symbol BUICK ENCORE GX 2021 Owner's Manual

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
2 Introduction
Using this Manual
To quickly locate information about the
vehicle, use the Index in the back of the
manual. It is an alphabetical list of what is
in the manual and the page number where
it can be found.
About Driving the Vehicle
As with other vehicles of this type, failure to
operate this vehicle correctly may result in
loss of control or a crash. Be sure to read
the driving guidelines in this manual in the
section called“Driving and Operating” and
specifically Driver Behavior 0187, Driving
Environment 0187, and Vehicle Design
0 187.
Danger, Warning, and Caution
Warning messages found on vehicle labels
and in this manual describe hazards and
what to do to avoid or reduce them.
{Danger
Danger indicates a hazard with a high
level of risk which will result in serious
injury or death.
{Warning
Warning indicates a hazard that could
result in injury or death.
Caution
Caution indicates a hazard that could
result in property or vehicle damage.
A circle with a slash through it is a safety
symbol which means “Do not,” “Do not do
this,” or“Do not let this happen.”
Symbols
The vehicle has components and labels that
use symbols instead of text. Symbols are
shown along with the text describing the
operation or information relating to a
specific component, control, message, gauge,
or indicator.
M:Shown when the owner’s manual has
additional instructions or information.
*: Shown when the service manual has
additional instructions or information.
0: Shown when there is more information
on another page — “see page.”
Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols that may
be found on the vehicle and what they
mean. See the features in this manual for
information.
u: Air Conditioning System
G:Air Conditioning Refrigerant Oil
9:Airbag Readiness Light
!:Antilock Brake System (ABS)
$:Brake System Warning Light
9:Dispose of Used Components Properly
P:Do Not Apply High Pressure Water
B:Engine Coolant Temperature
_:Flame/Fire Prohibited
H: Flammable

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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Seats and Restraints 51
{Warning
You can be severely injured or killed in a
crash if you are not wearing your seat
belt, even with airbags. Airbags are
designed to work with seat belts, not
replace them. Also, airbags are not
designed to inflate in every crash. In
some crashes seat belts are the only
restraint. SeeWhen Should an Airbag
Inflate? 053.
Wearing your seat belt during a crash
helps reduce your chance of hitting
things inside the vehicle or being ejected
from it. Airbags are “supplemental
restraints” to the seat belts. Everyone in
the vehicle should wear a seat belt
properly, whether or not there is an
airbag for that person.
{Warning
Because airbags inflate with great force
and faster than the blink of an eye,
anyone who is up against, or very close
to, any airbag when it inflates can be
seriously injured or killed. Do not sit
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
unnecessarily close to any airbag, as you
would be if sitting on the edge of the
seat or leaning forward. Seat belts help
keep you in position before and during a
crash. Always wear a seat belt, even with
airbags. The driver should sit as far back
as possible while still maintaining control
of the vehicle. The seat belts and the
front outboard passenger airbags are
most effective when you are sitting well
back and upright in the seat with both
feet on the floor.
Occupants should not lean on or sleep
against the door or side windows in
seating positions with seat-mounted side
impact airbags and/or roof-rail airbags.
{Warning
Children who are up against, or very
close to, any airbag when it inflates can
be seriously injured or killed. Always
secure children properly in the vehicle. To
read how, seeOlder Children 060 or
Infants and Young Children 062.
There is an airbag readiness light on the
instrument cluster, which shows the airbag
symbol.
The system checks the airbag electrical
system for malfunctions. The light tells you
if there is an electrical problem. See Airbag
Readiness Light 095.
Where Are the Airbags?

