Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
Introduction 3
[:Forward Collision Alert
R:Fuse Block Cover Lock Location
+:Fuses
j:ISOFIX/LATCH System Child Restraints
Q:Keep Fuse Block Covers Properly
Installed
|: Lane Change Alert
@:Lane Departure Warning
A:Lane Keep Assist
*: Malfunction Indicator Lamp
::Oil Pressure
X:Park Assist
~:Pedestrian Ahead Indicator
O:Power
7:Rear Cross Traffic Alert
I:Registered Technician
/:Remote Vehicle Start
h:Risk of Electrical Fire
>:Seat Belt Reminders
I:Side Blind Zone Alert
h:Stop/Start
7:Tire Pressure Monitor
d:Traction Control/StabiliTrak/Electronic
Stability Control (ESC)
a: Under Pressure
V: Vehicle Ahead Indicator
Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
Instruments and Controls 87
Caution
Leaving electrical equipment plugged in
for an extended period of time while the
ignition is off will drain the battery.
Always unplug electrical equipment when
not in use and do not plug in equipment
that exceeds the maximum 15 amp
rating.
Certain accessory plugs may not be
compatible with the accessory power outlet
and could overload vehicle and adapter
fuses. If a problem is experienced, see your
dealer.
When adding electrical equipment, be sure
to follow the proper installation instructions
included with the equipment. See Add-On
Electrical Equipment 0249.
Caution
Hanging heavy equipment from the
power outlet can cause damage not
covered by the vehicle warranty. The
power outlets are designed for accessory
power plugs only, such as cell phone
charge cords.
Power Outlet 110V/120V Alternating
Current
If equipped with this power outlet, it can be
used to plug in electrical equipment that
uses a maximum limit of 150 watts.
The power outlet is on the rear of the
center console.
An indicator light on the outlet turns on to
show it is in use. The light comes on when
the ignition is on, equipment requiring less
than 150 watts is plugged into the outlet,
and no system fault is detected.
The indicator light does not come on when
the ignition is off or if the equipment is not
fully seated into the outlet. If equipment is connected using more than
150 watts or a system fault is detected, a
protection circuit shuts off the power supply
and the indicator light turns off. To reset
the circuit, unplug the item and plug it back
in or turn the Retained Accessory Power
(RAP) off and then back on. See
Retained
Accessory Power (RAP) 0203. The power
restarts when equipment using 150 watts or
less is plugged into the outlet and a system
fault is not detected.
The power outlet is not designed for and
may not work properly, if the following are
plugged in:
.Equipment with high initial peak wattage,
such as compressor-driven refrigerators
and electric power tools
.Other equipment requiring an extremely
stable power supply, such as
microcomputer-controlled electric blankets
and touch sensor lamps
.Medical equipment
Wireless Charging
If equipped, the vehicle has wireless
charging in the storage bin at the front of
the floor console. The system operates at
145 kHz and wirelessly charges one Qi
compatible smartphone. The power output
Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
124 Lighting
Hazard Warning Flashers
|:Press to make the front and rear turn
signal lamps flash on and off. This warns
others that you are having trouble.
Press
|again to turn the flashers off.
Turn and Lane-Change Signals
Move the lever all the way up or down to
signal a turn.
An arrow on the instrument cluster will
flash in the direction of the turn or lane
change.
Raise or lower the lever until the arrow
starts to flash to signal a lane change. Hold
it there until the lane change is complete.
If the lever is moved momentarily to the
lane change position, the arrow will flash
three times. It will flash six times if Tow/
Haul Mode is active.
The lever returns to its starting position
when it is released.
If after signaling a turn or lane change, the
arrow flashes rapidly or does not come on, a
signal bulb may be burned out. Have any burned out bulbs replaced. If a
bulb is not burned out, check the fuse. See
Instrument Panel Fuse Block
0284.
Fog Lamps
The fog lamps button is on the instrument
panel beside the steering wheel.
To turn on the fog lamps, the ignition and
the headlamps or parking lamps must be on.
#:If equipped, press to turn on or off. An
indicator light on the instrument cluster
comes on when the fog lamps are on.
Some localities have laws that require the
headlamps to be on along with the fog
lamps.
Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
178 Infotainment System
NOTICE OF USE
CONTRACTOR (MANUFACTURER/ SUPPLIER)
NAME:
HERE North America, LLC
CONTRACTOR (MANUFACTURER/SUPPLIER)
ADDRESS:
425 West Randolph Street, Chicago, IL
60606.
This Data is a commercial item as defined in
FAR 2.101 and is subject to the End User
License Agreement under which this Data
was provided.
© 2014 HERE North America, LLC. All rights
reserved.
If the Contracting Officer, federal
government agency, or any federal official
refuses to use the legend provided herein,the Contracting Officer, federal government
agency, or any federal official must notify
HERE prior to seeking additional or
alternative rights in the Data.
Unicode
Copyright © 1991-2010 Unicode, Inc. All
rights reserved. Distributed under the Terms
of Use in http://www.unicode.org/
copyright.html.
Free Type Project
Portions of this software are copyright ©
2010 The FreeType Project
(http://www.freetype.org). All rights
reserved.
Open Source SW
Further information concerning the OSS
licenses is shown in the infotainment
display.
QNX
Portions of this software are copyright ©
2008-2011, QNX Software Systems. All rights
reserved.
Part C
–EULA
Copyright © 2011, Software Systems GmbH
& Co. KG. All Rights Reserved. The product you have purchased ("Product")
contains Software (Runtime Configuration
No. 505962; "Software") which is distributed
by or on behalf of the Product manufacturer
"Manufacturer") under license from Software
Systems Co. ("QSSC"). You may only use the
Software in the Product and in compliance
with the license terms below.
Subject to the terms and conditions of this
License, QSSC hereby grants you a limited,
non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use
the Software in the Product for the purpose
intended by the Manufacturer. If permitted
by the Manufacturer, or by applicable law,
you may make one backup copy of the
Software as part of the Product software.
QSSC and its licensors reserve all license+C31
rights not expressly granted herein, and
retain all right, title and interest in and to
all copies of the Software, including all
intellectual property rights therein. Unless
required by applicable law you may not
reproduce, distribute or transfer,
or de-compile, disassemble or otherwise
attempt to unbundle, reverse engineer,
modify or create derivative works of, the
Software. You agree: (1) not to remove,
cover or alter any proprietary notices, labels
or marks in or on the Software, and to
ensure that all copies bear any notice
Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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Vehicle Care 251
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
California Proposition 65 Warning . . . . . 252
California Perchlorate MaterialsRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . 252
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your Own Service Work . . . . . . . . . 253
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . 255
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . 260
Engine Air Filter Life System . . . . . . . . . . 260
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Brake Pad Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Battery - North America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Automatic Transmission Shift Lock Control Function Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Park Brake and P (Park) Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272 Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Windshield Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Gas Strut(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Headlamp Aiming
Front Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
LED Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Headlamps and Sidemarker Lamps . . . . . 275
Front Turn Signal and Fog Lamps . . . . . . 276
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Sidemarker,
Stoplamps, and Back-Up Lamps (Base
Level) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Sidemarker, Stoplamps, and Back-Up Lamps
(Uplevel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Electrical System
Electrical System Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . 281
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . 284
Rear Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . 285
Wheels and Tires
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
All-Season Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288 Tire Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Tire Terminology and Definitions . . . . . 290
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Tire Pressure Monitor System . . . . . . . . . 293
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation . . . . . . 294
Tire Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Tire Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . 298
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Different Size Tires and Wheels . . . . . . . 300
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . 300
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . 302
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Tire Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
If a Tire Goes Flat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Tire Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
Compact Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Jump Starting
Jump Starting - North America . . . . . . . . 308
Towing the Vehicle
Towing the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
Recreational Vehicle Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
Appearance Care
Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
256 Vehicle Care
1. Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir. SeeWasher Fluid 0267.
2. Engine Coolant Surge Tank and Pressure Cap. See Cooling System 0262.
3. Engine Oil Dipstick. See Engine Oil0258.
4. Engine Cooling Fan (Out of View). See Cooling System 0262.
5. Engine Oil Fill Cap. See Engine Oil0258.
6. Engine Air Cleaner/Filter 0261.
7. Brake Fluid Reservoir. See Brakes0268.
8. Positive (+) Battery Terminal. See Jump
Starting - North America 0308.
9. Battery - North America 0270.
10. Engine Compartment Fuse Block 0281.
11. Remote Negative (-) Battery Terminal. SeeJump Starting - North America 0308
Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
258 Vehicle Care
9.Battery - North America 0270.
