Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
16263917) - 2023 - CRC - 2/24/22
6 Introduction
1.Air Vents 0182.
2. Turn Signal Lever. See Turn and
Lane-Change Signals 0124.
IntelliBeam System Button (If Equipped).
See Exterior Lamp Controls 0121.
3. Instrument Cluster 093.
Driver Information Center (DIC) Display.
See Driver Information Center (DIC) (Base
Level) 0108 or
Driver Information Center (DIC) (Uplevel)
0 110.
4. Windshield Wiper/Washer 085.
5. Light Sensor. See Automatic Headlamp
System 0123.
Anti-Theft Alarm System. See Vehicle
Alarm System 025.
6. Hazard Warning Flashers 0124.
7. Infotainment Controls. See Overview
0 129.
8. Climate Control Systems 0177.
Dual Automatic Climate Control System
0 179.
Heated Front Seats 041. (If Equipped).
9. Power Outlets 088.
10. Wireless Charging 090 (If Equipped). 11. Auto Stop Disable Switch. See
Stop/Start
System 0196.
All-Wheel Drive Button (If Equipped).
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) 0235 (If
Equipped).
Traction Control/Electronic Stability
Control 0208.
Assistance Systems for Parking or Backing
0 222 (If Equipped).
12. Electric Parking Brake 0206.
13. Shift Lever. See Automatic Transmission
0 202.
14. USB Port 0137.
Auxiliary Jack 0139.
15. ENGINE START/STOP Button. See Ignition
Positions 0194.
16. Steering Wheel Controls 0130.
17. Horn 085.
18. Steering Wheel Adjustment 085 (Out
of View).
19. Cruise Control 0209.
Adaptive Cruise Control (Camera) 0211 (If
Equipped).
Heated Steering Wheel 085 (If
Equipped). Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System
0
227 (If Equipped).
20. Head-Up Display Controls (HUD) (If Equipped). See Head-Up Display (HUD)
0 113.
21. Hood Release. See Hood0251.
22. Exterior Lamp Controls 0121.
Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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84 Instruments and Controls
Instruments and Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Heated Steering Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Rear Window Wiper/Washer . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Wireless Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . 97
Seat Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . 99
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (Check Engine Light) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . 102 Electric Parking Brake Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Service Electric Parking Brake Light . . . . 103
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
All-Wheel-Drive Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) Light . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Vehicle Ahead Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Pedestrian Ahead Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Traction Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
StabiliTrak OFF Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Traction Control System (TCS)/
StabiliTrak Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Door Ajar Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Information Displays
Driver Information Center (DIC) (Base Level) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Driver Information Center (DIC) (Uplevel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Head-Up Display (HUD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Engine Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Vehicle Speed Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Universal Remote System
Universal Remote System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Universal Remote System Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Universal Remote System Operation . . . 119
Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
16263917) - 2023 - CRC - 2/24/22
102 Instruments and Controls
The vehicle may not pass inspection if:
.The light is on when the engine is
running.
.The light does not come on when the
ignition is in Service Mode.
.Critical emission control systems have not
been completely diagnosed. If this
happens, the vehicle would not be ready
for inspection and might require
several days of routine driving before the
system is ready for inspection. This can
happen if the 12-volt battery has recently
been replaced or run down, or if the
vehicle has been recently serviced.
See your dealer if the vehicle will not pass
or cannot be made ready for the test.
Brake System Warning Light
MetricEnglish This light comes on briefly when the vehicle
is turned on to show that the light is
working. If it does not come on then, have
it fixed so it will be ready to warn you if
there is a problem.
If the light comes on and stays on, there is
a brake problem. Have the brake system
inspected right away. This light may come
on if the brake fluid is low. See
Brake Fluid
0 267.
If the light comes on while driving, pull off
the road and stop carefully. The brake
system has electric brake boost. Vehicle
speed may be limited when the brake
system warning light comes on. The brake
pedal might be harder to push, or the brake
pedal may go closer to the floor. It could
take longer to stop. If the light is still on,
have the vehicle towed for service. See
Transporting a Disabled Vehicle 0310.
{Warning
The brake system might not be working
properly if the brake system warning
light is on. Driving with the brake system
warning light on can lead to a crash.
If the light is still on after the vehicle has
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
been pulled off the road and carefully
stopped, have the vehicle towed for
service.
Electric Parking Brake Light
MetricEnglish
This light comes on when the parking brake
is applied. If the light continues flashing
after the parking brake is released, or while
driving, there is a problem with the Electric
Parking Brake system. A message may also
display in the Driver Information
Center (DIC).
If the light does not come on, or remains
flashing, see your dealer.
Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
16263917) - 2023 - CRC - 2/24/22
Instruments and Controls 103
Service Electric Parking Brake
Light
This light should come on briefly when the
vehicle is turned on. If it does not come on,
have it fixed so it will be ready to warn if
there is a problem.
If this light stays on or comes on while
driving, there is a problem with the Electric
Parking Brake (EPB). Take the vehicle to a
dealer as soon as possible. In addition to the
parking brake, other safety functions that
utilize the EPB may also be degraded.
A message may also display in the Driver
Information Center (DIC). SeeElectric Parking
Brake 0206.
Antilock Brake System (ABS)
Warning Light
This light comes on briefly when the vehicle
is turned on to show that the light is
working. If it does not come on then, have
it fixed so it will be ready to warn you if
there is a problem.
If the ABS warning light stays on, or comes
on again while driving, the vehicle needs
service. A chime may also sound when the
light stays on.
If the ABS warning light is the only light on,
the vehicle has regular brakes, but ABS is
not functioning.
If both the ABS warning light and the brake
system warning light are on, ABS is not
functioning and there is a problem with the
regular brakes. See your dealer for service.
