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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →There is no clear, evidence-backed single “best” Buick Encore model year for reliability. One complaint-rate analysis points to 2014 as a tentative low-complaint candidate and flags 2019 as a high-complaint year, but other sources rank 2014 poorly. Those rankings use different methods and do not establish a vehicle’s chance of failure. For a used Encore, judge the individual car: check its recall status, records, condition, and inspection results.
Which Buick Encore years look best in the available data?
ForCar’s September 2026 table, based on NHTSA owner complaints grouped by production run, gives 2014 the lowest listed complaint rate and 2019 the highest among model years it considers adequately aged. These figures are complaint rates, not failure probabilities or verified defect rates.
| Model year | ForCar complaints per production run | Raw complaints in ForCar’s table | How to read the signal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 1.37 | not stated in the cited rate summary (ForCar) | Lowest rate in ForCar’s adequately aged-year table; tentative candidate, not a confirmed most-reliable year. |
| 2015 | not stated in the cited rate summary (ForCar) | 117 | Highest raw complaint total in the table; raw volume is not adjusted for how many vehicles were in service. |
| 2017 | not stated in the cited rate summary (ForCar) | 84 | Raw total only; it cannot be compared directly with a rate. |
| 2019 | 2.05 | 82 | Highest rate in ForCar’s adequately aged-year table, despite fewer raw reports than 2015. |
ForCar reports 560 owner complaints across 2013–2022 and says the records are grouped using the first 11 VIN characters to represent a production series. Its table illustrates why count and rate can point in different directions: 2015 has the largest raw total, while 2019 has the highest per-production-run rate. The analysis does not adjust for every factor that can affect complaints, including mileage, maintenance, vehicle exposure, or an owner’s likelihood of reporting a problem. ForCar’s reliability table and methodology were updated September 5, 2026.
Why do reliability sources disagree about 2014?
CarComplaints labels 2014 the Encore’s worst model year using its own ranking, even though ForCar’s complaint-rate table makes 2014 its lowest-rate adequately aged year. CarComplaints says its ratings can factor in repair cost and problems occurring at lower mileage, so its label is not directly interchangeable with ForCar’s rate. CarComplaints’ Encore overview does not establish that every 2014 vehicle is unreliable.
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- Suitable For Buick Encore 2013 2014 2015 2016, if Applicable
A copy of a historical Consumer Reports used-car list appears in an individual complaint attachment hosted by NHTSA and includes the 2014–2016 Encore among models with much-worse-than-average reliability. That document is not the original Consumer Reports publication, and it is not evidence that each car from those years has a defect. The NHTSA-hosted attachment should be treated as a historical, secondary copy rather than a current model-year ranking.
Consumer Reports’ indexed page for the 2020 Encore describes reliability as about average compared with same-model-year vehicles and reports two NHTSA recalls. The full page was not available for inspection, so this is limited evidence about 2020 alone—not a basis for ranking other years. Consumer Reports describes its broader reliability history as drawing on subscriber surveys of about 380,000 vehicles and charts covering 20 potential trouble spots; that is not the sample size for the Encore. Consumer Reports’ 2020 Encore reliability page.
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What do Encore complaint reports say to inspect?
ForCar’s broader complaint summary names the engine most often, with 128 reports. A separate system table on its reliability page lists 213 engine, 83 electrical, 71 power-train, 66 air-bag, and 58 fuel/propulsion complaints. Those pages present different totals and category groupings; do not combine them as if they were one consistent count. These are owner reports, not confirmed failures, defect findings, or recall determinations. They are useful as prompts for questions during an inspection, not predictions about a specific car. ForCar’s Encore owner-complaint summary was updated August 31, 2026.
How to evaluate a used Encore before buying
- Confirm the vehicle’s identity. Verify its model year, market, trim, drivetrain, and engine. This comparison concerns the U.S.-focused 2013–2022 Encore; the Encore name has also been used for later vehicles in other markets.
- Check recalls by VIN. Use the official NHTSA recall lookup to see whether the specific vehicle has open recalls, then confirm whether applicable repairs were completed.
- Review maintenance and ownership records. Look for documented servicing, repairs, mileage consistency, and signs of prior damage. The year-level complaint rankings do not account for a particular car’s history.
- Arrange an independent pre-purchase inspection. Have a qualified mechanic assess the vehicle’s condition and investigate any concerns raised by records, a test drive, or diagnostic findings.
How much confidence should you put in year rankings?
Complaint databases capture problems owners choose to report; they do not verify each report or establish a controlled mechanical failure rate. Newer model years also have had less time for reports to accumulate. ForCar marks 2021 and 2022 too new for its year ranking. The sources available here do not provide comparable reliability scores for every year, a directly inspectable primary NHTSA year-by-year complaint export, or controlled failure rates. They also do not settle reliability differences by configuration, mileage, maintenance, or use.
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Rank #3
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Use the numbers as screening signals, not as a substitute for evaluating the car. If you need a brief year-based takeaway, 2014 is a tentative low-complaint candidate in ForCar’s rate table, while 2019 is a caution flag in that same table; neither is conclusively the best or worst Encore year.
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Rank #4
- CarPlay/Android Auto: Seamlessly integrate the user's experience on IOS devices or Android devices with this app. Using a voice assistant can avoid distracting the driver, allowing the driver to do multiple things with his voice without taking his eyes off the road. more convenient and safe;
- Other Functions: Navigation, Video, Music, BT, Wifi, Steering wheel control(SWC)... There are plenty of other functions. Based on the powerful Android system and hardware, it has the ability to expand far beyond OEM equipment, allowing your car to connect the world through the Internet;
- Stability: With years of production and sales experience, we continuously collect customer opinions and suggestions to continuously improve the production process and gradually improve the quality of components. At the same time, we constantly keep up with the times and install user-friendly apps for our products, making them stable and user-friendly;
- Warranty & Notes: One year warranty; After-sales are guaranteed, if you have any questions, please contact the seller for support at the first time; your consultation is always welcomed;
- Suitable For Buick Encore 2013 2014 2015 2016, if Applicable
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