
Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
3-2 Seats and Restraints
Head Restraints
The vehicle's front and rear seats
have head restraints in all outboard
seating positions.
{WARNING
With head restraints that are not
installed and adjusted properly,
there is a greater chance that
occupants will suffer a neck/
spinal injury in a crash. Do not
drive until the head restraints for
all occupants are installed and
adjusted properly.
Adjust the head restraint so that the
top of the restraint is at the same
height as the top of the occupant's
head. This position reduces the
chance of a neck injury in a crash.1. Pull the head restraint up toraise it. To lower the head
restraint, press the release
button, located on the head
restraint post on the top of the
seatback, while you push the
head restraint down.
2. Push down on the head restraint after the button is released to
make sure that it is locked in
place.
The vehicle's rear seat head
restraints are not adjustable.
The head restraints not designed to
be removed.

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 (23,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-23
Rear Safety Belt Comfort
Guides
This vehicle may have rear shoulder
belt comfort guides. If not, they are
available through your dealer. The
guides may provide added safety
belt comfort for older children who
have outgrown booster seats and
for some adults. When installed and
properly adjusted, the comfort guide
positions the belt away from the
neck and head.There is one guide for each outside
passenger position in the rear seat.
Here is how to install a comfort
guide to the safety belt:
1. Remove the guide from its
storage pocket on the side of
the seatback.
2. Place the guide over the belt,and insert the two edges of the
belt into the slots of the guide.

Black plate (24,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
3-24 Seats and Restraints
3. The belt should not be twistedand it should lie flat. The elastic
cord must be under the belt and
the guide on top.
{WARNING
A safety belt that is not properly
worn may not provide the
protection needed in a crash.
The person wearing the belt could
be seriously injured. The shoulder
belt should go over the shoulder
and across the chest. These parts
of the body are best able to take
belt restraining forces.
4. Buckle, position, and releasethe safety belt as described
previously in this section. Make
sure the shoulder portion of the
belt is on the shoulder and not
falling off of it. The belt should
be close to, but not contacting,
the neck.
To remove and store the comfort
guide, squeeze the belt edges
together so that the safety belt can
be removed from the guide. Slide
the guide back into its storage
pocket located on the side of
the seatback.

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 (39,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-39
use the following steps to allow the
system to detect that person and
enable the right front passenger
frontal airbag:
1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove any additional materialfrom the seat, such as blankets,
cushions, seat covers, seat
heaters, or seat massagers.
3. Place the seatback in the fully upright position.
4. Have the person sit upright in the seat, centered on the seat
cushion, with legs comfortably
extended.
5. Restart the vehicle and have the person remain in this position for
two to three minutes after the on
indicator is lit.Additional Factors Affecting
System Operation
Safety belts help keep the
passenger in position on the seat
during vehicle maneuvers and
braking, which helps the passenger
sensing system maintain the
passenger airbag status. See
“Safety Belts” and“Child Restraints”
in the Index for additional
information about the importance of
proper restraint use.
A thick layer of additional material,
such as a blanket or cushion,
or aftermarket equipment such as
seat covers, seat heaters, and seat
massagers can affect how well the
passenger sensing system
operates. We recommend that you
not use seat covers or other
aftermarket equipment except when
approved by GM for your specific
vehicle. See Adding Equipment to
the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on
page 3‑40 for more information
about modifications that can affect
how the system operates. A wet seat can affect the
performance of the passenger
sensing system. Here is how:.The passenger sensing system
may turn off the passenger
airbag when liquid is soaked into
the seat. If this happens, the off
indicator will be lit, and the
airbag readiness light on the
instrument panel will also be lit.
.Liquid pooled on the seat that
has not soaked in may make it
more likely that the passenger
sensing system will enable (turn
on) the passenger airbag while a
child restraint or child occupant
is on the seat. If the passenger
airbag is turned on, the on
indicator will be lit.
If the passenger seat gets wet, dry
the seat immediately. If the airbag
readiness light is lit, do not install a
child restraint or allow anyone to
occupy the seat. See Airbag
Readiness Light on page 5‑12 for
important safety information.

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