Owners have filed 27 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the electrical, transmission, and engine. The 9 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2024Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/9 checked
2024 Buick Encore GX: inspection sheet
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/2
Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/1
At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/6
These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.
Nearby years usually share most parts, so their problems are worth checking on this car too.
Worth adding to your 2024 checks
Worth adding to your 2024 checks
Worth adding to your 2024 checks
NHTSA complaints for the 2024 Buick Encore GX, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
The digital instrument cluster goes black, often while driving, leaving no speedometer, fuel gauge, or warning lights. The center screen also blanks or glitches, dropping calls and CarPlay, and some owners say both panels run very hot. Two reports put the cluster failure near 54,000 to 55,300 miles, with dealers calling for major repairs such as a VCU module. Other reports describe door locks that stop working and keep cars at the dealer for weeks, headlights and taillights shutting off at random, and a back-ordered cluster part. Dealers often find nothing wrong.
Jerking, shuddering, and failed shifts at highway speeds of 60 to 65 mph lead the reports, with no warning lights beforehand. In the worst case the transmission fails outright: the car loses speed on the freeway and then will not move. Other reports describe the car refusing to move when put in drive, then slowing on its own before returning to normal. Dealers have been unable to duplicate some failures, and these cases carry a clear loss-of-control risk in traffic.
Misfiring, violent shaking, and stalling are the reported failures. In some cases the engine misfires and shuts off with no check engine light, sometimes right after refueling, and the dealer finds nothing and blames bad gas. In others the car shakes hard, the check engine light comes on, and the engine dies on busy roads, coming back after three repairs tied to the fuel pump and a sensor. Losing power in traffic creates a real crash risk.
Excerpts from complaints Encore GX owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.
The instrument panel gets really hot. I've taken the car to a dealer to diagnose the problem but they say that that can't find anything wrong .There were no warning lights or any message. I purchased the car in 2025 and it already had a little over 10,000 miles on it. Not just the instrument panel gets hot, but, also yhe panel where the radio is.
Filed with NHTSA, May 2026
Upon starting up my car, the instrument panel (showing speed, mileage, warning lights, fuel level, blinkers, etc) was completely blank. The entire dashboard is displayed via illumination. This lasted about an hour. There is an open recall on this exact issue, but my VIN isn't included in the recall.
Filed with NHTSA, September 2024
The issue has happened three times and has been "repaired" three times. While driving, the vehicle starts to shake violently. Then the check engine light comes on and the vehicle shuts off. It has happened on extremely busy roads and almost caused major accidents. It has been a problem with fuel pump and sensor. Again, it has happened three times.
Filed with NHTSA, August 2025
Vehicle was started and started misfiring and then shut off, no check engine lights came on. Tried to restart the car and it continued to misfire but eventually stopped. Car also misfires sometimes after refueling. Car was taken to dealership to be looked at and there were no findings of any issues, they suggested it was bad gas.
Filed with NHTSA, November 2025
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2024 ranks fourth for owner complaints among 7 Encore GX years, close to the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.
Recall repairs are free at any Buick dealer, but the seller may never have had them done. Check each campaign number against the VIN.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2024 Buick Encore GX, Envista, and Chevrolet Trax vehicles. The software in the Virtual Cockpit Unit Module (VCU) may cause the instrument panel display to intermittently go blank at vehicle startup or while driving.
Risk: A blank instrument panel will not show critical information, such as vehicle speed and warning lights, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: The VCU software will be updated by a dealer or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 4, 2023. 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 A232424320.
Cars shoppers compare with the Buick Encore GX, with their own 2024 checklists.
2024 owner complaints, side by side