10. Engine Compartment Fuse Block 0281.
11. Remote Negative (-) Battery Terminal. SeeJump Starting - North America 0308
Engine Oil
To ensure proper engine performance and
long life, careful attention must be paid to
engine oil. Following these simple, but
important steps will help protect your
investment:
.Use engine oil approved to the proper
specification and of the proper viscosity
grade. See “Selecting the Right Engine
Oil” in this section.
.Check the engine oil level regularly and
maintain the proper oil level. See
“Checking Engine Oil” and“When to Add
Engine Oil” in this section.
.Change the engine oil at the appropriate
time. SeeEngine Oil Life System 0260.
.Always dispose of engine oil properly. See
“What to Do with Used Oil” in this
section.
Checking Engine Oil
Check the engine oil level regularly, every
650 km (400 mi), especially prior to a long
trip. The engine oil dipstick handle is a loop.
See Engine Compartment Overview 0255 for
the location.
{Warning
The engine oil dipstick handle may be
hot; it could burn you. Use a towel or
glove to touch the dipstick handle.
If a low oil Driver Information Center (DIC)
message displays, check the oil level.
Follow these guidelines:
.To get an accurate reading, park the
vehicle on level ground. Check the engine
oil level after the engine has been off for
at least two hours. Checking the engine
oil level on steep grades or too soon after
engine shutoff can result in incorrect
readings. Accuracy improves when
checking a cold engine prior to starting.
Remove the dipstick and check the level.
.If unable to wait two hours, the engine
must be off for at least 15 minutes if the
engine is warm, or at least 30 minutes if
the engine is not warm. Pull out the dipstick, wipe it with a clean paper towel
or cloth, then push it back in all the way.
Remove it again, keeping the tip down,
and check the level.
When to Add Engine Oil
If the oil is below the cross-hatched area at
the tip of the dipstick and the engine has
been off for at least 15 minutes, add 1 L (1
qt) of the recommended oil and then
recheck the level. See
“Selecting the Right
Engine Oil” later in this section for an
explanation of what kind of oil to use. For
engine oil crankcase capacity, see Capacities
and Specifications 0336.
Caution
Do not add too much oil. Oil levels above
or below the acceptable operating range
shown on the dipstick are harmful to the
engine. If you find that you have an oil
level above the operating range, i.e., the
(Continued)
Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
280 Vehicle Care
2. Disengage the bulb socket from the plugconnector by pressing the retaining lug.
3. Remove and replace the bulb socket with bulb and attach the plug connector.
4. Insert the bulb socket into the reflector and turn clockwise to engage.
Taillamps, Turn Signal,
Sidemarker, Stoplamps, and
Back-Up Lamps (Uplevel)
Caution
Improper lamp assembly removal and
installation can cause leaks and water
intrusion which may cause damage to
(Continued)
Caution (Continued)
the taillamp. Do not remove the taillamp
assembly to replace a bulb. Use the
tailgate opening to access the bulb.
The stoplamp/taillamp/turn signal lamp/side
marker lamp and tailgate inboard taillamp
are LEDs. To replace, see your dealer.
Electrical System
Electrical System Overload
The vehicle has fuses and circuit breakers to
protect against an electrical system
overload.
When the current electrical load is too
heavy, the circuit breaker opens and closes,
protecting the circuit until the current load
returns to normal or the problem is fixed.
This greatly reduces the chance of circuit
overload and fire caused by electrical
problems.
Fuses and circuit breakers protect power
devices in the vehicle.
Replace a bad fuse with a new one of the
identical size and rating. If there is a problem on the road and a fuse
needs to be replaced, the same amperage
fuse can be borrowed. Choose some feature
of the vehicle that is not needed to use and
replace it as soon as possible.
Headlamp Wiring
An electrical overload may cause the lamps
to go on and off, or in some cases to
remain off. Have the headlamp wiring
checked right away if the lamps go on and
off or remain off.
Windshield Wipers
If the wiper motor overheats due to heavy
snow or ice, the windshield wipers will stop
until the motor cools and will then restart.
Although the circuit is protected from
electrical overload, overload due to heavy
snow or ice may cause wiper linkage
damage. Always clear ice and heavy snow
from the windshield before using the
windshield wipers.
If the overload is caused by an electrical
problem and not snow or ice, be sure to get
it fixed.