Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234779) - 2016 - CRC - 1/5/16
126 Lighting
Lighting
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . 126
Headlamp High/Low-BeamChanger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Automatic Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . 128
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Front Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel Illumination Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Courtesy Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Reading Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Lighting Features
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Battery Power Protection . . . . . 132
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls
The exterior lamp control is to the
left of the steering column on the
instrument panel.
There are four positions:
O(Off) : Briefly turn to this position
to turn the automatic lamp control
off or on again.
AUTO (Automatic) : Turns the
headlamps on automatically at
normal brightness, together with the
parking lamps, taillamps, license
plate lamps, sidemarker lamps, and
instrument panel lights.
;(Parking Lamps) : Turns on the
parking lamps, taillamps, license
plate lamps, sidemarker lamps, and
instrument panel lights.
5(Headlamps) : Turns on the
headlamps, parking lamps,
taillamps, license plate lamps,
sidemarker lamps, and instrument
panel lights. A warning chime
sounds if the driver door is opened
when the ignition switch is off and
the headlamps are on.
#(Front Fog Lamps, If
Equipped) : Pess to turn the lamps
on or off.
See Front Fog Lamps 0129.
When the lights are on,
;will be
lit. See Lamps On Reminder 0112.
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234779) - 2016 - CRC - 1/5/16
Lighting 127
Headlamp High/
Low-Beam Changer
3(Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer) : Push the turn signal
lever away from you and release, to
turn the high beams on.
To return to low beams, push the
lever again or pull it toward you and
release.
This indicator light turns on in the
instrument cluster when the
high-beam headlamps are on.
Flash-to-Pass
To flash the high beams, pull the
turn signal lever all the way toward
you. Then release it.
Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL)
Daytime Running Lamps can make
it easier for others to see the front of
your vehicle during the day. Fully
functional DRL are required on all
vehicles first sold in Canada.
A light sensor on top of the
instrument panel makes the DRL
work, so be sure it is not covered.
The DRL system makes the
low-beam headlamps come on at a
reduced brightness when the
following conditions are met:
. The ignition is in the ON/
RUN mode.
. The exterior lamp control is
in AUTO. .
The engine is running.
When the DRL are on, only the
low-beam headlamps, at a reduced
level of brightness, will be on. The
taillamps, sidemarker, instrument
panel, and other lamps will not
be on.
The headlamps automatically
change from DRL to the regular
headlamps depending on the
darkness of the surroundings. The
other lamps that come on with the
headlamps will also come on.
When it is bright enough outside,
the headlamps go off and the DRL
come on.
To turn the DRL off or on again, turn
the exterior lamp control to the off
position and then release. For
vehicles first sold in Canada, the
DRL cannot be turned off.
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234779) - 2016 - CRC - 1/5/16
128 Lighting
Automatic Headlamp
System
When it is dark enough outside and
the exterior lamp control is in the
automatic position, the headlamps
come on automatically. SeeExterior
Lamp Controls 0126.
The vehicle has a light sensor on
top of the instrument panel. Make
sure it is not covered, or the
headlamps will be on when they are
not needed.
The system may also turn on the
headlamps when driving through a
parking garage or tunnel. If the vehicle is started in a dark
garage, the automatic headlamp
system comes on immediately. If it
is light outside when the vehicle
leaves the garage, there is a slight
delay before the automatic
headlamp system changes to the
DRL. During that delay, the
instrument cluster may not be as
bright as usual. Make sure the
instrument panel brightness control
is in the full bright position. See
Instrument Panel Illumination
Control
0130.
Lights On with Wipers
If the windshield wipers are
activated in daylight with the engine
on, and the exterior lamp control is
in AUTO, the headlamps, parking
lamps, and other exterior lamps
come on. The transition time for the
lamps coming on varies based on
wiper speed. When the wipers are
not operating, these lamps turn
off. Move the exterior lamp control
to
Por;to disable this feature.
Hazard Warning Flashers
|(Hazard Warning Flasher) :
Press and momentarily hold this
button to make the front and rear
turn signal lamps flash on and off.
This warns others that you are
having trouble. Press and
momentarily hold again to turn the
flashers off.
