Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14607636) -
2021 - CRC - 8/18/20
Instruments and Controls 71
Instruments and Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Rear Window Wiper/Washer . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . 78
Seat Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . 80
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (Check Engine Light) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) Light . . . 83
Vehicle Ahead Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Traction Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
StabiliTrak OFF Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Immobilizer Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Door Ajar Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Information Displays
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . 86
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Engine Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Vehicle Speed Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Vehicle Personalization
Vehicle Personalization (8 Inch Screen) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Vehicle Personalization (7 Inch Screen) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment
To adjust the steering wheel:
1. Pull the lever down.
2. Move the steering wheel up or down.
3. Pull or push the steering wheel closer or away from you.
4. Lift the lever up to lock the steering wheel in place.
Do not adjust the steering wheel while
driving.
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14607636) -
2021 - CRC - 8/18/20
Lighting 97
Lighting
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer . . . . 97
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . 98
Automatic Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . 99
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel IlluminationControl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Courtesy Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Reading Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Lighting Features
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Battery Load Management . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Battery Power Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Exterior Lighting Battery Saver . . . . . . . . 102
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls
The exterior lamp control is on the
instrument panel to the left of the steering
column.
There are four positions:
O: Turns the exterior lamps off and
deactivates the AUTO mode. Turn
Oagain
to reactivate the AUTO mode.
In Canada, the headlamps will automatically
reactivate when the vehicle is shifted out of
P (Park).
AUTO : Turns the exterior lamps on and off
automatically depending on outside lighting.
;: Turns on the parking lamps including
all lamps, except the headlamps.
5: Turns on the headlamps together with
the parking lamps and instrument panel
lights. A warning chime sounds if the driver
door is opened when the ignition is off and
the headlamps are on.
Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer
3: Push the turn signal lever away from
you and release, to turn the high beams on.
To return to low beams, push the lever
again or pull it toward you and release.
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14607636) -
2021 - CRC - 8/18/20
Infotainment System 105
Overview (8 Inch Screen)
Infotainment System
The infotainment system is controlled by using the infotainment display, controls on the
center stack, steering wheel controls, and voice recognition. Below is the 8 inch screen controls
image and overview. For 7 inch screen controls, seeOverview (7 Inch Screen)0138.
1.{(Home Page)
.Press to go to the Home Page. See
“Home Page” later in this section.
2.7
.Radio: Press and release to go to
the previous station or channel.
Press and hold to fast seek the
next strongest previous station or
channel. SeeAM-FM Radio (8 Inch
Screen) 0109.
.USB/Bluetooth: Press to seek to
the beginning of the current or
previous track. Press and hold to
quickly reverse through a track.
Release to return to playing speed.
See USB Port (8 Inch Screen) 0113
or
Bluetooth Audio 0117.
3.O(Power)
.Press to turn the power on.
.Press and hold to turn the
power off.
.Press to mute/unmute the system
when on.
When the power is on and the
system is not muted, a quick
status pane will display when
Ois
pressed. Pressing
Owill mute the
system and trigger this pane to
show a long press is required to
actually power down the system.
.Turn to decrease or increase the
volume.
4.6
.Radio: Press and release to go to
the next station or channel. Press
and hold to fast seek the next
track or strongest station or
channel.
.USB/Bluetooth: Press to seek the
next track. Press and hold to fast
forward through a track. Release to
return to playing speed. See USB
Port (8 Inch Screen) 0113 or
Bluetooth Audio 0117.
5.SBACK
.Press to return to the previous
display in a menu.
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14607636) -
2021 - CRC - 8/18/20
118 Infotainment System
OnStar System
OnStar System (8 Inch Screen)
4G LTE
If equipped with 4G LTE, up to seven
devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and
laptops, can be connected to high-speed
Internet through the vehicle’s built-in Wi-Fi
hotspot.
Call 1-888-4ONSTAR (1-888-466-7827) to
connect to an OnStar Advisor for assistance.
See www.onstar.com for vehicle availability,
details, and system limitations. Service and
connectivity may vary by make, model,
year, carrier, availability, and conditions. 4G
LTE service is available in select markets. 4G
LTE performance is based on industry
averages and vehicle systems design. Some
services require a data plan.
