2008 CHEVROLET EQUINOX warning

Change Engine Oil Light
If this light comes on and
stays on for 30 seconds,
it means that service
is required for your vehicle.
A CHANGE OIL SOON message will appear on the
DIC. For more information seeDIC Warnings and
Messages on page 3-49.
After having the oil changed you will need to reset the
light. SeeEngine Oil on page 5-15, andScheduled
Maintenance on page 6-4for more information.
Security Light
For information regarding
this light and the vehicle’s
security system, see
Content Theft-Deterrent
on page 2-17, and
PASS-Key
®III+ Operation
on page 2-18.
Fog Lamp Light
The fog lamp light will
come on when the
fog lamps are in use.
The light will go out when the fog lamps are turned off.
SeeFog Lamps on page 3-15for more information.
Cruise Control Light
This light comes on
whenever you set
the cruise control.
The light goes out when the cruise control is turned off.
SeeCruise Control on page 3-10for more information.
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SeeAll-Wheel Drive (AWD) System on page 4-8
andDIC Warnings and Messages on page 3-49for
more information.
All-Wheel Drive Disabled Light
This light will come
on when the rear drive
system is overheating.
An ALL WHEEL DRIVE OFF message will appear in
the Driver Information Center (DIC) too. This light
will turn off when the rear drive system cools down.
If this light stays on for a while, you need to reset
the light. To reset the light, turn the ignition off and
then back on again. If the light stays on, see your
dealer/retailer right away.
SeeAll-Wheel Drive on page 5-42andDIC Warnings
and Messages on page 3-49for more information.
Gate Ajar Light
If this light comes on, your
liftgate is not completely
closed. Driving with
the liftgate open can cause
carbon monoxide (CO)
to enter the vehicle.
SeeEngine Exhaust on page 2-35for more information.
Door Ajar Light
This light will come on
when a door is ajar.
Do not drive with a door ajar.
3-40

Service Vehicle Soon Light
For vehicles with this
light, it will come on if
a condition exists that
may require the vehicle
to be taken in for service.
If the light comes on, see your dealer/retailer for
service as soon as possible.
Fuel Gage
When the ignition is on,
the fuel gage tells you
about how much fuel you
have left in your tank.When the indicator nears empty, the low fuel light
will come on. You still have a little fuel left, but you
should get more soon. SeeLow Fuel Warning Light
on page 3-42for more information.
Here are four things that some owners ask about.
None of these show a problem with your fuel gage:
At the service station, the fuel pump shuts off
before the gage reads full.
It takes a little more or less fuel to ll up than the
gage indicated. For example, the gage may have
indicated the tank was half full, but it actually took
a little more or less than half the tank’s capacity
to ll the tank.
The gage moves a little when you turn a corner
or speed up.
The gage takes a few seconds to stabilize after
the ignition is turned on, and will go back to
empty when you turn the ignition off.
For your fuel tank capacity, seeCapacities and
Specifications on page 5-107.
3-41

Low Fuel Warning Light
This light is located in
the fuel gage. For more
information seeFuel
Gage on page 3-41.
This light 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.
A “Fuel Level LOW” message also appears in the
Driver Information Center (DIC). SeeFuel Gage
on page 3-41for more information.
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. SeeAutomatic Transmission
Operation (3.4L V6 with 5-Speed) on page 2-24or
Automatic Transmission Operation (3.6L V6 with
6-Speed) on page 2-27for more information.
If your vehicle has these feature, the DIC also displays
the compass direction and 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/retailer.
If an abnormal temperature reading is displayed for an
extended period of time, consult your dealer/retailer.
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 3-58for
more information.
3-42

AVG (Average) SPD (Speed)
Press the trip/fuel button until AVG (Average) SPD
(Speed) displays. This display shows the average speed
of the vehicle in miles per hour (mph) or kilometers
per hour (km/h). This average is calculated based on
the various vehicle speeds recorded since the last reset
of this value. To reset the value, press and hold the
set/reset button. The display will return to zero.
AVG (Average) ECON (Economy)
Press the trip/fuel button until AVG (Average)
ECON (Economy) displays. This display shows the
approximate average miles per gallon (mpg) or liters per
100 kilometers (L/100 km). This number is calculated
based on the number of mpg (L/100 km) recorded
since the last time this menu item was reset. To reset
this display, press and hold the set/reset button.
The display will return to zero.
RANGE
Press the trip/fuel button until RANGE displays. This
display shows the approximate number of remaining
miles (mi) or kilometers (km) the vehicle can be
driven without refueling.
The fuel range estimate is based on an average of
the vehicle’s fuel economy over recent driving history
and the amount of fuel remaining in the fuel tank.
This estimate will change if driving conditions change.
For example, if driving in traffic and making frequentstops, this display may read one number, but if the
vehicle is driven on a freeway, the number may change
even though the same amount of fuel is in the fuel
tank. This is because different driving conditions produce
different fuel economies. Generally, freeway driving
produces better fuel economy than city driving.
If your vehicle is low on fuel, the FUEL LEVEL LOW
message will be displayed. See “FUEL LEVEL
LOW” underDIC Warnings and Messages on page 3-49
for more information.
Blank Display
This display shows no information.
Vehicle Information Menu Items
T
(Vehicle Information):Press this button to scroll
through the following displays:
OIL LIFE
Press the vehicle information button until OIL LIFE
REMAINING displays. This display shows an estimate
of the oil’s remaining useful life. If you see 99% OIL LIFE
REMAINING on the display, that means 99% of the
current oil life remains. The engine oil life system
will alert you to change the oil on a schedule consistent
with your driving conditions.
3-44

