2021 Buick Encore Safety Report

The 2021 Buick Encore presents a generally strong safety profile based on NHTSA crash test ratings, achieving a perfect 5-star overall rating, including 5 stars for frontal and side impacts, and 4 stars for rollover. This indicates excellent performance in controlled crash scenarios. However, the vehicle's complaint data, though low in volume with only 8 total complaints, reveals some concerning patterns. A significant portion of these complaints, 3 out of 8 (37.5%), are related to the ENGINE component, with specific mentions of turbocharger failures, check engine light issues due to purge sensors, and melted flex pipes. One complaint even details a turbocharger failure while passing a semi-trailer, nearly causing a head-on collision, highlighting a potential severe safety risk. Despite the strong crash test performance, the recurring engine-related issues, particularly turbocharger failures, suggest a potential reliability concern that could impact safety in real-world driving conditions. There are also isolated but serious complaints, such as an unexpected airbag deployment while leaving a parking lot, resulting in injury and a 'fried wire smell,' and issues with service brakes where the pedal became firm and required excessive force to stop. The absence of any recalls for the 2021 model year, despite a complaint referencing a potential recall for an 'Evaporative Emission Purge Pump' issue, is noteworthy and could indicate a gap between reported problems and official safety actions. Overall, while the 2021 Buick Encore excels in passive safety as demonstrated by its 5-star NHTSA ratings, the active safety and reliability picture is somewhat clouded by a pattern of engine-related complaints, including critical component failures like the turbocharger, and other isolated but severe issues such as unexpected airbag deployment and brake problems. The low number of complaints (8 total) makes it difficult to draw definitive conclusions about widespread issues, but the nature of the reported problems warrants attention, especially the potential for sudden loss of power due to engine component failure.

Our recommendation: While the 2021 Buick Encore boasts excellent crash test ratings, potential buyers should be aware of reported engine issues, particularly turbocharger failures, which could impact long-term reliability and safety; consider a pre-purchase inspection focusing on the engine and power train.