2016 BUICK ENCORE tow

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234779) - 2016 - CRC - 1/5/16
92 Storage
Pull the strap to lift.
Fold the load floor. Place the hook
from the load floor inside the hook
on the side trim.
Convenience Net
The vehicle may have a
convenience net.
The net is used to store small loads
and should not be used for heavy
loads.
Warning Triangle
If equipped, the warning triangle is
stowed in the rear storage
compartment.

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234779) - 2016 - CRC - 1/5/16
Storage 93
First Aid Kit
If equipped, the first aid kit is
stowed in the side rear storage
compartment.
Roof Rack System
{Warning
If something is carried on top of
the vehicle that is longer or wider
than the roof rack—like paneling,
plywood, or a mattress —the
wind can catch it while the vehicle
is being driven. The item being
carried could be violently torn off,
and this could cause a collision
and damage the vehicle. Never
carry something longer or wider
than the roof rack on top of the
vehicle unless using a GM
certified accessory carrier.
For vehicles with a roof rack, the
rack can be used to load items. For
roof racks that do not have
crossrails included, GM Certified
crossrails can be purchased as an
accessory. See your dealer for
additional information.
Caution
Loading cargo on the roof rack
that weighs more than 75 kg
(165 lb) or hangs over the rear or
sides of the vehicle may damage
the vehicle. Load cargo so that it
rests evenly between the
crossrails, making sure to fasten
cargo securely.
To prevent damage or loss of cargo
when driving, check to make sure
crossrails and cargo are securely
fastened. Loading cargo on the roof
rack will make the vehicle’ s center
of gravity higher. Avoid high speeds,
sudden starts, sharp turns, sudden
braking, or abrupt maneuvers;
otherwise it may result in loss of
control. If driving for a long distance,
on rough roads, or at high speeds,
occasionally stop the vehicle to
make sure the cargo remains in its
place. Do not exceed the maximum
vehicle capacity when loading the
vehicle.
See Vehicle Load Limits 0151.

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234779) - 2016 - CRC - 1/5/16
96 Instruments and Controls
INT (Intermittent Wipes/Rainsense
Wipe Sensitivity Control) :Move
the lever up to INT for intermittent
wipes, then turn the
xINT band
up for more frequent wipes or down
for less frequent wipes. If the
vehicle has Rainsense™, see
Rainsense™ later in this section.
OFF : Use to turn the wipers off.
1X (Mist) : For a single wipe, briefly
move the wiper lever down. For
several wipes, hold the wiper
lever down.
b(Windshield Washer) : Pull the
windshield wiper lever toward you to
spray windshield washer fluid and
activate the wipers. The wipers will
continue until the lever is released
or the maximum wash time is
reached. When the windshield wiper
lever is released, additional wipes
may occur depending on how long
the windshield washer had been
activated. See Washer Fluid0204
for information on filling the
windshield washer fluid reservoir.
{Warning
In freezing weather, do not use
the washer until the windshield is
warmed. Otherwise the washer
fluid can form ice on the
windshield, blocking your vision.
Clear snow and ice from the wiper
blades before using them. If frozen
to the windshield, carefully loosen or
thaw them. Damaged wiper blades
should be replaced. See Wiper
Blade Replacement 0209.
Heavy snow or ice can overload the
wiper motor. A circuit breaker will
stop the motor until it cools down.
Rainsense™
If equipped with Rainsense, a rain
sensor detects the amount of water
on the windshield and controls the
frequency of the windshield wiper.
Keep the sensor free from debris to
allow for best system performance. INT (Rainsense Wipe Sensitivity
Control) :
Move the windshield
wiper lever to INT. Turn the
xINT
band on the wiper lever to adjust the
sensitivity.
. Turn the band up for more
sensitivity to moisture.
. Turn the band down for less
sensitivity to moisture.
. Move the windshield wiper lever
out of the INT position to
deactivate Rainsense.
Wiper Arm Assembly Protection
When using an automatic car wash,
move the windshield wiper lever to
OFF. This disables the automatic
Rainsense windshield wipers and/or
manual windshield wipers.