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
Seats and Restraints 55
airbags inflate. The feature may also
activate, without airbag inflation, after an
event that exceeds a predetermined
threshold. After turning the ignition off and
then on again, the fuel system will return to
normal operation; the doors can be locked,
the interior lamps can be turned off, and
the hazard warning flashers can be turned
off using the controls for those features.
If any of these systems are damaged in the
crash they may not operate as normal.
{Warning
A crash severe enough to inflate the
airbags may have also damaged
important functions in the vehicle, such
as the fuel system, brake and steering
systems, etc. Even if the vehicle appears
to be drivable after a moderate crash,
there may be concealed damage that
could make it difficult to safely operate
the vehicle.
Use caution if you should attempt to
restart the engine after a crash has
occurred.In many crashes severe enough to inflate
the airbag, windshields are broken by
vehicle deformation. Additional windshield
breakage may also occur from the front
outboard passenger airbag.
.Airbags are designed to inflate only once.
After an airbag inflates, you will need
some new parts for the airbag system.
If you do not get them, the airbag
system will not be there to help protect
you in another crash. A new system will
include airbag modules and possibly other
parts. The service manual for the vehicle
covers the need to replace other parts.
.The vehicle has a crash sensing and
diagnostic module which records
information after a crash. See
Vehicle
Data Recording and Privacy 0348 and
Event Data Recorders 0349.
.Let only qualified technicians work on the
airbag systems. Improper service can
mean that an airbag system will not work
properly. See your dealer for service.
Passenger Sensing System
The vehicle has a passenger sensing system
for the front outboard passenger position.
The passenger airbag status indicator will
light on the overhead console when the
vehicle is started.
United States
Canada
The words ON and OFF, or the symbols for
on and off, will be visible during the system
check. When the system check is complete,
either the word ON or OFF, or the symbol
for on or off, will be visible. See Passenger
Airbag Status Indicator 096.

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
70 Seats and Restraints
To assist in locating the lower anchors, each
row anchor position has a label, near the
crease on the seat cushion.
The lower anchors are behind the vertical
openings in the seat cushion trim located
below the anchor label.
To assist in locating the top tether anchors,
the top tether anchor symbol is near the
top tether anchors.
Top Tether Anchors
The top tether anchors for each rear seating
position are on the back of the rear
seatback. The rear compartment storage
panel/cover might need to be adjusted to
access the anchors. Be sure to use an anchoron the same side of the vehicle as 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 065 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.

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14608036) - 2021 - CRC - 9/21/20
96 Instruments and Controls
{Warning
If the airbag readiness light stays on
after the vehicle is started or comes on
while driving, it means the airbag system
might not be working properly. The
airbags in the vehicle might not inflate in
a crash, or they could even inflate
without a crash. To help avoid injury,
have the vehicle serviced right away.
If there is a problem with the airbag
system, a Driver Information Center (DIC)
message may also come on.
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator
The vehicle has a passenger sensing system.
See Passenger Sensing System 055 for
important safety information. The overhead
console has a passenger airbag status
indicator.
United States
Canada
When the vehicle is started, the passenger
airbag status indicator will light ON and OFF,
or the symbol for on and off, for several
seconds as a system check. Then, after
several more seconds, the status indicator
will light either ON or OFF, or either the on
or off symbol, to let you know the status of
the front outboard passenger frontal airbag
and knee airbag.
If the word ON, or the on symbol, is lit on
the passenger airbag status indicator, it
means that the front outboard passenger
frontal airbag and knee airbag are allowed
to inflate.
If the word OFF, or the off symbol is lit, on
the airbag status indicator, it means that
the passenger sensing system has turned off
the front outboard passenger frontal airbag
and knee airbag. If, after several seconds, both status
indicator lights remain on, or if there are no
lights at all, there may be a problem with
the lights or the passenger sensing system.
See your dealer for service.{Warning
If the airbag readiness light ever comes
on and stays on, it means that
something may be wrong with the airbag
system. To help avoid injury to yourself
or others, have the vehicle serviced right
away. See
Airbag Readiness Light 095
for more information, including important
safety information.
Charging System Light
The charging system light comes on briefly
when the ignition is turned on, but the
engine is not running, as a check to show
the light is working. It should go out when
the engine is started.