The OnStar App
If equipped, the infotainment system has
OnStar controls in the embedded OnStar app
on the Home Page. All OnStar functions that
can be performed with the buttons can be
done using the app. To open the app, select
the OnStar icon on the Home Page. Featuresvary by region and model. Features are
subject to change. For more information on
this feature, see my.buick.com/learn
Voice Recognition
Voice Recognition (8 Inch Screen)
If equipped, voice recognition allows for
hands-free operation within the navigation,
audio, phone, and weather applications. This
feature can be started by pressing
gon the
steering wheel controls or by touching
gon
the infotainment display.
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 selecting 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 pressing one or two controls,
and are not supported by voice commands. In general there are flexible ways to speak
commands for completing the tasks. Most of
them, except voice keypad, can be
completed in a single command. If the task
takes more than one command to complete,
the first command should be to indicate the
kind of task to be performed. The system
replies with prompts that lead you through
a dialog to enter the necessary information.
Voice recognition can be used when the
ignition is on or when Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) is active.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, or touch
g
on the infotainment display.
2. The audio system mutes and the system plays a prompt followed by a beep.
3. Wait until after the beep completes, then clearly speak one of the commands
described in this section.
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14607636) -
2021 - CRC - 8/18/20
Infotainment System 129
Features are subject to change. For further
information on how to set up Android Auto
and Apple CarPlay in the vehicle, see
my.buick.com.
Android Auto is provided by Google and is
subject to Google’s terms and privacy policy.
Apple CarPlay is provided by Apple and is
subject to Apple’s terms and privacy policy.
Data plan rates apply. For Android Auto
support see https://support.google.com/
androidauto. For Apple CarPlay support see
www.apple.com/ios/carplay/. Apple or
Google may change or suspend availability
at any time. Android Auto, Android, Google,
Google Play, and other marks are
trademarks of Google Inc.; Apple CarPlay is a
trademark of Apple Inc.
Settings
Settings (8 Inch Screen)
The Settings Menu allows adjustment of
different vehicle and radio features. The
menu may contain the following:
Time and Date
To set the time or date:1. Select Settings from the Home Page, then select Time and Date. 2. Select the desired function.
To set the time or date, touch
«orªto
change the hour, minutes, AM, PM, day,
month, or year.
To change the 12-24 Hr setting, touch
12-24 Hr.
To turn Auto Set on and off, touch Auto Set.
If auto timing is set, the time displayed on
the clock may not update immediately when
driving into a new time zone.
Auto set requires an active OnStar or
connected service plan.
Press
SBACK on the center stack to go to
the last menu and save the changes or
{
to return to the Home Page.
Language
This will set the display language in the
radio, instrument cluster, and voice
recognition. Touch Language and select the
appropriate language. Press
SBACK on the
center stack or touch the Back icon on the
infotainment display to go back to the
previous menu.
Valet Mode
If equipped, this will lock the infotainment
system and steering wheel controls. It may
also limit top speed, power, and access to
vehicle storage locations (if equipped).
To enable valet mode:
1. Enter a four-digit code on the keypad.
2. Touch Enter to go to the confirmation screen.
3. Re-enter the four-digit code.
Touch Lock or Unlock to lock or unlock the
system. Press
SBACK on the center stack
or touch the Back icon on the infotainment
display to go back to the previous menu.
Radio
Touch to display the Radio Menu and the
following may display:
.Manage Favorites: Touch to highlight a
favorite to edit. Touch Rename to rename
the favorite or Delete to delete it. Touch
and hold the station to drag it to a new
location. Touch Done to go back to the
previous menu.
.Number of Favorites Shown: Touch to set
the number of favorites to display. Select
Auto, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50,
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14607636) -
2021 - CRC - 8/18/20
Infotainment System 147
Podcasts :TouchHnext to any podcast to
store the podcast as a favorite. Touch a
saved favorite to recall a favorite podcast.
The podcast begins to play.
Audiobooks : Touch
Hnext to any
audiobook to store the audiobook as a
favorite. Touch a saved favorite to recall a
favorite audiobook. The first chapter in the
audiobook begins to play.
Media Playback and Mute
USB playback will be paused if the system is
muted. If the steering wheel mute control is
pressed again, playback will resume.
If the source is changed while in mute,
playback resumes and audio will unmute.
Auxiliary Jack
This vehicle has an auxiliary input jack in
the center console. Possible auxiliary audio
sources include:
.Laptop computer
.Audio music player
This jack is not an audio output. Do not
plug headphones into the auxiliary input
jack. Set up an auxiliary device while the
vehicle is in P (Park). Connect a 3.5mm (1/8 in) cable from the
auxiliary device to the auxiliary input jack.
