BuickEncore GX2023Overview/buick/encore-gx/2023/base/

2023 Buick Encore GX

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 2023 Encore GX.

Transmission Automatic 9-spd

The 2023 Buick Encore GX runs a nine-speed automatic and calls for 4.2 quarts of either 5W-30 or 0W-30 viscosity oil, while EPA estimates stand at 26 mpg city, 29 highway, and 27 combined. Reliability records show zero recalls and only 23 total owner complaints, with the leading issue area classified under the vague "Unknown Or Other" designation. Set against the 20202025 complaint spectrum—in which totals peaked at 65 in 2020 and bottomed at 13 in 2025—the 2023 model’s 23 complaints position it in a calmer middle period of the run, distanced from the early high-volume issue reporting yet not yet at the low-water mark of subsequent years.

Model year2026202520242023202220212020

Quick specs

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

Engine oil capacity4.2 qtOEM · verified
Engine oil type5W-30 / 0W-30OEM · verified
Lug nut torque100.0 ft-lbsOEM · verified
EPA fuel economy26/29/27 mpgEPA · verified

Fitment & sizes

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

From the factory this vehicle uses a BCI AGM VRLA battery is required for this vehicle and is vented to the outside. 48 · 760 CCA battery, OE oil filter 25206377. 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 AGM VRLA battery is required for this vehicle and is vented to the outside. 48 · 760 CCAOEM · verified
Tire size225/55R18 98HOEM · verified
Wheel / rim8.5 inOEM · verified

OE service part numbers OEM · verified

Engine oil filter25206377 alt 12727115
Engine air filter42712666
Spark plug12688094 alt 12683541
Battery88864541
Front wiper blades42709499 alt 42709497
Thermostat55487536 alt 12666900
Cabin air filter13508023

Full specifications

Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.

Engine & drivetrain NHTSA vPIC

TransmissionAutomatic 9-spd

Dimensions & weight NHTSA vPIC

Overall length171.3 in
Overall width71.3 in
Overall height64.2 in
Wheelbase102.4 in
Curb weight3256 lb
Track (front / rear)61 / 61.8 in
Weight distribution (front / rear)60/40

Ratings & economy EPA / vPIC

EPA city / highway / combined26 / 29 / 27 mpg
DrivetrainAll-Wheel Drive
Recommended fuelRegular Gasoline

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 / 0W-30 engine oil, Dexron LS 75W90 Rear Axle Lubricant in the differential, DOT 4 brake fluid. Torque lug nuts to 100.0 ft-lbs. The firing order is 1-2-3.

Lubricants & capacities

Brake FluidDOT 4
Differential Gear OilDexron LS 75W90 Rear Axle Lubricant
Differential Gear Oil Capacity0.74 qt
Engine Coolant Capacity7.8 qt
Engine Coolant Capacity6.7 qt
Engine OilSynthetic · 5W-30 · 0W-30
Engine Oil Capacity4.2 qt
Engine OilSynthetic · 0W-20 · 0W-30

Engine torques

Crankshaft Position (CKP) Sensor Bolt(s)6.25 ft-lbs
Camshaft Position (CMP) Sensor Bolt(s)6.25 ft-lbs
Camshaft Bearing/Carrier Cap Bolts or Studs7.4 ft-lbs
Cylinder Head StepsInternal Hex Bolts
Cylinder Head StepsM10 Bolts
Engine Coolant Temperature (ECT) Sensor Bolt(s)6.6 ft-lbs
Oxygen (O2S) Sensor Bolt(s)31.0 ft-lbs
Knock Sense (KS) Bolt(s)11.0 ft-lbs

Chassis torques

Differential Fill Plug29.0 ft-lbs
Differential drain Plug33.0 ft-lbs
Lug Nuts100.0 ft-lbs
Transfer Case Fill PlugPTU: 30.0 ft-lbs
Transfer Case Drain PlugPTU: 30.0 ft-lbs
Automatic Transmission Drain PlugDrain: 9.0 ft-lbs, Fill: 30.0 ft-lbs
Automatic Transmission Drain Plug8.0 ft-lbs

Ignition

Cylinder Firing Order1-2-3
Spark Plug ManufacturerGM/AC Delco
Spark Plug Gap0.025-0.029" in
Spark Plug Torque12.0 ft-lbs

Battery & A/C

RefrigerantR1234yf
Refrigerant Capacity1.32 lbs
Oil GroupPAG
Oil Capacity3.4 oz
Standard BCI Cranking Performance760 cca

