Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-13710474) -
2020 - CRC - 10/7/19
Climate Controls 137
create unsafe conditions based on
inhalation, combustion, frostbite,
or other health-based concerns.
The air conditioning system requires
periodic maintenance. See
Maintenance Schedule0263.
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-13710474) -
2020 - CRC - 10/7/19
140 Driving and Operating
Safe driver behavior and
understanding of the environment
can help avoid a rollover crash in
any type of vehicle, including utility
vehicles.
Driving for Better Fuel
Economy
Driving habits can affect fuel
mileage. Here are some driving tips
to get the best fuel economy
possible:
.Set the climate controls to the
desired temperature after the
engine is started, or turn them
off when not required.
. Avoid fast starts and accelerate
smoothly.
. Brake gradually and avoid
abrupt stops.
. Avoid idling the engine for long
periods of time.
. When road and weather
conditions are appropriate, use
cruise control. .
Always follow posted speed
limits or drive more slowly when
conditions require.
. Keep vehicle tires properly
inflated.
. Combine several trips into a
single trip.
. Replace the vehicle's tires with
the same TPC Spec number
molded into the tire's sidewall
near the size.
. Follow recommended scheduled
maintenance.
Distracted Driving
Distraction comes in many forms
and can take your focus from the
task of driving. Exercise good
judgment and do not let other
activities divert your attention away
from the road. Many local
governments have enacted laws
regarding driver distraction. Become
familiar with the local laws in
your area. To avoid distracted driving, keep
your eyes on the road, keep your
hands on the steering wheel, and
focus your attention on driving.
.
Do not use a phone in
demanding driving situations.
Use a hands-free method to
place or receive necessary
phone calls.
. Watch the road. Do not read,
take notes, or look up
information on phones or other
electronic devices.
. Designate a front seat
passenger to handle potential
distractions.
. Become familiar with vehicle
features before driving, such as
programming favorite radio
stations and adjusting climate
control and seat settings.
Program all trip information into
any navigation device prior to
driving.
. Wait until the vehicle is parked
to retrieve items that have fallen
to the floor.
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-13710474) -
2020 - CRC - 10/7/19
146 Driving and Operating
than when on dry pavement.
SeeAntilock Brake System
(ABS) 0163.
. 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 0283. To get
help and keep everyone in the
vehicle safe:
. Turn on the hazard warning
flashers.
. Tie a red cloth to an outside
mirror.
{Warning
Snow can trap engine exhaust
under the vehicle. This may
cause exhaust gases to get
inside. Engine exhaust contains
carbon monoxide (CO), which
cannot be seen or smelled. It can
cause unconsciousness and even
death.
If the vehicle is stuck in snow:
. Clear snow from the base of
the vehicle, especially any
blocking the exhaust pipe.
. Open a window about 5 cm
(2 in) on the vehicle side
that is away from the wind,
to bring in fresh air.
. Fully open the air outlets on
or under the instrument
panel.
. Adjust the climate control
system to circulate the air
inside the vehicle and set
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
the fan speed to the highest
setting. See“Climate
Control Systems.”
For more information about CO,
see Engine Exhaust 0159.
To save fuel, run the engine for
short periods to warm the vehicle
and then shut the engine off and
partially close the window. Moving
about to keep warm also helps.
If it takes time for help to arrive,
when running the engine, push the
accelerator pedal slightly so the
engine runs faster than the idle
speed. This keeps the battery
charged to restart the vehicle and to
signal for help with the headlamps.
Do this as little as possible, to
save fuel.
If the Vehicle Is Stuck
Slowly and cautiously spin the
wheels to free the vehicle when
stuck in sand, mud, ice, or snow.
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-13710474) -
2020 - CRC - 10/7/19
Vehicle Care 237
Treadwear 200 Traction AA
Temperature A
All Passenger Car Tires Must
Conform to Federal Safety
Requirements In Addition To
These Grades.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a
comparative rating based on the
wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a
specified government test
course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one and
one-half (1½) times as well on
the government course as a tire
graded 100. The relative
performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of
their use, however, and may
depart significantly from the
norm due to variations in driving
habits, service practices and
differences in road
characteristics and climate.Traction
The traction grades, from
highest to lowest, are AA, A, B,
and C. Those grades represent
the tire's ability to stop on wet
pavement as measured under
controlled conditions on
specified government test
surfaces of asphalt and
concrete. A tire marked C may
have poor traction performance.
Warning: The traction grade
assigned to this tire is based on
straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include
acceleration, cornering,
hydroplaning, or peak traction
characteristics.
