Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234779) - 2016 - CRC - 1/5/16
In Brief 7
1.Air Vents 0141.
2. Turn Signal Lever. See Turn
and Lane-Change
Signals 0129.
Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer 0127.
3. Instrument Cluster 0101.
4. Driver Information Center (DIC) Display. See Driver Information
Center (DIC) 0113.
5. Windshield Wiper/Washer 095.
Rear Window Wiper/
Washer 097.
6. Traction Control/Electronic
Stability Control 0168.
Hazard Warning
Flashers 0128.
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator. See Passenger
Sensing System 065.
7. Light Sensor. See Automatic
Headlamp System 0128.
8. Infotainment 0133.
9. Instrument Panel Storage 089. 10. Shift Lever. See
Automatic
Transmission 0164.
11. Auxiliary Input Jack. See the Infotainment Manual.
12. Power Outlets 098.
13. Parking Assist 0175 (If
Equipped).
Lane Departure Warning
(LDW) 0180 (If Equipped).
14. Climate Control Systems 0134
or Dual Automatic Climate
Control System 0137 (If
Equipped).
15. Ignition Positions 0155.
16. Steering Wheel Controls 095.
17. Horn 095.
18. Steering Wheel
Adjustment 095.
19. Cruise Control 0170.
Forward Collision Alert (FCA)
System 0177 (If Equipped).
20. Instrument Panel Storage 089. 21. Data Link Connector (DLC)
(Out of View). See Malfunction
Indicator Lamp (Check Engine
Light) 0106.
22. Hood Release. See Hood 0190.
23. Exterior Lamp Controls 0126.
Instrument Panel Illumination
Control 0130.
Front Fog Lamps 0129 (If
Equipped).
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234779) - 2016 - CRC - 1/5/16
8 In Brief
Initial Drive
Information
Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System
The RKE transmitter may work up to
30 m (98 ft) away from the vehicle.
Press the key release button to
extend the key blade. The key can
be used for the ignition and all
locks.
K:Press to unlock the driver door,
all doors, or, if equipped, the locking
fuel door. The hazard warning
flashers may flash.
Q: Press to lock the doors, or,
if equipped, the locking fuel door.
Lock and unlock feedback can be
personalized. See Vehicle
Personalization 0121.
7:If equipped, press and hold
briefly to initiate vehicle locator.
Press and hold for at least
three seconds to sound the panic
alarm. Press again to cancel the
panic alarm.
See Keys 024 and Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) System Operation 026.
Remote Vehicle Start
If equipped, the engine can be
started from outside of the vehicle.
Starting the Vehicle
1. Press and releaseQon the
RKE transmitter. 2. Immediately press and hold
/
for at least four seconds or until
the turn signal lamps flash.
Start the vehicle normally after
entering.
When the vehicle starts, the parking
lamps will turn on.
Remote start can be extended.
Canceling a Remote Start
To cancel a remote start, do one of
the following:
. Press and hold
/until the
parking lamps turn off.
. Turn on the hazard warning
flashers.
. Turn the vehicle on and then off.
See Remote Vehicle Start 029.
Door Locks
To lock or unlock a door manually:
.
From the inside, to lock the door,
use the lock knob on the top of
the door panel.
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234779) - 2016 - CRC - 1/5/16
Keys, Doors, and Windows 27
The hazard warning flashers may
flash and/or the horn may sound to
indicate locking. See“Remote Lock/
Unlock/Start” underVehicle
Personalization 0121.
If the driver door is open when
Qis
pressed and Open Door Anti Lock
Out is enabled through vehicle
personalization, all doors will lock
and then the driver door will unlock.
See “Remote Lock/Unlock/Start”
under Vehicle
Personalization 0121.
Pressing
Qmay also arm the
theft-deterrent system. See Vehicle
Alarm System 033.
K(Unlock) : Press to unlock the
driver door, all doors or, if equipped,
the locking fuel door. See “Remote
Lock/Unlock/Start” underVehicle
Personalization 0121.
The hazard warning flashers will
flash to indicate unlocking. See
“Remote Lock/Unlock/Start” under
Vehicle Personalization 0121.
Pressing
Kwill disarm the
theft-deterrent system. See Vehicle
Alarm System 033.
7(Vehicle Locator/Panic
Alarm) : If equipped, press and hold
briefly to initiate vehicle locator. The
exterior lamps flash and the horn
chirps three times.
Press and hold
7for at least
three seconds to sound the panic
alarm. The horn sounds and the
turn signals flash for 30 seconds,
or until
7is pressed again or the
key is placed in the ignition and
turned to ACC/ACCESSORY or
ON/RUN.
/(Remote Vehicle Start) :
If equipped, press
Qand then press
and hold
/for several seconds to
start the engine from outside the
vehicle using the RKE transmitter.
See Remote Vehicle Start 029.
The buttons on the keys are
disabled when there is a key in the
ignition.
Programming Transmitters to
the Vehicle
Only RKE transmitters programmed
to this vehicle will work. If a
transmitter is lost or stolen, a replacement can be purchased and
programmed through your dealer.
When the replacement transmitter is
programmed to this vehicle, all
remaining transmitters must also be
reprogrammed. Any lost or stolen
transmitters will no longer work
once the new transmitter is
programmed.
Programming with a Recognized
Transmitter
To program a new key:
1. Insert the original, already programmed key in the ignition
and turn the key to the ON/
RUN position.
2. Turn the key to LOCK/OFF, and remove the key.
3. Insert the new key to be programmed and turn it to the
ON/RUN position within
five seconds.
The security light will turn off
once the key has been
programmed.
