The contact owns a 2018 Buick Encore. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light would illuminate as the average miles per gallon decreased. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the clamps for the turbo hoses were loose. The clamps and hoses were realigned and tightened. The contact stated that the failure recurred 2 months later. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the same diagnosis along with a red thread failure. The clamps were realigned and tightened again. The contact stated that the air filter hose was also loose. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 54,000.

Unknown. On Highway total loss of power, unable to steer.

The contact's sister owns a 2018 Buick Encore. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle inadvertently loss motive power without warning. The vehicle would restart independently and resumed normal operation. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer to be diagnosed. The mechanic determined that the turbocharger assembly was defective. The vehicle was repaired. The contact was also informed that the antifreeze had been burning within the engine however, no additional repairs were performed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

THERE IS A MALFUNCTION WITH THE TURBO HOSE ON A MAJORITY OF 2018 BUICK ENCORE'S THAT REQUIRE A NEW HOSE. THERE IS A NATIONWIDE BACK ORDER ON THESE PARTS DUE TO ALL OF THE REPAIRS. WHEN THIS ITEM BROKE I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 70 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE, THERE WAS A LOUD POP FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE APPROPRIATELY.