Owners have filed 10 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the airbags, transmission, and electrical. The 8 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2020Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/8 checked
2020 Buick Envision: inspection sheet
Engine off, key in hand0/3
Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/3
At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/2
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.
These years share the 2020's design and most of its parts, so their problems are the ones to look for on this car too.
Worth adding to your 2020 checks
Worth adding to your 2020 checks
EPA figures for each version of the 2020 Buick Envision. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.
| Version | Drive | EPA rating |
|---|---|---|
| 2.0L 4-cyl | AWD | 22 mpg |
| 2.5L 4-cyl | AWD, FWD | 24–25 mpg |
NHTSA complaints for the 2020 Buick Envision, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
A side air bag that does not deploy in a crash is the most serious report. One side impact with a semi-trailer at about 35 mph left the driver with broken ribs. Other reports describe the air bag warning light staying on, joined by parking brake and stability control lights, which a dealer traced to a faulty restraint sensing module. A driver's seat belt that would not extend was tied to a failed air bag module. Reported mileages run from about 20,000 to 82,910, so no clear onset point shows up.
The car can roll away. One report says the vehicle can be switched off and the key removed without the shifter being in Park, and the transmission appears to slip into Neutral by itself. The manufacturer called this normal operation. A separate report describes the engine shutting off while stopped at a light, leaving the driver stalled in traffic until the car restarted. Both carry a real safety risk, but with only 2 complaints and no mileages given, no pattern is visible yet.
Warning sounds and displays can cut out. Reports describe losing every chime in the cabin, including seat belt, turn signal, and door-open alerts, which a dealer blamed on a faulty amplifier. A sunroof is described opening on its own while the car sat locked and parked, then staying stuck open. In another case the instrument cluster went black at startup, with no gauges and no warning lights. None of these reports give a mileage, and the 2 complaints point to separate faults rather than one repeated failure.
Excerpts from complaints Envision owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.
The Air Bag, Parking Brake, Traction Control/StabiliTrak/Electonic Stability Control lights all came on while operating my vehicle. The lights did not go off, so I reported to the dealership. They determined it was an internal defect in the Inflatable Restraint Sensing and Diagnostic Module. This was not covered under warranty and appears to be a defect in the module. I believe this to be a serious safety concern and recommend a recall of this issue.
Filed with NHTSA, October 2023
I was driving and came to a stop at a light and all the sudden in my car just shut off. It took me a minute to try to turn it back on while cars behind me honking their horn. I’m assuming it has something to do with the electric due to the start stop button. I don’t have official incident report because I was able to get my car turned back on. I looked it up on the Internet and several people are having this issue.
Filed with NHTSA, December 2024
Got in the vehicle to start the engine and the instrument cluster stop showing all readings of the gauges would not display the screen blacked out and none of the gauges were working. There were no warnings lamps or nothing out the ordinary the instrument cluster just went out. This is the first time it has ever done this.
Filed with NHTSA, February 2024
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2020 ranks joint sixth for owner complaints among 8 Envision years, well under the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.
Redesigns and mid-cycle updates change what can go wrong.
The 2020 is the fifth model year of the Envision's first generation (2016–2020).
It includes the 2019 update.
What changed for 2019
Cars shoppers compare with the Buick Envision, with their own 2020 checklists.
2020 owner complaints, side by side