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Instruments and Controls 115
Auto Rear Defog
When on, this feature turns on the rear
defogger at vehicle start when the interior
temperature is cold and fog is likely. See
“Rear Window Defogger”underDual
Automatic Climate Control System 0182.
Touch Off or On.
Ionizer
If equipped with an ionizer, this feature
helps to clean the air inside the vehicle and
remove contaminants such as pollen, odors,
and dust. See Dual Automatic Climate
Control System 0182.
Touch Off or On.
Collision / Detection Systems
Touch and the following may display:
.Forward Collision System
.Front Pedestrian Detection
.Adaptive Cruise Go Notifier
.Lane Change Alert
.Rear Camera Park Assist Symbols
.Rear Cross Traffic Alert
.Park Assist Forward Collision System
This setting can alert of a potential crash
with a detected vehicle ahead and can apply
brakes to help reduce a collision’s severity.
Touch Off, Alert, or Alert and Brake.
Front Pedestrian Detection
This feature may help avoid or reduce the
harm caused by front-end crashes with
nearby pedestrians. See
Front Pedestrian
Braking (FPB) System 0233.
Touch Off, Alert, or Alert and Brake.
Adaptive Cruise Go Notifier
This setting determines if an alert will
appear when Adaptive Cruise Control brings
the vehicle to a complete stop and the
vehicle ahead of you starts moving again.
See Adaptive Cruise Control (Camera) 0214.
Touch Off or On.
Lane Change Alert
This allows the feature to be turned on or
off. See Lane Change Alert (LCA) 0235.
When Lane Change Alert is disabled, Side
Blind Zone Alert is also disabled.
Touch Off or On. Rear Camera Park Assist Symbols
This setting enables the Rear Camera Park
Assist Symbols. See
Assistance Systems for
Parking or Backing 0224.
Touch Off or On.
Rear Cross Traffic Alert
This setting specifies if you see alerts when
the vehicle detects approaching rear cross
traffic when in R (Reverse). See Assistance
Systems for Parking or Backing 0224.
Touch Off or On.
Park Assist
This setting specifies if you have alerts
when a object is detected near your vehicle
during low speed.
Touch Off or On.
Comfort and Convenience
Touch and the following may display:
.Chime Volume
.Handsfree Liftgate/Trunk Control
.Reverse Tilt Mirror
.Rain Sense Wipers
.Auto Wipe in Reverse Gear

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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128 Infotainment System
Infotainment System
Introduction
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Using the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Software Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Radio
AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
HD Radio Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Radio Data System (RDS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Multi-Band Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Audio Players
Avoiding Untrusted Media Devices . . . . . 137
USB Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Auxiliary Jack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Bluetooth Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
OnStar System
OnStar System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Navigation
Using the Navigation System . . . . . . . . . . 141
Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Navigation Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Destination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146OnStar System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Global Positioning System (GPS) . . . . . . . 152
Vehicle Positioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Problems with Route Guidance . . . . . . . . 152
If the System Needs Service . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Map Data Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Database Coverage Explanations . . . . . . . 153
Voice Recognition
Voice Recognition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Phone
Bluetooth (Overview) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Bluetooth (Pairing and Using a
Phone) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto . . . . . . . 163
Settings
Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Teen Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Trademarks and License Agreements
Trademarks and License Agreements . . . 172
Introduction
Read the following pages to become familiar
with the features.
{Warning
Taking your eyes off the road for too
long or too often while using any
infotainment feature can cause a crash.
You or others could be injured or killed.
Do not give extended attention to
infotainment tasks while driving. Limit
your glances at the vehicle displays and
focus your attention on driving. Use voice
commands whenever possible.
The infotainment system has built-in
features intended to help avoid distraction
by disabling some features when driving.
These features may gray out when they are
unavailable. Many infotainment features are
also available through the instrument cluster
and steering wheel controls.
Before driving:
.Become familiar with the operation,
center stack controls, steering wheel
controls, and infotainment display.