When a device is connected, the system can
play audio from the device over the vehicle
speakers.
If an auxiliary device has already been
connected, but a different source is currently
active, touch More and then touch AUX to
make the source active.
Shuffle and Browse are not available in the
AUX source menu.
Bluetooth Audio
Music may be played from a paired
Bluetooth device. See
Bluetooth (Overview
for 7 Inch Screen) 0149 or
Bluetooth (Pairing and Using a Phone for 7
Inch Screen) 0149 for help pairing a device.
Volume and song selection may be
controlled by using the infotainment
controls or the mobile device. If Bluetooth is
selected and no volume is present, check the
volume setting on the infotainment system.
Music can be launched by touching
Bluetooth from the recent sources list on
the left of the display or by touching the
More option and then touching the
Bluetooth device. To play music via Bluetooth:
1. Power on the device, and pair to connect the device.
2. Once paired, touch Audio from the Home Page, then touch Bluetooth from the
recent sources list on the left of the
display.
Bluetooth Sound Menu
See “Infotainment System Sound Menu”
under AM-FM Radio (7 Inch Screen) 0141.
Manage Bluetooth Devices
From the Home Page: 1. Touch Audio.
2. Touch More.
3. Touch Bluetooth.
4. Touch Devices to add or delete devices.
When touching Bluetooth, the radio may
not be able to launch the audio player on
the connected device to start playing. When
the vehicle is not moving, use the mobile
device to begin playback.
All devices launch audio differently. When
selecting Bluetooth as a source, the radio
may show as paused on the display. Press
play on the device or touch
pon the
display to begin playback.
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14607636) -
2021 - CRC - 8/18/20
Driving and Operating 163
Driving and Operating
Driving Information
Driver Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Driving Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Vehicle Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Driving for Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . 164
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Impaired Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Winter Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) . . . . . . . 178
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179Parking over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . 180
Extended Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Running the Vehicle While Parked . . . . . 181
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Drive Systems
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Brakes
Antilock Brake System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic Stability
Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Driver Assistance Systems
Driver Assistance Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Park Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191 Forward Collision Alert (FCA)
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . 195
Fuel
Top Tier Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Prohibited Fuels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Filling the Tank (Capless Fuel Fill) . . . . . . 197
Filling the Tank (Capped Fuel Fill) . . . . . 198
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . 200
Trailer Towing
General Towing Information . . . . . . . . . . 200
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . 200
Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14607636) -
2021 - CRC - 8/18/20
166 Driving and Operating
Braking
Braking action involves perception time and
reaction time. Deciding to push the brake
pedal is perception time. Actually doing it is
reaction time.
Average driver reaction time is about
three-quarters of a second. In that time, a
vehicle moving at 100 km/h (60 mph) travels
20 m (66 ft), which could be a lot of
distance in an emergency.
Helpful braking tips to keep in mind include:
.Keep enough distance between you and
the vehicle in front of you.
.Avoid needless heavy braking.
.Keep pace with traffic.
If the engine ever stops while the vehicle is
being driven, brake normally but do not
pump the brakes. Doing so could make the
pedal harder to push down. If the engine
stops, there will be some power brake assist
but it will be used when the brake is
applied. Once the power assist is used up, it
can take longer to stop and the brake pedal
will be harder to push.
Steering
Caution
To avoid damage to the steering system,
do not drive over curbs, parking barriers,
or similar objects at speeds greater than
3 km/h (1 mph). Use care when driving
over other objects such as lane dividers
and speed bumps. Damage caused by
misuse of the vehicle is not covered by
the vehicle warranty.
Electric Power Steering
The vehicle has electric power steering.
It does not have power steering fluid.
Regular maintenance is not required. If power steering assist is lost due to a
system malfunction, the vehicle can be
steered, but may require increased effort.
See your dealer if there is a problem.
If the steering wheel is turned until it
reaches the end of its travel and is held
against that position for an extended period
of time, power steering assist may be
reduced.
If the steering assist is used for an extended
period of time while the vehicle is not
moving, power assist may be reduced.
Normal use of the power steering assist
should return when the system cools down.
See your dealer if there is a problem.
Curve Tips
.Take curves at a reasonable speed.
.Reduce speed before entering a curve.
.Maintain a reasonable steady speed
through the curve.
.Wait until the vehicle is out of the curve
before accelerating gently into the
straightaway.