Brakes

Brake Caliper Bolt to Carrier TorqueRear: 74.0 ft-lbs
Minimum Pad ThicknessFront: 0.079; Rear: 0.059
Solid Rotor Minimum Thickness for ReplacementFront: 0.906; Rear: 0.315
Solid Rotor Minimum Thickness after RefinishFront: 0.913; Rear: 0.323
Solid Rotor Maximum Scoring Depth0.059"
Variation from Parallelism Thickness VariationNFNC: 0.0002", FNC: 0.0003"
Maximum Rotor Runout0.002"

Multi-step torque procedures OEM · verified

Front Wheel Hub — tightening sequence 1 stages
174.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 65-75°74 ft. lbs
Rear Wheel Hub — tightening sequence 1 stages
143.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 30-45°43 ft. lbs
Camshaft Bearing/Carrier Cap Bolts or Studs — tightening sequence 1 stages
16.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: Loosen 180°, Step 3: 9.0 ft. lbs., Step 4: 9.06 ft. lbs
Camshaft Sprocket and/or Gear Bolt(s) — tightening sequence 1 stages
137.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 28°37 ft. lbs
Connecting Rod (Large End) Bearings — tightening sequence 1 stages
115.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 60°15 ft. lbs
Connecting Rod (Large End) Bearings — tightening sequence 1 stages
118.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 110°18 ft. lbs
Flex or Driveplate Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
111.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 75°11 ft. lbs
Engine Flywheel Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
115.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 25°15 ft. lbs
Main Bearings — tightening sequence 1 stages
122.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 30°22 ft. lbs
Torque Converter Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
13.6 ft. lbs., Step 2: 15.0 ft. lbs., Step 3: 24.0 ft. lbs., Step 4: 31.03.6 ft. lbs

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 miBrake System (inspect) · Engine Air Filter Element (replace) · Engine Oil (inspect fluid level) · Engine Oil (drain & refill) · Engine Oil Filter (replace) · Engine Oil Life Monitor (inspect)
Every 22,500 miCabin Air Filter (replace)
Every 60,000 miSpark Plug Wires (inspect) · Spark Plugs (replace)
Every 100,000 miHood Hinge (inspect)
At 150,000 miDrive Axle Assembly (drain & refill) · 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 2023 Buick Encore GX sits at the low point of a generally declining complaint and recall arc across this generation, with 23 federal complaints and zero recalls — the cleanest recall record of any year in the dataset. Complaints fell steadily from 65 in 2020 to 23 in 2023, while recalls tapered from two per year in 2020–2021 to zero in 2023, suggesting Buick was working through early-production issues as the model matured. The 2023 model's top complaint areas are modest in volume — Unknown/Other (3), Power Train (2), Engine (2), and Structure (1) — with zero crash or fire complaints reported, and the data does not specify root causes for any of these categories. Notably, 2024 saw a slight uptick to 26 complaints and one recall, which means 2023 represents a brief sweet spot before a minor regression, while TSBs also dropped to 473 from 595 the prior year, indicating fewer known service issues flagged by the manufacturer. For a buyer evaluating a used 2023 Encore GX, the federal record makes this the strongest model year in the generation to purchase — minimal complaints, no recalls, and no reported safety incidents.

0
Open recalls
NHTSA campaigns
473
Service bulletins
Manufacturer communications
0
ODI investigations
Office of Defects Investigation
23
Owner complaints
0 involved a crash · 0 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 23 complaints on record, top 8 components.

Unknown Or Other3
Power Train2
Engine2
Structure1
Fuel/Propulsion System1
Electrical System,Service Brakes,Engine1
Steering1
Seat Belts,Unknown Or Other1

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

No recall campaigns on record with NHTSA for this vehicle as of the last data refresh.

Technical service bulletins NHTSA · verified

Showing 5 of 473 bulletins on record with NHTSA.

BulletinDateComponentSummary
PIT5966F2026-06-23Unknown Or OtherThis Preliminary information communicates an issue with an OTA pending message still…
PIP6033B2026-06-08Unknown Or OtherThis Preliminary information communicates to technicians to remove the pulley assembly…
PIP6031E2026-06-05Unknown Or OtherThis PI addresses leaks from the case half and provides repair direction to dealer…
PIP6032C2026-06-03Unknown Or OtherPIP6032B provides diagnostic direction for dealers when encountering transmission leaks
PIC6540J2026-05-14Unknown Or OtherThis Preliminary information communicates to dealers a procedure to reset the radio.

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

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VIN
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Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.
Recalls
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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 2023 Encore GX take?

4.2 qt of Dexos1 Gen 3 Full Synthetic 5W-30. Extreme cold with temperatures lower than -20°F may use 0W-30., per the factory manual.

Does the 2023 Encore GX have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 0 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.

What gas mileage does the Encore GX get?

EPA figures are 26 city / 29 highway / 27 combined mpg.