NHTSA Complaint #10573306 — 2013 BUICK ENCORE

I LIVE IN MINNESOTA. ON A -30 DEGREE DAY IN JANUARY I DROVE TO WORK (30 MILES ONE WAY). WHEN I LEFT FOR LUNCH I DROVE ABOUT A QUARTER MILE AND STARTED SMELLING A BURNING SMELL SIMILAR TO WHEN FOLLOWING A VEHICLE THAT IS BURNING OIL. MY CAR WAS NEW SO I DIDN'T THINK IT WAS ME. I WENT ABOUT 2 MILES AND STOPPED FOR A STOP LIGHT AT WHICH POINT MY ENGINE STARTED TO SPUTTER. I PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN SHIFTED BACK INTO DRIVE. I MANAGED TO PULL OUT OF TRAFFIC AND WITH BLACK SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE TAILPIPE, THE CAR DIED. IT WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND STRANGELY IT WAS THE SECOND ENCORE THAT DAY WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. AFTER SITTING IN THE WARM GARAGE OVER NIGHT, THE TECHNICIANS COULD NOT RECREATE THE PROBLEM. THE DIAGNOSTICS SHOWED NOTHING. I PICKED THE CAR UP AFTER A FEW DAYS AND IT WAS FINE FOR TWO WEEKS. THEN ON ANOTHER BITTERLY COLD DAY, IT HAPPENED AGAIN. THE CAR STARTED TO SMELL, BLEW BLACK SMOKE AND DIED. AGAIN IT WAS TOWED. AT THAT POINT A GM ENGINEER OUT OF MINNEAPOLIS CAME UP TO ASSESS MY CAR AS WELL AS SOME OTHERS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS TIME PARTS WERE REPLACED INCLUDING THE THROTTLE BODY SENSOR AND SOME AIR INTAKE PARTS. IT APPEARS AS THOUGH IT IS NOT UNCOMMON IN COLDER CLIMATES. I HAVE BEEN ON THE BUICK FORUMS AND HAVE FOUND OTHER INCIDENCES DOCUMENTED. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE REPLACEMENT PARTS ARE THE SAME PARTS THAT FAILED BEFORE SO THIS IS A PATCH NOT A FIX. NEXT WINTER THIS WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. IT IS AWFUL TO HAVE A NEW CAR THAT I CAN'T TRUST. I'M NERVOUS EVERY TIME I DRIVE IT WHEN IT'S REALLY COLD. NEXT TIME IT COULD DIE WHILE I'M IN TRAFFIC ON AN INTERSTATE OR I COULD BE STRANDED SOMEWHERE IN DANGEROUSLY COLD TEMPERATURES. *TR