See Brake System Warning Light 0102.
All-Wheel-Drive Light
All-Wheel-Drive LightFront-Wheel-Drive
Light
If equipped, the corresponding light comes
on when an All-Wheel Drive (AWD) mode or
Front-Wheel-Drive mode is selected. See
All-Wheel Drive 0205.
If the light turns amber, there may be a
malfunction. See your dealer.
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) Light
If equipped, the Lane Keep Assist Light may
display the following colors:
.Blank: LKA is disabled.
Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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166 Infotainment System
.Access or delete Report Card data.
Set up/Add keys to activate Teen Driver and
assign restrictions to the key:
Any vehicle key can be registered, up to a
maximum of eight keys. Label the key to
tell it apart from the other keys.
For a pushbutton start system: 1. Start the vehicle.
2. For automatic transmissions, the vehicle must be in P (Park). For manual
transmissions, the vehicle must be
stopped with the parking brake set.
3. From the Settings menu, touch Vehicle and then Teen Driver.
4. Enter the PIN.
5. Place the remote key you wish to register in the transmitter pocket. The
key does not need to be the one that
started the vehicle. See Remote Key
Operation 08for transmitter pocket
location.
6. From the Teen Driver menu, touch Setup Keys or Add/Remove Teen Driver Keys.
.If the remote key has not previously
been registered, the option to add
the key displays. Touch Add and a
confirmation message displays. Teen Driver restrictions will be applied
whenever this remote key is used to
operate the vehicle.
.If the remote key has already been
registered, the option to remove the
key displays. If Remove is touched,
the remote key is no longer
registered. A confirmation message
displays, and Teen Driver restrictions
will not be applied if this remote key
is used to operate the vehicle.
In vehicles with a pushbutton start system,
if a Teen Driver and a non-Teen Driver key
are both present at start up, the vehicle will
recognize the non-Teen Driver key to start
the vehicle. The Teen Driver settings will not
be active.
For a keyed ignition system: 1. Start the vehicle.
2. For automatic transmissions, the vehicle must be in P (Park). For manual
transmissions, the vehicle must be
stopped with the parking brake set.
3. From the Settings menu, touch Vehicle and then Teen Driver.
4. Enter the PIN. 5. Touch Setup Keys or Add/Remove Teen
Driver Keys. The system displays
instructions for registering or
unregistering a key. A confirmation
message displays.
Manage Settings or Teen Driver Settings
Depending on the options of your vehicle,
the following menu items may be displayed:
Buckle to Drive : When turned ON, Buckle to
Drive prevents the driver from shifting out
of P (Park) for a period of time after the
brake pedal is pressed if the driver, or on
some vehicles the detected passenger, has
not buckled their seat belt. On some
vehicles, Buckle to Drive is always ON when
Teen Driver is active and is not configurable.
Audio Volume Limit : Allows a maximum
audio volume to be set. Turn the audio
volume limit on or off. Use the arrows to
choose the maximum allowable level for the
audio volume. On some infotainment
systems, touch Set Audio Volume Limit to
choose the maximum allowable audio
volume level.
Set Audio Volume Limit : Use the arrows to
choose the maximum allowable level for the
audio volume.
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
186 Driving and Operating
{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.
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
(Continued)
Caution (Continued)
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.
Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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Driving and Operating 195
1. Brake using a firm and steady pressure.Do not pump the brakes repeatedly. This
may deplete power assist, requiring
increased brake pedal force.
2. Shift the vehicle to N (Neutral). This can be done while the vehicle is moving.
After shifting to N (Neutral), firmly apply
the brakes and steer the vehicle to a
safe location.
3. Come to a complete stop. Shift to P (Park) and turn the ignition off.
4. Set the electric parking brake. See Electric
Parking Brake 0206
{Warning
Turning off the vehicle while moving may
cause loss of power assist in the brake
and steering systems and disable the
airbags. While driving, only shut the
vehicle off in an emergency.
If the vehicle cannot be pulled over and
must be turned off while driving, press and
hold ENGINE START/ STOP for longer than
two seconds, or press twice in five seconds.
Accessory Mode (Amber Indicator Light)
This mode allows you to use some electrical
accessories when the engine is off. With the ignition off, pressing the button
one time without the brake pedal applied
will place the ignition system in
accessory mode.
The ignition will switch from accessory to
OFF after five minutes to prevent battery
rundown.
ON/RUN/START (Green Indicator Light)
This mode is for driving and starting. With
the ignition off and the brake pedal applied,
pressing the button once will place the
ignition system in ON/RUN/START. Once
engine cranking begins, release the button.
Engine cranking will continue until the
engine starts. See
Starting the Engine 0195.
The ignition will then remain on.
Service Mode
This power mode is available for service and
diagnostics, and to verify the proper
operation of the malfunction indicator lamp
as may be required for emission inspection
purposes. With the vehicle off and the brake
pedal not applied, pressing and holding the
button for more than five seconds will place
the vehicle in Service Mode. The instruments
and audio systems will operate when the
vehicle is on, but the vehicle will not be able to be driven. The engine will not start in
Service Mode. Press the button again to turn
the vehicle off.
Starting the Engine
Move the shift lever to P (Park) or
N (Neutral). The engine will not start in any
other position. To restart the engine when
the vehicle is already moving, use
N (Neutral) only.
Caution
Do not try to shift to P (Park) if the
vehicle is moving. If you do, you could
damage the transmission. Shift to P (Park)
only when the vehicle is stopped.
Caution
If you add electrical parts or accessories,
you could change the way the engine
operates. Any resulting damage would
not be covered by the vehicle warranty.
See
Add-On Electrical Equipment 0248.