4. Repeat Steps 1–3 if additional keys are to be programmed.
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234779) - 2016 - CRC - 1/5/16
30 Keys, Doors, and Windows
.Turn on the hazard warning
flashers.
. Turn the vehicle on and then off.
Conditions in Which Remote Start
Will Not Work
The remote vehicle start feature will
not operate if:
. The key is in the ignition.
. The hood is not closed.
. The hazard warning flashers
are on.
. The malfunction indicator lamp
is on.
. The engine coolant temperature
is too high.
. The oil pressure is low.
. Two remote vehicle starts, or a
single remote start with an
extension, have already
been used.
. The vehicle is not in P (Park).Door Locks
{Warning
Unlocked doors can be
dangerous.
. Passengers, especially
children, can easily open
the doors and fall out of a
moving vehicle. When a
door is locked, the handle
will not open it. The chance
of being thrown out of the
vehicle in a crash is
increased if the doors are
not locked. So, all
passengers should wear
safety belts properly and the
doors should be locked
whenever the vehicle is
driven.
. Young children who get into
unlocked vehicles may be
unable to get out. A child
can be overcome by
extreme heat and can suffer
permanent injuries or even
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
death from heat stroke.
Always lock the vehicle
whenever leaving it.
. Outsiders can easily enter
through an unlocked door
when you slow down or stop
the vehicle. Locking the
doors can help prevent this
from happening.
To lock or unlock a door manually:
. From the inside, to lock the door,
use the lock knob on the top of
the door panel.
. From the outside, turn the key
toward the front or rear of the
vehicle, or press
KorQon the
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter.
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234779) - 2016 - CRC - 1/5/16
64 Seats and Restraints
But airbags would not help in many
types of collisions, primarily
because the occupant's motion is
not toward those airbags. SeeWhen
Should an Airbag Inflate? 062.
Airbags should never be regarded
as anything more than a supplement
to safety belts.
What Will You See after
an Airbag Inflates?
After the frontal, knee (if equipped),
and seat-mounted side impact
airbags inflate, they quickly deflate,
so quickly that some people may
not even realize an airbag inflated.
Roof-rail airbags may still be at least
partially inflated for some time after
they inflate. Some components of
the airbag module may be hot for
several minutes. For location of the
airbags, see Where Are the
Airbags? 061.
The parts of the airbag that come
into contact with you may be warm,
but not too hot to touch. There may
be some smoke and dust coming
from the vents in the deflated
airbags. Airbag inflation does not prevent the driver from seeing out of
the windshield or being able to steer
the vehicle, nor does it prevent
people from leaving the vehicle.
{Warning
When an airbag inflates, there
may be dust in the air. This dust
could cause breathing problems
for people with a history of
asthma or other breathing trouble.
To avoid this, everyone in the
vehicle should get out as soon as
it is safe to do so. If you have
breathing problems but cannot
get out of the vehicle after an
airbag inflates, then get fresh air
by opening a window or a door.
If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag
deployment, you should seek
medical attention.
The vehicle has a feature that may
automatically unlock the doors, turn
on the interior lamps and hazard
warning flashers, and shut off the
fuel system after the airbags inflate. The feature may also activate,
without airbag inflation, after an
event that exceeds a predetermined
threshold. You can lock the doors,
and turn off the interior lamps and
hazard warning flashers by using
the controls for those features.
{Warning
A crash severe enough to inflate
the airbags may have also
damaged important functions in
the vehicle, such as the fuel
system, brake and steering
systems, etc. Even if the vehicle
appears to be drivable after a
moderate crash, there may be
concealed damage that could
make it difficult to safely operate
the vehicle.
Use caution if you should attempt
to restart the engine after a crash
has occurred.
In many crashes severe enough to
inflate the airbag, windshields are
broken by vehicle deformation.
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
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
Driving and Operating 149
{Warning
Coasting downhill in N (Neutral)
or with the ignition off is
dangerous. This can cause
overheating of the brakes and
loss of steering. Always have the
engine running and the vehicle
in gear.
. Drive at speeds that keep the
vehicle in its own lane. Do not
swing wide or cross the
center line.
. Be alert on top of hills;
something could be in your lane
(e.g., stalled car, accident).
. Pay attention to special road
signs (e.g., falling rocks area,
winding roads, long grades,
passing or no-passing zones)
and take appropriate action.
Winter Driving
Driving on Snow or Ice
Snow or ice between the tires and
the road creates less traction or
grip, so drive carefully. Wet ice can
occur at about 0 °C (32 °F) when
freezing rain begins to fall. Avoid
driving on wet ice or in freezing rain
until roads can be treated.
For Slippery Road Driving:
.Accelerate gently. Accelerating
too quickly causes the wheels to
spin and makes the surface
under the tires slick.
. Turn on Traction Control. See
Traction Control/Electronic
Stability Control 0168.
. The Antilock Brake System
(ABS) improves vehicle stability
during hard stops, but the
brakes should be applied sooner
than when on dry pavement.
See Antilock Brake System
(ABS) 0167.
. Allow greater following distance
and watch for slippery spots. Icy
patches can occur on otherwise clear roads in shaded areas.
The surface of a curve or an
overpass can remain icy when
the surrounding roads are clear.
Avoid sudden steering
maneuvers and braking while
on ice.
. Turn off cruise control.
Blizzard Conditions
Stop the vehicle in a safe place and
signal for help. Stay with the vehicle
unless there is help nearby.
If possible, use Roadside
Assistance. See Roadside
Assistance Program 0282. To get
help and keep everyone in the
vehicle safe:
. Turn on the hazard warning
flashers.
. Tie a red cloth to an outside
mirror.