belt BUICK ENCORE 2020 Owner's Guide

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-13710474) -
2020 - CRC - 10/7/19
Seats and Restraints 69
Never put a rear-facing child
restraint 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 passenger
airbag inflates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child
restraint would be very close to
the inflating airbag. A child in a
forward-facing child restraint can
be seriously injured or killed if the
front passenger airbag inflates
and the passenger seat is in a
forward position.
Even if the passenger sensing
system has turned off the front
passenger frontal airbag, no
system is fail-safe. No one can
guarantee that an airbag will not
deploy under some unusual
circumstance, even though it is
turned off.(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
Secure rear-facing child restraints
in a rear seat, even if the airbag
is off. If you secure a
forward-facing child restraint in
the front seat, always move the
front passenger seat as far back
as it will go. It is better to secure
the child restraint in a rear seat.
SeePassenger Sensing System
0 56 for additional information.
When securing a child restraint with
the seat belts in a rear seat position,
study the instructions that came with
the child restraint to make sure it is
compatible with this vehicle.
Child restraints and booster seats
vary considerably in size, and some
may fit in certain seating positions
better than others. Depending on where you place the
child restraint and the size of the
child restraint, you may not be able
to access adjacent seat belts or
LATCH anchors for additional
passengers or child restraints.
Adjacent seating positions should
not be used if the child restraint
prevents access to or interferes with
the routing of the seat belt.
Wherever a child restraint is
installed, be sure to follow the
instructions that came with the child
restraint and secure the child
restraint properly.
Keep in mind that an unsecured
child restraint can move around in a
collision or sudden stop and injure
people in the vehicle. Be sure to
properly secure any child restraint in
the vehicle
—even when no child is
in it.

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-13710474) -
2020 - CRC - 10/7/19
70 Seats and Restraints
Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children
(LATCH System)
The LATCH system secures a child
restraint during driving or in a crash.
LATCH attachments on the child
restraint are used to attach the child
restraint to the anchors in the
vehicle. The LATCH system is
designed to make installation of a
child restraint easier.
In order to use the LATCH system in
your vehicle, you need a child
restraint that has LATCH
attachments. LATCH-compatible
rear-facing and forward-facing child
seats can be properly installed
using either the LATCH anchors or
the vehicle’s seat belts. Do not use
both the seat belts and the LATCH
anchorage system to secure a
rear-facing or forward-facing
child seat. Booster seats use the vehicle’s seat
belts to secure the child and the
booster seat. If the manufacturer
recommends that the booster seat
be secured with the LATCH system,
this can be done as long as the
booster seat can be positioned
properly and there is no interference
with the proper positioning of the
lap-shoulder belt on the child.
Make sure to follow the instructions
that came with the child restraint,
and also the instructions in this
manual.
When installing a child restraint with
a top tether, you must also use
either the lower anchors or the seat
belts to properly secure the child
restraint. A child restraint must
never be installed using only the top
tether and anchor.
For a forward-facing 5-pt harness
child restraint where the combined
weight of the child and restraint are
up to 29.5 kg (65 lb), use either the
lower LATCH anchorages with the
top tether anchorage, or the seat
belt with the top tether anchorage.
Where the combined weight of the
child and restraint are greater than
29.5 kg (65 lb), use the seat belt with
the top tether anchorage only.

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-13710474) -
2020 - CRC - 10/7/19
Seats and Restraints 71
Recommended Methods for Attaching Child Restraints
Restraint Type CombinedWeight of the
Child + Child
Restraint Use Only Approved Attachment Methods Shown with an X
LATCH
–Lower
Anchors Only Seat Belt Only LATCH
–Lower
Anchors and Top
Tether Anchor Seat Belt and
Top Tether
Anchor
Rear-Facing
Child Restraint Up to
29.5 kg (65 lb) X X
Rear-Facing
Child Restraint Greater than
29.5 kg (65 lb) X
Forward-Facing
Child Restraint Up to
29.5 kg (65 lb) X X
Forward-Facing
Child Restraint Greater than
29.5 kg (65 lb) X
See Securing Child Restraints (With
the Seat Belt in the Rear Seat) 078
or
Securing Child Restraints (With the
Seat Belt in the Front Seat) 080.
Child restraints built after March
2014 will be labeled with the
specific child weight up to which the
LATCH system can be used to
install the restraint. The following explains how to attach
a child restraint with these
attachments in the vehicle.
Not all vehicle seating positions
have lower anchors. In this case,
the seat belt must be used (with top
tether where available) to secure
the child restraint. See
Securing
Child Restraints (With the Seat Belt
in the Rear Seat) 078 or
Securing Child Restraints (With the
Seat Belt in the Front Seat) 080.

