Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 1/28/21
Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Keys, Doors, and Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Seats and Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Instruments and Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Driving and Operating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Service and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
Technical Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
Customer Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339
Reporting Safety Defects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
Connected Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358
Introduction
The names, logos, emblems, slogans, vehicle
model names, and vehicle body designs
appearing in this manual including, but not
limited to, GM, the GM logo, BUICK, the
BUICK Emblem, and ENCORE GX are
trademarks and/or service marks of General
Motors LLC, its subsidiaries, affiliates,
or licensors.
For vehicles first sold in Canada, substitute
the name“General Motors of Canada
Company” for Buick Motor Division wherever
it appears in this manual.
This manual describes features that may or
may not be on the vehicle because of
optional equipment that was not purchased
on the vehicle, model variants, country
specifications, features/applications that may not be available in your region, or changes
subsequent to the printing of this owner’s
manual.
Refer to the purchase documentation
relating to your specific vehicle to confirm
the features.
Keep this manual in the vehicle for quick
reference.Canadian Vehicle Owners
A French language manual can be obtained
from your dealer, at www.helminc.com,
or from:
Propriétaires Canadiens
On peut obtenir un exemplaire de ce guide
en français auprès du concessionnaire ou à
l'adresse suivante:
Helm, Incorporated
Attention: Customer Service
47911 Halyard Drive
Plymouth, MI 48170
USA
Litho in U.S.A.
Part No. 84588301 C Third Printing©2021 General Motors LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
110 Instruments and Controls
Warning (Continued)
see when it is dark outside. Be sure to
keep the HUD image dim and placed low
in your field of view.
{Warning
.Do not attach any stickers, decals,
or accessories on the Head-Up
Display (HUD).
.Do not attempt to adjust or move the
HUD screen or the mechanical door on
top of the instrument panel by hand.
.Do not place any objects near the
HUD. Objects may obstruct the image
display, and/or interference from the
objects during activation may
influence the operation or could
damage the display.
.Do not put any drinks near the HUD.
If liquid flows into the display, the
unit could be damaged.
.Use caution when opening or closing
the HUD screen to prevent objects
from falling inside the
mechanical door.(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
.Use only a soft cloth to clean the HUD
screen. Do not use any organic
solvents, detergents, or polishing
materials to prevent damage to the
HUD display.
If equipped with HUD, some information
concerning the operation of the vehicle is
projected onto the screen on top of the
instrument panel. The information is
projected through the HUD lens on the
driver side of the instrument panel and
focused out toward the front of the vehicle.
Caution
If you try to use the HUD image as a
parking aid, you may misjudge the
distance and damage your vehicle. Do not
use the HUD image as a parking aid.
The HUD information can be displayed in
various languages. The speedometer reading
and other numerical values can be displayed
in either English or metric units. The language selection is changed through
the radio and the units of measurement is
changed through the instrument cluster. See
Settings
0164 and “Options” under
Instrument Cluster 090.
HUD Display
The HUD may display some of the following
vehicle information and vehicle messages or
alerts:
.Speed
.Tachometer
.Audio
.Phone
.Navigation
.Collision Alert
Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
154 Infotainment System
However, not all features within these areas
are supported by voice commands.
Generally, only complex tasks that require
multiple manual interactions to complete
are supported by voice commands.
For example, tasks that take more than one
or two touches, such as a song or artist to
play from a media device, would be
supported by voice commands. Other tasks,
like adjusting the volume or seeking up or
down, are audio features that are easily
performed by touching one or two options,
and are not supported by voice commands.
In general there are flexible ways to speak
commands for completing the tasks.
If your language supports it, try stating a
one-shot command, such as“Directions to
address
while stating the address during the
command. Another example of a one-shot
Destination Entry command is, “Directions to
Place of Interest at
commands do not work, try saying, “Take
me to Place of Interest” or“Find address”
and the system will walk you through by
asking additional questions.Hybrid Speech Recognition
If equipped, this feature helps distinguish
words by using Internet-based information
along with the system’s voice recognition
database. This allows you to speak more
naturally when using voice recognition.
Using Voice Recognition
Voice recognition becomes available once
the system has been initialized. This begins
when the ignition is turned on. Initialization
may take a few moments.
1. Press
gon the steering wheel controls
to activate voice recognition.
2. The audio system mutes and the system plays a prompt.
3. Clearly speak one of the commands described in this section.
A voice recognition system prompt can
be interrupted while it is playing by
pressing
gagain.
Once voice recognition is started, both the
infotainment display and instrument cluster
show the selections and visual dialog
content. These displays can be turned on or
off in the Tutorial Mode under Settings
0 164. There are three voice prompt modes
supported:
.Informative verbal prompts: This type of
prompt will provide more information
regarding the supported actions.
.Short prompts: This type of prompt will
provide simple instructions about what
can be stated.
.Auto informative prompts: This type of
prompt plays during the first few speech
sessions, then automatically switches to
the short prompt after some experience
has been gained through using the
system.
