Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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116 Instruments and Controls
outboard passenger frontal airbag
and knee airbag (if equipped) are
allowed to inflate.
If the word OFF or the off symbol is
lit on the passenger airbag status
indicator, it means that the
passenger sensing system has
turned off the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag and
passenger knee airbag (if
equipped).
If, after several seconds, both status
indicator lights remain on, or if there
are no lights at all, there may be a
problem with the lights or the
passenger sensing system. See
your dealer for service.
{Warning
If the airbag readiness light ever
comes on and stays on, it means
that something may be wrong
with the airbag system. To help
avoid injury to yourself or others,
have the vehicle serviced right
away. SeeAirbag Readiness
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
Light0115 for more information,
including important safety
information.
Charging System Light
This light will come on briefly when
the ignition is turned on, and the
engine is not running, as a check to
show it is working.
It should go out when the engine is
started. If it stays on, or comes on
while driving, there may be a
problem with the electrical charging
system. Have it checked by your
dealer. Driving while this light is on
could drain the battery. If a short
distance must be driven with the
light on, turn off all accessories, such as the radio and air
conditioner, to help reduce the drain
on the battery.
Malfunction Indicator
Lamp (Check Engine
Light)
This light is part of the vehicle’s
emission control on-board
diagnostic system. If this light is on
while the engine is running, a
malfunction has been detected and
the vehicle may require service. The
light should come on to show that it
is working when the ignition is in
Service Mode. See
Ignition
Positions 0166.
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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Instruments and Controls 135
instructions refer to a garage door
opener, but can be used for other
devices.
Do not use the Universal Remote
system with any garage door opener
that does not have the stop and
reverse feature. This includes any
garage door opener model
manufactured before April 1, 1982.
Read these instructions completely
before programming the Universal
Remote system. It may help to have
another person assist with the
programming process.
Keep the original hand-held
transmitter for use in other vehicles
as well as for future programming.
Erase the programming when
vehicle ownership is terminated.
See“Erasing Universal Remote
System Buttons” later in this
section.
To program a garage door opener,
park outside directly in line with and
facing the garage door opener
receiver. Clear all people and
objects near the garage door. Make sure the hand-held transmitter
has a new battery for quick and
accurate transmission of the
radio-frequency signal.
Programming the Universal
Remote System
For questions or programming help,
see www.homelink.com/gm or call
1-800-355-3515.
Programming involves
time-sensitive actions, and may time
out causing the procedure to be
repeated.
To program up to three devices:
1. Hold the end of the hand-held transmitter about 3 to 8 cm (1
to 3 in) away from the
Universal Remote system
buttons with the indicator light
in view. The hand-held
transmitter was supplied by the
manufacturer of the garage
door opener receiver.
2. At the same time, press and hold both the hand-held
transmitter button and one of
the three Universal Remote system buttons to be used to
operate the garage door. Do
not release either button until
the indicator light changes from
a slow to a rapid flash. Then
release both buttons.
Some garage door openers
may require substitution of
Step 2 with the procedure
under
“Radio Signals for
Canada and Some Gate
Operators” later in this section.
3. Press and hold the newly programmed Universal Remote
system button for five seconds
while watching the indicator
light and garage door
activation.
.If the indicator light stays on
continuously or the garage
door moves when the
button is pressed, then
programming is complete.
There is no need to
complete Steps 4–6.
. If the indicator light does
not come on or the garage
door does not move, a
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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Climate Controls 145
Climate Controls
Climate Control Systems
Climate Control Systems . . . . . 145
Dual Automatic ClimateControl System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Air Vents
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Maintenance
Air Intake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Passenger Compartment AirFilter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Climate Control Systems
The heating, cooling, defrosting, and ventilation for the vehicle can be
controlled with this system.
1. Temperature Control
2. Air Delivery Modes
3. Fan Control
4. Defrost
5. Rear Window Defogger
6. Air Conditioning or Comfort/
Eco Air Conditioning
7. Recirculation Climate Control Influence on Stop/
Start Operation and Fuel Economy
(If Equipped)
The climate control system depends
on other vehicle systems for heat
and power input. Certain climate
control settings can lead to higher
fuel usage and/or fewer auto stops.
