Black plate (1,1)Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
7707490) - 2015 - crc - 2/4/15
Driving and Operating 9-1
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Driver Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Driving Environment . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Vehicle Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . 9-7
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . 9-10
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . 9-14
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-14
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-17Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
Parking over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Running the Vehicle WhileParked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . 9-22
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Drive Systems
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-29
Driver Assistance Systems
Forward Collision Alert (FCA)System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-32
Parking Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-39
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-41
California FuelRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 9-42
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-43
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-44
Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On ElectricalEquipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Black plate (42,1)Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
7707490) - 2015 - crc - 2/4/15
9-42 Driving and Operating
{Caution
Do not use fuel containing
methanol. It can corrode metal
parts in the fuel system and also
damage plastic and rubber parts.
That damage would not be
covered under the vehicle
warranty.
Some gasolines, mainly high octane
racing gasolines, can contain an
octane-enhancing additive called
methylcyclopentadienyl manganese
tricarbonyl (MMT). Do not use
gasolines and/or fuel additives with
MMT as they can reduce spark plug
life and affect emission control
system performance. The
malfunction indicator lamp may turn
on. If this occurs, see your dealer
for service.
California Fuel
Requirements
If the vehicle is certified to meet
California Emissions Standards, it is
designed to operate on fuels that
meet California specifications. See
the underhood emission control
label. If this fuel is not available in
states adopting California Emissions
Standards, the vehicle will operate
satisfactorily on fuels meeting
federal specifications, but emission
control system performance might
be affected. The malfunction
indicator lamp could turn on and the
vehicle may not pass a smog-check
test. See Malfunction Indicator
Lamp on page 5-13. If this occurs,
return to your authorized dealer for
diagnosis. If it is determined that the
condition is caused by the type of
fuel used, repairs may not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
Fuels in Foreign
Countries
If planning to drive in countries
outside the U.S. or Canada, the
proper fuel might be hard to find.
Check regional auto club or fuel
retail brand websites for availability
in the country where driving. Never
use leaded gasoline, fuel containing
methanol, manganese, or any other
fuel not recommended. Costly
repairs caused by use of improper
fuel would not be covered by the
vehicle warranty.
Fuel Additives
To keep fuel systems clean, TOP
TIER Detergent Gasoline is
recommended. See Fuel on
page 9-41.
If TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline is
not available, one bottle of Fuel
System Treatment PLUS added to
the fuel tank at every engine oil
change, can help. Fuel System
Treatment PLUS is the only
Black plate (4,1)Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
7707490) - 2015 - crc - 2/4/15
i-4 INDEX
E
Electrical Equipment,Add-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Electrical System Engine CompartmentFuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Fuses and Circuit
Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Rear Compartment Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Emergency OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
Engine
Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . .10-11
Check and Service EngineSoon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Compartment Overview . . . . . . . 10-6
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-12
Coolant Temperature
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-12
Cooling System Messages . . . 5-26
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-3 Engine (cont'd)
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-17
Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-9
Oil Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . 9-22
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . 13-14
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Extender, Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . 3-22
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . 6-1
F
Features Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
Filter,
Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . .10-11
First Aid Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . 6-3
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-56 Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-57 Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-76
Fluid
Automatic Transmission . . . . 10-10
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-17
Fog Lamps Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Folding Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Folding Seatback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-32
Frequency Statement Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-12
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Front Seat Armrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Front Seats
Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-41 Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Economy Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Filling a Portable Fuel
Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-44
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-43
Foreign Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42