BuickEncore2015Overview/buick/encore/2015/base/

2015 Buick Encore

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 2015 Encore.

Body SUVTransmission Automatic (S6)

The 2015 Buick Encore is an SUV that carries a 4.2‑quart oil capacity and uses 5W‑30 viscosity, mated to an automatic six‑speed transmission and delivers EPA fuel‑economy ratings of 25 city, 33 highway and 28 combined mpg. It has accumulated 123 owner complaints, the highest of the model’s 2013‑2022 complaint history, with steering issues as the leading complaint and four recalls recorded. While the 2015 model year represents the peak of reported problems, later years have shown a steady decline, suggesting a maturing reliability profile.

Model year202220212020201920182017201620152014

Quick specs

Fluid capacities, tune-up values and fuel economy at a glance.

Engine oil capacity4.2 qtOEM · verified
Engine oil type5W-30OEM · verified
EPA fuel economy25/33/28 mpgEPA · verified

Fitment & sizes

Replacement part sizes and factory part numbers — battery, bulbs, filters and belts.

From the factory this vehicle uses a BCI 47 · 525 CCA battery, OE oil filter 55593191. Each part links to every other vehicle that shares it, so a part you already stock may fit more of your fleet than you'd expect.

Battery groupBCI 47 · 525 CCAOEM · verified
Tire sizeP215/55R18OEM · verified
Wheel / rim7.0 inOEM · verified

OE service part numbers OEM · verified

Engine oil filter55593191 alt 25195777
Engine air filter95021102
Spark plug12681656
Battery88866115 alt 88866291
Front wiper blades42765840 alt 42765836
Serpentine belt55595700
Thermostat55565619 alt 25200455
Cabin air filter13271190 alt 13503677

Full specifications

Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.

Engine & drivetrain NHTSA vPIC

TransmissionAutomatic (S6)

Dimensions & weight NHTSA vPIC

Overall length168.1 in
Overall width69.7 in
Overall height65 in
Wheelbase100.8 in
Curb weight3358 lb
Track (front / rear)60.6 / 60.6 in
Weight distribution (front / rear)60/40

Ratings & economy EPA / vPIC

EPA city / highway / combined25 / 33 / 28 mpg
DrivetrainFront-Wheel Drive
Recommended fuelRegular Gasoline

Performance & power Independent road tests

0–60 mph, quarter-mile, horsepower and torque from independent road tests.

Independent road tests for the Encore of this era, listed by trim and engine — this page spans more than one engine, so no single horsepower figure is shown.

7.8–10.7 sec0–60 mph (tested)quickest 7.80 sec — 2017 Preferred II
YearTrim / engine0–60¼ mileHPDrivetrain
2016Sport Touring 1.4L Turbo I-49.20 sec17.00 sec138 hpAWD
2013Premium 1.4L Turbo I-49.30 sec17.10 sec138 hpFWD
2013Premium 1.4L Turbo I-410.00 sec17.60 sec138 hpAWD
2013Premium 1.4L Turbo I-410.10 sec17.70 sec138 hpAWD
2017Preferred II 1.4L Turbo I-47.80 sec16.20 sec138 hpFWD
2017Sport Touring 1.4L Turbo I-48.40 sec16.60 sec138 hpAWD
2017Sport Touring 1.4L Turbo I-48.50 sec16.50 sec138 hpFWD
2017Sport Touring 1.4L Turbo I-48.60 sec16.60 sec138 hpAWD

Service quick specs OEM factory data

Capacities, torques and tune-up values from the factory service manual.

This engine holds 4.2 qt of 5W-30 engine oil, 75W-90 in the differential, DOT 4 brake fluid. Torque the oil drain plug to 11.0 ft-lbs. The firing order is 1-3-4-2. Note the cylinder-head bolts finish on a torque angle (torque-to-yield) — they stretch permanently and should be replaced, not reused, during any head service.

Lubricants & capacities

Automatic Transmission FluidDEXRON(R)VI
Brake FluidDOT 4
Brake Fluid Capacity1.416
Differential Gear Oil75W-90
Differential Gear Oil Capacity0.96 qt
Engine Coolant50
Engine Coolant Capacity6.9
Engine OilSAE 5W · Synthetic

Engine torques

Camshaft Bearing/Carrier Cap Bolts or Studs71 inch lbs. ft-lbs
Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts15
Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts6
Engine Oil Pan Drain Plug10.0 ft-lbs
Engine Oil Pan Drain Plug11.0 ft-lbs
Oil Pump to Cylinder BLock Bolts/Studs71.0 inch lbs. ft-lbs
Engine Valve Cover Bolts6.0 ft-lbs

Chassis torques

Driveshaft Flange to Transmission43.0 ft-lbs
Steering Track (Rod End) Bolts55.0 ft-lbs
Transfer Case Fill Plug30.0 ft-lbs
Transfer Case Drain Plug30.0 ft-lbs

Ignition

Cylinder Firing Order1-3-4-2
Spark Plug ManufacturerAC Delco
Spark Plug Gap.28 in
Spark Plug Torque18 ft-lbs

Battery & A/C

RefrigerantR134a
Refrigerant Capacity20.16 lbs
Oil GroupPAG
Oil TypePSD1
Oil Capacity2.5 oz
Standard BCI Group Number47
Standard BCI Cranking Performance525 cca

Service checks

Pressure Test15 psi
Radiator Cap Pressure Relief15 psi
Thermostat Opening Temperature217 °F
Key ON Engine OFF (KOEO)50-94
RPM43-58 @ Idle rpm
Key ON Engine OFF (KOEO)50-94
RPMrpm
Injector Primary Resistance11