If a command is not spoken, the voice
recognition system says a help prompt.
Prompts and Infotainment Displays
While a voice recognition session is active,
there may be corresponding options
showing on the displays. A selection can be
made by manually touching the option,
or by speaking the number for the option to
select. Manual interaction in the voice
recognition session is permitted. Interaction
during a voice session may be completed
entirely using voice commands while some
manual commands may expedite a task. If a
selection is made using a manual control,
Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
Infotainment System 155
the voice recognition dialog will progress in
the same way as if the selection were made
using a voice command. Once the system
completes the task, or the session is
terminated, the voice recognition dialog
stops.
An example of this type of manual
intervention is touching an entry of a
displayed number list instead of speaking
the number associated with the entry
desired.
Canceling Voice Recognition
.Touch or say“Cancel”or“Exit” to
terminate the voice recognition session
and show the display where voice
recognition was initiated.
.Pression the steering wheel controls
to terminate the voice recognition session
and show the display where voice
recognition was initiated.
Natural Language Commands
Most languages do not support natural
language commands in sentence form. For
those languages, use direct commands like
the examples shown on the display.
Helpful Hints for Speaking Commands
Voice recognition can understand commands
that are naturally stated in sentence form or
direct commands that state the application
and the task.
For best results:
.Listen for the prompt before saying a
command or reply.
.Speak the command naturally, not too
fast, not too slow.
.Use direct commands without a lot of
extra words. For example, “Call
at work,” “Play” followed by the artist or
song name, or “Tune”followed by the
radio station number.
.Navigation destinations can be made in a
single command using keywords. A few
examples are: “I want directions to an
address,” “I need to find a place of
interest or (POI),” or“Find contact.”
The system responds by requesting more
details. For other POIs, say the name of a
category like “Restaurants,” “Shopping
Malls,” or“Hospitals.”
.Navigating to a destination outside of the
current country takes more than one
command. The first command is to tell
the system where the navigation will take place, such as an Address, Intersection,
POI, or Contact. If Address or Intersection
is selected, the second command is to
say,
“Change Country.” Once the system
responds, say the country before saying
the rest of the address and/or
intersection.
If POI is asked for, say “Change Location,”
then “Change Country.”
Direct commands might be more clearly
understood by the system. An example of a
direct command would be “Call
Examples of these direct commands are
displayed on most of the screens while a
voice session is active. If “Phone”or“Phone
Commands,” is spoken, the system
understands that a phone call is requested
and will respond with questions until
enough details are gathered to make a call.
If a cell phone number has been saved with
a name and a place, the direct command
should include both, for example “Call
Using Voice Recognition for List Options
When a list is displayed, a voice prompt will
ask to confirm or select an option from
that list.
Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
Infotainment System 165
Time / Date
Use the following features to set the clock:
.Automatic Time and Date: Touch On to
have the time and date automatically set.
When this feature is off, the time and
date can be manually set.
.Set Time: Touch to manually set the time
using the controls on the infotainment
display.
.Set Date: Touch to manually set the date
using the controls on the infotainment
display.
.Automatic Time Zone: Touch Off or On to
disable or enable automatic update of the
time zone based on vehicle location.
When this feature is on, the time zone
cannot be manually set.
.Select Time Zone: Touch to manually set
the time zone.
Touch a time zone from the list.
.Use 24-hour Format: Touch to specify the
clock format shown.
Touch Off or On.
Language
This will set the display language used on
the infotainment display. Touch Language and select the appropriate
language.
Phones
Touch to connect to a different cell phone or
mobile device source, disconnect a cell
phone or media device, or delete a cell
phone or media device.
Wi-Fi Networks
This will show connected and available Wi-Fi
networks.
If a 4G LTE data package is not active on the
vehicle, the infotainment system can be
connected to an external protected Wi-Fi
network, such as a mobile device or home
hotspot, to utilize connected services.
Wi-Fi Hotspot
Touch and the following may display:
.Wi-Fi Services: This allows devices to use
the vehicle hotspot.
Touch the controls on the infotainment
display to disable or enable.
.Wi-Fi Name: Touch to change the vehicle
Wi-Fi name.
.Wi-Fi Password: Touch to change the
vehicle Wi-Fi password.
.Connected Devices: Touch to show
connected devices.
.Share Hotspot Data: Touch Enable to
allow devices to use the vehicle hotspot
and its data, or touch Disable to allow
devices to only use the vehicle hotspot.
Privacy
If equipped, touch and the following may
display:
.Location Services: This setting determines
if data sharing can be used by features
including Wi-Fi, Hotspot, and applications.
Touch Off to disable data services.
Emergency services and phone calls, such
as calls with OnStar Advisors or others,
will not be affected when Off is selected.
.Voice Recognition Sharing: This setting
determines if voice commands can be
shared with a cloud-based voice
recognition system. Touch Off to prevent
the sharing and possible recording of your
voice commands with this system. This
may limit the system’s ability to
understand your voice commands and
may disable some features.
