2011 CHEVROLET EQUINOX service

Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
Keys, Doors and Windows 2-11
There is a minimum distance that
the power liftgate must already be
open for the system to hold it open.
If movement is stopped below that
minimum, the liftgate closes.
Do not force the liftgate open or
closed during a power cycle.
The power liftgate may be
temporarily disabled under extreme
temperatures or low battery
conditions. If this occurs, the liftgate
can still be operated manually.
If you shift the transmission out of
P (Park) while the power function is
in progress, the liftgate power
function will continue to completion.
If you shift the transmission out of
P (Park) and accelerate before the
power liftgate latch is closed, the
liftgate may reverse to the open
position. Cargo could fall out of the
vehicle. Always make sure the
power liftgate is closed and latched
before you drive away.If you power open the liftgate and
the liftgate support struts have lost
pressure, the turn signals flash and
a chime sounds. The liftgate stays
open temporarily, then slowly
closes. See your dealer for service
before using the liftgate.
Obstacle Detection Features
If the liftgate encounters an obstacle
during a power open or close cycle,
a warning chime will sound and the
liftgate will automatically reverse
direction to the full closed or open
position. After removing the
obstruction, the power liftgate
operation can be used again.
If the liftgate encounters multiple
obstacles on the same power cycle,
the power function will deactivate.
The MANUALLY CLOSE POWER
LIFTGATE warning message in the
Driver Information Center (DIC) will
display. After removing the
obstructions, the liftgate will resume
normal power operation.Pinch sensors are located on the
side edges of the liftgate. If an
object is caught between the liftgate
and the body and presses against
this sensor, the liftgate will reverse
direction and open fully. The liftgate
will remain open until it is activated
again or closed manually.Power Liftgate 3/4 Mode
To program the liftgate opening
height:
1. Turn the liftgate switch to
either the MAX, or the
3/4 mode position and power
open the liftgate.
2. Stop the liftgate movement at the desired height by pressing
any liftgate switch. Manually
adjust the liftgate position if
required.
3. Press and hold the button on the liftgate adjacent to the latch until
the turn signals flash and a beep
sounds to indicate that the new
setting is recorded.

Black plate (14,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
2-14 Keys, Doors and Windows
The security light, located in the
instrument panel cluster, comes on
if there is a problem with arming or
disarming the theft-deterrent
system.
When trying to start the vehicle, the
security light comes on briefly when
the ignition is turned on.
If the engine does not start and the
security light stays on, there is a
problem with the system. Turn the
ignition off and try again.If the engine still does not start, and
the key appears to be undamaged
or the light continues to stay on, try
another ignition key. If the engine
does not start with the other key, the
vehicle needs service. If the vehicle
does start, the first key may be
damaged. See your dealer who can
service the theft-deterrent system
and have a new key made.
Do not leave the key or device that
disarms or deactivates the
theft-deterrent system in the vehicle.
Exterior Mirrors
Convex Mirrors
{WARNING
A convex mirror can make things,
like other vehicles, look farther
away than they really are. If you
cut too sharply into the right lane,
you could hit a vehicle on the
right. Check the inside mirror or
glance over your shoulder before
changing lanes.
The passenger side mirror is convex
shaped. A convex mirror's surface is
curved so more can be seen from
the driver seat.

Black plate (16,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
2-16 Keys, Doors and Windows
Interior Mirrors
Manual Rearview Mirror
Hold the inside rearview mirror in
the center and move it for a clearer
view behind the vehicle. Adjust the
mirror to avoid glare from the
headlamps behind you. Push the
tab forward for daytime use and pull
it for nighttime use.
Vehicles with OnStar
®have three
additional control buttons located at
the bottom of the mirror. See your
dealer for more information on the
system and how to subscribe to
OnStar. See the OnStar Owner's
Guide for more information about
the services OnStar provides.
Automatic Dimming
Rearview Mirror
The vehicle may have an automatic
dimming inside rearview mirror.
Automatic dimming reduces the
glare from the headlamps of the
vehicle behind you. The dimming feature comes on and
the indicator light comes on each
time the vehicle is started.
O:
Press to turn automatic
dimming on or off.
If the vehicle has a rear vision
camera (RVC) the
Obutton for
turning the automatic dimming
feature on or off will not be
available. See Rear Vision Camera
(RVC) on page 9‑48 for more
information.
Vehicles with OnStar
®have three
additional control buttons located at
the bottom of the mirror. See your
dealer for more information on the
system and how to subscribe to
OnStar. See the OnStar Owner's
Guide for more information about
the services OnStar provides.
Cleaning the Mirror
Do not spray glass cleaner directly
on the mirror. Use a soft towel
dampened with water.
Windows
{WARNING
Leaving children, helpless adults,
or pets in a vehicle with the
windows closed is dangerous.
They can be overcome by the
extreme heat and suffer
permanent injuries or even
death from heat stroke. Never
leave a child, a helpless adult,
or a pet alone in a vehicle,
especially with the windows
closed in warm or hot weather.

Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-5
Recalling Button Memory
Positions
To recall the manually saved Button
Memory positions, press and hold
“1”or“2.” The driver seat and
outside mirrors move to the
positions stored to those buttons
when pressed. Releasing “1”or“2”
before the stored positions are
reached stops the recall.
If something has blocked the driver
seat while recalling a memory
position, the recall may stop.
Remove the obstruction; then press
and hold the appropriate manual
control for the memory item that is
not recalling for two seconds. Try
recalling the memory position again
by pressing the appropriate memory
button. If the memory position is still
not recalling, see your dealer for
service. Recalling RKE Memory Positions
(Memory Remote Recall)
The Memory Remote Recall feature
can recall the driver seat and
outside mirrors to previously stored
RKE Memory positions when
entering the vehicle.
Every time the ignition is turned off,
the positions of the driver seat and
outside mirrors are automatically
stored to the RKE transmitter that
was used to start the vehicle. These
positions are called RKE Memory
positions and may be different than
the previously mentioned Button
Memory positions saved to the
“1”
or“2” buttons. To automatically
recall RKE Memory positions,
unlock the driver door with the
RKE transmitter and open the driver
door. If the driver door is already
open, pressing the RKE transmitter
K button will also activate the
RKE Memory recall. The driver seat
and outside mirrors will move to the
previously saved RKE Memory
positions. This feature is turned on or off using
the vehicle personalization menu.
See
“Memory Remote Recall” under
Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑32 for more information.
To stop recall movement, press any
of the memory, power mirror,
or power seat controls.
If something has blocked the driver
seat while recalling a memory
position, the recall may stop.
Remove the obstruction; then press
and hold the appropriate manual
control for the memory item that is
not recalling for two seconds. Try
recalling the memory position again
by opening the driver door and
pressing the RKE Kbutton. If the
memory position is still not recalling,
see your dealer for service.

Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
3-6 Seats and Restraints
Easy Exit Driver Seat
This feature moves the seat
rearward allowing the driver more
room to exit the vehicle.
To activate, turn the ignition off and
open the driver door. If the driver
door is already open, turning the
ignition off will activate the easy exit
driver seat.
This feature can be turned on or off
using the vehicle personalization
menu. See“Easy Exit Driver Seat”
under Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑32 for more information. To stop recall movement, press one
of the memory or power seat
controls.
If something has blocked the driver
seat while recalling the exit position,
the recall may stop. Remove the
obstruction; then press and hold the
power seat control rearward for
two seconds. Try recalling the exit
position again. If the exit position is
still not recalling, see your dealer for
service.Lumbar Adjustment
Power Lumbar
Eight-Way Power Seat Shown,
Four-Way Similar
If available, the switches are on the
outboard side of the seats.
Press and hold the front or rear of
the switch (A) to increase or
decrease lumbar support. Release
the control when the seatback
reaches the desired level of lumbar
support.

Black plate (35,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-35
Additional windshield breakage may
also occur from the right front
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 your vehicle covers the need
to replace other parts.
.The vehicle has a crash sensing
and diagnostic module which
records information after a
crash. SeeVehicle Data
Recording and Privacy on
page 13‑15 andEvent Data
Recorders on page 13‑16.
.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 right front
passenger position. The passenger
airbag status indicator will be visible
on the overhead console when the
vehicle is started.
United States
Canada
The words ON and OFF, or the
symbol for on and off, are visible
during the system check. If you are
using remote start, if equipped, to
start the vehicle from a distance,
you may not see 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 on page 5‑12.

Black plate (37,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-37
The passenger sensing system is
designed to turn off the right front
passenger frontal airbag if:
.The right front passenger seat is
unoccupied.
.The system determines that an
infant is present in a child
restraint.
.A right front passenger takes
his/her weight off of the seat for
a period of time.
.Or, if there is a critical problem
with the airbag system or the
passenger sensing system.
When the passenger sensing
system has turned off the right front
passenger frontal airbag, the off
indicator will light and stay lit to
remind you that the airbag is off.
See Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator on page 5‑12. The passenger sensing system is
designed to turn on (may inflate) the
right front passenger frontal airbag
anytime the system senses that a
person of adult size is sitting
properly in the right front
passenger seat.
When the passenger sensing
system has allowed the airbag to be
enabled, the on indicator will light
and stay lit to remind you that the
airbag is active.
For some children, including
children in child restraints, and for
very small adults, the passenger
sensing system may or may not turn
off the right front passenger frontal
airbag, depending upon the
person’
s seating posture and
body build. Everyone in the vehicle
who has outgrown child restraints
should wear a safety belt
properly —whether or not there is
an airbag for that person.
{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 on page 5‑12 for more
information, including important
safety information.
If the On Indicator is Lit for a
Child Restraint
If a child restraint has been installed
and the on indicator is lit:
1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove the child restraint from the vehicle.
3. Remove any additional items from the seat such as blankets,
cushions, seat covers, seat
heaters, or seat massagers.

Black plate (40,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
3-40 Seats and Restraints
The on indicator may be lit if an
object, such as a briefcase,
handbag, grocery bag, laptop or
other electronic device, is put on
an unoccupied seat. If this is not
desired remove the object from
the seat.
{WARNING
Stowing of articles under the
passenger seat or between the
passenger seat cushion and
seatback may interfere with the
proper operation of the passenger
sensing system.
Servicing the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Airbags affect how the vehicle
should be serviced. There are parts
of the airbag system in several
places around the vehicle. Your
dealer and the service manual have
information about servicing the
vehicle and the airbag system. To
purchase a service manual, see
Service Publications Ordering
Information on page 13‑13.
{WARNING
For up to 10 seconds after the
ignition is turned off and the
battery is disconnected, an airbag
can still inflate during improper
service. You can be injured if you
are close to an airbag when it
inflates. Avoid yellow connectors.
They are probably part of the
airbag system.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
Be sure to follow proper service
procedures, and make sure the
person performing work for you is
qualified to do so.
Adding Equipment to the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Q: Is there anything I might addto or change about the vehicle
that could keep the airbags
from working properly?
A: Yes. If you add things that
change the vehicle's frame,
bumper system, height, front end
or side sheet metal, they may
keep the airbag system from
working properly. Changing or
moving any parts of the front
seats, safety belts, the airbag
sensing and diagnostic module,
steering wheel, instrument
panel, roof-rail airbag modules,
ceiling headliner or pillar garnish
trim, overhead console, front