2021 BUICK ENCORE GX System

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
Seats and Restraints 67
In order to use the LATCH system in your
vehicle, you need a child restraint that has
LATCH attachments. LATCH-compatible
rear-facing and forward-facing child seats can
be properly installed using either the LATCH
anchors or the vehicle’s seat belts. Do not
use both the seat belts and the LATCH
anchorage system to secure a rear-facing or
forward-facing child seat.
Booster seats use the vehicle’s seat belts to
secure the child and the booster seat. If the
manufacturer recommends that the booster
seat be secured with the LATCH system, this
can be done as long as the booster seat can
be positioned properly and there is no
interference with the proper positioning of
the lap-shoulder belt on the child.
Make sure to follow the instructions that
came with the child restraint, and also the
instructions in this manual.When installing a child restraint with a top
tether, you must also use either the lower
anchors or the seat belts to properly secure
the child restraint. A child restraint must
never be attached using only the top tether.
For a forward-facing 5-pt harness child
restraint where the combined weight of the
child and restraint are up to 29.5 kg (65 lb),
use either the lower LATCH anchorages with
the top tether anchorage, or the seat belt
with the top tether anchorage. Where the
combined weight of the child and restraint
are greater than 29.5 kg (65 lb), use the seat
belt with the top tether anchorage only.

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
68 Seats and Restraints
Recommended Methods for Attaching Child RestraintsRestraint Type Combined Weight of
the Child + Child Restraint Use Only Approved Attachment Methods Show with an X
LATCH-Lower
Anchors Only Seat Belt OnlyLATCH-Lower Anchors
and Top Tether Anchor Seat Belt and Top
Tether Anchor
Rear-Facing Child
Restraint Up to 29.5 kg (65 lb) X X
Rear-Facing Child
Restraint Greater than
29.5 kg (65 lb)
X
Forward-Facing Child
Restraint Up to 29.5 kg (65 lb) X X
Forward-Facing Child
Restraint Greater than
29.5 kg (65 lb)
X
See Securing Child Restraints (With the Seat
Belt in the Front Seat) 074 or
Securing Child Restraints (With the Seat Belt
in the Rear Seat) 073. Child restraints built after March 2014 will
be labeled with the specific child weight up
to which the LATCH system can be used to
install the restraint.
The following explains how to attach a child
restraint with these attachments in the
vehicle. Not all vehicle seating positions have lower
anchors. In this case, the seat belt must be
used (with top tether where available) to
secure the child restraint. See
Securing Child
Restraints (With the Seat Belt in the Front
Seat) 074 or
Securing Child Restraints (With the Seat Belt
in the Rear Seat) 073.

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
70 Seats and Restraints
To assist in locating the lower anchors, each
row anchor position has a label, near the
crease on the seat cushion.
The lower anchors are behind the vertical
openings in the seat cushion trim located
below the anchor label.
To assist in locating the top tether anchors,
the top tether anchor symbol is near the
top tether anchors.
Top Tether Anchors
The top tether anchors for each rear seating
position are on the back of the rear
seatback. The rear compartment storage
panel/cover might need to be adjusted to
access the anchors. Be sure to use an anchoron the same side of the vehicle as the
seating position where the child restraint
will be placed.
Do not secure a child restraint in a position
without a top tether anchor if a national or
local law requires that the top tether be
attached, or if the instructions that come
with the child restraint say that the top
tether must be attached.
According to accident statistics, children and
infants are safer when properly restrained in
a child restraint system or infant restraint
system secured in a rear seating position.
See
Where to Put the Restraint 065 for
additional information.
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for
the LATCH System
{Warning
A child could be seriously injured or killed
in a crash if the child restraint is not
properly attached to the vehicle using
either the LATCH anchors or the vehicle
seat belt. Follow the instructions that
came with the child restraint and the
instructions in this manual.

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
72 Seats and Restraints
If the position you are using does
not have a head restraint and you
are using a single tether, route the
tether over the seatback.
If the position you are using does
not have a head restraint and you
are using a dual tether, route the
tether over the seatback.
If the position you are using has an
adjustable headrest or head
restraint and you are using a single
tether, raise the headrest or head
restraint and route the tether under
the headrest or head restraint and
in between the headrest or head
restraint posts.
If the position you are using has an
adjustable headrest or head
restraint and you are using a dualtether, raise the headrest or head
restraint and route the tether under
the headrest or head restraint and
around the headrest or head
restraint posts.
3. Before placing a child in the child restraint, make sure it is securely held in
place. To check, grasp the child restraint
at the LATCH path and attempt to move
it side to side and back and forth. There
should be no more than 2.5 cm (1 in) of
movement, for proper installation.
Replacing LATCH System Parts
After a Crash
{Warning
A crash can damage the LATCH system in
the vehicle. A damaged LATCH system
may not properly secure the child
restraint, resulting in serious injury or
even death in a crash. To help make sure
the LATCH system is working properly
after a crash, see your dealer to have the
system inspected and any necessary
replacements made as soon as possible.