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234779) - 2016 - CRC - 1/5/16
Lighting 129
Turn and Lane-Change
Signals
Move the lever all the way up or
down to signal a turn.
An arrow on the instrument cluster
will flash in the direction of the turn
or lane change.
Raise or lower the lever until the
arrow starts to flash to signal a lane
change. The turn signal flashes
three times.
The lever returns to its starting
position when it is released.If after signaling a turn or lane
change the arrow flashes rapidly or
does not come on, a signal bulb
may be burned out. Replace any
burned out bulbs. If a bulb is not
burned out, check the fuse. See
Fuses and Circuit Breakers
0215.
Front Fog Lamps
If the vehicle is equipped with front
fog lamps, the button is on the
outboard side of the instrument
panel. The ignition must be on to turn on
the fog lamps.
#(Front Fog Lamps) :
Press to
turn the fog lamps on or off. An
indicator light on the instrument
cluster comes on when the fog
lamps are on.
The fog lamps come on together
with the parking lamps.
If the high-beam headlamps are
turned on, the fog lamps will turn off.
If the high-beam headlamps are
turned off, the fog lamps will turn
back on again.
Some localities have laws that
require the headlamps to be on
along with the fog lamps.
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234779) - 2016 - CRC - 1/5/16
Lighting 131
H(Door) :When the button is
returned to the middle position, the
lamps turn on automatically when a
door is opened.
R(On) : Press to turn on the dome
lamps.
Reading Lamps
The front reading lamps are in the
overhead console.
#or$(Reading Lamps) : Press
to turn each lamp on or off.
Lighting Features
Entry Lighting
The headlamps, parking lamps,
taillamps, back-up lamps, and most
of the interior lamps turn on briefly
at night or in areas of limited lighting
when
Kis pressed on the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter.
After about 30 seconds the exterior
lamps turn off, and then the dome
and remaining interior lamps will dim
to off. Entry lighting can be disabled
manually by changing the ignition
out of the OFF position, or by
pressing the RKE transmitter
Q
button.
This feature can be changed. See
“Vehicle Locator Lights” under
Vehicle Personalization 0121.
Exit Lighting
The headlamps, taillamps, parking
lamps, back‐up lamps, and license
plate lamps come on at night, or in
areas with limited lighting, when the
key is removed from the ignition.
The dome lamps also come on
when the key is removed from the
ignition. The exterior lamps and
dome lamps remain on after the
door is closed for a set amount of
time, then automatically turn off.
The exterior lamps turn off
immediately by turning the exterior
lamps control off.
The exit lighting feature can be
changed. See Vehicle
Personalization 0121.
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234779) - 2016 - CRC - 1/5/16
138 Climate Controls
.Only use defrost to clear the
windows.
Automatic Operation
The system automatically controls
the fan speed, air delivery, air
conditioning, and recirculation in
order to heat or cool the vehicle to
the desired temperature.
When the AUTO indicator light is
on, the system is in full automatic
operation. If the air delivery mode or
fan setting is manually adjusted, the
auto indicator turns off and displays
will show the selected settings.
To place the system in automatic
mode do the following: 1. Press AUTO.
2. Set the temperature. Allow the system time to stabilize. Then
adjust the temperature as
needed for best comfort.
To improve fuel efficiency and
to cool the vehicle faster,
recirculation may be
automatically selected in warm
weather. The recirculation light will not come on. Presshto
select recirculation; press it
again to select outside air.
English units can be changed to
metric units through the Driver
Information Center (DIC). See
Driver Information Center
(DIC) 0113.
Manual Operation
9(Fan Control) : Press the
lower
9button to decrease the fan
speed. Pressing the lower button
longer turns the fan and cooling off.
Press the upper
9button to
increase the fan speed. The
selected fan speed is indicated by a
number on the display screen.
Press AUTO to return to automatic
operation.
Air Delivery Modes : Press
[,Y,
or
Xto change the direction of the
airflow. Air delivery mode settings
can be combined. An indicator light
comes on in the selected mode
button. Changing the mode cancels the
automatic operation and the system
goes into manual mode. Press
AUTO to return to automatic
operation.
[(Floor) :
Air is directed to the
floor outlets.
