Black plate (52,1)Buick Encore Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 1/8/13
10-52 Vehicle Care
The Tire and Loading
Information label indicates the
original equipment tires on the
vehicle. SeeVehicle Load Limits
on page 9-10.
Different Size Tires and
Wheels
If wheels or tires are installed that
are a different size than the original
equipment wheels and tires, vehicle
performance, including its braking,
ride and handling characteristics,
stability, and resistance to rollover
may be affected. If the vehicle has
electronic systems such as antilock
brakes, rollover airbags, traction
control, electronic stability control,
or All-Wheel Drive, the performance
of these systems can also be
affected.
{WARNING
If different sized wheels are used,
there may not be an acceptable
level of performance and safety if
tires not recommended for those
wheels are selected. This
increases the chance of a crash
and serious injury. Only use GM
specific wheel and tire systems
developed for the vehicle, and
have them properly installed by a
GM certified technician.
See Buying New Tires on
page 10-50 andAccessories and
Modifications on page 10-2.
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading
Quality grades can be found
where applicable on the tire
sidewall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width. For
example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA
Temperature A
The following information relates
to the system developed by the
United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), which grades tires by
treadwear, traction, and
temperature performance. This
applies only to vehicles sold in
the United States. The grades
are molded on the sidewalls of
most passenger car tires. The
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
(UTQG) system does not apply
to deep tread, winter tires,
compact spare tires, tires with
Black plate (55,1)Buick Encore Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 1/8/13
Vehicle Care 10-55
Used Replacement Wheels
{WARNING
Replacing a wheel with a used
one is dangerous. How it has
been used or how far it has been
driven may be unknown. It could
fail suddenly and cause a crash.
When replacing wheels, use a
new GM original equipment
wheel.
Tire Chains
{WARNING
Do not use tire chains. There is
not enough clearance. Tire chains
used on a vehicle without the
proper amount of clearance can
cause damage to the brakes,
suspension, or other vehicle(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
parts. The area damaged by the
tire chains could cause loss of
control and a crash.
Use another type of traction
device only if its manufacturer
recommends it for the vehicle's
tire size combination and road
conditions. Follow that
manufacturer's instructions. To
avoid vehicle damage, drive slow
and readjust or remove the
traction device if it contacts the
vehicle. Do not spin the wheels.
If traction devices are used, install
them on the front tires.
If a Tire Goes Flat
It is unusual for a tire to blow out
while driving, especially if the tires
are maintained properly. See Tires
on page 10-35. If air goes out of a
tire, it is much more likely to leak
out slowly. But if there ever is a
blowout, here are a few tips about
what to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire
creates a drag that pulls the vehicle
toward that side. Take your foot off
the accelerator pedal and grip the
steering wheel firmly. Steer to
maintain lane position, and then
gently brake to a stop, well off the
road, if possible.
A rear blowout, particularly on a
curve, acts much like a skid and
may require the same correction as
used in a skid. Stop pressing the
accelerator pedal and steer to
straighten the vehicle. It may be
very bumpy and noisy. Gently brake
to a stop, well off the road,
if possible.
Black plate (60,1)Buick Encore Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 1/8/13
10-60 Vehicle Care
Notice:Improperly tightened
wheel nuts can lead to brake
pulsation and rotor damage. To
avoid expensive brake repairs,
evenly tighten the wheel nuts in
the proper sequence and to the
proper torque specification. See
Capacities and Specifications on
page 12-2 for the wheel nut
torque specification.
13. Tighten the wheel nuts firmly with the wheel wrench in a
crisscross sequence, as
shown.
Storing a Flat or Spare Tire
and Tools
{WARNING
Storing a jack, a tire, or other
equipment in the passenger
compartment of the vehicle could
cause injury. In a sudden stop or
collision, loose equipment could
strike someone. Store all these in
the proper place.
Storing the Flat Tire and Tools
1. Return the jack and tools to their original storage location.
2. Replace the trim cover.
3. Place the flat tire, lying flat, in the rear storage compartment.
4. Attach one end of the strap to a cargo tie-down in the rear of the
vehicle.
5. Route the strap through thewheel, as shown.
6. Attach the other end of the strap to the other cargo tie-down in
the rear of the vehicle.
7. Tighten the strap.
Storing the Compact Spare Tire
and Tools
Reverse the instructions for
removing the spare tire and tools to
store the spare tire.
The compact spare tire is for
temporary use only. Replace the
compact spare tire with a full-size
tire as soon as you can. See
Compact Spare Tire on page 10-61.
Black plate (11,1)Buick Encore Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 1/8/13
INDEX i-11
Storage Areas (cont'd)Convenience Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Roof Rack System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Sunglasses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Underseat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Stuck Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-10
Sun Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Sunglass Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
System Forward CollisionAlert (FCA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-20, 7-1
Roof Rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
T
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Text Telephone (TTY) Users . . . 13-6
Theft-Deterrent Systems . . . . . . . 2-10 Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6 Tires
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-50
Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-55
Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-57
Compact Spare . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-61
Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Different Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-52
If a Tire Goes Flat . . . . . . . . . . 10-55
Inflation Monitor System . . . . 10-44
Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-48
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-30
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Pressure Monitor System . . . 10-43
Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-48
Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Terminology and
Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-52
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-54
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . 10-54
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-49
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36 Towing
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 9-47
Recreational Vehicle . . . . . . . . 10-64
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-64
Traction Control System (TCS) . . . . . . . . 9-28
Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak
®Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Transmission Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Fluid, Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-10
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Transportation Program, Courtesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-13
Triangle, Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Turn and Lane-Change
Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
U
Ultrasonic Parking Assist . . . . . . 9-36
Underseat Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Uniform Tire QualityGrading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-52
Using This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Black plate (12,1)Buick Encore Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 1/8/13
i-12 INDEX
V
VehicleAlarm System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Canadian Owners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
IdentificationNumber (VIN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-10
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Personalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Reminder Messages . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Remote Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-64
Vehicle Ahead Indicator . . . . . . . 5-18
Vehicle Care
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-42
Ventilation, Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
W
Warning Brake System Light . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Warning Triangle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv Cautions and Danger . . . . . . . . . . . .iv
Hazard Flashers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16
Wheels Alignment and TireBalance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-54
Different Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-52
Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-54
When It Is Time for New
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-49 Where to Put the Restraint . . . . 3-41
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . 10-21
Wipers Rear Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4