2023 BUICK ENCORE GX heater

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
16263917) - 2023 - CRC - 2/24/22
Seats and Restraints 41
.Seat Exit Memory is enabled. See
“Enabling Automatic Recalls”previously in
this section.
.The shift lever is in P (Park).
Seat Exit Memory recall will continue if the
vehicle is shifted out of P (Park) prior to
reaching the saved memory position.
Seat Exit Memory is not linked to the
driver’s remote key. The seating position
saved to
Bis used for all drivers.
Cancel Memory Seating Recalls
.During any memory recall:
Press a power seat control
Press SET memory button
.During Manual memory recall:
Release 1, 2, or
Bmemory button
.During Auto Seat Entry Memory Recall:
Turn vehicle off
Press SET, 1, 2, or
Bmemory buttons
.During Auto Seat Exit Memory Recall:
Press SET, 1, 2, or
Bmemory buttons Obstructions
If something has blocked the seat while
recalling a memory position, the recall may
stop. Remove the obstruction and try the
recall again. If the memory position still
does not recall, see your dealer.
Heated Front Seats
{Warning
If temperature change or pain to the skin
cannot be felt, the seat heater may cause
burns. To reduce the risk of burns, use
care when using the seat heater,
especially for long periods of time. Do
not place anything on the seat that
insulates against heat, such as a blanket,
cushion, cover, or similar item. This may
cause the seat heater to overheat. An
overheated seat heater may cause a burn
or may damage the seat.
If equipped, the controls are on the climate
control panel. The engine must be running
to operate the heated seats.
Press
MorLto heat the driver or
passenger seat cushion and seatback.
Press the control once for the highest
setting. With each press of the control, the
heated seat will change to the next lower
setting, and then the off setting. Three
lights indicate the highest setting and one
light the lowest. If the heated seats are on
high, the level may automatically be
lowered after approximately 30 minutes.
The passenger seat may take longer to
heat up.

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
16263917) - 2023 - CRC - 2/24/22
Seats and Restraints 59
1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove the child restraint from thevehicle.
3. Remove any additional items from the seat such as blankets, cushions, seat
covers, seat heaters, or seat massagers.
4. Reinstall the child restraint following the directions provided by the child restraint
manufacturer and refer to Securing Child
Restraints (With the Seat Belt in the Rear
Seat) 074 or
Securing Child Restraints (With the Seat
Belt in the Front Seat) 075.
Make sure the seat belt retractor is
locked by pulling the shoulder belt all
the way out of the retractor when
installing the child restraint, even if the
child restraint is equipped with a seat
belt lock off. When the retractor lock is
set, the belt can be tightened but not
pulled out of the retractor.
5. If, after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting the vehicle, the ON
indicator is still lit, turn the vehicle off.
Then slightly recline the vehicle seatback
and adjust the seat cushion,
if adjustable, to make sure that the
vehicle seatback is not pushing the child
restraint into the seat cushion. Also make sure the child restraint is not
trapped under the vehicle head restraint.
If this happens, adjust the head restraint.
See
Head Restraints 034.
6. Restart the vehicle.
The passenger sensing system may or may
not turn off the airbags for a child in a child
restraint depending upon the child’s size.
It is better to secure the child restraint in a
rear seat. Never put a rear-facing child
restraint in the front seat, even if the ON
indicator is not lit.
If the Off Indicator Is Lit for an
Adult-Sized Occupant
If a person of adult size is sitting in the
front outboard passenger seat, but the OFF
indicator is lit, it could be because that
person is not sitting properly in the seat or
that the child restraint locking feature is
engaged. Use the following steps to allow
the system to detect that person and enable
the front outboard passenger frontal airbag
and knee airbag: 1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove any additional material from the seat, such as blankets, cushions, seat
covers, seat heaters, or seat massagers.
3. Place the seatback in the fully upright position.
4. Have the person sit upright in the seat, centered on the seat cushion, with legs
comfortably extended.
5. If the shoulder portion of the belt is pulled out all the way, the child restraint
locking feature will be engaged. This
may unintentionally cause the passenger
sensing system to turn the airbag off for
some adult-sized occupants. If this
happens, unbuckle the belt, let the belt
go back all the way, and then buckle the
belt again without pulling the belt out
all the way.