Brakes

Brake Caliper Bolt to Carrier TorqueFront: 21; Rear: 21 /
Brake Caliper Carrier to Hub Bolt TorqueFront: 118; Rear: 74 /; Front: 118; Rear: 74
ABS Sensor Torque7 / NS
Minimum Pad Thickness0.079 in
Minimum Shoe Thickness0.055 in
Vented Rotor Minimum Thickness for ReplacementFront: .905; Rear: .393
Vented Rotor Minimum Thickness after RefinishFront: .913; Rear: .402
Variation from Parallelism Thickness Variation.001

Multi-step torque procedures OEM · verified

Connecting Rod (Large End) Bearings — tightening sequence 1 stages
118.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 4518 ft. lbs
Cylinder Head — tightening sequence 2 stages

Prep Do not reuse old bolts. Do not allow oil on cylinder head or head bolt bosses

126.0 ft. lbs.26 ft. lbs
2180 degrees180 degrees

Factory maintenance schedule OEM · verified

Normal service, condensed from the factory interval matrix.

Under the factory schedule, replace the engine oil and filter every 7,500 mi; spark plugs every 60,000 mi; coolant at 150,000 mi. The big-interval services (at 150,000 mi for coolant, and the transmission fluid) are the ones owners most often skip — on a lower-mileage example, assume the original fluids are still in it and check them first.

Every 7,500 miAccelerator Pedal (inspect) · Body Latches, Locks & Hinges (lubricate) · Brake Shift Interlock Solenoid (inspect) · Brake System (inspect) · Engine Oil (inspect fluid level) · Engine Oil Life Monitor (inspect)
Every 22,500 miCabin Air Filter (replace)
Every 45,000 miBrake Hydraulic System (drain, refill & bleed) · Engine Air Filter Element (replace) · Fuel Evaporative Emission Control System (inspect)
Every 60,000 miSpark Plug Wires (inspect) · Spark Plugs (replace)
At 150,000 miAccessory Drive Belt (inspect) · Engine Coolant System (drain, flush & refill)

Reliability & federal safety record

Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.

The 2015 model year represents the statistical peak for owner complaints in the first-generation Encore, registering 123 complaints—more than double the 2013 and 2014 figures (52 and 60 respectively) and substantially exceeding the 78 reported in 2016. While recall activity remained stable at four campaigns (matching 2014), this volume of owner-reported issues places 2015 at the apex of the model's problem curve, with steering, engine, and brake systems generating the highest complaint counts. Notably, the data records six crash-related and two fire-related complaints for this year, though the federal records do not specify causal relationships or defect patterns underlying these incidents. As complaint volume declines steadily in subsequent years while recall frequency simultaneously drops, 2015 appears to be the generation's reliability nadir. Consequently, buyers seeking this platform would be better served by 2016 or later examples, which demonstrate significantly lower complaint rates without additional recall burden.

4
Open recalls
NHTSA campaigns
1459
Service bulletins
Manufacturer communications
0
ODI investigations
Office of Defects Investigation
123
Owner complaints
6 involved a crash · 2 a fire
NHTSA crash-test rating federal NCAP · out of 5 stars
Overall★★★★★
Frontal★★★★★
Side★★★★★
Rollover★★★★
Owner complaints by model year NHTSA · this generation & adjacent

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component

All 123 complaints on record, top 8 components.

Steering15
Engine11
Service Brakes11
Air Bags9
Electrical System7
Steering,Electrical System5
Exterior Lighting4
Engine & Engine Cooling3

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

Showing 2 of 4 campaigns on record for this vehicle.

16V651000Air Bags:FrontalReported 08/09/2016

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… Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed…

15V162000Equipment:Other:LabelsReported 20/03/2015

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Buick Encore vehicles manufactured August 26, 2014, to February 9, 2015, and 2015 Chevrolet Trax vehicles manufactured October 13, 2014, to February 3, 2015… Remedy: GM will notify owners, and will send owners a corrected label, free of charge. The recall April 29, 2015. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, and…

Technical service bulletins NHTSA · verified

Showing 5 of 1459 bulletins on record with NHTSA.

BulletinDateComponentSummary
PIT3271Q2026-04-01Unknown Or OtherThis preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel…
PIP61042026-03-09Unknown Or OtherThis Preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a GDS2 Session Log and…
PIP4902V2026-03-09Unknown Or OtherThis preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into…
PIP4902U2026-01-08Unknown Or OtherThis preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into…
PIT5214G2025-11-20Unknown Or OtherThis Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about…

Common OBD-II trouble codes

The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.

P0420
Catalyst system efficiency below threshold — Bank 1
P0300
Random / multiple cylinder misfire detected
P0171
System too lean — Bank 1
P0455
Evaporative emission system leak detected — large leak
P0128
Coolant thermostat below regulating temperature
P0442
Evaporative emission system leak detected — small leak

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN
Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific Encore. OEM
Build data
Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.
Recalls
Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Vehicles with shared specs

Find every vehicle that shares this one's battery, bulbs, oil capacity, platform or parts.

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.

Frequently asked

How much oil does the 2015 Encore take?

4.2 qt of SAE 5W-30 ACDelco dexos 1 Synthetic Blend is recommended, per the factory manual.

Does the 2015 Encore have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.

What gas mileage does the Encore get?

EPA figures are 25 city / 33 highway / 28 combined mpg.