climate control BUICK ENCORE GX 2021 Owner's Guide

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
242 Driving and Operating
The following information has many
time-tested, important trailering tips and
safety rules. Many of these are important
for your safety and that of your passengers.
Read this section carefully before pulling a
trailer.
When towing a trailer:
.Become familiar with and follow all state
and local laws that apply to trailer
towing. These requirements vary from
state to state.
.State laws may require the use of
extended side view mirrors. Even if not
required, you should install extended side
view mirrors if your visibility is limited or
restricted while towing.
.Do not tow a trailer during the first
800 km (500 mi) of vehicle use to
prevent damage to the engine, axle,
or other parts.
.It is recommended to perform the first oil
change before heavy towing.
.During the first 800 km (500 mi) of
trailer towing, do not drive over 80 km/h
(50 mph) and do not make starts at full
throttle.
.Vehicles can tow in D (Drive). If the
transmission downshifts too often, a
lower gear may be selected using Manual
Mode SeeManual Mode 0207.
If equipped, the following driver assistance
features should be turned off when towing
a trailer:
.Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
.Super Cruise Control
.Lane Keep Assist (LKA)
.Park Assist
.Automatic Parking Assist (APA)
.Reverse Automatic Braking (RAB)
If equipped, the following driver assistance
features should be turned to alert or off
when towing a trailer:
.Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB)
.Intelligent Brake Assist (IBA)
.Front Pedestrian Braking (FPB)
If equipped with Lane Change Alert (LCA),
the LCA detection zones that extend back
from the side of the vehicle do not move
further back when a trailer is towed. Use
caution while changing lanes when towing a
trailer. If equipped with Rear Cross Traffic Alert
(RCTA), use caution while backing up when
towing a trailer, as the RCTA detection zones
that extend out from the back of the vehicle
do not move further back when a trailer is
towed.
{Warning
To prevent serious injury or death from
carbon monoxide (CO), when towing a
trailer:
.Do not drive with the liftgate, trunk/
hatch, or rear-most window open.
.Fully open the air outlets on or under
the instrument panel.
.Adjust the climate control system to a
setting that brings in only outside air.
See
“Climate Control Systems” in the
Index.
For more information about carbon
monoxide, see Engine Exhaust 0204.

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
Vehicle Care 301
The Uniform Tire Quality Grading
(UTQG) system does not apply to deep
tread, winter tires, compact spare tires,
tires with nominal rim diameters of
10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm), or to some
limited-production tires.
While the tires available on General
Motors passenger cars and light trucks
may vary with respect to these grades,
they must also conform to federal
safety requirements and additional
General Motors Tire Performance
Criteria (TPC) standards.
Quality grades can be found where
applicable on the tire sidewall between
tread shoulder and maximum section
width. For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A
All Passenger Car Tires Must Conform to
Federal Safety Requirements In Addition
To These Grades.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative
rating based on the wear rate of the
tire when tested under controlledconditions on a specified government
test course. For example, a tire graded
150 would wear one and one-half (1½)
times as well on the government course
as a tire graded 100. The relative
performance of tires depends upon the
actual conditions of their use, however,
and may depart significantly from the
norm due to variations in driving habits,
service practices and differences in road
characteristics and climate.
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to
lowest, are AA, A, B, and C. Those
grades represent the tire's ability to
stop on wet pavement as measured
under controlled conditions on specified
government test surfaces of asphalt and
concrete. A tire marked C may have
poor traction performance. Warning:
The traction grade assigned to this tire
is based on straight-ahead braking
traction tests, and does not include
acceleration, cornering, hydroplaning,
or peak traction characteristics.
Temperature
The temperature grades are A (the
highest), B, and C, representing the
tire's resistance to the generation of
heat and its ability to dissipate heat
when tested under controlled conditions
on a specified indoor laboratory test
wheel. Sustained high temperature can
cause the material of the tire to
degenerate and reduce tire life, and
excessive temperature can lead to
sudden tire failure. The grade C
corresponds to a level of performance
which all passenger car tires must meet
under the Federal Motor Safety
Standard No. 109. Grades B and A
represent higher levels of performance
on the laboratory test wheel than the
minimum required by law. Warning:
The temperature grade for this tire is
established for a tire that is properly
inflated and not overloaded. Excessive
speed, underinflation, or excessive
loading, either separately or in
combination, can cause heat buildup
and possible tire failure.

