
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
12163005) - 2019 - crc - 9/17/18
In Brief 17
Climate Controls
The heating, cooling, defrosting, and ventilation for the vehicle can be
controlled with these systems.
Climate Control System
1. Temperature Control
2. Air Delivery Modes
3. Fan Control
4. Defrost
5. Rear Window Defogger6. Air Conditioning
7. Recirculation
See Climate Control Systems 0147
(if equipped).

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
12163005) - 2019 - crc - 9/17/18
18 In Brief
Dual Automatic Climate Control 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
9. Recirculation
10. Heated Steering Wheel (If Equipped)
See Dual Automatic Climate Control
System 0149 (if equipped).
Transmission
Driver Shift Control (DSC)
DSC allows you to shift an
automatic transmission similar to a
manual transmission. To use the
DSC feature:
1. Move the shift lever from D (Drive) rearward to
M (Manual Mode).

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
12163005) - 2019 - crc - 9/17/18
38 Keys, Doors, and Windows
Doors
Liftgate
{Warning
Exhaust gases can enter the
vehicle if it is driven with the
liftgate, hatch/trunk open, or with
any objects that pass through the
seal between the body and the
hatch/trunk or liftgate. Engine
exhaust contains carbon
monoxide (CO) which cannot be
seen or smelled. It can cause
unconsciousness and even death.
If the vehicle must be driven with
the liftgate or hatch/trunk open:. Close all of the windows.
. Fully open the air outlets on
or under the instrument
panel.
. Adjust the climate control
system to a setting that
brings in only outside air
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
and set the fan speed to the
highest setting. See
“Climate Control Systems”
in the Index.
. If the vehicle is equipped
with a power liftgate, disable
the power liftgate function.
For more information about
carbon monoxide, see Engine
Exhaust 0175.
Caution
To avoid damage to the liftgate or
liftgate glass, make sure the area
above and behind the liftgate is
clear before opening it.
To open the liftgate, press
Kon the
power door lock switch or press
K
on the RKE transmitter to unlock all
doors. See
Power Door Locks 036 and
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
System Operation 027.
Press the touch pad below the
license plate and lift up.
The liftgate may also be opened
while the vehicle is locked by
pressing the touch pad while the
RKE transmitter is within 1 m (3 ft) of
the rear of the vehicle.
To close the liftgate, push from the
center to ensure that it fully latches.

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
12163005) - 2019 - crc - 9/17/18
Seats and Restraints 47
Seats and
Restraints
Head Restraints
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Front Seats
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Power Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . 50
Lumbar Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Memory Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Front Seat Armrest . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Heated Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Folding Seatback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Rear Seats
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Rear Seat Armrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Seat Belts
Seat Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
How to Wear Seat BeltsProperly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Seat Belt Use During Pregnancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Seat Belt Extender . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Safety System Check . . . . . . . . . . 67 Seat Belt Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Replacing Seat Belt System
Parts after a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Airbag System
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . . 70
When Should an AirbagInflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
How Does an Airbag Restrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
What Will You See after an Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Passenger Sensing System . . . 74
Servicing the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Adding Equipment to the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . . . 79
Airbag System Check . . . . . . . . . . 79
Replacing Airbag System Parts after a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Child Restraints
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Infants and Young Children . . . . 82
Child Restraint Systems . . . . . . . 84
Where to Put the Restraint . . . . . 86
Lower Anchors and Tethers forChildren (LATCH System) . . . . 87 Replacing LATCH System Parts
After a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Securing Child Restraints (With the Seat Belt in the
Rear Seat) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Securing Child Restraints (With the Seat Belt in the
Front Seat) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
12163005) - 2019 - crc - 9/17/18
Seats and Restraints 61
Warning (Continued)
passengers to ride in any area of
the vehicle that is not equipped
with seats and seat belts.
Always wear a seat belt, and
check that all passenger(s) are
restrained properly too.
This vehicle has indicators as a
reminder to buckle the seat belts.
See Seat Belt Reminders 0116.
Why Seat Belts Work
When riding in a vehicle, you travel
as fast as the vehicle does. If the
vehicle stops suddenly, you keep
going until something stops you.
It could be the windshield, the
instrument panel, or the seat belts!
When you wear a seat belt, you and
the vehicle slow down together.
There is more time to stop because
you stop over a longer distance and,
when worn properly, your strongest
bones take the forces from the seat
belts. That is why wearing seat belts
makes such good sense.
Questions and Answers About
Seat Belts
Q: Will I be trapped in the vehicle
after a crash if I am wearing a
seat belt?
A: You could be—whether you are
wearing a seat belt or not. Your
chance of being conscious
during and after a crash, so you
can unbuckle and get out, is
much greater if you are belted. Q: If my vehicle has airbags, why
should I have to wear seat
belts?
A: Airbags are supplemental
systems only. They work with
seat belts —not instead of them.
Whether or not an airbag is
provided, all occupants still have
to buckle up to get the most
protection.
Also, in nearly all states and in
all Canadian provinces, the law
requires wearing seat belts.
How to Wear Seat Belts
Properly
Follow these rules for everyone's
protection.
There are additional things to know
about seat belts and children,
including smaller children and
infants. If a child will be riding in the
vehicle, see Older Children 080 or
Infants and Young Children 082.
Review and follow the rules for
children in addition to the following
rules.

