What are the common problems with the 2021 Buick Encore GX?
Owners of the 2021 Buick Encore GX have filed 55 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine (15) and the powertrain (12). In NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026, 15 of them list a mileage; a complaint is an owner's report, not a proven defect.
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See what the paid report includes →NHTSA's file holds 55 owner complaints on the 2021 Buick Encore GX. Owners named the engine most often: 15 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 55 complaints, 2 report a crash, none reports a fire and 3 report an injury (4 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
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Common problems with the 2021 Encore GX
NHTSA's file holds 55 owner complaints on the 2021 Buick Encore GX. Owners named the engine most often: 15 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component.
| Component (NHTSA category) | Complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 15 | 1 | Under 5 mileages |
| Power Train | 12 | 4 | Under 5 mileages |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 7 | 0 | Under 5 mileages |
| Service Brakes | 7 | 2 | Under 5 mileages |
| Electrical System | 5 | 1 | Under 5 mileages |
Of the 55 complaints, 2 report a crash, none reports a fire and 3 report an injury (4 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Mileage when owners reported a problem with the 2021 Encore GX
The 15 mileages owners gave run from 2,500 to 87,402 miles, and half are at or under 45,000. With fewer than 20 mileages this page gives the median only: the other percentiles are too few to say. None came after 100,000 miles, none after 150,000 and none after 200,000.
These mileages say when owners reported a problem, not when a 2021 Encore GX wears out. NHTSA's file holds only vehicles whose owners complained; one that ran without a problem never appears in it, so it gives no lifespan and no cutoff, and how a vehicle was maintained matters more than any one odometer reading.
Most of these reports came early in the vehicle's life: all 15 came at or under 100,000 miles, so they say nothing about how many miles a 2021 Encore GX can cover.
Complaint mileage also follows a model year's age: the 2021 has had less time to cover miles than older years, so its figures will rise as it ages.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Lowest mileage listed | 2,500 miles |
| 25th percentile | Too few to say |
| Median (50th percentile) | 45,000 miles |
| 75th percentile | Too few to say |
| 90th percentile | Too few to say |
| Highest mileage listed | 87,402 miles |
| Complaints after 100,000 miles | none |
| Complaints after 150,000 miles | none |
| Complaints after 200,000 miles | none |
Is the 2021 Encore GX a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2021 is a good or a bad Encore GX: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2021 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file.
With 55 complaints, the 2021 ranks 2nd of the 6 Buick Encore GX model years from 2020 to 2025 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 2020 (70). The fewest: the 2025 (15).
Recent model years have had less time to collect complaints, so their counts are still growing. No year is ranked by mileage here, because a year's median mileage mostly follows its age.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 Encore GX | 70 | 23 | 1,487 |
| 2021 (this page) | 55 | 15 | 45,000 |
| 2022 Encore GX | 34 | 8 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2023 Encore GX | 28 | 3 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2024 Encore GX | 36 | 12 | 30,620 |
| 2025 Encore GX | 15 | 3 | Under 10 mileages |
2021 Buick Encore GX recalls
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 2 recall campaigns that name the 2021 Buick Encore GX. A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
What these figures can and cannot tell you
- Complaints are owners’ reports to NHTSA. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them: a complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
- The mileage is what the owner wrote on the complaint; NHTSA does not check it against the odometer.
- The make, model and model year are the ones on the complaint. NHTSA records them as filed, so a few complaints sit under a model year the name was not sold in.
- They are not a lifespan study. The file holds only vehicles whose owners reported a problem, so these figures do not say how long a typical 2021 Encore GX lasts.
- A complaint count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road, so it is not a rating of the 2021 Encore GX.
- Nothing here describes one vehicle: its title brands, odometer readings, accidents and open recalls are in the records for its own VIN.
- 40 of the 55 complaints on the 2021 Buick Encore GX give no usable mileage (blank, zero, a filler such as 999999, or over 500,000) and are left out of every mileage figure.
- NHTSA name counted: ENCORE GX. NHTSA files some vehicles under several names (a series name and a trim name, for example); this page counts only this one.
- Recall-file name matched: ENCORE GX.
Primary sources behind this page
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Complaints file field layout (CMPL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls file field layout (RCL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recall and complaint datasets: scope and documentationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls Lookup by VINNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA’s complaints file was downloaded on November 11, 2026 (FLAT_CMPL.txt, dated 2026-11-11 10:15, 2,265,416 rows), with its recall files (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.txt and FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.txt, dated 2026-11-11 08:02). Each complaint is counted once, by its NHTSA number, with the model year and mileage of its first row; a model year has a page only with 10 or more complaints. The collection script and its rules are in scripts/collect-nhtsa-model-year-longtail.mjs.
2021 Buick Encore GX questions
What are the most common 2021 Buick Encore GX problems?
NHTSA's file holds 55 owner complaints on the 2021 Buick Encore GX. Owners named the engine most often: 15 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 55 complaints, 2 report a crash, none reports a fire and 3 report an injury (4 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
At what mileage do owners report problems with the 2021 Buick Encore GX?
Of the 15 complaints on the 2021 Buick Encore GX that list mileage, half came after 44,000 miles; none came after 100,000 miles, none after 150,000 and none after 200,000. With fewer than 20 mileages, the median is the only percentile given. These are mileages at a reported problem; they do not say how many miles a 2021 Encore GX can cover.
Is the 2021 Buick Encore GX a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2021 is a good or a bad Encore GX: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2021 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file. With 55 complaints, the 2021 ranks 2nd of the 6 Buick Encore GX model years from 2020 to 2025 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 2020 (70). The fewest: the 2025 (15).
How many recalls does the 2021 Buick Encore GX have?
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 2 recall campaigns that name the 2021 Buick Encore GX. A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
How do I check a used 2021 Buick Encore GX before buying?
Take the 17-character VIN from the vehicle and compare the odometer with the readings on file for it: title transfers, inspections and auction sales record the mileage on the day. VIN Lookup (free-vin-lookup.com) sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99 (3 reports for $29.99, 5 for $44.99): odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for the VIN. Check the VIN before buying a used 2021 Buick Encore GX.