Temperature
The temperature grades are A
(the highest), B, and C,
representing the tire's resistance
to the generation of heat and its
ability to dissipate heat when
tested under controlled
conditions on a specified indoorlaboratory test wheel. Sustained
high temperature can cause the
material of the tire to degenerate
and reduce tire life, and
excessive temperature can lead
to sudden tire failure. The grade
C corresponds to a level of
performance which all
passenger car tires must meet
under the Federal Motor Safety
Standard No. 109. Grades B and
A represent higher levels of
performance on the laboratory
test wheel than the minimum
required by law. Warning: The
temperature grade for this tire is
established for a tire that is
properly inflated and not
overloaded. Excessive speed,
underinflation, or excessive
loading, either separately or in
combination, can cause heat
buildup and possible tire failure.
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-13710474) -
2020 - CRC - 10/7/19
Index 303
AutomaticDoor Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Automatic Transmission Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Shift Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
B
BatteryExterior Lighting BatterySaver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Power Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Battery - North America . . . . 204, 245
Blade Replacement, Wiper . . . . . 206
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . 105
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202 Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . 151
Bulb Replacement Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 Bulb Replacement (cont'd)
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Headlamps, Front Turn
Signal, and Parking
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . . . 212
Taillamps, Turn Signal,
Sidemarker, Stoplamps,
and Backup Lamps . . . . . . . . . . 210
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
California Perchlorate MaterialsRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
California Proposition
65 Warning . . . . . . . . . .187, 204, 245, Back Cover
Camera
Rear Vision (RVC) . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . 2
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Carbon Monoxide Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159 Carbon Monoxide (cont'd)
Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Cargo Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Management System . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Caution, Danger, and Warning . . . . 3
Center Console Storage . . . . . . . . . 84
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . . 101
Check Engine Light
(Malfunction
Indicator) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101, 103
Child Restraints Infants and Young Children . . . . . 64
Lower Anchors and Tethers
for Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Securing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78, 80
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Cleaning Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . . 130
Air Conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Dual Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-13710474) -
2020 - CRC - 10/7/19
304 Index
Climate Control Systems (cont'd)Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Cluster, Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Collision Damage Repair . . . . . . . 286
Compact Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Compartments Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Connected Services Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Connections Connected Services . . . . . . . . . . 300
Control
Traction and ElectronicStability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Convenience Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Convex Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Coolant Engine Temperature Gauge . . . . 98
Cooling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130, 132
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Courtesy Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Courtesy Transportation Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285 Cover
Cargo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Cupholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Customer Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . 282 Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Text Telephone (TTY)
Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Customer Information Publications Ordering
Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Customer Satisfaction Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Cybersecurity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
D
Damage Repair, Collision . . . . . . . 286
Danger, Warning, and Caution . . . . 3
Data Collection Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . . 292
OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Data Recorders, Event . . . . . . . . . 291
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Diagnostics
Connected Services . . . . . . . . . . 301
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Door Ajar Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Power Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Drive Belt Routing, Engine . . . . . . 278
Drive Systems All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . 163, 204
Driver Assistance Systems . . . . . 169
Driver Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Driving Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . . . 140
Defensive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Drunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . 145
If the Vehicle is Stuck . . . . . . . . . 146
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-13710474) -
2020 - CRC - 10/7/19
Index 305
Driving the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Dual Automatic ClimateControl System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
E
Electrical Equipment,Add-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Electrical System Engine Compartment FuseBlock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . 213
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Rear Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Emergency
OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Check Light(Malfunction
Indicator) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101, 103
Compartment Overview . . . . . . . 191
Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . 98
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159 Engine (cont'd)
Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Oil Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . 159
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . . . 291
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Extended Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Extender, Seat Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . 123
Exterior Lighting Battery Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
F
Filter,
Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . 125
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239 Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Fluid Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 195
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203 Fluid (cont'd)
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Fog Lamps Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Folding Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Folding Seatback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Frequency Statement Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Front Seat Armrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Front Seats Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Economy, Driving for Better . . . 140
Filling a Portable FuelContainer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . 181, 182
Foreign Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . 108
Prohibited Fuels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Recommended . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Top Tier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-13710474) -
2020 - CRC - 10/7/19
310 Index
Seats (cont'd)Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Heated Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Lumbar Adjustment, Front . . . . . . 32
Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Power Adjustment, Front . . . . . . . 32
Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Underseat Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Securing Child Restraints . . . . 78, 80
Security OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Vehicle Alarm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Accessories and
Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Climate Control System . . . . . . . 130
Doing Your Own Work . . . . . . . . 188
Maintenance Records . . . . . . . . 274
Maintenance, General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Parts Identification . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Scheduling Appointments . . . . . 284
Services Special Application . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Servicing the Airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Shift Lock Control Function
Check, Automatic
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . 176
Sidemarker
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Signals, Turn and Lane-Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Spare Tire Compact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Special Application Services . . . . 268
Specifications and Capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
StabiliTrak OFF Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Start Assist, Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Start Vehicle, Remote . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 Heated Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Stoplamps and Back-Up Lamps
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Storage Areas Cargo Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Cargo Management System . . . . 85
Center Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Convenience Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Roof Rack System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Underseat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Storage Compartments . . . . . . . . . . 83
Struts Gas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Stuck Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Sun Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
System Forward CollisionAlert (FCA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129, 292
Roof Rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Systems Driver Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169