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
Seats and Restraints 73
If the vehicle has the LATCH system and it
was being used during a crash, new LATCH
system parts may be needed.
New parts and repairs may be necessary
even if the LATCH system was not being
used at the time of the crash.
Securing Child Restraints (With
the Seat Belt in the Rear Seat)
When securing a child restraint with the
seat belts in a rear seat position, study the
instructions that came with the child
restraint to make sure it is compatible with
this vehicle.
If the child restraint has the LATCH system,
seeLower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH System) 066 for how and where to
install the child restraint using LATCH. If a
child restraint is secured in the vehicle using
a seat belt and it uses a top tether, see
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH System) 066 for top tether anchor
locations.
Do not secure a child seat in a position
without a top tether anchor if a national or
local law requires that the top tether be anchored, or if the instructions that come
with the child restraint say that the top
tether must be anchored.
In Canada, the law requires that
forward-facing child restraints have a top
tether, and that the tether be attached.
If the child restraint or vehicle seat position
does not have the LATCH system, you will
be using the seat belt to secure the child
restraint. Be sure to follow the instructions
that came with the child restraint.
If more than one child restraint needs to be
installed in the rear seat, be sure to read
Where to Put the Restraint
065.
1. Put the child restraint on the seat.
2. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder portions of the vehicle's
seat belt through or around the child
restraint. The child restraint instructions
will show you how.
3. Push the latch plate into the buckle untilit clicks.
Position the release button on the
buckle, away from the child restraint, so
that the seat belt could be quickly
unbuckled if necessary.

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
74 Seats and Restraints
4. Pull the shoulder belt all the way out ofthe retractor to set the lock. When the
retractor lock is set, the belt can be
tightened but not pulled out of the
retractor.5. To tighten the belt, push down on thechild restraint, pull the shoulder portion
of the belt to tighten the lap portion of
the belt, and feed the shoulder belt back
into the retractor. When installing a
forward-facing child restraint, it may be
helpful to use your knee to push down
on the child restraint as you tighten
the belt.
Try to pull the belt out of the retractor
to make sure the retractor is locked.
If the retractor is not locked, repeat
Steps 4 and 5. 6. If the child restraint has a top tether,
follow the child restraint manufacturer's
instructions regarding the use of the top
tether. See Lower Anchors and Tethers
for Children (LATCH System) 066.
7. Before placing a child in the child restraint, make sure it is securely held in
place. To check, grasp the child restraint
at the seat belt path and attempt to
move it side to side and back and forth.
When the child restraint is properly
installed, there should be no more than
2.5 cm (1 in) of movement.
To remove the child restraint, unbuckle the
vehicle seat belt and let it return to the
stowed position. If the top tether is attached
to a top tether anchor, disconnect it.
Securing Child Restraints (With
the Seat Belt in the Front Seat)
This vehicle has airbags. A rear seat is a
safer place to secure a forward-facing child
restraint. See Where to Put the Restraint
0 65.
In addition, the vehicle has a passenger
sensing system which is designed to turn off
the front outboard passenger frontal airbag
and knee airbag under certain conditions.

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
Seats and Restraints 75
SeePassenger Sensing System 055 and
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator 096 for
more information, including important
safety information.
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
deploys.
{Warning
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can
be seriously injured or killed if the front
outboard 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 front
outboard 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.
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
Secure rear-facing child restraints in a
rear seat, even if the airbag(s) are off.
If you secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the front outboard passenger
seat, always move the seat as far back as
it will go. It is better to secure the child
restraint in a rear seat.
SeePassenger Sensing System 055 for
additional information.
If the child restraint uses a top tether, see
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH System) 066 for top tether anchor
locations.
Do not secure a child seat in a position
without a top tether anchor if a national or
local law requires that the top tether be
anchored, or if the instructions that come
with the child restraint say that the top
tether must be anchored.
In Canada, the law requires that
forward-facing child restraints have a top
tether, and that the tether be attached. When using the lap-shoulder belt to secure
the child restraint in this position, follow the
instructions that came with the child
restraint and the following instructions:
1. Move the seat as far back as it will go before securing the forward-facing child
restraint. Move the seat upward or the
seatback to an upright position,
if needed, to get a tight installation of
the child restraint.
When the passenger sensing system has
turned off the front outboard passenger
frontal airbag and knee airbag, the OFF
indicator on the passenger airbag status
indicator should light and stay lit when
you start the vehicle. See Passenger
Airbag Status Indicator 096.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder portions of the vehicle's
seat belt through or around the child
restraint. The child restraint instructions
will show you how.

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
Seats and Restraints 77
move it side to side and back and forth.
When the child restraint is properly
installed, there should be no more than
2.5 cm (1 in) of movement.
If the airbags are off, the OFF indicator in
the passenger airbag status indicator will
come on and stay on when the vehicle is
started.
If a child restraint has been installed and
the ON indicator is lit, see “If the On
Indicator Is Lit for a Child Restraint” under
Passenger Sensing System 055.
To remove the child restraint, unbuckle the
vehicle seat belt and let it return to the
stowed position.