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234779) - 2016 - CRC - 1/5/16
Instruments and Controls 103
The fuel gauge indicates about how
much fuel is left when the ignition is
turned to ON/RUN.
When the tank nears empty, the low
fuel warning light will come on.
There is still a little fuel left, but the
vehicle's fuel tank should be filled
soon. SeeLow Fuel Warning Light
0 112 for more information.
An arrow on the fuel gauge
indicates on which side of the
vehicle the fuel door is located.
Here are four things that some
owners ask about. None of these
show a problem with the fuel gauge:
. At the service station, the gas
pump shuts off before the gauge
reads full.
. It takes a little more or less fuel
to fill up than the gauge
indicated. For example, the
gauge may have indicated the
tank was half full, but it actually
took a little more or less than
half the tank's capacity to fill
the tank. .
The indicator moves a little when
turning a corner or speeding up.
. The gauge goes back to empty
when the ignition is turned off.
Engine Coolant
Temperature Gauge
Metric
English
This gauge shows the engine
coolant temperature.
If the indicator needle moves to the
hot side of the gauge toward the
shaded area, the engine is too hot.
If the vehicle has been operated
under normal driving conditions, pull
off the road, stop the vehicle, and
turn off the engine as soon as
possible.

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234779) - 2016 - CRC - 1/5/16
108 Instruments and Controls
.The light does not come on
when the ignition is in ON/RUN
with the engine not running.
. Critical emission control systems
have not been completely
diagnosed. If this happens, the
vehicle would not be ready for
inspection and might require
several days of routine driving
before the system is ready for
inspection. This can happen if
the 12-volt battery has recently
been replaced or run down, or if
the vehicle has been recently
serviced.
See your dealer if the vehicle will
not pass or cannot be made ready
for the test.
Brake System Warning
Light
The vehicle brake system consists
of two hydraulic circuits. If one
circuit is not working, the remaining
circuit can still work to stop the
vehicle. For normal braking
performance, both circuits need to
be working
MetricEnglish
This light should come on briefly
when the engine is started. If it does
not come on then, have it fixed so it
will be ready to warn you if there is
a problem.
When the ignition is on, the brake
system warning light comes on
when the parking brake is set. The
light stays on if the parking brake
does not fully release. If it stays on
after the parking brake is fully
released, there is a brake problem.
Have the brake system inspected
immediately.
{Warning
The brake system might not be
working properly if the brake
system warning light is on.
Driving with the brake system
warning light on can lead to a
crash. If the light is still on after
the vehicle has been pulled off
the road and carefully stopped,
have the vehicle towed for
service.
If the light comes on while driving, a
chime sounds. Pull off the road and
stop. The pedal might be harder to
push or go closer to the floor.
It might also take longer to stop.
If the light is still on, have the
vehicle towed for service. See
Towing the Vehicle 0249.

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
Driving and Operating 143
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Driver Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Driving Environment . . . . . . . . . . 144
Vehicle Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . 147
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 148
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 150
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . 155
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Retained AccessoryPower (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160 Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Parking over Things
That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Running the Vehicle WhileParked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 164
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Drive Systems
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic
Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Driver Assistance Systems
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . 173
Parking Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 Forward Collision Alert (FCA)
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Lane Departure
Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
California FuelRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 183
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Trailer Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On ElectricalEquipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234779) - 2016 - CRC - 1/5/16
Driving and Operating 151
gears. Release the accelerator
pedal while shifting, and press
lightly on the accelerator pedal
when the transmission is in gear.
Slowly spinning the wheels in the
forward and reverse directions
causes a rocking motion that could
free the vehicle. If that does not get
the vehicle out after a few tries, it
might need to be towed out. If the
vehicle does need to be towed out,
seeTowing the Vehicle 0249.
Vehicle Load Limits
It is very important to know how
much weight the vehicle can
carry. This weight is called the
vehicle capacity weight and
includes the weight of all
occupants, cargo, and all
nonfactory-installed options.
Two labels on the vehicle may
show how much weight it may
properly carry, the Tire and
Loading Information label and
the Certification/Tire label.
{Warning
Do not load the vehicle any
heavier than the Gross
Vehicle Weight Rating
(GVWR), or either the
maximum front or rear Gross
Axle Weight Rating (GAWR).
This can cause systems to
break and change the way the
vehicle handles. This could
cause loss of control and a
crash. Overloading can also
reduce stopping distance,
damage the tires, and shorten
the life of the vehicle.Tire and Loading Information
Label
Example Label
A vehicle-specific Tire and
Loading Information label is
attached to the center pillar
(B-pillar). The Tire and Loading
Information label shows the
number of occupant seating
positions (1), and the maximum
vehicle capacity weight (2) in
kilograms and pounds.