Selling a junk Buick Encore
Any Encore sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.
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What owners report about the Buick Encore
NHTSA has 910 owner complaints on file for the Buick Encore, model years 2013 to 2022, the 297th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are engine (223, 25%), electrical system (88, 10%), other (85, 9%). 85 complaints involved a crash, 12 a fire, and 82 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 38,000 miles. The 2015 model year has the most complaints (193). Data as of 2026-10-12.
When the top complaint is engine, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to selling a car with a blown engine: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.
Buick Encore by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 70 | Engine | 7 | 0 | 6 | 24,619 |
| 2014 | 92 | Engine | 5 | 0 | 4 | 62,000 |
| 2015 | 193 | Electrical system | 11 | 3 | 4 | 43,000 |
| 2016 | 122 | Engine | 8 | 1 | 2 | 38,000 |
| 2017 | 136 | Engine | 21 | 5 | 2 | 33,000 |
| 2018 | 109 | Engine | 14 | 0 | 0 | 20,401 |
| 2019 | 132 | Engine | 16 | 3 | 2 | 34,000 |
| 2020 | 34 | Engine | 2 | 0 | 2 | — |
| 2021 | 11 | Engine | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2022 | 11 | Other | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.
Buick Encore recalls
NHTSA lists 13 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for air bags (4), equipment (2), seats (2). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.
- 2019 model year, transmission and drivetrain (campaign 20V668000, Oct 2020): General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse, 2018-2020 Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Terrain, 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, 2019-2020 Buick Encore, Buick Enclave, Ca…
- 2020 model year, seats (campaign 20V537000, Sep 2020): General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Encore GX and 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer vehicles. The rear attachment bolts of one or both front seats may not have been installed.
- 2019 model year, air bags (campaign 18V774000, Nov 2018): General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019 Buick Encore, Chevrolet Spark, Traverse, and Trax vehicles. The Sensing Diagnostic Module (SDM) on these vehicle may not have been turned off of "manufacturing mode," pre…
- 2014 model year, air bags (campaign 17V437000, Jul 2017): 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 vehi…
- 2014 model year, air bags (campaign 16V651000, Sep 2016): 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 ES…
What a Buick Encore is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk Encore on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.
Guides for selling this car
How to sell a car with a blown engine 
How much is my junk car worth? 
How junkyards price cars 
Catalytic converters and junk cars 
How to prepare your car for the junkyard 
Junk car scams and how to avoid them Other Buick models
- Buick Lesabre 3,868
- Buick Enclave 3,230
- Buick Regal 3,183
- Buick Lacrosse 2,926
- Buick Century 1,833
- Buick Rendezvous 1,798
- Buick Park Avenue 1,369
- Buick Lucerne 1,332
Questions people ask
- What is a junk Buick Encore worth?
- What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same Encore gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Buick Encore that doesn't run?
- Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
- Should I fix an open recall before selling a Buick Encore?
- Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
- Where do these Buick Encore numbers come from?
- From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.