2008 CHEVROLET EQUINOX steering

While your vehicle is parked:
Familiarize yourself with all of its controls.
Familiarize yourself with its operation.
Set up your audio system by presetting your
favorite radio stations, setting the tone, and
adjusting the speakers. Then, when driving
conditions permit, you can tune to your favorite
radio stations using the presets and steering
wheel controls if the vehicle has them.
Notice:Before adding any sound equipment to
your vehicle, such as an audio system, CD player,
CB radio, mobile telephone, or two-way radio, make
sure that it can be added by checking with your
dealer/retailer. Also, check federal rules covering
mobile radio and telephone units. If sound equipment
can be added, it is very important to do it properly.
Added sound equipment may interfere with the
operation of your vehicle’s engine, radio, or other
systems, and even damage them. Your vehicle’s
systems may interfere with the operation of sound
equipment that has been added.
Your vehicle has a feature called Retained Accessory
Power (RAP). With RAP, the audio system can
be played even after the ignition is turned off.
SeeRetained Accessory Power (RAP) on page 2-21
for more information.
Setting the Time
Without Date Display
AM/FM Base Radio with a Single CD Player
This type of radio has aH(clock) button for setting
the time. Set the time by following these steps:
1. Turn the radio on.
2. Press the
Hbutton until the hour begins ashing
on the display. Press the
Hbutton a second time
and the minutes begin ashing on the display.
3. While either the hour or the minutes are ashing,
turn the
f(tune) knob, located on the upper right
side of the radio, clockwise or counterclockwise
to increase or decrease the time. Instead of
using the
fknob, you can also press the SEEK
arrows,
\FWD (forward), orsREV (reverse)
buttons to adjust the time.
4. Press the
Hbutton again until the clock display
stops ashing to set the currently displayed time;
otherwise, the ashing stops after ve seconds and
the current time displayed is automatically set.
3-65

Storing a Radio Station as a Favorite
Drivers are encouraged to set up their radio station
favorites while the vehicle is parked. Tune to your
favorite stations using the presets, favorites button,
and steering wheel controls, if your vehicle has them.
SeeDefensive Driving on page 4-2.
If your radio has XM, a maximum of 36 stations can be
programmed as favorites using the six pushbuttons
positioned below the radio station frequency labels and
by using the radio favorites page button (FAV button).
FAV (Favorites):Press the FAV button to go through
up to six pages of favorites, each having six favorite
stations available per page. Each page of favorites
can contain any combination of AM, FM, or XM
(if equipped) stations. To store a station as a
favorite, perform the following steps:
1. Tune to the desired radio station.
2. Press the FAV button to display the page where
the station is to be stored.
3. Press and hold one of the six pushbuttons until a
beep sounds. When that pushbutton is pressed
and released, the station that was set, returns.
4. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton radio station
to be stored as a favorite.The number of favorites pages can be setup using
the MENU button. To setup the number of favorites
pages, perform the following steps:
1. Press the MENU button to display the radio
setup menu.
2. Press the pushbutton located below the
FAV 1-6 label.
3. Select the desired number of favorites pages
by pressing the pushbutton located below the
displayed page numbers.
4. Press the FAV button, or let the menu time out,
to return to the original main radio screen showing
the radio station frequency labels and to begin
the process of programming your favorites for
the chosen amount of numbered pages.
Setting the Tone (Bass/Treble)
(Base Radio with CD)
EQ (Equalization):To adjust the bass or treble,
press the
fknob or EQ button until the desired tone
control label displays. Turn the
fknob clockwise
or counterclockwise to increase or decrease the setting.
The display shows the current bass or treble level.
If a station’s frequency is weak, or if there is static,
decrease the treble.
3-71

