2020 Buick Encore GX Has Brake System Issues, Says Consumer Reports
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The 2020 Buick Encore GX made its North American debut at the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show, debuting in as an all-new small crossover and slotting in between the smaller Buick Encore and larger Buick Envision. Unfortunately, Consumer Reports has now identified the 2020 Buick Encore GX as one vehicle that is likely to have brake system reliability issues.
Consumer Reports recently listed the vehicles most-likely to exhibit reliability issues, breaking down the vehicles based on the organization’s 17 key trouble spots. The ranking is based on Consumer Reports reliability data collected via large-scale Consumer Reports member surveys, and focuses on 1- to 3-year-old models.
According to the report, 7.8 percent of 2020 Buick Encore GX owners reported an issues with the crossover’s brakes, with the most common issue being brake squeal when applying the brake pedal. The full range of potential braking issues includes problems with the ABS, parking brake, master cylinder, calipers, rotors, brake pulsation or vibration, brake failure, and premature wear.
Consumer Reports indicates that the 2020 Buick Encore GX has an overall Reliability score of three out of five, and perfect five out five reliability scores for the engine, transmission, and drive system. Body integrity, however, was identified as another potential trouble area.
Interestingly, Consumer Reports also rates the 2020 Buick Encore GX with a perfect five out of five with regard to braking performance in the organization’s road test results.
As a reminder, the 2020 Buick Encore GX was offered with two engine options, including the turbocharged 1.2L I3 LIH gasoline engine, rated at 137 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque, and the turbocharged 1.3L I3 L3T gasoline engine, rated at 155 horsepower and 174 pound-feet of torque. The former connects to a CVT, while the latter connects to a nine-speed automatic transmission.
Both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive were offered. Production for the U.S. took place at the GM Korea plant in Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, South Korea.
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Ah, the old brakes making noise issue. This has to be one of the most frustrating issues that service writers and techs face. I recall way (WAY) back in 1989. I had sold a wealthy older couple a brand new 1989 Cadillac Brougham D’Elegance. Dark sapphire blue with the dark blue button/pillow like leather seats. At around 3,000 miles, he brought the car in for the first oil change and was complaining about the brakes making noise. But this wasn’t just a squeaking. It was grinding noise. He couldn’t really say much because this was his wife’s car that she drove. We found out that the brakes were totally gone and were metal on metal. Very strange! But Cadillac agreed to replace the brakes at no charge. About six month later, he brought the car in for the same issue, but this time Cadillac said they would not pay. After talking with him he admitted that his wife would drive with both feet: one on the gas and one on the brake. A few days later I was coming back from lunch and sure enough I got behind her Cadillac going up a hill with the brakes lights on! Needless to say, the husband had to speak to her about that one.
On another very short story. My co-worker leased a brand new 2020 Volvo S60 and ended up with brake noise and pulsation within the first 2,000 miles. Volvo paid to have the pads/rotors replaces. I’ve now had my S60 for almost a year with nearly 9,000 miles and not one single issue with brakes. Moral of my long rant? Brakes are often a source of “issues” and there are as many brake problems as there are drivers.
Copper ban in brake pads, everybody has had to reformulate. Level B low-copper, <5%, is mandatory this year, and level N <0.5% hits 2025.
This isn’t the real Dan the real Dan would never write anything without saying something hateful about Japan. Stop using my friends name.
There’s that GM quality. -Scotty Kilmer
Well if you check the 2019 and newer trucks 1500 up to the 3500 Chevrolet and GMC brands the brakes all squeal and growl and it continues with no pad refurbishment of a better kinder pad. GM will change the first set BUT its a uphill battle to get continued replacements. Really poor designs as the older trucks never had these problems. Innovating I do not think so.
Then there is a ongoing issues with the slider windows on those trucks that leak. GM has not reviewed that design either. I cannot begin to think of losses and customer losses for these simple issues. The question is WHY does it continue? They should redesign or get their suppliers to retrofit the issues. Guess the loss is not considered in the overall GM fiscal status.
Hello everyone! Now from my experience in owning ten cars so far in my life… Hey STUPID when brakes on a car squel it’s time to get NEW BREAKES! My 2010 Chevy Equinox LTZ V6 was doing this you would be driving along and hear a squel when you pressed down on the brakes it went away… Your rotors are shot, vibrating brakes=warped rotors. I never had an ABS problem and I fixed the cheap factory brakes by installing cross drilled and slotted rotors and ceramic pads… Which are much better brakes then stock. I am telling people are getting dumber by the minute… You shouldn’t be driving ANY VEHICLE if you don’t know when your brakes are WORN OUT!
Even you should come to the Northeast in NJ and NY States and see all the maniac drivers…It’s like Nascar every day around here. Lots of factory brakes are poorly designed… For my example we once owned a 2012 Dodge journey R/T and the brake calipers where six piston on the front and four piston on the rear it was a nightmare finding the right brake components because the dumbs dumbs at Chrysler Corporation decided to be cheap when the Journey originally came out back in 2009 and used calipers that where to small.
@Chevy Man: Actually, you are wrong in what you said about the “Hey STUPID when brakes….”
Brakes are designed with a brake wear indicator (little metal tab) that when the brakes are thin (need replacing) that metal tab with touch the rotor and make a high pitched squealing sound. This sound goes away when you depress the brake pedal (due to the metal tab being pushed away from the rotor). That’s when brakes need to be replaced.
Quite often brakes will make different noises (often referred to as brakes squealing or making noise) even if they do not need to be replaced. This can be caused by different things, but most often pads with too much metallic in them. Organic brakes tend to be much more quiet, but they don’t last long and thus people complain about those even more. I’m not totally for sure, but I’ve been told that ceramic brakes can make the most noise. Anyhow, there’s a huge difference in brakes needing to be replaced vs. brakes just making noise.
Thanks for the information Dan like this blog because if you read the different comments you can learn something from different people. But I personally know people who own Buick encores and they do not have this brake problem at all… My point is you can’t lump every single Buick Encore ever made recently and say thst they are all bad vehicles.
Exactly.
once again, Clown Car
I have a 2020 Equinox its doing the same thing.
Brake noise is the result of driver action. Pedal pulsation is the result of rotor thickness variation in the rotors. That thickness variation is caused by excessive rotor or wheel bearing runout. PERIOD!
just updated from my 2010 Buick Lacross 108k still original 4 brakes
Have a 2015 Malibu 2.5L –85,000 kms (about 48,000 miles) –original brakes
Yes, I got in a accident because of the breakes . No my car might have to be totaled
I just bought a 2020 buick encore gx it doesn’t even have 10, 000miles on it the brakes are squealing something awful I see where yall have complained about this but has anyone found a solution.