2008 CHEVROLET EQUINOX ECO mode

What Makes an Airbag Inate?
In a deployment event, the sensing system sends
an electrical signal triggering a release of gas from the
inator. Gas from the inator lls the airbag causing
the bag to break out of the cover and deploy. The
inator, the airbag, and related hardware are all part
of the airbag module.
Frontal airbag modules are located inside the steering
wheel and instrument panel. For vehicles with
roof-rail airbags, there are airbag modules in the
ceiling of the vehicle, near the side windows that
have occupant seating positions.
How Does an Airbag Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel
or the instrument panel. In moderate to severe side
collisions, even belted occupants can contact the
inside of the vehicle.Airbags supplement the protection provided by safety
belts. Frontal airbags distribute the force of the
impact more evenly over the occupant’s upper body,
stopping the occupant more gradually. Roof-rail airbags
distribute the force of the impact more evenly over
the occupant’s upper body.
Rollover capable roof-rail airbags are designed to
help contain the head and chest of occupants in the
outboard seating positions in the rst and second rows.
The rollover capable roof-rail airbags are designed to
help reduce the risk of full or partial ejection in rollover
events, although no system can prevent all such
ejections.
But airbags would not help in many types of collisions,
primarily because the occupant’s motion is not
toward those airbags. SeeWhen Should an Airbag
Inflate? on page 1-61for more information.
Airbags should never be regarded as anything more
than a supplement to safety belts.
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Q(Lock):PressQto lock the doors and liftgate.
If enabled through the Driver Information Center (DIC),
the parking lamps will ash once to indicate locking
has occurred. If enabled through the DIC, the horn will
chirp when
Qis pressed again within ve seconds
of the previous press of the lock button. SeeDIC Vehicle
Personalization on page 3-58for additional information.
Pressing
Qmay arm the content theft-deterrent
system. SeeContent Theft-Deterrent on page 2-17.
K(Unlock): PressKto unlock the driver’s door.
If
Kis pressed again within ve seconds, all remaining
doors, and the liftgate, will unlock. The interior
lamps will come on and stay on for 20 seconds or
until the ignition is turned on. If enabled through
the DIC, the parking lamps will ash twice to
indicate unlocking has occurred. SeeDIC Vehicle
Personalization on page 3-58. Pressing
Kon the
RKE transmitter will disarm the content theft-deterrent
system. SeeContent Theft-Deterrent on page 2-17.
L(Vehicle Locator/Panic Alarm):Press and release
Lto locate your vehicle. The turn signal lamps will
ash and the horn will sound three times.
Press and hold
Lfor more than two seconds to
activate the panic alarm. The turn signal lamps will
ash and the horn will sound repeatedly for 30 seconds.
The alarm will turn off when the ignition is moved to
ON/RUN or
Lis pressed again. The ignition must
be in LOCK/OFF for the panic alarm to work.
The RKE transmitter is used to arm/disarm the content
theft-deterrent system. Your vehicle’s theft-deterrent
system can be programmed to three different modes.
SeeContent Theft-Deterrent on page 2-17.
If you accidentally set off the alarm when entering
or exiting the vehicle, you can shut it off by pressing
QorKonce orLtwice.
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Remote Vehicle Start
Your vehicle may have the remote start feature. This
feature allows you to start the engine from outside
the vehicle. See “REMOTE START” underDIC Vehicle
Personalization on page 3-58for instructions on how
to enable and disable this feature.
During a remote start, the climate control system will
turn on at the fan, temperature, and mode settings the
vehicle was set to when the vehicle was last turned
off. The rear window defogger will also turn on.
If your vehicle has heated seats, they may turn on
during colder outside temperatures and will shut
off when the key is turned to ON/RUN. You may not
notice an increase in seat surface temperature until the
seat is occupied for a short period of time.
Laws in some local communities may restrict the use of
remote starters. For example, some laws may require
a person using remote start to have the vehicle in view
when doing so. Check local regulations for any
requirements on remote starting of vehicles.
