2007 CHEVROLET EQUINOX ESP

Low Fuel Warning Light
The light below the fuel
gage will come on
briey when you are
starting the engine.
This light also comes on when the fuel tank is low
on fuel. When you add fuel the light should go
off. If it does not, have your vehicle serviced.
Driver Information Center (DIC)
Your vehicle has a Driver Information Center (DIC).
All messages will appear in the DIC display
located in the center of the instrument panel
cluster. The DIC buttons are located on the
center of the instrument panel.
The DIC comes on when the ignition is on. After
a short delay, the DIC will display the information
that was last displayed before the engine was
turned off.The DIC displays trip, fuel, and vehicle system
information, and warning messages if a system
problem is detected. The top of the DIC display
shows the shift lever position indicator. See
Automatic Transaxle Operation on page 119for
more information.
If your vehicle has this feature, the DIC also
displays the outside air temperature when viewing
the trip and fuel information. If there is a problem
with the system that controls the temperature
display, the numbers will be replaced with dashes.
If this occurs, have the vehicle serviced by your
dealer. If an abnormal temperature reading is
displayed for an extended period of time, consult
your dealer. Under certain circumstances,
especially when the engine is idling, a delay
updating the temperature display is normal.
The DIC also allows some features to be
personalized. SeeDIC Vehicle Personalization
on page 207for more information.
192

Entering the Feature Settings Menu
1. Turn the ignition on and place the vehicle in
PARK (P).
To avoid excessive drain on the battery, it is
recommended that the headlamps are
turned off.
2. Press the vehicle information button until
FEATURE SETTINGS PRESS
VTO
SELECT appears on the DIC display.
3. Press the set/reset button to enter the feature
settings menu.
If the menu is not available, FEATURE
SETTINGS AVAILABLE IN PRK (Park) will
display. Before entering the menu, make sure
the vehicle is in PARK (P).
Feature Settings Menu Items
The following are personalization features that
allow you to program settings to the vehicle:
DISPLAY ENGLISH
This feature will only display if a language other
than English has been set. This feature allows
you to change the language in which the DIC
messages appear to English.Press the vehicle information button until the
PRESS
VTO DISPLAY ENGLISH screen appears
on the DIC display. Press the set/reset button to
display all DIC messages in English.
DISPLAY LANGUAGE
This feature allows you to select the language in
which the DIC messages will appear.
Press the vehicle information button until DISPLAY
LANGUAGE appears on the DIC display. Press
the set/reset button to access the settings for this
feature. Then press the vehicle information
button to scroll through the following settings:
ENGLISH (default):All messages will appear
in English.
FRANCAIS (French):All messages will appear
in French.
ESPANOL (Spanish):All messages will appear
in Spanish.
NO CHANGE:No change will be made to this
feature. The current setting will remain.
Choose one of the available settings and press
the set/reset button while it is displayed on the
DIC to select it.
208

¨(Seek):Press the seek arrow to go to the next
radio station and stay there.
If you have the navigation system, some of the
audio steering wheel controls work when a DVD is
playing in the navigation radio. See the Navigation
System manual for more information.
Radio Reception
XM™ Satellite Radio Service
XM™ Satellite Radio Service gives digital radio
reception from coast-to-coast in the 48 contiguous
United States, and in Canada.
You may experience interference with satellite
radio signals, while driving near tall buildings or
through hilly areas, causing the sound to fade
in and out. In addition, driving or standing under
heavy foliage, bridges, garages, or tunnels
may cause loss of the XM™ signal for a
period of time. The radio screen may display
NO XM SIGNAL to indicate interference.
AM
The range for most AM stations is greater than for
FM, especially at night. The longer range can
cause station frequencies to interfere with each
other. For better radio reception, most AM
radio stations will boost the power levels during
the day, and then reduce these levels during
the night. Static can also occur when things like
storms and power lines interfere with radio
reception. When this happens, try reducing the
treble on your radio.
FM
FM stereo will give the best sound, but FM signals
will reach only about 10 to 40 miles (16 to 65 km).
Tall buildings or hills can interfere with FM signals,
causing the sound to fade in and out.
281

But the ability to drive is affected well below a BAC
of 0.10 percent. Research shows that the driving
skills of many people are impaired at a BAC
approaching 0.05 percent, and that the effects are
worse at night. All drivers are impaired at BAC
levels above 0.05 percent. Statistics show that the
chance of being in a collision increases sharply for
drivers who have a BAC of 0.05 percent or above.
A driver with a BAC level of 0.06 percent has
doubled his or her chance of having a collision.
At a BAC level of 0.10 percent, the chance of this
driver having a collision is 12 times greater; at a
level of 0.15 percent, the chance is 25 times
greater!
The body takes about an hour to rid itself of
the alcohol in one drink. No amount of coffee
or number of cold showers will speed that up.
“I will be careful” is not the right answer. What if
there is an emergency, a need to take sudden
action, as when a child darts into the street?
A person with even a moderate BAC might not
be able to react quickly enough to avoid the
collision.There is something else about drinking and driving
that many people do not know. Medical research
shows that alcohol in a person’s system can
make crash injuries worse, especially injuries
to the brain, spinal cord, or heart. This means that
when anyone who has been drinking — driver
or passenger — is in a crash, that person’s chance
of being killed or permanently disabled is higher
than if the person had not been drinking.
{CAUTION:
Drinking and then driving is very
dangerous. Your reexes, perceptions,
attentiveness, and judgment can be
affected by even a small amount of
alcohol. You can have a serious — or
even fatal — collision if you drive after
drinking. Please do not drink and drive
or ride with a driver who has been
drinking. Ride home in a cab; or if you
are with a group, designate a driver
who will not drink.
287

