Factory build sheet
2018 Buick Encore Preferred II
Build KL4CJBSM-J · 1.4L 4cyl · Front-wheel drive · Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV)
VIN positions 1 through 8 read KL4CJBSM 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 KL4CJBSM and carries J in position 10 left the plant with the same engine, transmission, drivetrain and equipment listed below. We know of 92 of them.
- Decoded Sep 9, 2026
- 92 known VINs
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
- Configuration
- In-Line
- Engine model
- LE2 - Direct Injection, Variable Valve Timing, ALU
- Engine manufacturer
- GMNA
- 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.
Driver assistance, as built
- Blind spot warning Standard
Systems the filing does not record are not listed above. Check the window sticker of the exact car before you rely on any single feature.
The same build, other model years
Buick used the VIN pattern KL4CJBSM for 2 model years. Nothing but the year changes between these pages, so the price gap between them is depreciation on an identical car.
- 2017 Preferred II 1.4L 4cyl Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) · 104 vehicles code H
-
2018 You are here code J
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 | CJBSM | 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
92 vehicles carry this build
Every VIN we have decoded to KL4CJBSM-J shares the specification above.
- 92 Known VINs
Cars are filed by a fixed rule based on the VIN, so a car never moves between groups.
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 Essence 1.4L 4-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · FWD 2,297 vehicles · $12,469 median
- 2018 Premium 1.4L 4-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · FWD 359 vehicles · $14,999 median
- 2018 Premium 1.4L 4-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · FWD 66 vehicles
- 2018 Preferred II 1.4L 4-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · AWD 1,053 vehicles · $13,485 median
- 2018 Essence 1.4L 4-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · AWD 115 vehicles
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 92 VINs of this build we have seen in dealer inventory. They are a sample of the road population, not a production figure.