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
16263917) - 2023 - CRC - 2/24/22
60 Seats and Restraints
6. Restart the vehicle and have the personremain in this position for two to
three minutes after the ON indicator
is lit.
{Warning
If the front outboard passenger airbag is
turned off for an adult-sized occupant,
the airbag will not be able to inflate and
help protect that person in a crash,
resulting in an increased risk of serious
injury or even death. An adult-sized
occupant should not ride in the front
outboard passenger seat, if the passenger
airbag OFF indicator is lit.
Additional Factors Affecting System
Operation
Seat belts help keep the passenger in
position on the seat during vehicle
maneuvers and braking, which helps the
passenger sensing system maintain the
passenger airbag status. See “Seat Belts”
and “Child Restraints” in the Index for
additional information about the importance
of proper restraint use. A thick layer of additional material, such as
a blanket or cushion, or aftermarket
equipment such as seat covers, seat heaters,
and seat massagers can affect how well the
passenger sensing system operates. We
recommend that you not use seat covers or
other aftermarket equipment except when
approved by GM for your specific vehicle.
See
Adding Equipment to the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle 061 for more
information about modifications that can
affect how the system operates.
The ON indicator may be lit if an object,
such as a briefcase, handbag, grocery bag,
laptop, or other electronic device, is put on
an unoccupied seat. If this is not desired,
remove the object from the seat.{Warning
Stowing articles under the passenger seat
or between the passenger seat cushion
and seatback may interfere with the
proper operation of the passenger
sensing system.
Servicing the Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle
Airbags affect how the vehicle should be
serviced. There are parts of the airbag
system in several places around the vehicle.
Your dealer and the service manual have
information about servicing the vehicle and
the airbag system. To purchase a service
manual, see Publication Ordering
Information 0342.
{Warning
For up to 10 seconds after the vehicle is
turned off and the battery is
disconnected, an airbag can still inflate
during improper service. You can be
injured if you are close to an airbag
when it inflates. Avoid yellow connectors.
They are probably part of the airbag
system. Be sure to follow proper service
procedures, and make sure the person
performing work for you is qualified to
do so.

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
16263917) - 2023 - CRC - 2/24/22
Seats and Restraints 61
Adding Equipment to the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Adding accessories that change the vehicle's
frame, bumper system, height, front end,
or side sheet metal may keep the airbag
system from working properly.
The operation of the airbag system can also
be affected by changing, including
improperly repairing or replacing, any parts
of the following:
.Airbag system, including airbag modules,
front or side impact sensors, sensing and
diagnostic module, or airbag wiring
.Front seats, including stitching, seams or
zippers
.Seat belts
.Steering wheel, instrument panel,
overhead console, ceiling trim, or pillar
garnish trim
.Inner door seals, including speakers
Your dealer and the service manual have
information about the location of the airbag
modules and sensors, sensing and diagnostic
module, and airbag wiring along with the
proper replacement procedures. In addition, the vehicle has a passenger
sensing system for the front outboard
passenger position, which includes sensors
that are part of the passenger's seat. The
passenger sensing system may not operate
properly if the original seat trim is replaced
with non-GM covers, upholstery, or trim,
or with GM covers, upholstery, or trim
designed for a different vehicle. Any object,
such as an aftermarket seat heater or a
comfort enhancing pad or device, installed
under or on top of the seat fabric, could
also interfere with the operation of the
passenger sensing system. This could either
prevent proper deployment of the passenger
airbag(s) or prevent the passenger sensing
system from properly turning off the
passenger airbag(s). See
Passenger Sensing
System 057.
If the vehicle has rollover roof-rail airbags,
see Different Size Tires and Wheels 0299 for
additional important information.
If the vehicle must be modified because you
have a disability and you have questions
about whether the modifications will affect
the vehicle's airbag system, or if you have
questions about whether the airbag system will be affected if the vehicle is modified for
any other reason, call Customer Assistance.
See
Customer Assistance Offices 0337.
Airbag System Check
The airbag system does not need regularly
scheduled maintenance or replacement.
Make sure the airbag readiness light is
working. See Airbag Readiness Light 099.
Caution
If an airbag covering is damaged, opened,
or broken, the airbag may not work
properly. Do not open or break the airbag
coverings. If there are any opened or
broken airbag coverings, have the airbag
covering and/or airbag module replaced.
For the location of the airbags, see Where
Are the Airbags? 053. See your dealer for
service.

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
16263917) - 2023 - CRC - 2/24/22
Driving and Operating 183
Driving and Operating
Driving Information
Driver Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Driving Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Vehicle Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Driving for Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . 184
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Impaired Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Stop/Start System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Winter Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) . . . . . . 200
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Parking over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . . 201
Extended Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Running the Vehicle While Parked . . . . . 202
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Drive Systems
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Brakes
Electric Brake Boost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Antilock Brake System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . 205
Electric Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic Stability
Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Adaptive Cruise Control (Camera) . . . . . . 211
Driver Assistance Systems
Driver Assistance Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221 Assistance Systems for Parking or
Backing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Surround Vision System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Park Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Automatic Parking Assist (APA) . . . . . . . . 225
Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Assistance Systems for Driving . . . . . . . . 227
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Front Pedestrian Braking (FPB) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Lane Change Alert (LCA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Fuel
Top Tier Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Prohibited Fuels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . 239
Trailer Towing
General Towing Information . . . . . . . . . . 240

