
Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-3
California Proposition
65 Warning
Most motor vehicles, including this
one, contain and/or emit chemicals
known to the State of California to
cause cancer and birth defects or
other reproductive harm. Engine
exhaust, many parts and systems,
many fluids, and some component
wear by-products contain and/or
emit these chemicals.
California Perchlorate
Materials Requirements
Certain types of automotive
applications, such as airbag
initiators, seat belt pretensioners,
and lithium batteries contained in
Remote Keyless Entry transmitters,
may contain perchlorate materials.
Special handling may be necessary.
For additional information, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/
perchlorate.
Accessories and
Modifications
Adding non‐dealer accessories or
making modifications to the vehicle
can affect vehicle performance and
safety, including such things as
airbags, braking, stability, ride and
handling, emissions systems,
aerodynamics, durability, and
electronic systems like antilock
brakes, traction control, and stability
control. These accessories or
modifications could even cause
malfunction or damage not covered
by the vehicle warranty.

Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
14-4 OnStar
Connections
OnStar Hands-Free Calling allows
calls to be made and received from
the vehicle. The vehicle can also be
controlled from a cell phone through
the OnStar mobile app. See
www.onstar.com for coverage maps.
Hands-Free Calling
1. PushX. System responds:
“OnStar ready.”
2. Say “Dial.”System responds:
“Please say the name or number
to call.”
3. Say the entire number without pausing, including a “1”and the
area code. System responds:
“OK calling.”
Retrieve My Number
1. PushX. System responds:
“OnStar ready.”
2. Say “My Number.” System
responds: “Your OnStar
Hands-Free Calling number is.”
End a Call
PushX. System responds: “Call
ended.”
Store a Name Tag for Speed
Dialing
1. PushX. System responds:
“OnStar ready.”
2. Say “Store.” System responds:
“Please say the number you
would like to store.”
3. Say the entire number without pausing. System responds:
“Please say the name tag.”
4. Pick a name tag. “System
responds:”About to store
5. Say “Yes”or“No” to try again.
System responds: “OK, storing
Place a Call Using a Stored
Number
1. PushX. System responds:
“OnStar ready.”
2. Say “Call
responds: “OK, calling
Verify Minutes and Expiration
PushXand say “minutes” then
“verify” to check how many minutes
remain and their expiration date.
OnStar Mobile App
With an iPhone®or
Android™-based mobile device, an
OnStar mobile app can be
downloaded. The vehicle can be
remote started, if equipped, or the
doors can be unlocked from
anywhere there is cell phone
service. It can also check the fuel
level, tire pressure, and oil life.
It can connect to an OnStar Advisor
anytime. For OnStar mobile app
compatibility or further information,
see www.onstar.com.

Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
i-6 INDEX
J
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-74
K
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . . . 5-30
Keyless EntryRemote (RKE) System . . . . . . . . 2-3
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
L
Labeling, Tire Sidewall . . . . . . . . 10-43
Lamps Daytime Running (DRL) . . . . . . . 6-2
Dome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Exterior Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
License Plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Malfunction Indicator . . . . . . . . . 5-14
On Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Lane Departure Warning . . . . . . . 9-48
Lane Departure Warning
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-15 LATCH System
Replacing Parts after a
Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-49
LATCH, Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . . 3-43
Liftgate Carbon Monoxide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Lighting Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Illumination Control . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Lights
Airbag Readiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Antilock Brake System(ABS) Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Brake System Warning . . . . . . . 5-17
Charging System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Engine Oil Pressure . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Front Fog Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Fuel Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
High-Beam On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . 6-2
Lane Departure Warning . . . . . . 5-18 Lights (cont'd)
Low Fuel Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . 5-12
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
StabiliTrak
®OFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak
®. . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Traction Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Locks Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Power Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . . 5-22
Lower Anchors and Tethers
for Children (LATCH
System) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-43
Lumbar Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5 Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5

Black plate (9,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
INDEX i-9
Rearview Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17Automatic Dimming . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-51
Recommended Fluids and Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-12
Records Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-15
Recreational Vehicle Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-78
Reimbursement Program, GM Mobility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-6
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Replacement Parts
Airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-34
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-14
Replacing Airbag System . . . . . . 3-34
Replacing LATCH System
Parts after a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . 3-49 Replacing Safety Belt
System Parts after a Crash . . . 3-20
Reporting Safety Defects Canadian Government . . . . . . 13-14
General Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-15
U.S. Government . . . . . . . . . . . 13-14
Restraints
Where to Put . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-41
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Ride Control Systems
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Roads Driving, Wet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-11
Roadside Assistance Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-6
Roof Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20
Roof Rack System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Rotation, Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-56
Routing, Engine Drive Belt . . . . . 12-4
Running the Vehicle While Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28S
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-20
Extender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
How to Wear Safety BeltsProperly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-13
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-15
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Reminders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Replacing after a Crash . . . . . . 3-20
Use During Pregnancy . . . . . . . . 3-19
Safety Defects Reporting Canadian Government . . . . . . 13-14
General Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-15
U.S. Government . . . . . . . . . . . 13-14
Safety Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Safety System Check . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
Scheduling Appointments . . . . . . 13-8
Seats
Adjustment, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Heated Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9

Black plate (10,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
i-10 INDEX
Seats (cont'd)Lumbar Adjustment, Front . . . . . 3-5
Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Power Adjustment, Front . . . . . . 3-4
Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Securing Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-49, 3-52
Security
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Service Accessories and
Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Doing Your Own Work . . . . . . . . 10-4
Engine Soon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Maintenance Records . . . . . . .11-15
Maintenance, General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-1
Parts Identification Label . . . . . 12-1
Publications Ordering Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-13
Scheduling Appointments . . . . . 13-8
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32 Servicing the Airbag . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32
Shift Lock Control Function
Check, Automatic
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Sidemarker Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Signals, Turn and Lane-Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Spare Tire Compact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-73
Specifications and Capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
StabiliTrak
OFF Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Start Assist, Hills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Start Vehicle, Remote . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23 Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Fluid, Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Stoplamps and Back-Up Lamps Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Storage Areas
Cargo Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Center Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Convenience Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Roof Rack System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Stuck Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-15
Sun Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20
Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
System Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Roof Rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2

Black plate (12,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
i-12 INDEX
V
VehicleCanadian Owners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
IdentificationNumber (VIN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Personalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Reminder Messages . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Remote Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-77
Vehicle Care Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-50
Ventilation, Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20
W
Warning
Brake System Light . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Warning Light Forward CollisionAlert (FCA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv Cautions and Danger . . . . . . . . . . . .iv
Hazard Flashers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Wheels Alignment and TireBalance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-62
Different Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-60
Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-62 When It Is Time for New
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-57
Where to Put the Restraint . . . . 3-41
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18 Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-13
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . 10-28
Wipers Rear Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4