Remember: ABS does not change the time you
need to get your foot up to the brake pedal
or always decrease stopping distance. If you get
too close to the vehicle in front of you, you will not
have time to apply your brakes if that vehicle
suddenly slows or stops. Always leave enough
room up ahead to stop, even though you
have ABS.
Using ABS
Do not pump the brakes. Just hold the brake
pedal down rmly and let anti-lock work for you.
You may hear the anti-lock pump or motor
operate, and feel the brake pedal pulsate, but
this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
With ABS, you can steer and brake at the same
time. In many emergencies, steering can help
you more than even the very best braking.
Traction Control System (TCS)
Your vehicle has a traction control system that
limits wheel spin. This is especially useful in
slippery road conditions. The system operates
only if it senses that one or more of the wheels
are spinning or beginning to lose traction.
When this happens, the system works the brakes
and reduces engine power to limit wheel spin.
This light will come
on when your traction
control system is
limiting wheel spin.
You may feel or hear the system working, but this
is normal.
The traction control system automatically comes
on whenever you start your vehicle. To limit wheel
spin, especially in slippery road conditions, you
should always leave the system on. But you
can turn the traction control system off if you
ever need to.
291

So here are some tips for passing:
Drive ahead. Look down the road, to the
sides, and to crossroads for situations
that might affect your passing patterns. If you
have any doubt whatsoever about making
a successful pass, wait for a better time.
Watch for traffic signs, pavement markings,
and lines. If you can see a sign up ahead
that might indicate a turn or an intersection,
delay your pass. A broken center line
usually indicates it is all right to pass, providing
the road ahead is clear. Never cross a solid
line on your side of the lane or a double
solid line, even if the road seems empty of
approaching traffic.
Do not get too close to the vehicle you want
to pass while you are awaiting an opportunity.
For one thing, following too closely reduces
your area of vision, especially if you are
following a larger vehicle. Also, you will not
have adequate space if the vehicle ahead
suddenly slows or stops. Keep back a
reasonable distance.
When it looks like a chance to pass is
coming up, start to accelerate but stay in
the right lane and do not get too close.Time your move so you will be increasing
speed as the time comes to move into
the other lane. If the way is clear to pass,
you will have a running start that more than
makes up for the distance you would lose
by dropping back. And if something happens
to cause you to cancel your pass, you
need only slow down and drop back again
and wait for another opportunity.
If other vehicles are lined up to pass a slow
vehicle, wait your turn. But take care that
someone is not trying to pass you as you pull
out to pass the slow vehicle. Remember to
glance over your shoulder and check the
blind spot.
Check your vehicle’s mirrors, glance over
your shoulder, and start your left lane
change signal before moving out of the right
lane to pass. When you are far enough ahead
of the passed vehicle to see its front in your
vehicle’s inside mirror, activate the right
lane change signal and move back into the
right lane. Remember that your vehicle’s
passenger side outside mirror is convex.
The vehicle you just passed may seem to
be farther away from you than it really is.
298

Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a
time on two-lane roads. Reconsider before
passing the next vehicle.
Do not overtake a slowly moving vehicle too
rapidly. Even though the brake lamps are
not ashing, it may be slowing down or
starting to turn.
If you are being passed, make it easy for
the following driver to get ahead of you.
Perhaps you can ease a little to the right.
Loss of Control
Let us review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems — brakes,
steering, and acceleration — do not have enough
friction where the tires meet the road to do what
the driver has asked.
In any emergency, do not give up. Keep trying
to steer and constantly seek an escape route
or area of less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking
reasonable care suited to existing conditions,
and by not overdriving those conditions.
But skids are always possible.
The three types of skids correspond to your
vehicle’s three control systems. In the braking
skid, your wheels are not rolling. In the steering or
cornering skid, too much speed or steering in a
curve causes tires to slip and lose cornering force.
And in the acceleration skid, too much throttle
causes the driving wheels to spin.
A cornering skid is best handled by easing your
foot off the accelerator pedal.
Remember: Any traction control system helps
avoid only the acceleration skid. If your traction
system is off, then an acceleration skid is
also best handled by easing your foot off the
accelerator pedal. SeeTraction Control
System (TCS) on page 291andStabiliTrak
®
System on page 292.
299

If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off
the accelerator pedal and quickly steer the
way you want the vehicle to go. If you start
steering quickly enough, your vehicle may
straighten out. Always be ready for a second
skid if it occurs.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow,
ice, gravel, or other material is on the road.
For safety, you will want to slow down and adjust
your driving to these conditions. It is important
to slow down on slippery surfaces because
stopping distance will be longer and vehicle
control more limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction,
try your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration,
or braking, including reducing vehicle speed by
shifting to a lower gear. Any sudden changes could
cause the tires to slide. You may not realize the
surface is slippery until your vehicle is skidding.
Learn to recognize warning clues — such as
enough water, ice, or packed snow on the road
to make a mirrored surface — and slow down
when you have any doubt.
Remember: Any Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
helps avoid only the braking skid.Driving at Night
Night driving is more dangerous than day driving.
One reason is that some drivers are likely to
be impaired — by alcohol or drugs, with night
vision problems, or by fatigue.
Here are some tips on night driving.
Drive defensively.
Do not drink and drive.
Adjust the inside rearview mirror to reduce the
glare from headlamps behind you.
Since you cannot see as well, you may need
to slow down and keep more space between
you and other vehicles.
Slow down, especially on higher speed roads.
Your vehicle’s headlamps can light up only so
much road ahead.
In remote areas, watch for animals.
If you are tired, pull off the road in a safe
place and rest.
300