2012 CHEVROLET EQUINOX Owners Manual

Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-11
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
transmitterKbutton will also
activate the RKE Memory recall.
The driver seat and outside mirrors
will move to the previously saved
RKE Memory positions.
See Memory Seats on page 3‑7 for
more information.
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 Vehicle Personalization
on page 5‑34 for more information.Heated Seats
Uplevel Climate Control System
Shown, Base Similar
If available, the buttons are near the
climate controls. To operate, the
ignition must be in ON/RUN.
Press
zorJto heat the driver or
passenger seat cushion and
seatback.
Indicator lights on the button show
the temperature setting.
See Heated Front Seats on
page 3‑9.
Head Restraint
Adjustment
Do not drive until the head restraints
for all occupants are installed and
adjusted properly.
To achieve a comfortable seating
position, change the seatback
recline angle as little as necessary
while keeping the seat and the head
restraint height in the proper
position.
For more information see Head
Restraints on page 3‑2 andSeat
Adjustment on page 3‑3.

Black plate (12,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
1-12 In Brief
Safety Belts
Refer to the following sections for
important information on how to use
safety belts properly:
.Safety Belts on page 3‑12.
.How to Wear Safety Belts
Properly on page 3‑13.
.Lap-Shoulder Belt on page 3‑15.
.Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on
page 3‑43.
Passenger Sensing
System
United States
CanadaThe passenger sensing system will
turn off the right front passenger
frontal airbag under certain
conditions. The driver airbag, seat‐
mounted side impact airbags, and
roof‐rail airbags are not affected by
the passenger sensing system.
The passenger airbag status
indicator will be visible on the
overhead console when the vehicle
is started. See
Passenger Sensing
System on page 3‑28 for more
information.

Black plate (13,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-13
Mirror Adjustment
Exterior
To adjust the mirrors:
1. Move the selector switch toL (left) or R (right) to choose the
driver or passenger mirror.
2. Press the arrows on the control pad to move each mirror in the
desired direction.
3. Return the selector switch to the middle position.
See Power Mirrors on page 2‑15.
Interior
Manual inside rearview mirrors can
be adjusted by holding in the center
to move the mirror for a clearer view
of 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.
SeeManual Rearview Mirror on
page 2‑17.
Vehicles with an automatic dimming
inside rearview mirror can
automatically reduce 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.
See Automatic Dimming Rearview
Mirror on page 2‑17.
Steering Wheel
Adjustment
To adjust the steering wheel:
1. Pull the lever (A) down.
2. Move the steering wheel up or down.
3. Pull or push the steering wheel closer or away from you.
4. Pull the lever (A) up to lock the steering wheel in place.
Do not adjust the steering wheel
while driving.

Black plate (14,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
1-14 In Brief
Interior Lighting
Reading Lamps
These lamps are located on the
overhead console. These lamps
come on automatically when any
door is opened.
For manual operation, press the
button next to each lamp to turn it
on or off.
Center Dome Lamps
There are front and rear dome
lamps.
The dome lamp controls are located
in the overhead console. To change
the settings, press the following:
*:Turns the lamp off, even when
a door is open.
1: The lamps come on
automatically when a door is
opened.
+: Turns the dome lamps on.
The dome lamps can also be turned
on and off by pressing the buttons
next to the lamps.
For more information on interior
lighting, See Instrument Panel
Illumination Control on page 6‑4.
Exterior Lighting
The exterior lamp control is located
on the turn signal/lane change lever.
O: Turn to operate the exterior
lamps.
O: Turns the exterior lamps off. AUTO:
Turns the exterior lamps on
and off automatically depending on
the exterior light.
;: Turns on the parking lamps,
together with the sidemarker lamps,
taillamps, license plate lamps, and
instrument panel lights.
5: Turns on the headlamps,
together with the parking lamps,
sidemarker lamps, taillamps, license
plate lamps, and instrument panel
lights.
For more information, see:
.Exterior Lamp Controls on
page 6‑1.
.Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
on page 6‑2.
.Fog Lamps on page 6‑4.

Black plate (15,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-15
Windshield Wiper/Washer
The windshield wiper/washer lever
is located on the right side of the
steering column. With the ignition in
ACC/ACCESSORY or ON/RUN/
START, move the windshield wiper
lever to select the wiper speed.
HI:Use for fast wipes.
LO: Use for slow wipes.
INT: (Intermittent Wipes): Move
the lever up to INT for intermittent
wipes, then turn the
3INT band
up for more frequent wipes or down
for less frequent wipes.
OFF: Use to turn the wipers off.
8:For a single wipe, briefly move
the wiper lever down. For several
wipes, hold the wiper lever down.
n LFRONT (Windshield
Washer): Pull the windshield wiper
lever toward you to spray windshield
washer fluid and activate the wipers.
Rear Window Wiper/Washer
The rear wiper controls are on the
end of the windshield wiper lever.
ON: Press the upper portion of the
button for continuous rear window
wipes.
OFF: The rear wiper turns off when
the button is returned to the middle
position.
INT (Intermittent Rear Wipes):
Press the lower portion of the button
to set a delay between wipes.
m =REAR : Push the windshield
wiper lever forward to spray washer
fluid on the rear window.
See Windshield Wiper/Washer on
page 5‑3 andRear Window Wiper/
Washer on page 5‑4.

Black plate (16,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
1-16 In Brief
Climate Controls
The vehicle's heating, cooling, defrosting, and ventilation can be controlled
with these systems.
Climate Control System
A. Fan Control
B. Air Delivery Mode Controls
C. Temperature Control
D. Outside AirE. Front Defrost
F. Rear Window Defogger
G. Recirculation
H. Air Conditioning

Black plate (17,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-17
Automatic Climate Control System
A. Fan Control
B. AUTO (Automatic Operation)
C. Air Delivery Mode Controls
D. Front Defrost
E. Recirculation
F. Temperature Control
G. PowerH. Driver and Passenger Heated
Seats
I. Rear Window Defogger
J. Air Conditioning
See Climate Control Systems on
page 8‑1 (If Equipped) or Automatic
Climate Control System on page 8‑3
(If Equipped).
Parking Brake
To set the parking brake, hold the
regular brake pedal down, then
push the parking brake pedal down.
If the ignition is on, the brake
system warning light will come on.
See Brake System Warning Light on
page 5‑17.

Black plate (18,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
1-18 In Brief
To release the parking brake, hold
the regular brake pedal down, then
push down momentarily on the
parking brake pedal until you feel
the pedal release. Slowly pull your
foot up off the park brake pedal.
SeeParking Brake on page 9‑33.
Transmission
Electronic Range Select
(ERS) Mode
ERS or manual mode allows for the
selection of the range of gear
positions. Use this mode when
driving down hill or towing a trailer
to limit the top gear and vehicle
speed. To use this feature:
1. Move the shift lever to
M (Manual Mode).
2. Press the plus/minus button on the shift lever, to increase or
decrease the gear range
available.
See Manual Mode on page 9‑31 for
more information.
Fuel Economy Mode
Vehicles with a 2.4L engine have a
Fuel Economy Mode. When
engaged, fuel economy mode can
improve the vehicle's fuel economy.
Press the “eco”(economy) button by
the shift lever to turn this feature on
or off. The “eco”light in the
instrument cluster will come on
when engaged, and a Driver
Information Center (DIC) message
“ECO MODE ON” displays. See
Fuel Economy Mode on page 9‑31.