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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146 Climate Controls
The following are climate control
settings that use more fuel:
.Comfort air conditioning mode.
. The defrost mode.
. Extreme temperature settings,
such as LO or HI.
. High fan speed settings.
To help reduce fuel usage:
. Use eco air conditioning, instead
of the comfort air conditioning.
. Select a temperature setting that
is higher in hot weather and
lower in cold weather.
. Turn off the air conditioning
when it is not needed.
. Only use defrost to clear the
windows.
9:Turn the knob clockwise or
counterclockwise to increase or
decrease the fan speed. Turn the
knob completely to 0 to turn off the
fan and air conditioning compressor. Temperature Control :
Turn the
knob clockwise or counterclockwise
to increase or decrease the
temperature setting.
Air Delivery Mode Control : Press
[,Y, orXto change the
direction of the airflow. Air delivery
mode settings can be combined. An
indicator light comes on in the
selected mode button.
[: Air is directed to the floor
outlets.
Y: Air is directed to the instrument
panel outlets.
X: Air is directed to the windshield
and side window vents.
0: 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.
Do not drive the vehicle until all the
windows are clear.
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.
#: For stop/start vehicles, press to
cycle between the off, comfort, and
eco air conditioning modes. The
indicator will be lit in comfort and
eco modes and turns off when there
is no air conditioning function. If the
fan is turned off or the outside
temperature falls below freezing, the
air conditioning compressor will
not work.
For comfort a/c, press
#. The
indicator will turn amber. When the
indicator light is on, the air
conditioner runs automatically to
cool the air inside the vehicle or to
dry the air needed to defog the
windshield faster.
For eco a/c, press
#again. The
indicator will turn green. This setting
balances fuel economy and air
conditioning comfort. In warm
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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148 Climate Controls
Dual Automatic Climate Control System
The heating, cooling, and ventilation for the vehicle can be controlled with
this system.
1. Driver and Passenger HeatedSeats (If Equipped)
2. Driver and Passenger Temperature Controls
3. Air Delivery Modes
4. AUTO (Automatic Operation)
5. Defrost 6. Rear Window Defogger
7. Fan Controls
8. Air Conditioning or Comfort/
Eco Air Conditioning
9. Recirculation
10. Heated Steering Wheel (If Equipped) Climate Control Influence on Stop/
Start Operation and Fuel Economy
(If Equipped)
The climate control system depends
on other vehicle systems for heat
and power input. Certain climate
control settings can lead to higher
fuel usage and/or fewer auto stops.
The following are climate control
settings that use more fuel:
.
Comfort air conditioning mode.
. The defrost mode.
. Extreme temperature settings,
such as LO or HI.
. High fan speed settings.
To help reduce fuel usage:
. Use the full automatic control as
described under “Automatic
Operation” following.
. Use eco air conditioning, instead
of the comfort air conditioning.
. Select a temperature setting that
is higher in hot weather and
lower in cold weather.
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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150 Climate Controls
Press AUTO to return to automatic
operation. When the indicator light
is on, the air conditioner runs
automatically to cool the air inside
the vehicle or to dry the air needed
to defog the windshield faster.
#:For stop/start vehicles, press to
cycle between the off, comfort, and
eco air conditioning modes. The
indicator will be lit in comfort and
eco modes and turns off when there
is no air conditioning function. If the
fan is turned off or the outside
temperature falls below freezing, the
air conditioning compressor will
not work.
For comfort a/c, press
#. The
indicator will turn amber. When the
indicator light is on, the air
conditioner runs automatically to
cool the air inside the vehicle or to
dry the air needed to defog the
windshield faster.
For eco a/c, press
#again. The
indicator will turn green. This setting
balances fuel economy and air
conditioning comfort. In warm
weather conditions, auto stops may occur more frequently and the
vehicle interior may be warmer as
compared to the comfort air
conditioning. This setting allows
higher humidity inside the vehicle
and window fogging before the
engine restarts.