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
12163005) - 2019 - crc - 9/17/18
Seats and Restraints 69
Here are the most important things
to know about the airbag system:
{Warning
You can be severely injured or
killed in a crash if you are not
wearing your seat belt, even with
airbags. Airbags are designed to
work with seat belts, not replace
them. Also, airbags are not
designed to inflate in every crash.
In some crashes seat belts are
the only restraint. SeeWhen
Should an Airbag Inflate? 071.
Wearing your seat belt during a
crash helps reduce your chance
of hitting things inside the vehicle
or being ejected from it. Airbags
are “supplemental restraints” to
the seat belts. Everyone in the
vehicle should wear a seat belt
properly, whether or not there is
an airbag for that person.
{Warning
Because airbags inflate with great
force and faster than the blink of
an eye, anyone who is up
against, or very close to, any
airbag when it inflates can be
seriously injured or killed. Do not
sit unnecessarily close to any
airbag, as you would be if sitting
on the edge of the seat or leaning
forward. Seat belts help keep you
in position before and during a
crash. Always wear a seat belt,
even with airbags. The driver
should sit as far back as possible
while still maintaining control of
the vehicle. The seat belts and
the front outboard passenger
airbags are most effective when
you are sitting well back and
upright in the seat with both feet
on the floor.
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
Occupants should not lean on or
sleep against the door or side
windows in seating positions with
seat-mounted side impact airbags
and/or roof-rail airbags.
{Warning
Children who are up against,
or very close to, any airbag when
it inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. Always secure children
properly in the vehicle. To read
how, seeOlder Children 080 or
Infants and Young Children 082.

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
12163005) - 2019 - crc - 9/17/18
Seats and Restraints 75
conditions. No other airbag is
affected by the passenger sensing
system.
The passenger sensing system
works with sensors that are part of
the front outboard passenger seat.
The sensors are designed to detect
the presence of a properly seated
occupant and determine if the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag
and knee airbag (if equipped)
should be allowed to inflate or not.
According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly
secured in a rear seat in the correct
child restraint for their weight
and size.
Whenever possible, children aged
12 and under should be secured in
a rear seating position.
Never put a rear-facing child seat in
the front. This is because the risk to
the rear-facing child is so great if the
airbag inflates.{Warning
A child in a rear-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured
or killed if the passenger frontal
airbag inflates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child
restraint would be very close to
the inflating airbag. A child in a
forward-facing child restraint can
be seriously injured or killed if the
passenger frontal airbag inflates
and the passenger seat is in a
forward position.
Even if the passenger sensing
system has turned off the front
outboard passenger airbag(s), no
system is fail-safe. No one can
guarantee that an airbag will not
deploy under some unusual
circumstance, even though the
airbag(s) are off.
Never put a rear-facing child
restraint in the front seat, even if
the airbag is off. If securing a
forward-facing child restraint in(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
the front outboard passenger
seat, always move the seat as far
back as it will go. It is better to
secure child restraints in the rear
seat. Consider using another
vehicle to transport the child
when a rear seat is not available.
The passenger sensing system is
designed to turn off the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag
and knee airbag (if equipped) if:
. The front outboard passenger
seat is unoccupied.
. The system determines that an
infant is present in a rear-facing
infant seat.
. The system determines that a
small child is present in a child
restraint.

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
12163005) - 2019 - crc - 9/17/18
82 Seats and Restraints
{Warning
Never allow a child to wear the
seat belt with the shoulder belt
behind their back. A child can be
seriously injured by not wearing
the lap-shoulder belt properly. In a
crash, the child would not be
restrained by the shoulder belt.
The child could move too far
forward increasing the chance of
head and neck injury. The child
might also slide under the lap
belt. The belt force would then be
applied right on the abdomen.
That could cause serious or fatal
injuries. The shoulder belt should
go over the shoulder and across
the chest.
Infants and Young
Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs
protection! This includes infants and
all other children. Neither the
distance traveled nor the age and
size of the traveler changes the
need, for everyone, to use safety
restraints. In fact, the law in every
state in the United States and in
every Canadian province says
children up to some age must be
restrained while in a vehicle.
{Warning
Children can be seriously injured
or strangled if a shoulder belt is
wrapped around their neck. The
shoulder belt can tighten but
cannot be loosened if it is locked.
The shoulder belt locks when it is
pulled all the way out of the
retractor. It unlocks when the
shoulder belt is allowed to go all
the way back into the retractor,
but it cannot do this if it is
wrapped around a child’s neck.
If the shoulder belt is locked and
tightened around a child’s neck,
the only way to loosen the belt is
to cut it.
Never leave children unattended
in a vehicle and never allow
children to play with the seat
belts.
Every time infants and young
children ride in vehicles, they should
have the protection provided by