Supply Issues Plague 2020 Buick Encore with Brake Problems

DEAR SUZANNE

By Suzanne Henderson
LETTER 19 – June 2022 | Short Supplied in San Bernardino

No 2020 Buick Encore Brake Set In The Entire Country

Dear Suzanne,

A friend of mine recommended that I reach out to you for help with my 2020 Buick Encore. I’m not sure if you can help me out or not, but I sure hope so. It’s been nothing but trouble since I got it. I bought it brand new, right off the showroom floor and thought it would last me a lot longer than it has.

SQUEAKY BRAKE PROBLEMS

It seemed okay at first, but around 5,000 miles, I started noticing problems with the brakes. Whenever I pressed down on the pedal, they would make this awful squeaky squealing noise, like metal on metal. I knew something was definitely wrong, so I took it back to the dealership for them to look at. The technician had a really flippant attitude about the whole and told me it was probably nothing to worry about. I stood my ground though and made sure that he looked at all of the brakes.

He discovered that they were not wearing evenly and said it was probably the way I was driving. He essentially told me it was my fault and there wasn’t anything he could do about it.

ELECTRICAL ISSUES

During that same visit, I also complained about some electrical issues I had noticed. When I opened the driver’s side door, the alarm would always go off and the only way to make it stop was starting the car up. The key fob never seemed to work well. When I pushed the lock button, one door might lock, or maybe two of them, or sometimes it just wouldn’t respond and none of them would lock. The technician performed a computer update that seemed to mostly resolve the problem. I was just grateful to have a car with working locks.

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT PROBLEM

Then, while I was driving on the highway, the check engine light came on. There was a message to stop driving the car, but there was nowhere for me to pull over. I had to drive four more miles to find an okay spot to stop, but even then I was on a narrow shoulder with cars going past me at 80 mph. It took nearly three and a half hours for a tow truck to get to me. Thankfully, AAA contacted the police so an officer could stay with me and control traffic until the tow truck was able to arrive. Once the Buick was towed to the dealership, they discovered the problem was another issue with the sensors which needed replacing. It took two weeks for them to figure this out and order the replacement parts. They were not able to provide me with a loaner vehicle for that time, so I had to rent one, which ended up costing a pretty penny.

NO BRAKE SET AVAILABLE

Not long after, the brakes began acting up again. I was out driving when the Buick notified me that the brakes were having problems and to not drive the vehicle. So, once again, I had it towed back to the dealership. After checking with corporate, the technician was told to shave my brakes, which I’m not sure was the right approach. Either way, it didn’t work. We took a test drive and it was obvious that there was still a problem. After some diagnostics, they found another sensor was not working. Corporate told them to disconnect the sensor and send me home. When I expressed concerns about that, I was told there were no brakes or sensors available to replace mine with. Apparently, every set of brakes for the 2020 Buick Encore were on backorder and a set couldn’t be found in the entire country.

I don’t know what effect disconnecting that sensor had, but afterwards I started having other issues. The door lock problem came back, but this time the driver’s door wouldn’t lock and none of the other doors would unlock, and the radio could not be turned off. The dealership informed me that there was nothing they could do until replacement parts could be located.

So now, I have a car that I can drive, sure, but I can’t reliably lock or unlock it. I’m stuck listening to the radio constantly. And I have no idea how long I can drive on these shaved brakes before they give out altogether. Despite talking to corporate, no one, the dealership or General Motors, can find me the sensor or brakes that my Buick needs for me to consider it actually safe to drive. Is this the sort of situation that would be covered by California’s lemon law?

Short Supplied in San Bernardino

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CA Lemon Law Buyback Option May Be The Way To Go

Dear Supplied,

Oh my, that does sound like quite the pickle you’re in! Luckily, California is a very consumer friendly state, and a skilled lemon law attorney should be able to help you resolve this headache.

 
There’s a few things we should cover here, so let’s get the basics out of the way. As I’m sure most of my readers know, the main requirement for lemon law are quite simple: your vehicle needs to meet the required number of repair attempts while still within the lemon law presumption or the manufacturer warranty periods, or your vehicle needs to be at the dealership for repairs and unavailable for your use for 30 or more days. Based on the information you gave me, your Buick should fit the bill.

LEMON LAW OPTIONS

Now, as to what you plan to do next, there are a few options. A skilled California lemon law attorney will be able to help you decide which option is best for you. When they begin negotiations with the manufacturer, there are three possible settlement options they can try to obtain for you: a buyback, a cash and keep, or a vehicle replacement.

VEHICLE REPLACEMENT

Personally, I do not recommend the replacement option, as the possibility of receiving another lemon is always there, and you can not file another lemon law claim on the replacement vehicle, leaving you stuck. If you really love your Buick and the problems are repairable, then you may opt for the cash and keep. In this case, the manufacturer would give you a cash settlement for the problems you’ve been having and you keep the vehicle. In this option, you carry on with your regular payments, but you cannot file for a lemon law claim on this vehicle again. I wouldn’t normally recommend it, but if your Buick is in good shape and just needs to wait for parts, it’s a possibility. However, in my experience, once the issues begin, especially early on, they’ll just continue getting worse as your vehicle ages.

LEMON LAW BUYBACK

For these reasons, I generally recommend the buyback option. With this one, the manufacturer will purchase your Buick back from you, essentially reimbursing the money that you’ve invested into its purchase, such as the down payment, monthly payments, loans, and taxes.

In addition to that amount, a good lemon law attorney will also push for the manufacturer to pay for your incidental costs caused by owning a defective vehicle. These are things like the cost of tow trucks and rental cars.

KEEP ALL REPAIR DOCUMENTS

The most important thing is that you keep all of your documentation for your attorney to review. This means ensuring that you have a copy of every repair order from each visit, the purchase agreement, and receipts for those incidental costs like your rental. Once your attorney is able to review all those, they’ll be able to begin negotiating with the manufacturer on your behalf and within a few months, you won’t have to worry about any of these problems again.

 
Suzanne

 
PS. Buick is an auto brand owned by General Motors. Find out more about the GM Lemon Law buyback process, its mechanics, qualifications, covered models, reported issues, and your legal options.

Free Legal Advice About Your 2020 Buick Encore Claim

Dear reader, are your vehicle problems ruining your life? Confused about what legal route to take? We’re here to help! Find information about California’s lemon law protections here, fill out the form on this page, or give us a call at (323) 553-7525 to discuss your situation with someone who understands how frustrating it can be to have a lemon car, and what to do about it.

DEAR SUZANNE is a weekly column written by Suzanne Henderson and published in LemonLawyers.ORG. If you have a defective lemon vehicle and have questions about California Lemon Law or how to file a claim in California, please write to [email protected]. While not guaranteed, we will try to feature your letter in this column to provide you the answers you need, as well as enlighten other consumers who may have lemon problems similar to yours.

Disclaimer: Suzanne Henderson is not a lawyer and the points discussed here are intended for general information and reference purposes only and not to be construed as legal advice. Please consult a California lemon law attorney to get proper legal advice about your lemon law claim.

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• Eight Things You Need To Know About California Lemon Law
• How To Avoid Buying A Lemon & What To Do If You Already Bought One

Featured Image: 2020 Buick Encore GX ‘Essence’ © Kevauto (CC BY-SA 4.0 License)