Pressing
0during an auto stop
may restart the engine to prevent
window fogging. To reach comfort
levels quickly during an auto stop,
the engine will restart if the air
conditioner is off and AUTO or
#is
selected.
If temperature controls are adjusted
cooler during an auto stop, the
engine may restart to ensure that
comfort is reached.
h: Press to turn on recirculation.
An indicator light comes on. Air is
recirculated to quickly cool the
inside of the vehicle or reduce entry
of outside air and odors.
Auto Defog : The climate control
system may have a sensor to
automatically detect high humidity
inside the vehicle. When high
humidity is detected, the climate control system may adjust to
outside air supply and turn on the
air conditioner. If the climate control
system does not detect possible
window fogging, it returns to normal
operation. To turn Auto Defog off or
on, see "Climate and Air Quality"
under
Vehicle Personalization
0 128.
Ionizer : If equipped with an ionizer,
this feature helps to clean the air
inside the vehicle and remove
contaminants such as pollen, odors,
and dust. To turn the ionizer on or
off, see “Climate and Air Quality”
under Vehicle Personalization
0 128.
Rear Window Defogger
=:Press to turn the rear window
defogger on or off. An indicator light
on the button comes on to show that
the rear window defogger is on.
The defogger only works when the
ignition is on. The defogger turns off
if the ignition is off or in ACC/
ACCESSORY.
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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154 Driving and Operating
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Driver Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Driving Environment . . . . . . . . . . 155
Vehicle Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . 159
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 160
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 162
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . 166
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Retained AccessoryPower (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Parking over Things
That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Extended Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Running the Vehicle While
Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 175
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Drive Systems
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Driver Assistance Systems
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . 184
Parking Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Forward Collision Alert (FCA)System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Side Blind Zone
Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
California FuelRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 194
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Trailer Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On ElectricalEquipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
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Driving and Operating 167
If the vehicle is not in P (Park), the
ignition will return to ACC/
ACCESSORY and the Driver
Information Center (DIC) will display
the message SHIFT TO PARK.
When the vehicle is shifted into
P (Park), the ignition system turn off.
Do not turn the ignition off when the
vehicle is moving. This will cause a
loss of power assist in the brake
and steering systems and disable
the airbags.
If the vehicle must be shut off in an
emergency:1. Brake using a firm steady pressure. Do not pump the
brakes repeatedly. This may
deplete power assist, requiring
increased brake pedal force.
2. Shift the vehicle to N (Neutral). This can be done while the
vehicle is moving. After shifting
to N (Neutral), firmly apply the
brakes and steer the vehicle to
a safe location. 3. Come to a complete stop, shift
to P (Park), and turn the
ignition off. On vehicles with an
automatic transmission, the
shift lever must be in P (Park)
to turn the ignition switch off.
4. Set the parking brake. See Parking Brake 0179.
{Warning
Turning off the vehicle while
moving may cause loss of power
assist in the brake and steering
systems and disable the airbags.
While driving, only shut the
vehicle off in an emergency.
If the vehicle cannot be pulled over,
and must be shut off while driving,
press and hold ENGINE START/
STOP for longer than two seconds,
or press twice in five seconds.
ACC/ACCESSORY (Amber
Indicator Light) : This mode allows
you to use some electrical
accessories when the engine is off.
With the ignition off, pressing ENGINE START/STOP one time
without the brake pedal applied will
place the ignition system in ACC/
ACCESSORY.
The ignition will switch from ACC/
ACCESSORY to OFF after
five minutes to prevent battery
rundown.
ON/RUN/START (Green Indicator
Light) :
This mode is for driving and
starting. With the ignition off, and
the brake pedal applied, pressing
ENGINE START/STOP once will
place the ignition system in ON/
RUN/START.
Once engine cranking begins,
release ENGINE START/STOP.
Engine cranking will continue until
the engine starts. See Starting the
Engine 0168.
The engine will then remain in
ON/RUN.
Service Mode
This power mode is available for
service and diagnostics, and to
verify the proper operation of the