/(Remote Vehicle Start):This button will be on the
RKE transmitter if you have remote start.
Your RKE transmitter, with the remote start button,
provides an increased range of operation. However,
the range may be less while the vehicle is running.
As a result, you may need to be closer to your
vehicle to turn it off, than you were to turn it on.If your vehicle is low on fuel, do not use the remote
start feature. The vehicle may run out of fuel.
To start the engine using the remote start feature:
1. Aim the RKE transmitter, that has a remote vehicle
start button, at the vehicle.
2. Press and release the transmitter’s lock button,
then immediately press and hold the remote
vehicle start button. Hold the remote start button
until the vehicle’s turn signal lamps ash, or
for at least four seconds if the vehicle’s lights are
not visible. The vehicle’s doors will be locked.
Pressing the remote start button again after the
vehicle has started will turn off the ignition.
When the vehicle’s engine starts, the parking
lamps will turn on and remain on while the engine
is running.
3. To extend the engine run time by 10 minutes,
repeat Steps 1 and 2 while the engine is still
running. The engine run time can only be extended
if it is the rst remote start since the vehicle has
been driven. Remote start can be extended
one time.
If the remote start procedure is used again before
the rst 10 minute time frame has ended, the
rst 10 minutes will immediately expire and the
second 10 minute time frame will start.
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DRIVE (D):This position is for normal driving with
the automatic transmission. It provides the best
fuel economy for your vehicle. If you need more
power for passing, and you are:
Going less than about 35 mph (55 km/h),
push your accelerator pedal about halfway down.
Going about 35 mph (55 km/h), push your
accelerator all the way down.
Downshifting the transmission in slippery road conditions
could result in skidding, see “Skidding” underLoss of
Control on page 4-13.
INTERMEDIATE (I):This position is also used for
normal driving. However, it reduces vehicle speed without
using your brakes for slight downgrades where the
vehicle would otherwise accelerate due to steepness
of grade. If constant upshifting or downshifting occurs
while driving up steep hills, this position can be used to
prevent repetitive types of shifts. You might choose
INTERMEDIATE (I) instead of DRIVE (D) when driving
on hilly, winding roads and when towing a trailer, so that
there is less shifting between gears.
LOW (L):This position reduces vehicle speed more
than INTERMEDIATE (I) without actually using
your brakes. You can use it on very steep hills, or in
deep snow or mud. If the shift lever is put in LOW (L),
the transmission will not shift into LOW (L) until the
vehicle is going slowly enough.Notice:Spinning the tires or holding the vehicle
in one place on a hill using only the accelerator
pedal may damage the transmission. The repair will
not be covered by your warranty. If you are stuck,
do not spin the tires. When stopping on a hill,
use the brakes to hold the vehicle in place.Transmission Overheating
If the transmission uid temperature rises above 284°F
(140°C) or rises rapidly, the Engine Coolant
Temperature Warning Light will ash. SeeEngine
Coolant Temperature Warning Light on page 3-33for
more information. When the transmission overheats
it will go into a protection mode and will default shift into
fth gear if in the DRIVE (D) position, or second gear
if in the LOW (L) position. Continue driving the vehicle in
either position depending on the required vehicle
speed and load. Once the uid temperature lowers to
the normal temperature range, the transmission will
return to the normal shift patterns. Towing or driving on
long hills can cause the transmission uid temperature
to be higher than normal. If the transmission uid
temperature will not cool, you may need to pull over and
check the transmission uid level. You should also
check the engine coolant temperature. If it is hot, see
Engine Overheating on page 5-24.
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DRIVE (D):This position is for normal driving.
It provides the best fuel economy for your vehicle.
If the vehicle needs more power for passing, and it is:
Going less than 35 mph (55 km/h), push the
accelerator pedal about halfway down.
Going about 35 mph (55 km/h) or more,
push the accelerator pedal all the way down.
The vehicle will shift down to the next gear
and have more power.
Downshifting the transmission in slippery road conditions
could result in skidding, see Skidding underLoss of
Control on page 4-13.