When the remaining oil life is low, the CHANGE
ENGINE OIL SOON message will appear on the
display along with the Change Engine Oil Light on the
instrument panel cluster. See “CHANGE ENGINE
OIL SOON” underDIC Warnings and Messages on
page 3-49andChange Engine Oil Light on page 3-38.
You should change the oil as soon as possible. See
Engine Oil on page 5-15. In addition to the engine oil life
system monitoring the oil life, additional maintenance
is recommended in the Maintenance Schedule in
this manual. SeeScheduled Maintenance on page 6-4
for more information.
Remember, you must reset the OIL LIFE yourself
after each oil change. It will not reset itself. Also, be
careful not to reset the OIL LIFE accidentally at any
time other than when the oil has just been changed.
It cannot be reset accurately until the next oil change.
To reset the engine oil life system, seeEngine Oil
Life System on page 5-18.
UNITS
Press the vehicle information button until UNITS
displays. This display allows you to select between
English or Metric units of measurement. Once in this
display, press the set/reset button to select between
ENGLISH or METRIC units.
FRONT TIRES or REAR TIRES
The pressure for each tire can be viewed in the DIC.
The tire pressure will be shown in either pounds
per square inch (psi) or kilopascals (kPa). Press the
vehicle information button until the DIC displays
FRONT TIRES PSI (kPa) LF ## RF ##. Press the
vehicle information button again until the DIC displays
REAR TIRES PSI (kPa) LR ## RR ##.
If a low or high tire pressure condition is detected by
the system while driving, a message advising you
to check the pressure in a specic tire will appear in
the display. SeeInflation - Tire Pressure on page 5-59
andDIC Warnings and Messages on page 3-49for
more information.
If the tire pressure display shows dashes instead of a
value, there may be a problem with your vehicle. If this
consistently occurs, see your dealer/retailer for service.
BATTERY
Press the vehicle information button until BATTERY
displays. This display shows the current battery voltage.
If the voltage is normal, the display will show NORMAL.
If the voltage is low or high, the display will show
LOW or HIGH. Your vehicle’s charging system regulates
voltage based on the state of the battery. The battery
voltage may uctuate when viewing this information
on the DIC. This is normal. SeeCharging System
Light on page 3-30for more information.
3-45

If there is a problem with the battery charging system,
the DIC will display SERVICE BATTERY CHARGING
SYSTEM. See “SERVICE BATTERY CHARGING
SYSTEM” underDIC Warnings and Messages on
page 3-49. Also, seeElectric Power Management
on page 3-17for more information.
LEARN REMOTE KEY
This display allows you to match Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) transmitters to your vehicle. To match
an RKE transmitter to your vehicle:
1. Make sure the vehicle is in PARK (P).
2. Press the vehicle information button until LEARN
REMOTE KEY PRESS
VTO BEGIN displays.
3. Press the set/reset button until REMOTE KEY
LEARNING ACTIVE is displayed.
4. Press and hold the lock and unlock buttons on
the rst transmitter at the same time for about
15 seconds.
A chime will sound indicating that the transmitter
is matched.
5. To match additional transmitters at this time,
repeat Step 3.
Each vehicle can have a maximum of
four transmitters matched to it.
6. To exit the programming mode, you must
cycle the key to LOCK/OFF.
CALIBRATE COMPAS (Compass)
Your vehicle may have this feature. The compass can
be manually calibrated. To calibrate the compass
through the DIC, seeDIC Compass on page 3-46.
CHANGE COMPASS ZONE
Your vehicle may have this feature. To change the
compass zone through the DIC, seeDIC Compass
on page 3-46.
Blank Display
This display shows no information.
FEATURE SETTNGS (Settings):
PRESS
VTO SELCT (Select)
This display allows you to personalize the feature
settings on your vehicle. SeeDIC Vehicle
Personalization on page 3-58for more information.
DIC Compass
Your vehicle may have a compass in the
Driver Information Center (DIC).
Compass Zone
The zone is set to zone eight upon leaving the factory.
Your dealer/retailer will set the correct zone for your
location.
3-46

DIC Warnings and Messages
Messages are displayed on the DIC to notify the driver
that the status of the vehicle has changed and that
some action may be needed by the driver to correct
the condition. Multiple messages may appear one
after another.
Some messages may not require immediate action,
but you can press the set/reset button to acknowledge
that you received the messages and to clear them
from the display. Pressing any of the DIC buttons
also acknowledge and clear any messages.
Some messages cannot be cleared from the DIC
display because they are more urgent. These messages
require action before they can be cleared. You should
take any messages that appear on the display seriously
and remember that clearing the messages will only
make the messages disappear, not correct the problem.
The following are the possible messages that can
be displayed and some information about them.
ALL WHEEL DRIVE OFF
If your vehicle has the All-Wheel Drive (AWD) system,
this message displays along with the All-Wheel
Drive Disabled light when the rear drive system is
overheating. This message turns off when the rear
drive system cools down. If the warning message stays
on for a while, you need to reset the warning message.
To reset the warning message, turn the ignition off
and then back on again. If the message stays on, see
your dealer/retailer right away. SeeAll-Wheel Drive
(AWD) System on page 4-8andAll-Wheel Drive
Disabled Light on page 3-40for more information.
BATTERY SAVER ACTIVE
This message displays when the charging system
detects that the battery is being drained. You may
notice that the vehicle attempts to reduce the drain for
you by turning off accessories, such as interior fans, rear
defogger, and heated seats. Turn off all accessories.
If the vehicle is not running, start and run the engine
for at least 10 minutes to allow the battery to recharge.
If the engine is running and the condition persists,
see your dealer/retailer. SeeElectric Power
Management on page 3-17for more information.
3-49