Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14607636) -
2021 - CRC - 8/18/20
Seats and Restraints 63
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) 054.
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.
If the head restraint was removed, reinstall
it before the seating position is used. See
"Head Restraint Removal and Reinstallation"
under Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) 054 for additional
information on installing the head restraint
properly.
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14607636) -
2021 - CRC - 8/18/20
64 Seats and Restraints
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. SeeWhere to Put the Restraint
0 53.
In addition, the vehicle has a passenger
sensing system which is designed to turn off
the front outboard passenger frontal airbag
and knee airbag (if equipped) under certain
conditions. See Passenger Sensing System
0 44 and
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator 080 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
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
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.
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 044 for
additional information.
If the child restraint uses a top tether, see
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH System) 054 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 (if
equipped), the OFF indicator on the
passenger airbag status indicator should
light and stay lit when you start the
vehicle. See Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator 080.
2. Put the child restraint on the 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
100 Lighting
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel Illumination
Control
This feature adjusts the brightness of all
illuminated controls. The instrument panel
illumination control is next to the exterior
lamp control.
Push the knob in all the way until it extends
out and then turn the knob clockwise or
counterclockwise to brighten or dim the
lights. Push the knob back in when finished.
The knob is functional at night, or when
headlamps or the parking lamps are ON.
Courtesy Lamps
The courtesy lamps come on automatically
when any door is opened and the dome
lamp is in the door position.
Dome Lamps
Front and Rear Dome Lamps
The front dome lamp controls are in the
overhead console.
(:Press to turn the lamps off, even when
a door is open.
H: When the button is returned to the
middle position, the lamps turn on
automatically when a door is opened.
': Press to turn on the dome lamps.
The rear dome lamp controls are in the
headliner above the rear seats.
9:Press to turn the lamps off, even when
a door is open.
H: When the button is returned to the
middle position, the lamps turn on
automatically when a door is opened.
R: Press to turn on the dome lamps.
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14607636) -
2021 - CRC - 8/18/20
102 Lighting
heated seats, engine cooling fans, trailer
loads, and loads plugged into accessory
power outlets.
EPM works to prevent excessive discharge of
the battery. It does this by balancing the
generator's output and the vehicle's
electrical needs. It can increase engine idle
speed to generate more power, whenever
needed. It can temporarily reduce the power
demands of some accessories.
Normally, these actions occur in steps or
levels, without being noticeable. In rare
cases at the highest levels of corrective
action, this action may be noticeable to the
driver.Battery Power Protection
The battery saver feature protects against
draining the vehicle's battery.
If some interior lamps or the manual
parking lamps or headlamps are left on and
the ignition is turned off, the battery
rundown protection system automatically
turns the lamp off after some time.
To restart the 10-minute timer, turn the
exterior lamp control to the
Oposition and
then back to the
;or5position. To
keep the lamps on for more than
10 minutes, the ignition must be on or in
ACC/ACCESSORY.
Exterior Lighting Battery Saver
The exterior lamps turn off about 10 minutes
after the ignition is turned off, if the parking
lamps or headlamps have been manually
left on. This protects against draining the
battery. To restart the 10-minute timer, turn
the exterior lamp control to the
Oposition
and then back to the
;or2position.
To keep the lamps on for more than
10 minutes, the ignition must be on or in
ACC/ACCESSORY.
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14607636) -
2021 - CRC - 8/18/20
Climate Controls 161
Caution (Continued)
lines in the rear glass. These actions may
damage the rear defogger. Repairs would
not be covered by the vehicle warranty.
Air Vents
Use the louvers located on the air vents to
change the direction of the airflow.
Use the thumbwheels near the air vents to
control the amount of airflow or to shut off
the airflow.
Operation Tips
.Keep all outlets open whenever possible
for best system performance.
.Keep the paths under all seats clear of
objects to help circulate the air inside the
vehicle more effectively.
.Clear away any ice, snow, or leaves from
the air inlets at the base of the
windshield that can block the flow of air
into the vehicle.
.Clear snow off the hood to improve
visibility and help decrease moisture
drawn into the vehicle.
.Use of non-GM approved hood deflectors
can adversely affect the performance of
the system.
Maintenance
Air Intake
Clear away any ice, snow, or leaves from
the air intake at the base of the windshield
that can block the flow of air into the
vehicle.
Passenger Compartment Air Filter
The filter removes dust, pollen, and other
airborne irritants from outside air that is
pulled into the vehicle.
The filter should be replaced as part of
routine scheduled maintenance. See
Maintenance Schedule0267. To find out
what type of filter to use, see Maintenance
Replacement Parts 0276.
1. Open the glove box completely and disconnect the damper on the
outboard side.
2. Push in both sides of the glove box andpull to remove.
3. Open the filter cover by releasing tabson both sides and pulling up the cover.
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.