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-13710474) -
2020 - CRC - 10/7/19
Seats and Restraints 73
H:Seating positions with two lower
anchors.
To assist in locating the lower
anchors, each seating position with
lower anchors has two labels, near
the crease between the seatback
and the seat cushion.
To assist in locating the top tether
anchors, the top tether anchor
symbol is on the trim near the
anchor.
The top tether anchors are on the
back of the rear seatbacks. Be sure
to use an anchor located directly
behind the seating position where
the child restraint will be placed.
Do not secure a child restraint in a
position without a top tether anchor
if a national or local law requires
that the top tether be attached, or if
the instructions that come with the
child restraint say that the top tether
must be attached.
According to accident statistics,
children and infants are safer when
properly restrained in a child
restraint system or infant restraint
system secured in a rear seating position. See
Where to Put the
Restraint 068 for additional
information.
Securing a Child Restraint
Designed for the LATCH
System
{Warning
A child could be seriously injured
or killed in a crash if the child
restraint is not properly attached
to the vehicle using either the
LATCH anchors or the vehicle
seat belt. Follow the instructions
that came with the child restraint
and the instructions in this
manual.
{Warning
To reduce the risk of serious or
fatal injuries during a crash, do
not attach more than one child
restraint to a single anchor.
(Continued)

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-13710474) -
2020 - CRC - 10/7/19
74 Seats and Restraints
Warning (Continued)
Attaching more than one child
restraint to a single anchor could
cause the anchor or attachment
to come loose or even break
during a crash. A child or others
could be injured.
{Warning
Children can be seriously injured
or strangled if a shoulder belt is
wrapped around their neck. The
shoulder belt can tighten but
cannot be loosened if it is locked.
The shoulder belt locks when it is
pulled all the way out of the
retractor. It unlocks when the
shoulder belt is allowed to go all
the way back into the retractor,
but it cannot do this if it is
wrapped around a child’s neck.
If the shoulder belt is locked and(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
tightened around a child’s neck,
the only way to loosen the belt is
to cut it.
Buckle any unused seat belts
behind the child restraint so
children cannot reach them. Pull
the shoulder belt all the way out
of the retractor to set the lock,
and tighten the belt behind the
child restraint after the child
restraint has been installed.
Caution
Do not let the LATCH
attachments rub against the
vehicle’s seat belts. This may
damage these parts. If necessary,
move buckled seat belts to avoid
rubbing the LATCH attachments.(Continued)
Caution (Continued)
Do not fold the rear seatback
when the seat is occupied. Do not
fold the empty rear seat with a
seat belt buckled. This could
damage the seat belt or the seat.
Unbuckle and return the seat belt
to its stowed position, before
folding the seat.
If you need to secure more than one
child restraint in the rear seat, see
Where to Put the Restraint 068.
1. Attach and tighten the lower attachments to the lower
anchors. If the child restraint
does not have lower
attachments or the desired
seating position does not have
lower anchors, secure the child
restraint with the top tether and
the seat belt. Refer to the child
restraint manufacturer
instructions and the
instructions in this manual.

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-13710474) -
2020 - CRC - 10/7/19
78 Seats and Restraints
Securing Child Restraints
(With the Seat Belt in the
Rear Seat)
When securing a child restraint with
the seat belts in a rear seat position,
study the instructions that came with
the child restraint to make sure it is
compatible with this vehicle.
If the child restraint has the LATCH
system, seeLower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) 070 for how and where to
install the child restraint using
LATCH. If a child restraint is
secured in the vehicle using a seat
belt and it uses a top tether, see
Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) 070 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.
If the child restraint or vehicle seat
position does not have the LATCH
system, you will be using the seat
belt to secure the child restraint. Be
sure to follow the instructions that
came with the child restraint.
If more than one child restraint
needs to be installed in the rear
seat, be sure to read
Where to Put
the Restraint 068.
1. Put the child restraint on the seat.
For outboard second row
seating positions, remove the
seat belt from the guide. Do not
secure the child restraint with
the seat belt routed through the
guide.
When installing a rear-facing
child restraint, it may be
necessary to move the front
seat forward to properly install the child restraint per the child
restraint manufacturer
instructions.
If the head restraint interferes
with the proper installation of
the child restraint, the head
restraint may be removed. See
"Head Restraint Removal and
Reinstallation" under
Lower
Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) 070.
2. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder portions
of the vehicle seat belt through
or around the restraint. The
child restraint instructions will
show you how.

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-13710474) -
2020 - CRC - 10/7/19
Seats and Restraints 79
3. Push the latch plate into thebuckle until it clicks.
Position the release button on
the buckle, away from the child
restraint, so that the seat belt
could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary.4. Pull the shoulder belt all theway out of the 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 downon the child 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.

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-13710474) -
2020 - CRC - 10/7/19
80 Seats and Restraints
6. If the child restraint has a toptether, follow the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions
regarding the use of the top
tether. See Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) 070.
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) 070 for additional
information on installing the head
restraint properly.
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. See
Where to Put the Restraint 068.
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 056 and
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator
0 100 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 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
(Continued)

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-13710474) -
2020 - CRC - 10/7/19
Seats and Restraints 81
Warning (Continued)
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
0 56 for additional information.
If the child restraint uses a top
tether, see Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) 070 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 0100.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and 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 until it clicks.
Position the release button on
the buckle, away from the child
restraint, so that the seat belt
could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary.

Buick Encore Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-13710474) -
2020 - CRC - 10/7/19
82 Seats and Restraints
5. Pull the shoulder belt all theway out of the 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 downon the child 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 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” underPassenger Sensing
System 056.
To remove the child restraint,
unbuckle the vehicle seat belt and
let it return to the stowed position.