2021 BUICK ENCORE child seat

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14607636) -
2021 - CRC - 8/18/20
Seats and Restraints 65
3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lapand shoulder portions of the vehicle seat
belt through or around the restraint. The
child restraint instructions will show
you how.
4. 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.
5. 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.6. 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 5 and 6.
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

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14607636) -
2021 - CRC - 8/18/20
66 Seats and Restraints
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 airbag or 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 044.
To remove the child restraint, unbuckle the
vehicle seat belt and let it return to the
stowed position.

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14607636) -
2021 - CRC - 8/18/20
Driving and Operating 165
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.
.Stop or park the vehicle to tend to
children.
.Keep pets in an appropriate carrier or
restraint.
.Avoid stressful conversations while
driving, whether with a passenger or on a
cell phone.
{Warning
Taking your eyes off the road too long or
too often could cause a crash resulting in
injury or death. Focus your attention on
driving.
Refer to the infotainment section for more
information on using that system and the
navigation system, if equipped, including
pairing and using a cell phone.
Defensive Driving
Defensive driving means “always expect the
unexpected.” The first step in driving
defensively is to wear the seat belt. See
Seat Belts 032.
.Assume that other road users
(pedestrians, bicyclists, and other drivers)
are going to be careless and make
mistakes. Anticipate what they may do
and be ready.
.Allow enough following distance between
you and the driver in front of you.
.Focus on the task of driving.
Impaired Driving
Death and injury associated with impaired
driving is a global tragedy.
{Warning
Drinking alcohol or taking drugs and then
driving is very dangerous. Your reflexes,
perceptions, attentiveness, and judgment
can be affected by even a small amount
of alcohol or drugs. You can have a
serious —or even fatal —collision if you
drive after drinking or taking drugs.
Do not drive while under the influence of
alcohol or drugs, or ride with a driver
who has been drinking or is impaired by
drugs. Find alternate transportation
home; or if you are with a group,
designate a driver who will remain sober.
Control of a Vehicle
Braking, steering, and accelerating are
important factors in helping to control a
vehicle while driving.

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14607636) -
2021 - CRC - 8/18/20
Driving and Operating 173
The Certification/Tire label may also
show the maximum weights for the
front and rear axles, called the Gross
Axle Weight Rating (GAWR). To find out
the actual loads on the front and rear
axles, weigh the vehicle at a weigh
station. Your dealer can help with this.
Be sure to spread the load equally on
both sides of the centerline.Caution
Overloading the vehicle may cause
damage. Repairs would not be covered by
the vehicle warranty. Do not overload the
vehicle.
{Warning
Things you put inside the vehicle can
strike and injure people in a sudden
stop or turn, or in a crash.
.Put things in the cargo area of the
vehicle. Try to spread the weight
evenly.
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
.Never stack heavier things, like
suitcases, inside the vehicle so
that some of them are above the
tops of the seats.
.Do not leave an unsecured child
restraint in the vehicle.
.When you carry something inside
the vehicle, secure it whenever
you can.
.Do not leave a seat folded down
unless you need to.
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In
Caution
The vehicle does not need an elaborate
break-in. But it will perform better in the
long run if you follow these guidelines:
(Continued)
Caution (Continued)
.Do not drive at any one constant
speed, fast or slow, for the first
805 km (500 mi). Do not make
full-throttle starts. Avoid downshifting
to brake or slow the vehicle.
.Avoid making hard stops for the first
322 km (200 mi) or so. During this
time the new brake linings are not yet
broken in. Hard stops with new linings
can mean premature wear and earlier
replacement. Follow this breaking-in
guideline every time you get new
brake linings.
Following break-in, engine speed and load
can be gradually increased.

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14607636) -
2021 - CRC - 8/18/20
306 Index
H
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
HD Radio Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
HeadlampsAiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . 98
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Heated Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Heater Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
How to Wear Seat Belts Properly . . . . . . . . . .33
HVAC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
I
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Indicator
Vehicle Ahead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Infants and Young Children, Restraints . . . . 50
Information Publication Ordering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Instrument Panel
Storage Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Instrument Panel Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Interior Rearview Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1, 104, 136
J
Jack Auxiliary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116, 147
Jump Starting - North America . . . . . . . . . . . 253
K
Keyless Entry Remote (RKE) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
L
Labeling, Tire Sidewall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234 Lamps
Courtesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Daytime Running (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Dome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Exterior Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Exterior Lighting Battery Saver . . . . . . . . 102
Headlamps, Front Turn Signal, and
Parking Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
License Plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Malfunction Indicator (Check Engine) . . . 81
On Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . 195
Lane Departure Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
LATCH System Replacing Parts after a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . 61
LATCH, Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
LED Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Lighting Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Exit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Illumination Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
LED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Lights Airbag Readiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14607636) -
2021 - CRC - 8/18/20
Index 307
Lights (cont'd)Antilock Brake System (ABS)
Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Brake System Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Charging System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Check Engine (Malfunction Indicator) . . . 81
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Door Ajar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Engine Oil Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
High-Beam On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Lane Departure Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Low Fuel Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Seat Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
StabiliTrak OFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Traction Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Locks Automatic Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Lockout Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Power Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Lumbar Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
M
MaintenanceRecords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Maintenance and Care Additional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Maintenance Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267 Recommended Fluids andLubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183
Media Avoiding Untrusted Devices . . . . . . . . 113, 144
Messages Engine Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Vehicle Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Messaging Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Mirrors
Automatic Dimming Rearview . . . . . . . . . . 20
Convex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Mirrors (cont'd)
Folding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Manual Rearview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Mirrors, Interior Rearview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Monitor System, Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Multi-band Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113, 144
N
Navigation Connected Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Net, Convenience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
O
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Oil Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Older Children, Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Online Owner Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
OnStar Additional Information . . . . . . . . . . . 295
OnStar Emergency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14607636) -
2021 - CRC - 8/18/20
Index 309
Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Replacement PartsAirbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Replacing Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Replacing LATCH System Parts after a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
Replacing Seat Belt System Parts after a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Reporting Safety Defects Canadian Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
General Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
U.S. Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Restraints Where to Put . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . .178
Roads
Driving, Wet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Roadside Assistance Program . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Roof Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Roof Rack System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Rotation, Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Routing, Engine Drive Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .281
Running the Vehicle While Parked . . . . . . . . 181S
Safety Defects Reporting Canadian Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
General Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
U.S. Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Safety Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Safety System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112, 143
Scheduling Appointments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Seat Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Extender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
How to Wear Seat Belts Properly . . . . . . . 33
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Reminders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Replacing after a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Use During Pregnancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Seats Adjustment, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Folding Seatback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Lumbar Adjustment, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Power Adjustment, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Underseat Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Securing Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62, 64 Security
OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Vehicle Alarm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . 202
Climate Control System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Doing Your Own Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Maintenance Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Maintenance, General Information . . . . . 266
Parts Identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Scheduling Appointments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Services Special Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Servicing the Airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129, 154
Shift Lock Control Function Check, Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Sidemarker Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Signals, Turn and Lane-Change . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Software Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Spare Tire
Compact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252