
Black plate (30,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
3-30 Seats and Restraints
Driver Side Shown, PassengerSide Similar
The roof-rail airbags for the driver,
right front passenger, and second
row outboard passengers are in the
ceiling above the side windows.
{WARNING
If something is between an
occupant and an airbag, the
airbag might not inflate properly
or it might force the object into
that person causing severe injury
or even death. The path of an
inflating airbag must be kept
clear. Do not put anything
between an occupant and an
airbag, and do not attach or put
anything on the steering wheel
hub or on or near any other
airbag covering. (Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
Do not use seat accessories that
block the inflation path of a
seat-mounted side impact airbag.
Never secure anything to the roof
of a vehicle with roof-rail airbags
by routing a rope or tie down
through any door or window
opening. If you do, the path of an
inflating roof-rail airbag will be
blocked.

Black plate (34,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
3-34 Seats and Restraints
What Will You See After
an Airbag Inflates?
After the frontal airbags and
seat-mounted side impact airbags
inflate, they quickly deflate, so
quickly that some people may not
even realize an airbag inflated.
Roof-rail airbags may still be at least
partially inflated for some time after
they deploy. Some components of
the airbag module may be hot for
several minutes. For location of the
airbag modules, seeWhat Makes
an Airbag Inflate? on page 3‑33.
The parts of the airbag that come
into contact with you may be warm,
but not too hot to touch. There may
be some smoke and dust coming
from the vents in the deflated
airbags. Airbag inflation does not
prevent the driver from seeing out of
the windshield or being able to steer
the vehicle, nor does it prevent
people from leaving the vehicle.
{WARNING
When an airbag inflates, there
may be dust in the air. This dust
could cause breathing problems
for people with a history of
asthma or other breathing trouble.
To avoid this, everyone in the
vehicle should get out as soon as
it is safe to do so. If you have
breathing problems but cannot
get out of the vehicle after an
airbag inflates, then get fresh air
by opening a window or a door.
If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag
deployment, you should seek
medical attention.
The vehicle has a feature that may
automatically unlock the doors, turn
on the interior lamps, turn on the
hazard warning flashers, and shut
off the fuel system after the airbags
inflate. You can lock the doors, turn
off the interior lamps, and turn off the hazard warning flashers by
using the controls for those
features.
{WARNING
A crash severe enough to inflate
the airbags may have also
damaged important functions in
the vehicle, such as the fuel
system, brake and steering
systems, etc. Even if the vehicle
appears to be drivable after a
moderate crash, there may be
concealed damage that could
make it difficult to safely operate
the vehicle.
Use caution if you should attempt
to restart the engine after a crash
has occurred.
In many crashes severe enough to
inflate the airbag, windshields are
broken by vehicle deformation.

Black plate (55,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-55
{WARNING
Do not attach more than one child
restraint to a single anchor.
Attaching more than one child
restraint to a single anchor could
cause the anchor or attachment
to come loose or even break
during a crash. A child or others
could be injured. To reduce the
risk of serious or fatal injuries
during a crash, attach only one
child restraint per anchor.
{WARNING
Children can be seriously injured
or strangled if a shoulder belt is
wrapped around their neck and
the safety belt continues to
tighten. Buckle any unused safety
belts behind the child restraint so
children cannot reach them.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
Pull the shoulder belt all the way
out of the retractor to set the lock,
if your vehicle has one, after the
child restraint has been installed.
Notice: Do not let the LATCH
attachments rub against the
vehicle’ s safety belts. This may
damage these parts. If necessary,
move buckled safety belts to
avoid rubbing the LATCH
attachments.
Do not fold the empty rear seat
with a safety belt buckled. This
could damage the safety belt or
the seat. Unbuckle and return the
safety belt to its stowed position,
before folding the seat.
Make sure to attach the child
restraint at the proper anchor
location. This system is designed to make
installation of child restraints easier.
When using lower anchors, do not
use the vehicle's safety belts.
Instead use the vehicle's anchors
and child restraint attachments to
secure the restraints. Some
restraints also use another vehicle
anchor to secure a top tether.
1. Attach and tighten the lower
attachments to the lower
anchors. If the child restraint
does not have lower
attachments or the desired
seating position does not have
lower anchors, secure the child
restraint with the top tether and
the safety belts. Refer to the
child restraint manufacturer
instructions and the instructions
in this manual.
1.1. Find the lower anchors for the desired seating
position.

Black plate (59,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-59
4. Pull the shoulder belt all the wayout of the retractor to set the
lock. When the retractor lock is
set, the belt can be tightened but
not pulled out of the retractor.5. To tighten the belt, push downon the child restraint, pull the
shoulder portion of the belt to
tighten the lap portion of the belt,
and feed the shoulder belt back
into the retractor. When installing
a forward-facing child restraint, it
may be helpful to use your knee
to push down on the child
restraint as you tighten the belt.
Try to pull the belt out of the
retractor to make sure the
retractor is locked. If the
retractor is not locked, repeat
Steps 4 and 5. 6. If the child restraint has a top
tether, follow the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions
regarding the use of the top
tether. See Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) on page 3‑52 for more
information.
7. Before placing a child in the child restraint, make sure it is
securely held in place. To check,
grasp the child restraint at the
safety belt path and attempt to
move it side to side and back
and forth. When the child
restraint is properly installed,
there should be no more than
2.5 cm (1 in) of movement.
To remove the child restraint,
unbuckle the vehicle safety belt and
let it return to the stowed position.
If the top tether is attached to a
top tether anchor, disconnect it.