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
360 Index
Child Restraints (cont'd)Securing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73, 74
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .281
Cleaning Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180 Air Conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Dual Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Cluster, Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Collision Damage Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344
Compact Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Compartments
Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Connected Services Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356
Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357
Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
Connections Connected Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356
Control Traction and Electronic Stability . . . . . . . 210
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188 Controls
Steering Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Convenience Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Convex Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Coolant Engine Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Cooling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .180, 182
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Courtesy Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Courtesy Transportation Program . . . . . . . . 344
Cover
Cargo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Coverage Explanations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Covers Rear Compartment/Storage Panel . . . . . . . 79
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Cruise Control, Adaptive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .214
Cupholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Customer Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .341 Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
Text Telephone (TTY) Users . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
Customer Information Publications Ordering Information . . . . . 346
Customer Satisfaction Procedure . . . . . . . . . 339
Cybersecurity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348D
Damage Repair, Collision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344
Danger, Warning, and Caution . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Data Collection Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349
OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349
Data Recorders, Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349
Database Coverage Explanations . . . . . . . . . . 153
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Destination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Diagnostics Connected Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Door Ajar Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Power Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Drive Belt Routing, Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338
Drive Systems All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207, 272
Driver Teen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Driver Assistance Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Driver Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
Index 361
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . .104, 107
DrivingAssistance Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Characteristics and Towing Tips . . . . . . . . 241
Defensive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
If the Vehicle is Stuck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Impaired . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Driving the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Dual Automatic Climate Control
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .182
E
Electric Brake Boost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Electric Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Electric Parking Brake Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Electrical Equipment, Add-On . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Electrical SystemEngine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . 281
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . 284 Electrical System (cont'd)
Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Rear Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . 285
Emergency OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Check Light (Malfunction Indicator) . . . . . 97
Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Oil Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Engine Air Filter Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Equipment, Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Extended Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Extender, Seat Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 Exterior Lighting Battery Saver . . . . . . . . . . . 127
F
Filter,
Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303 Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Fluid Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124
Folding Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Folding Seatback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . 229
Frequency Statement Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
Front Fog Lamp
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Front Pedestrian Braking (FPB) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Front Seats Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
366 Index
Roadside Assistance Program . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
RoofSunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Roof Rack System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Rotation, Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Routing, Engine Drive Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338
Running the Vehicle While Parked . . . . . . . 205
S
Safety Defects Reporting Canadian Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
General Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348
U.S. Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
Safety Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Safety System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Scheduling Appointments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343
Seat Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Extender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
How to Wear Seat Belts Properly . . . . . . . 44
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Reminders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Replacing after a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Use During Pregnancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Seats
Adjustment, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Folding Seatback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Seats (cont'd)
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Heated Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Lumbar Adjustment, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Power Adjustment, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Securing Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73, 74
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Vehicle Alarm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185 Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . 252
Climate Control System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Doing Your Own Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Maintenance Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
Maintenance, General Information . . . . . 322
Parts Identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
Scheduling Appointments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343
Service Electric Parking Brake Light . . . . . . . 99
Services Special Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
Servicing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Servicing the Airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 Shift Lock Control Function Check,
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Sidemarker Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277, 280
Signals, Turn and Lane-Change . . . . . . . . . . . .124
Software Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Spare Tire Compact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Special Application Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
Specifications and Capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
StabiliTrak OFF Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Start Assist, Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Start Vehicle, Remote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189 Heated Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Stop/Start System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Stoplamps and Back-Up Lamps
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277, 280