Factory build sheet
2018 Buick Encore Base
Build KL4CJ3SB-J · 1.4L 4cyl · Front-wheel drive · Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV)
VIN positions 1 through 8 read KL4CJ3SB and position 10 reads J. Those nine characters define this build. Position 9 and positions 11 through 17 differ on every car.
Every Encore whose VIN starts KL4CJ3SB and carries J in position 10 left the plant with the same engine, transmission, drivetrain and equipment listed below. We know of 40 of them.
- Decoded Jul 7, 2026
- 40 known VINs
- 1 listed for sale now
Factory specification
As filed by Buick with NHTSA for this build. Fields the filing does not record are left out entirely — a missing row means no recorded value, not a missing feature.
Engine
- Displacement
- 1.4 L
- Cylinders
- 4
- Engine model
- LUV: MFI, Variable Valve Timing, ALUM, E85 MAX
- Engine manufacturer
- GME
- Valve train
- Dual Overhead Cam (DOHC)
- Turbocharged
- Yes
- Fuel type
- Gasoline
Drivetrain
- Drive type
- Front-wheel drive
- Transmission
- Automatic
- Forward speeds
- 6
- Brake system
- Hydraulic
Body & chassis
- Body class
- Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV)/Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV)
- NHTSA body type
- MULTIPURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLE (MPV)
- Doors
- 4
- Seats
- 5
- Seat rows
- 2
- Manufacturer
- GENERAL MOTORS LLC
Weight rating
- GVWR class
- Class 1C
- GVWR
- 4,001–5,000 lb
Gross vehicle weight rating is the loaded ceiling set by the manufacturer, not the car's own weight.
The same build, other model years
Buick used the VIN pattern KL4CJ3SB for 4 model years. Nothing but the year changes between these pages, so the price gap between them is depreciation on an identical car.
How this VIN pattern is read
A 17-character VIN carries two kinds of information: what was built, and which one it is. This page is the first kind — the nine highlighted positions.
| Positions | Characters | What they encode |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | KL4 | GENERAL MOTORS LLC · World manufacturer identifier |
| 4–8 | CJ3SB | Model, body style, engine and restraint system |
| 9 | × | Check digit — computed per vehicle, not part of the build |
| 10 | J | Model year — 2018 |
| 11 | × | Assembly plant |
| 12–17 | ×××××× | Production sequence number, unique to each vehicle |
NHTSA safety ratings
Crash-test results are published per model year and body style, so they cover the 2018 Buick Encore as a whole rather than this build alone.
Overall
★★★★★ 5 / 5
Frontal crash
★★★★★ 5 / 5
Side crash
★★★★★ 5 / 5
Rollover
★★★★ ★ 4 / 5
40 vehicles carry this build
Every VIN we have decoded to KL4CJ3SB-J shares the specification above.
- 40 Known VINs
- 1 Listed for sale now
- KL4CJ3SB 8JB642945
- KL4CJ3SB 9JB614040
- KL4CJ3SB 0JB542113
- KL4CJ3SB 0JB641904
- KL4CJ3SB 9JB545818
- KL4CJ3SB 8JB647546
- KL4CJ3SB XJB508955
- KL4CJ3SB 7JB521484
- KL4CJ3SB 0JB610619
- KL4CJ3SB XJB544502
- KL4CJ3SB 3JB559469
- KL4CJ3SB 0JB584880
- KL4CJ3SB 7JB715450
- KL4CJ3SB 6JB595253
- KL4CJ3SB XJB575121
- KL4CJ3SB 4JB634969
- KL4CJ3SB 9JB561968
- KL4CJ3SB 8JB672706
- KL4CJ3SB 3JB715266
- KL4CJ3SB 2JB629575
- KL4CJ3SB 9JB670866
- KL4CJ3SB 4JB578421
- KL4CJ3SB 1JB715752
- KL4CJ3SB 7JB594385
- KL4CJ3SB 8JB676304
- KL4CJ3SB 8JB689716
- KL4CJ3SB 8JB536124
- KL4CJ3SB 8JB530596
- KL4CJ3SB 9JB657227
- KL4CJ3SB 1JB697608
- KL4CJ3SB 6JB683476
- KL4CJ3SB 0JB534058
- KL4CJ3SB 9JB510602
- KL4CJ3SB 0JB567139
- KL4CJ3SB XJB634619
- KL4CJ3SB XJB668513
- KL4CJ3SB 3JB686769
- KL4CJ3SB 6JB614108
- KL4CJ3SB XJB590606
Neighboring configurations
Other factory configurations of the Encore, each with its own build sheet. The set is fixed by the VIN patterns themselves, so it does not shuffle as prices or inventory move.
- 2018 Preferred 1.4L 4-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · FWD 18,147 vehicles · $11,500 median
- 2018 Preferred II 1.4L 4-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · FWD 2,301 vehicles · $12,859 median
- 2018 Preferred II 1.4L 4-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · FWD 92 vehicles
- 2018 Premium 1.4L 4-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · FWD 359 vehicles · $15,279 median
- 2018 Preferred II 1.4L 4-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · AWD 1,050 vehicles · $12,995 median
Keep going
Where this data comes from
Specification fields are decoded from the manufacturer's filings in the NHTSA vPIC database, keyed on VIN positions 1–8 and 10. We publish the filed values as they stand and leave out anything the filing does not record.
Vehicle counts come from the 40 VINs of this build we have seen in dealer inventory. They are a sample of the road population, not a production figure.