Black plate (62,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
3-62 Seats and Restraints
You will be using the lap-shoulder
belt to secure the child restraint in
this position. Follow the instructions
that came with the child restraint.
1. Move the seat as far back as itwill go before securing the
forward-facing child restraint.
When the passenger sensing
system has turned off the right
front passenger frontal airbag
and seat‐mounted side impact
airbag, the off indicator on the
passenger airbag status
indicator should light and stay lit
when you start the vehicle. See
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator on page 5‑12.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder portions of
the vehicle's safety belt through
or around the restraint. The child
restraint instructions will show
you how.
4. Push the latch plate into thebuckle until it clicks.
Position the release button on
the buckle, so that the safety
belt could be quickly unbuckled
if necessary.5. Pull the shoulder belt all the wayout of the retractor to set the
lock. When the retractor lock is
set, the belt can be tightened but
not pulled out of the retractor.

Black plate (63,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-63
6. To tighten the belt, push downon the child restraint, pull the
shoulder portion of the belt to
tighten the lap portion of the belt,
and feed the shoulder belt back
into the retractor. When installing
a forward-facing child restraint, it
may be helpful to use your knee
to push down on the child
restraint as you tighten the belt.
Try to pull the belt out of the
retractor to make sure the
retractor is locked. If the
retractor is not locked, repeat
Steps 5 and 6. If the vehicle does not have a
rear seat and the child restraint
has a top tether, follow the child
restraint manufacturer's
instructions regarding the use of
the top tether. See
Lower
Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on
page 3‑52 for more information.
7. Before placing a child in the child restraint, make sure it is
securely held in place. To check,
grasp the child restraint at the
safety belt path and attempt to
move it side to side and back
and forth. When the child
restraint is properly installed,
there should be no more than
2.5 cm (1 in) of movement.
If the airbags are off, the off
indicator in the passenger airbag
status indicator will come on and
stay on when the vehicle is started. If a child restraint has been
installed and the on indicator is lit,
see
“If the On Indicator is Lit for a
Child Restraint” underPassenger
Sensing System on page 3‑35 for
more information.
To remove the child restraint,
unbuckle the vehicle safety belt and
let it return to the stowed position.

Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
Storage 4-3
Roof Rack System
{WARNING
If something is carried on top of
the vehicle that is longer or wider
than the roof rack—like paneling,
plywood, or a mattress— the wind
can catch it while the vehicle is
being driven. The item being
carried could be violently torn off,
and this could cause a collision,
and damage the vehicle. Never
carry something longer or wider
than the roof rack on top of the
vehicle unless using a GM
certified accessory carrier.
This vehicle may be equipped
with a roof rack. For roof racks that
do not have cross rails included,
GM certified cross rails can be
purchased as an accessory.
See your dealer for additional
information. Notice:
Loading cargo on the
roof rack that weighs more than
100 kg (220 lbs) or hangs over the
rear or sides of the vehicle may
damage the vehicle. Load cargo
so that it rests evenly between
the cross rails, making sure to
fasten cargo securely.
To prevent damage or loss of cargo
when driving, check to make sure
cross rails and cargo are securely
fastened. Loading cargo on the roof
rack will make the vehicle's center
of gravity higher. Avoid high speeds,
sudden starts, sharp turns, sudden
braking, or abrupt maneuvers;
otherwise it may result in loss of
control. If driving for a long distance,
on rough roads, or at high speeds,
occasionally stop the vehicle to
make sure the cargo remains in
its place. Do not exceed the
maximum vehicle capacity when
loading the vehicle. For more information on vehicle
capacity and loading, see
Vehicle
Load Limits on page 9‑22.
The roof rack cross rails can be
locked in four positions along the
roof rack side rails. These are the
only positions in which the cross
rails will lock.

Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
4-4 Storage
Lift the lever to release and move
the cross rail.
Position the cross rail on both sides
of the vehicle at the same time.Push the lever down to completely
engage into the side rail holes. If the
lever is not tight, then the cross rail
is not engaged in a side rail hole.
Slide the cross rails back and forth
until the lock pins engage in the
holes and a click is heard as the
pins align and the cross rail locks.
Try sliding the cross rails forward
and backward to ensure that they
are correctly secured and that the
levers stay tight to the cross rails.Do not stand on the plastic lower
body panels when loading cargo on
the roof rack.
When the roof rack is not in use,
lock one cross rail at the furthest
forward position and lock the other
cross rail at the furthest rearward
position to reduce wind noise.