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
16263917) - 2023 - CRC - 2/24/22
Driving and Operating 197
.The vehicle transmission is shifted out of
D (Drive) to any gear other than P (Park).
.Certain driver modes have been selected.
.The vehicle is on a steep hill or grade.
.The driver door has been opened or driver
seat belt has been unbuckled.
.The hood has been opened.
.The Auto Stop has reached the maximum
allowed time.
Auto Stop Disable Switch
The automatic engine stop/start feature can
be disabled and enabled by pressing the
switch with the
hsymbol. Auto Stop is
enabled each time you start the vehicle. When the indicator above
his illuminated,
the system is disabled.
Winter Cover
If equipped, the winter cover can be used to
enhance heater performance in extremely
cold conditions below −0 °C (32 °F). The
winter cover installs over the grille and
restricts airflow to the engine compartment.
Usage Guidelines
The winter cover should only be used while
operating the vehicle in extremely cold
temperatures or in heavy snow for extended
periods. In these temperatures, the vehicle
does not need a large amount of air to
properly cool the engine. When more
airflow is required to cool the vehicle, the
winter cover should not be used. The
following usage guidelines will allow
adequate airflow for proper radiator and air
cooler performance:
.Do not use the winter cover if towing a
trailer. The vehicle may overheat if the
radiator is covered while towing.
.Do not modify the cover. The winter
cover does not cover some sections of the
front of the vehicle to provide enough
airflow.
.Keep the underside of the winter cover as
clean as possible. Remove monthly or as
necessary and clean away dust and
debris.
.Do not use the winter cover above −0 °C
(32 °F).
Use only a mild soap to clean. Do not use
harsh soap, strong detergents, or vinyl
protectant/sealant type products as they
may damage the special finish. Allow the
winter cover to dry completely before
reinstalling.
Installation Instructions
When first trying to fit the cover, it may
appear to be undersized but will stretch
during installation to ensure a tight fit. The
initial installation of the cover is best
performed when the winter cover is warm.

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
16263917) - 2023 - CRC - 2/24/22
Driving and Operating 199
ST Model
ST Model with License Plate
2. Push plastic hooks back to engage grille slats. 3. Repeat for all hooks to fully engage
cover to grille.
4. Make sure all clips remain engaged during installation. Cover should be
stretched to a tight fit when properly
installed.
Engine Heater
{Warning
Do not plug in the engine block heater
while the vehicle is parked in a garage or
under a carport.
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
Property damage or personal injury may
result. Always park the vehicle in a clear
open area away from buildings or
structures.
The engine heater, if available, can help in
cold weather conditions at or below −18 °C
(0 °F) for easier starting and better fuel
economy during engine warm-up. Plug in
the engine heater at least four hours before
starting the vehicle. An internal thermostat
in the plug end of the cord will prevent
engine coolant heater operation at
temperatures above −18 °C (0 °F).
To Use the Engine Heater 1. Turn off the engine.
2. Remove the heater cord from the rear compartment.
3. Check the heater cord for damage. If it is damaged, do not use it. See your dealer
for a replacement. Inspect the cord for
damage yearly.
4. Plug the cord into the receptacle in the front fascia.
5. Plug the other end of the cord into a normal, grounded 110-volt AC outlet.

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
16263917) - 2023 - CRC - 2/24/22
200 Driving and Operating
{Warning
Improper use of the heater cord or an
extension cord can damage the cord and
may result in overheating and fire.
.Plug the cord into a three-prong
electrical utility receptacle that is
protected by a ground fault detection
function. An ungrounded outlet could
cause an electric shock.
.Use a weatherproof, heavy-duty,
15 amp-rated extension cord if needed.
Failure to use the recommended
extension cord in good operating
condition, or using a damaged heater
or extension cord, could make it
overheat and cause a fire, property
damage, electric shock, and injury.
.Do not operate the vehicle with the
heater cord permanently attached to
the vehicle. Possible heater cord and
thermostat damage could occur.
.While in use, do not let the heater
cord touch vehicle parts or sharp
edges. Never close the hood on the
heater cord.(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
.Before starting the vehicle, unplug the
cord, reattach the cover to the plug,
and securely fasten the cord. Keep the
cord away from any moving parts.
The length of time the heater should remain
plugged in depends on several factors. Ask a
dealer in the area where you will be parking
the vehicle for the best advice on this.
Retained Accessory Power (RAP)
When the vehicle is turned from on to off,
the following features (if equipped) will
continue to function for up to 10 minutes,
or until the driver door is opened. These
features will also work when the vehicle is
on or in accessory mode:
.Infotainment System
.Power Windows (during RAP this
functionality will be lost when any door
is opened)
.Sunroof (during RAP this functionality will
be lost when any door is opened)
.Auxiliary Power Outlet
.Audio System
.OnStar System
Shifting Into Park
{Warning
It can be dangerous to get out of the
vehicle if the shift lever is not fully in
P (Park) with the parking brake firmly set.
The vehicle can roll. If you have left the
engine running, the vehicle can move
suddenly. You or others could be injured.
To be sure the vehicle will not move,
even when you are on fairly level ground,
use the steps that follow. If you are
pulling a trailer, see Driving
Characteristics and Towing Tips 0240
To shift into P (Park): 1. Hold the brake pedal down and set the parking brake. See Electric Parking Brake
0 206
2. Hold the button on the shift lever and push the lever toward the front of the
vehicle into P (Park).
3. Turn the vehicle off.