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142 Infotainment System
Predictive Navigation (If Equipped)
If Predictive Navigation is available and
confirmed, this feature learns preferences by
remembering where the vehicle has been.
It uses the locations and navigation history
to personalize routes and results.
Predictive Navigation may learn elements
such as:
.Personalized routes based on preferred
streets.
.Search results that provide best matches
at the top of the list.
.Predictive traffic.
.Local map content updating.
Predictive Navigation can also be enabled or
disabled at a later time by touching
A
(Options). While in Options, touch Settings,
then Map and Navigation Settings, and then
Predictive Navigation. See Settings0164. Navigation Map View
After opening the Nav application for the
first time, the application will always open
in full map view displaying the vehicle’s
current location. When the vehicle is
stopped, the search bar will appear along
the top of the navigation map view.
Manually close the search bar by touching
z. When the vehicle is moving, the}(Search) icon will replace the search bar to
maximize the full map view.
Destination Card Preferences
From the Nav application, set up Home and
Work addresses to enable one-touch
navigation. To set up Home and Work
addresses, touch
Aand select Settings,
then Map and Navigation Settings, and then
Destination Card Preferences. Show My Places on Map should be on by default.
Select and enter Home and/or Work address
and save.
If the vehicle’s system is not signed into a
customized profile, the current location icon
uses a generic symbol. Once signed into a
customized profile, the current location
symbol will show a customized icon. See
Navigation Symbols
0145.
Map and Navigation Settings
Touch
Awhile in the map view to display
options. The following may display:
.3D Heading Up, 2D Heading Up, 2D North
.Show on Map
.Traffic Events (available with OnStar
Connected Navigation)
.Settings
.Edit Destination (if a route has been set)

Buick Encore GX Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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Infotainment System 145
.The SD card has been removed from the
slot:“SD card has been removed.
(Error Code).”
Touch Continue to resume after the
initialization error message. For the other
messages, touch OK to return to the
Home Page.
Navigation Symbols
Following are the most common symbols
that may appear in the Nav application.
This indicates the vehicle’s current location
and direction on the map.
This is the vehicle’s current location icon
during inactive guidance mode. Once a user
profile is created, the current location icon
can be customized.
This icon indicates the vehicle’s current
location and direction on the map.
The destination pin marks the location of
the final destination. Touch the pin to view
the destination address or to add it or
remove it from the Favorites list. Hide the
information by touching the pin one more
time. It will automatically time out if no
action is taken.
If equipped, smart Points of Interest (POIs)
are places of interest for parking and gas
stations.
The progress bar provides an overview of
the route progress and may show traffic and
incidents along the way. As the route
proceeds, the vehicle icon moves up the bar.
Touch the icon to zoom out on the map and
view the entire route. Touch it again to
return to the previous view.
View the drive time by touching the
estimated time of arrival (ETA).
Current Location
When the vehicle is parked and not in a
Navigation session, the user icon is centered
on the map view, highlighting the current
location.

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Infotainment System 149
Destination, and Traffic Indicator are
displayed in a panel pinned on the right of
the display.
Navigation Next Turn Maneuver Alert
If the Navigation application is not open
when a near maneuver prompt is given, it is
shown as an alert. Touch the alert to go to
the main navigation view or touch
zto
dismiss the alert.
Repeat Voice Guidance
This symbol indicates the next guidance
maneuver. Touch it to repeat the last
spoken guidance instruction.
Incident Alert (If Equipped)
During active guidance, if the system
determines that there is an incident ahead
but there is not a better route, the system
will play a tone and show a Quick Notice.
This will only show once per incident. Incident Reports (If Equipped)
Incident report icons, along with traffic flow
data, display on the map during both active
and inactive guidance.
End Route
Touch Cancel at the top right corner to end
active guidance and return to inactive
guidance. If active guidance is canceled
before the destination has been reached, a
pop-up option to Resume Trip will appear.
Resume Trip
The trip can be resumed if it was canceled
by touching the Resume Trip pop-up option.
If the system has determined that the
destination has been reached, either because
the arrival view displayed or the destination
has been passed, the Resume Trip option
will not appear.
Favorites
The navigation favorites can have contacts,
addresses, or POIs that have been saved
through the favorite icon on the
details view.
Accessing Favorites
In the Nav application, view the Favorites
list by touching
Hin the search bar along
the top of the Nav map view. If the search
bar is closed, touch
}and selectH.
Saving Favorites
Favorites can be added from a number of
the system’s applications. Touch the
favorites icon to save content as a favorite.
Renaming Navigation Favorites 1. Touch the Settings icon on the Home Page and touch the System tab.
2. Touch Favorites to access the Manage Favorites option.
3. Touch a saved Navigation favorite to access the edit icon. Touch the edit icon
to rename the favorite.
4. Touch Save to store the renamed favorite.
Recents
TouchHto access a list of recent
destinations.