.Types: This setting lists all
Android-defined as dangerous permissions
currently used by the infotainment
Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
Infotainment System 173
In Canada: Some deterioration of service
may occur in extreme northern latitudes.
This is beyond the control of SiriusXM
Satellite Radio.
Explicit Language Notice: Channels with
frequent explicit language are indicated with
an“XL” preceding the channel name.
Channel blocking is available for SiriusXM
Satellite Radio receivers by notifying
SiriusXM:
.USA Customers —See www.siriusxm.com
or call 1-888-601–6296.
.Canada Customers —See
www.siriusxm.ca or call 1-877-438-9677.
It is prohibited to copy, decompile,
disassemble, reverse engineer, hack,
manipulate, or otherwise make available any
technology or software incorporated in
receivers compatible with the SiriusXM
Satellite Radio System or that support the
SiriusXM website, the Online Service or any
of its content. Furthermore, the AMBER voice
compression software included in this
product is protected by intellectual property
rights including patent rights, copyrights,
and trade secrets of Digital Voice
Systems, Inc.
General Requirements: 1. A License Agreement from SiriusXM is
required for any product that
incorporates SiriusXM Technology and/or
for use of any of the SiriusXM marks to
be manufactured, distributed,
or marketed in the SiriusXM
Service Area.
2. For products to be distributed, marketed, and/or sold in Canada, a separate
agreement is required with Canadian
Satellite Radio Inc. (operating as SiriusXM
Canada).
TouchSense Technology and TouchSense
System 1000 Series Licensed from
Immersion Corporation. TouchSense System
1000 protected under one or more of the
U.S. Patents at the following address
www.immersion.com/patent-marking.html
and other patents pending. Bose
Bose AudioPilot and Bose Centerpoint
surround are registered trademarks of Bose
Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.
HD Radio Technology
HD Radio Technology manufactured under
license from iBiquity Digital Corporation. U.S.
and Foreign patents. HD Radio and the HD,
HD Radio, and
“Arc”logos are proprietary
trademarks of iBiquity Digital Corp.
Bluetooth
The Bluetooth word mark and logos are
owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any
use of such marks by General Motors is
under license. Other trademarks and trade
names are those of their respective owners.
Java
Java is a registered trademark of Oracle
and/or its affiliates.
Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
OnStar 353
Languages
The vehicle can be programmed to respond
in multiple languages. Press
Qand ask for
an Advisor. Advisors are available in English,
Spanish, and French. Available languages
may vary by country.
Potential Issues
OnStar cannot perform Remote Door Unlock
or Stolen Vehicle Assistance after the vehicle
has been off continuously for 10 days
without an ignition cycle. If the vehicle has
not been started for 10 days, OnStar can
contact Roadside Assistance or a locksmith
to help gain access to the vehicle.
Global Positioning System (GPS)
.Obstruction of the GPS can occur in a
large city with tall buildings; in parking
garages; around airports; in tunnels and
underpasses; or in an area with very
dense trees. If GPS signals are not
available, the OnStar system should still
operate to call OnStar. However, OnStar
could have difficulty identifying the exact
location.
.In emergency situations, OnStar can use
the last stored GPS location to send to
emergency responders. A temporary loss of GPS can cause loss of
the ability to send a Turn-by-Turn
Navigation route. The Advisor may give a
verbal route or may ask for a call back after
the vehicle is driven into an open area.
Cellular and GPS Antennas
Cellular reception is required for OnStar to
send remote signals to the vehicle. Do not
place items over or near the antenna to
prevent blocking cellular and GPS signal
reception.
Unable to Connect to OnStar Message
If there is limited cellular coverage or the
cellular network has reached maximum
capacity, this message may come on. Press
Qto try the call again or try again after
driving a few miles into another
cellular area.
Vehicle and Power Issues
OnStar services require a vehicle electrical
system, wireless service, and GPS satellite
technologies to be available and operating
for features to function properly. These
systems may not operate if the battery is
discharged or disconnected.
Add-on Electrical Equipment
The OnStar system is integrated into the
electrical architecture of the vehicle. Do not
add any electrical equipment. See Add-On
Electrical Equipment 0249. Added electrical
equipment may interfere with the operation
of the OnStar system and cause it to not
operate.
Vehicle Software Updates
OnStar or GM may remotely deliver
software updates or changes to the vehicle
without further notice or consent. These
updates or changes may enhance or
maintain safety, security, or the operation
of the vehicle or the vehicle systems.
Software updates or changes may affect or
erase data or settings that are stored in the
vehicle, such as saved navigation
destinations or pre-set radio stations.
Neither OnStar nor GM is responsible for
any affected or erased data or settings.
These updates or changes may also collect
personal information. Such collection is
described in the OnStar privacy statement or
separately disclosed at the time of
installation. These updates or changes may
also cause a system to automatically
communicate with GM servers to collect
information about vehicle system status,