The 2015 Buick Encore with the 1.4L turbo suffers from catastrophic engine failures and transmission cooling issues that can turn this compact crossover into a money pit. These aren't wear-and-tear problems—they're design flaws that manifest suddenly and expensively.
Symptoms: Sudden loss of power and severe knocking, Metal shavings in oil, Oil consumption 1+ quart per 1,000 miles before failure, Check engine light with misfire codes, White or blue exhaust smoke
Fix: Complete engine rebuild or replacement required—pistons crack, rings fail, bearings spin. We're seeing piston skirt failures that score cylinders beyond honing. Short block replacement is the most common solution at 18-24 labor hours, though many owners opt for used engine swaps at 12-16 hours to cut costs.
Estimated cost: $4,500-7,500
Transmission Oil Cooler Line Failure
Common · high severity
Typical onset: 40,000-80,000 mi
Symptoms: Transmission fluid leaking from cooler lines at radiator, Transmission overheating warning, Harsh shifting or slipping when fluid level drops, Pink fluid pooling under vehicle front end
Fix: The steel cooler lines corrode where they connect to the radiator—common road salt issue. Replacement requires dropping the plastic undertray and wrestling with rusted fittings. This isn't a patch job; both lines should be replaced together. 2-3 hours labor plus flush and refill.
Estimated cost: $400-700
Transmission Mount Collapse
Common · medium severity
Typical onset: 50,000-90,000 mi
Symptoms: Harsh clunk when shifting from Park to Drive, Vibration through floor and steering wheel at idle, Engine seems to rock excessively during acceleration, Visible sagging of engine/trans assembly from passenger side
Fix: The hydraulic transmission mount fails internally—the fluid leaks out and the rubber deteriorates. Common on all GM small-platform FWD vehicles of this era. Replacement is straightforward but requires supporting the powertrain. 1.5-2 hours labor.
Estimated cost: $250-400
Electric Power Steering Assist Failure
Occasional · high severity
Symptoms: Sudden loss of power steering assist while driving, Service power steering message on dash, Extremely heavy steering effort, May occur during low-speed turns or cold weather
Fix: The electric steering motor or control module fails—sometimes just poor internal connections. GM issued a recall for some VINs (NHTSA 15V-527) but not all affected vehicles were covered. Diagnosis requires checking for fault codes and testing the motor. Replacement is 2-3 hours labor if it's the motor assembly.
Estimated cost: $800-1,400
Turbocharger Wastegate Rattle and Failure
Occasional · medium severity
Typical onset: 70,000-120,000 mi
Symptoms: Rattling noise on cold start that disappears when warm, Loss of boost/power under acceleration, Check engine light with underboost codes (P0299), Excessive oil consumption as turbo seals wear
Fix: The wastegate actuator arm wears and rattles, eventually the wastegate sticks or the turbo seals fail. If caught early (just rattle), actuator replacement is 4-5 hours. If the turbo is cooked, figure 6-8 hours for turbo replacement including coolant and oil line work.
Estimated cost: $600-2,200
Intake Manifold Carbon Buildup (Direct Injection)
Common · low severity
Typical onset: 80,000-120,000 mi
Symptoms: Rough idle and hesitation, Poor fuel economy, Reduced power, Check engine light with lean/misfire codes
Fix: Direct injection means no fuel washing the intake valves—carbon cakes up over time. Walnut blasting the intake ports is the proper fix at 4-6 hours labor, though some shops use chemical treatments (less effective). Not an emergency but performance suffers noticeably.
Estimated cost: $400-800
Owner tips
Change oil every 5,000 miles with full synthetic—the turbo and high-pressure fuel pump are oil-sensitive and this engine has tight tolerances
Inspect transmission cooler lines annually if you live in the salt belt; catch them before they fail completely
Monitor oil consumption religiously after 50,000 miles—if you're adding a quart between changes, start budgeting for engine work
Replace the PCV valve and intake breather every 30,000 miles to minimize carbon buildup on the valves
Avoid unless under powertrain warranty—the engine failure rate makes this a gamble even at attractive used prices.
AI-assisted summary drawn from NHTSA recall data, our labor-times database, and platform knowledge. Not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on a specific vehicle.
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General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse and Chevrolet Spark EV, Caprice PPV and SS vehicles, 2014-2017 Buick Encore and Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles, 2015-2016 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Trax, Suburban and Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL vehicles, and 2015-2017 GMC Sierra HD 2500 and 3500 vehicles. While being previously remedied for recall 16V-651, the affected vehicles may not have received the complete software update necessary to remedy the recall condition. Without the update, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Consequence: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 17287.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL · 16V651000
2016-09-08
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, 3500 HD, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles and 2014-2017 Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500, Trax, Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle, GMC Sierra 1500, Buick Encore, and 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Spark EV and SS vehicles. In the affected vehicles, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Consequence: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16007.
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS · 15V162000
2015-03-20
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Buick Encore vehicles manufactured August 26, 2014, to February 9, 2015, and 2015 Chevrolet Trax vehicles manufactured October 13, 2014, to February 3, 2015. The affected vehicles have tire placards that do not provide the rim size information for the front or rear wheels. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims and Motor Home/Recreation Vehicle Trailer Load Carrying Capacity Information for Motor Vehicles with a GVWR of 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds) or less."
Consequence: If the label is missing front and rear rim size information, the owner may replace the rims with ones that are an incorrect size, increasing the risk of crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and will send owners a corrected label, free of charge. The recall April 29, 2015. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, and Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 15166.
STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM · 15V146000
2015-03-13
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Buick Encore vehicles manufactured November 27, 2014, to February 24, 2015, and 2015 Chevrolet Trax vehicles manufactured November 18, 2014, to February 17, 2015. The steering column assembly housing may contact the power steering printed circuit board causing the circuit board to wear.
Consequence: The circuit board wear may cause a sudden loss of electric power steering assist, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the steering column assembly, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 24, 2015. 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 15168.
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