2019 Buick Encore Electrical Problems

My suv dies while im driving it. The engine stalls the lights go off. Its very dangerous I had a semi truck behind me last night and my encore basically became invisible. No lights no power, nothing. He almost hit me. Ive had this encore to several mechanics and none of them knows what the problem is. There are no warning lights on and it does not show any codes when hooked up to a diagnostic machine. I have called Buick Corp.and she told me to take it to a mechanic.

NHTSA ID

11691122

Incident

Sep 30, 2025

I have been calling Autonations for months now since my car started driving funny. I was first told it was a head gasket that needed replacement however using my vin number the engine that’s currently inside the vehicle is not the one that matches with what pulls up using the vin number. Than the antifreeze leaks out, the oil leaks out and one day the car started smoking on the freeway with my children and I inside. It just stopped and haven’t been working ever since. I literally just got messed out of money because I purchased this vehicle a year ago not knowing it was a recall and this is one of the recalls now I am completely screwed over without a car and my money!! Now I’m being told I have to pay because this car was sold to me already over the mileage limit to be fixed for free!!

NHTSA ID

11687171

Incident

Apr 8, 2025

my car engine did not shut off i had to call on star to assist turn off my engine. there is problem with ANTI theft system and cruise control. i had to press cruise button numberous time to shut it off. on start customer advice me to take it to dealer to take look. they did on board diagnosit test they found these code

NHTSA ID

11584728

Incident

Apr 20, 2024

On six occasions the vehicle stalled in moving traffic. The car had to be stopped, placed in park and restarted. Buick Service repair in Johnston, Rhode Island cannot repair. The car has been taken to them 6 times with no resolution.

NHTSA ID

11518939

Incident

Apr 24, 2023

I got my car from Buick of Long Island City I was giving the wrong key mess up battery the car will not start and I crashed

NHTSA ID

11504755

Incident

Jan 17, 2023

1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The windshield wipers stop and or turn on intermittently. They have stopped in the middle of a rainstorm on more than one occasion and they have turned on while just driving normally without any of the controls being touched. 2. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? My safety is put at risk anytime I am driving my vehicle in the rain (it rains heavily and a lot where I live). My visibility has been suddenly reduced to zero during highway travel requiring me to put on my hazard lights and attempt to pull off to the side of the road if I dare to try crossing lanes without being able to see. 3. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? On Friday 24 Sep 2021 the car will be inspected by a certified Buick mechanic. 4. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? There are no warning lights or any other symptoms present, however, the audio on the right side of the car has stopped working but I am not sure if they issues are related.

NHTSA ID

11433604

Incident

Sep 12, 2021

This car has the engine shutoff feature when stopped. My wife was waiting in the left turn lane of a major street with three lanes on her side plus two left turning lanes. Due to the busy intersection the wait for a green light is long, perhaps three minutes. The engine shut off and would not restart when she released the brake pedal. Also, almost everything electrical was inoperable, including the interior door release. My wife and granddaughter were temporarily trapped inside the vehicle. She tried the door handle, tried to put down the windows, tried to unlock the car with the keyless remote but nothing would work, she was trapped. After several attempts of trying to restart the car and hitting the unlock button on the keyless entry the doors finally unlocked. The mechanical issue turned out to be a bad car battery; it had shorted out. The safety issue is when the battery dies most components are inoperable, including the interior door release. The dealer said this is the way the car works. If an Encore were to catch fire and the electrical system gets disabled, occupants would be trapped in the car. I think it is a design flaw for the doors to not open when the battery is dead. This should be easy to replicate. Unhook the car battery. Place someone in the car and have them lock the doors. Have the person try to exit the vehicle. In hindsight, the problem was going on for some time. My wife noticed the car taking longer times to restart after shutoff. The day before this incident she was at another long traffic light where the vehicle did not start on its own but the first manual try to restart started the vehicle. I believe this was due to the car battery slowing dying. The car has not been inspected for this as the dealer said the car is working as designed. The Buick dealer replaced the car battery under warranty. One thing I wish I brought to their attention but did not is the fact that no warning light came on indicating a weak car battery.

NHTSA ID

11417542

Incident

May 16, 2021

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THE VEHICLE TURNS ITSELF OFF. HEADLIGHTS GO OFF AND THERE IS NO CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. SOMETIMES THE VEHICLE WILL CRANK ITSELF WITHOUT TOUCHING THE START BUTTON. SOMETIMES SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE IT WILL REMAIN ON LONG ENOUGH TO START DRIVING AGAIN. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE BECAUSE YOU HAVE NO CONTROL OVER THE VEHICLE AT THE TIME OF ENGINE SHUTDOWN. IT DOESN'T MATTER IF IT IS HIGHWAY SPEEDS OR IN TOWN. TONIGHT IT TOOK OVER 2 HOURS TO TRAVEL A NORMAL 20 MINUTE DRIVE. IT ALL STARTED 27 FEB 21 AND TODAY (28 FEB 21) IT IS PROGRESSIVELY GETTING WORSE. MOST OF THE TIMES THAT IT HAPPENS A BELL WILL DING 4 TIMES AND RIGHT AFTER THE BELL CHIMES THE ENGINE IMMEDIATELY SHUTS OFF. ALL LIGHTS EXTINGUISH, IT LOSES STEERING CONTROL AND BRAKES ARE MINIMIZED.

NHTSA ID

11398316

Incident

Feb 27, 2021

Mileage

87,000 mi

HACKER ITS BEING ABLE TO CHANGE STEREO AND PENETRATE INTO THE UNIT AND MANIPULATE CAR SETTINGS AS HE'S PLEASE. DANGEROUS WHILE I AM DRIVING.

NHTSA ID

11376463

Incident

Nov 13, 2020

Mileage

30 mi

I WAS STOPPED IN A DRIVE THRU TACO BELL AND THE CLERK DROPPED MY CHANGE DOLLARS FROM MY PURCHASE SO I REACTED BY OPENING THE DOOR TO PICK UP THE MONEY BY TAKING MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE WITHOUT PUTTING IT IN PARK BECAUSE IT WAS A REACTION. THE CAR'S STOP START FEATURE SURGED THE CAR FORWARD PINNING MY LEGS BETWEEN THE CAR AND THE BUILDING. I COULDN'T PUT THE CAR IN PARK BECAUSE MY LEGS WERE PINNED AND THE VEHICLE SHIFT WOULD NOT GO INTO PARK. I SCREAMED AND THE CLERK HAD TO TAKE MY SHOES OFF SO I COULD PULL MY LEGS IN THE CAR. I WENT DIRECTLY TO URGENT CARE. MY LEGS WERE SEVERELY BRUISED. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. THE CAR SHOULD NOT SURGE FORWARD LIKE THAT. I'VE HAD THE CAR FOR 1 MONTH AND IT SCRAPED THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR AND FRONT TIRE/RIM. $1500 DAMAGE BUT LOST A DAYS WORK AND SEVERAL WEEKS OF RECOVERY. THE SAME THING COULD HAPPEN AT AN ATM. I USED TO WORK FOR GM AND TEST DRIVE VEHICLES THIS ENGINE STOP/START FEATURE SHOULD HAVE AN ELECTRIC FEATURE SIMILAR TO WHAT FORD HAS THAT ONCE THE DOOR OPENS, THE DRIVE GOES AUTOMATICALLY TO PARK. THIS SHOULD BE A SAFETY RECALL!!! 10/8/19.

NHTSA ID

11268006

Incident

Oct 8, 2019

Mileage

2,100 mi