Cleaning the RSE Overhead Console
When cleaning the RSE overhead console surface,
use only a clean cloth dampened with clean water.
Cleaning the Video Screen
When cleaning the video screen, use only a clean cloth
dampened with clean water. Use care when directly
touching or cleaning the screen, as damage can result.
Theft-Deterrent Feature
THEFTLOCK®is designed to discourage theft of your
vehicle’s radio. It works by using a secret code to
disable all radio functions when battery power is
removed and the radio is placed in a different vehicle.
This feature requires no user input to be activated.
The radio is automatically armed when it is put into
the vehicle for the rst time.
If THEFTLOCK is activated, the radio does not operate
if stolen. The radio displays LOCKED. If this occurs,
the radio needs to be returned to your dealer/retailer.
Audio Steering Wheel Controls
Vehicles with audio
steering wheel controls
may be different depending
on your vehicle’s options.
Some audio controls
can be adjusted at the
steering wheel. They
include the following:
xw(Next/Previous):Press the down or up arrow
to go to the next or to the previous radio station stored
as a favorite.
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When a CD is playing, press the down or up arrow to
go to the next or to the previous track.
If your vehicle has OnStar
®, press the down arrow
button to end an OnStar Hands-Free Call or the
Advisor Playback. It also cancels or hangs-up an
incoming Hands-Free Call.
g(Mute/Voice Recognition):Press and release
this button to silence the system. Press and release
this button again, to turn the sound on.
If your vehicle has the navigation system, press and
hold this button for longer than one second to initiate
voice recognition. See “Voice Recognition” in the
Navigation System manual for more information.
If your vehicle has OnStar, press and hold this
button for longer than one second to interact with
the OnStar system. If your vehicle also has theNavigation System, press this button to initiate voice
recognition and say “OnStar” to enter OnStar mode.
See theOnStar
®System on page 2-39in this manual
for more information.
SRCE (Source):Press this button to switch between
AM, FM, XM™ (if equipped), CD, and auxiliary
input jack.
+
e−e(Volume):Press the plus or minus volume
button to increase or to decrease the radio volume.
¨(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 CD is playing
in the navigation radio. See the Navigation System
manual for more information.
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Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle..........4-2
Defensive Driving...........................................4-2
Drunk Driving.................................................4-2
Control of a Vehicle........................................4-3
Braking.........................................................4-4
Antilock Brake System (ABS)...........................4-5
Braking in Emergencies...................................4-6
Traction Control System (TCS).........................4-6
StabiliTrak
®System........................................4-7
All-Wheel Drive (AWD) System.........................4-8
Steering........................................................4-9
Off-Road Recovery.......................................4-12
Passing.......................................................4-12
Loss of Control.............................................4-13Driving at Night............................................4-14
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads..................4-14
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.......................4-16
Highway Hypnosis........................................4-16
Hill and Mountain Roads................................4-16
Winter Driving..............................................4-17
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice,
or Snow...................................................4-21
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out.................4-22
Loading Your Vehicle....................................4-22
Towing..........................................................4-28
Towing Your Vehicle.....................................4-28
Recreational Vehicle Towing...........................4-28
Towing a Trailer...........................................4-33
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
4-1

17,000 annual motor vehicle-related deaths have been
associated with the use of alcohol, with about
250,000 people injured.
For persons under 21, it is against the law in every U.S.
state to drink alcohol. There are good medical,
psychological, and developmental reasons for
these laws.
The obvious way to eliminate the leading highway
safety problem is for people never to drink alcohol and
then drive.
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.Control of a Vehicle
The following three systems help to control your vehicle
while driving — brakes, steering, and accelerator.
At times, as when driving on snow or ice, it is easy to ask
more of those control systems than the tires and road can
provide. Meaning, you can lose control of your vehicle.
SeeTraction Control System (TCS) on page 4-6.
Adding non-dealer/non-retailer accessories can affect
your vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modifications on page 5-3.
4-3

Using ABS
Do not pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal
down rmly and let antilock work for you. You might hear
the antilock 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.
Panic Brake Assist
Your vehicle has a Panic Brake Assist feature designed
to assist the driver in stopping or decreasing vehicle
speed in emergency driving conditions. This feature
uses the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) hydraulic
brake control module to supplement the power brake
system under conditions where the driver has quickly and
forcefully applied the brake pedal in an attempt to quickly
stop or slow down the vehicle. The ESC hydraulic brake
control module increases brake pressure at each corner
of the vehicle until the Antilock Brake System (ABS)
activates. Minor brake pedal pulsations or pedal
movement during this time is normal and the driver
should continue to apply the brake pedal as the driving
situation dictates. The Panic Brake Assist feature will
automatically disengage when the brake pedal is
released or brake pedal pressure is quickly decreased.
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 ashes while the
traction control system is
limiting wheel spin.
You may feel or hear the system working, but this is
normal. This light may also come on after extended
heavy braking indicating the brakes have become too
hot to limit wheel spin.
The traction control system automatically comes on
whenever the vehicle is started. 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. You should turn the
system off if your vehicle ever gets stuck in sand, mud,
ice, or snow and rocking the vehicle is required. See
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out on page 4-22.
4-6

SeeService All-Wheel Drive Light on page 3-39and
DIC Warnings and Messages on page 3-49for more
information.
This light will come on
along with the ALL
WHEEL DRIVE OFF
message when the rear
drive system is
overheating.
This light will turn off when the rear drive system cools
down. If this light stays on, it must be reset. To reset
the light, turn the ignition off and then back on again.
If the light stays on, see your dealer/retailer for service.
SeeDIC Warnings and Messages on page 3-49for
more information.Steering
Electric Power Steering
(3.4L V6 Engine)
If the engine stalls while you are driving, the power
steering assist system will continue to operate until you
are able to stop your vehicle. If you lose power steering
assist because the electric power steering system is not
functioning, you can steer, but it will take more effort.
If you turn the steering wheel in either direction several
times until it stops, or hold the steering wheel in the
stopped position for an extended amount of time, you
may notice a reduced amount of power steering
assist. The normal amount of power steering assist
should return shortly after a few normal steering
movements.
The electric power steering system does not require
regular maintenance. If you suspect steering system
problems, such as abnormally high steering effort for
a prolonged period of time, contact your dealer/retailer
for service repairs.
4-9