Notice:Spinning the tires or holding the vehicle
in one place on a hill using only the accelerator
pedal may damage the transmission. The repair
will not be covered by your warranty. If you
are stuck, do not spin the tires. When stopping on
a hill, use the brakes to hold the vehicle in place.
MANUAL SHIFT MODE (M):This position, available
on the models with the Manual Shift Mode (MSM),
allows you to change gears similar to a manual
transmission. If your vehicle has this feature, see
“Manual Shift Mode (MSM)”.
Manual Shift Mode (MSM)
(Automatic Transmission)
To use this feature, do the following:
1. Move the shift lever from DRIVE (D) to the left into
the manual gate.
While driving in manual shift mode, the transmission
will remain in the driver gear selected. When coming
to a stop in the manual position, the vehicle will
automatically shift to FIRST (1) gear.
2. Push the shift lever forward toward the plus (+) to
upshift or rearward toward the minus (−) to downshift.
When using the Manual Shift Mode (MSM) the
number of the gear selected will appear on the
instrument cluster below the shift position display.
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SECOND (2) and THIRD (3) Gear
Start Feature
When accelerating your vehicle from a stop in snowy
and icy conditions, you may want to select SECOND (2)
and THIRD (3) gear. A higher gear, and light application
of the gas pedal, may allow you to gain more traction
on slippery surfaces.
With the Manual Shift Mode, the vehicle can accelerate
from a stop in SECOND (2) or THIRD (3).
1. Move the shift lever from DRIVE (D) into the
manual gate.
2. With the vehicle stopped, move the shift lever
forward to select SECOND (2) or THIRD (3).
The vehicle will start from a stop position in
SECOND (2) or THIRD (3).
3. Once the vehicle is moving select the desired
drive gear or move the shift lever to the
DRIVE (D) position.
Parking Brake
The parking brake lever is located to the right of the
driver’s seat.
To set the parking brake, hold the brake pedal down
and pull up on the parking brake lever. If the ignition is
on, the brake system warning light will come on.
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@(Recirculation):Press this button to recirculate
cabin air through the vehicle. It can be used to prevent
outside air and odors from entering the vehicle or to
help heat or cool the air inside the vehicle more quickly.
An indicator light will come on in this mode. Operation
in this mode during periods of high humidity and
cool outside temperatures may result in increased
window fogging. If window fogging is experienced,
select the defrost mode.
The recirculation mode cannot be used with oor,
defrost, or defogging modes. If you try to select
recirculation in one of those modes, the indicator
light ashes several times and turns off.
#(Air Conditioning):Press this button to turn the
air conditioning system on or off. When this button
is pressed, an indicator light on the button comes
on to show that the air conditioning is activated.
The air conditioning can be selected in any mode
as long as the fan switch is on.
The air conditioning compressor does not operate
when outside temperatures fall below 38°F (3°C).
The indicator light ashes several times and turns off
when outside conditions affect air conditioning operation.
This is normal.On hot days, open the windows to let hot inside air
escape; then close them. This helps to reduce the time
it takes for the vehicle to cool down. It also helps the
system to operate more efficiently.
For quick cool down on hot days, select the following
settings together:
1. Vent mode.
2. Outside air.
3. Air conditioning.
4. The coolest temperature.
5. The highest fan speed.
6. Once the vehicle’s interior temperature is below the
outside temperature, select recirculation mode for
enhanced cooling.
Using these settings together for long periods of time
may cause the air inside of the vehicle to become
too dry. To prevent this from happening, after the air
inside of the vehicle has cooled, turn the recirculation
mode off.
The air conditioning system removes moisture from the
air, so a small amount of water might drip underneath
the vehicle while idling or after turning off the engine.
This is normal.
((Heated Seats):If your vehicle has heated seats,
seeHeated Seats on page 1-4.
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Instrument Panel Cluster
Your instrument panel cluster is designed to let you know at a glance how your vehicle is running. You will know how
fast you are going, how much fuel you are using, and many other things you will need to drive safely and economically.
United States version shown, Canada and Sport Model similar
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