Y(Vent) : Air is directed to the
instrument panel outlets.
X(Defog) : Air is directed to the
windshield and side window vents.
0(Defrost) : Press to clear the
windshield of fog or frost more
quickly. Air is directed to the
windshield.
For best results, clear all snow and
ice from the windshield before
defrosting.
#(Air Conditioning) (For
Non-Stop/Start Vehicles) : Press
to turn the air conditioning on or off.
If the fan is turned off or the outside
temperature falls below freezing, the
air conditioner will not run and the
indicator light turns off.
Press AUTO to return to automatic
operation. When the indicator light
is on, the air conditioner runs
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234779) - 2016 - CRC - 1/5/16
Driving and Operating 157
A warning tone will sound when the
driver door is opened, the ignition is
in ACC/ACCESSORY or LOCK/
OFF, and the key is in the ignition.
If the ignition becomes difficult to
turn, seeKeys024.
Key Lock Release
The vehicle may be equipped with
an electronic key lock release
system. This system is to prevent
ignition key removal unless the shift
lever is in P (Park).
Starting the Engine
Move the shift lever to P (Park) or
N (Neutral). To restart the vehicle
when it is already moving, use
N (Neutral) only.
Caution
Do not try to shift to P (Park) if the
vehicle is moving. If you do, you
could damage the transmission.
Shift to P (Park) only when the
vehicle is stopped.
Caution
If you add electrical parts or
accessories, you could change
the way the engine operates. Any
resulting damage would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
See Add-On Electrical
Equipment 0186.
Starting Procedure 1. With your foot off the accelerator pedal, turn the
ignition key to START. When
the engine starts, let go of the
ignition.
The idle speed will go down as
your engine gets warm. Do not
race the engine immediately
after starting it. Operate the
engine and transmission gently
to allow the oil to warm up and
lubricate all moving parts.
Caution
Cranking the engine for long
periods of time, by returning the
ignition to the START position
immediately after cranking has
ended, can overheat and damage
the cranking motor, and drain the
battery. Wait at least 15 seconds
between each try, to let the
cranking motor cool down.
2. If the engine does not start after five to 10 seconds,
especially in very cold weather
(below −18 °C or 0 °F), it could
be flooded with too much
gasoline. Try pushing the
accelerator pedal all the way to
the floor and holding it there as
you hold the key in START for
up to a maximum of
15 seconds. Wait at least
15 seconds between each try,
to allow the cranking motor to
cool down. When the engine
starts, let go of the key or
button, and the accelerator.
If the vehicle starts briefly but
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234779) - 2016 - CRC - 1/5/16
Driving and Operating 167
Brakes
Antilock Brake
System (ABS)
This vehicle has ABS, an advanced
electronic braking system that helps
prevent a braking skid.
When the vehicle begins to drive
away, ABS checks itself.
A momentary motor or clicking noise
might be heard while this test is
going on, and it might even be
noticed that the brake pedal moves
a little. This is normal.
If there is a problem with ABS, this
warning light stays on. SeeAntilock
Brake System (ABS) Warning
Light 0109.
If driving safely on a wet road and it
becomes necessary to slam on the
brakes and continue braking to avoid a sudden obstacle, a
computer senses the wheels are
slowing down. If one of the wheels
is about to stop rolling, the computer
will separately work the brakes at
each wheel.
ABS can change the brake pressure
to each wheel, as required, faster
than any driver could. This can help
you steer around the obstacle while
braking hard.
As the brakes are applied, the
computer keeps receiving updates
on wheel speed and controls
braking pressure accordingly.
Remember: ABS does not change
the time needed to get a foot up to
the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance. If you get too
close to the vehicle in front of you,
there will not be enough time to
apply the brakes if that vehicle
suddenly slows or stops. Always
leave enough room up ahead to
stop, even with ABS.
Using ABS
Do not pump the brakes. Just hold
the brake pedal down firmly and let
ABS work. You may hear the ABS
pump or motor operating and feel
the brake pedal pulsate. This is
normal.
Braking in Emergencies
ABS allows you to steer and brake
at the same time. In many
emergencies, steering can help
more than even the very best
braking.
Parking Brake