
Black plate (60,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
10-60 Vehicle Care
Different Size Tires and
Wheels
If wheels or tires are installed that
are a different size than the original
equipment wheels and tires, vehicle
performance, including its braking,
ride and handling characteristics,
stability, and resistance to rollover
may be affected. If the vehicle has
electronic systems such as antilock
brakes, rollover airbags, traction
control, and electronic stability
control, the performance of these
systems can also be affected.
{WARNING
If different sized wheels are used,
there may not be an acceptable
level of performance and safety if
tires not recommended for those
wheels are selected. This
increases the chance of a crash
and serious injury. Only use GM
specific wheel and tire systems(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
developed for the vehicle, and
have them properly installed by a
GM certified technician.
See Buying New Tires on
page 10‑58 andAccessories and
Modifications on page 10‑3 for
additional information.
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading
Quality grades can be found
where applicable on the tire
sidewall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width. For
example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA
Temperature A
The following information relates
to the system developed by the
United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which grades tires by
treadwear, traction, and
temperature performance. This
applies only to vehicles sold in
the United States. The grades
are molded on the sidewalls of
most passenger car tires. The
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
(UTQG) system does not apply
to deep tread, winter-type snow
tires, space-saver, or temporary
use spare tires, tires with
nominal rim diameters of
10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm),
or to some limited-production
tires.
While the tires available on
General Motors passenger cars
and light trucks may vary with
respect to these grades, they
must also conform to federal
safety requirements and
additional General Motors Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC)
standards.

Black plate (63,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-63
Used Replacement Wheels
{WARNING
Replacing a wheel with a used
one is dangerous. How it has
been used or how far it has been
driven may be unknown. It could
fail suddenly and cause a crash.
When replacing wheels, use a
new GM original equipment
wheel.
Tire Chains
{WARNING
Do not use tire chains. There is
not enough clearance. Tire chains
used on a vehicle without the
proper amount of clearance can
cause damage to the brakes,
suspension or other vehicle parts.
The area damaged by the tire
chains could cause you to lose
control of the vehicle and you or
others may be injured in a crash.
A Type S low-profile cable can be
used only if the cable
manufacturer recommends it for
use on the vehicle, the tire size
combination, and road conditions.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
Follow the manufacturer's
instructions. To help avoid
damage to the vehicle, drive
slowly, readjust or remove the
cable if it is contacting the vehicle
and do not spin the vehicle's tires.
Install the cables on the front tires
only. Cables should not be
installed on the spare tire or on
the optional 19-inch tire.

Black plate (71,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-71
16. Lower the jack all the way andremove the jack from under the
vehicle.
17. Tighten the wheel nuts firmly with the wheel wrench.
When reinstalling the wheel cover or
center cap on the full-size tire,
tighten all five plastic caps hand
snug with the aid of the wheel
wrench and tighten them with the
wheel wrench an additional one‐
quarter of a turn.
Notice: Wheel covers will not fit
on the vehicle's compact spare.
If you try to put a wheel cover on
the compact spare, the cover or
the spare could be damaged.Storing a Flat or Spare Tire
and Tools
{WARNING
Storing a jack, a tire, or other
equipment in the passenger
compartment of the vehicle could
cause injury. In a sudden stop or
collision, loose equipment could
strike someone. Store all these in
the proper place. To store the flat tire:
1. Remove the cable package. The
cable is stored in a plastic bag
under the compact spare tire.
2. Remove the small center cap by tapping the back of the cap with
the extension of the shaft, if the
vehicle has aluminum wheels.
3. Put the flat tire in the rear storage area with the valve stem
pointing toward the rear of the
vehicle.

Black plate (72,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
10-72 Vehicle Care
A. Cable
B. Liftgate Hinges
C. Center of the Wheel
D. Door Striker
4. Pull the cable (A) through the door striker (D) then the center
of the wheel (C).5. Hook the cable onto the outside
portion of the liftgate hinges (B).
6. Hook the other end of the cable onto the outside portion of the
liftgate hinge on the other side of
the vehicle.
7. Pull on the cable to make sure it is secure.8. Make sure the metal tube iscentered at the striker. Push the
tube toward the front of the
vehicle.
9. Close the liftgate and make sure it is latched properly.
The compact spare is for temporary
use only. Replace the compact
spare tire with a full-size tire as
soon as you can.

Black plate (73,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-73
Compact Spare Tire
{WARNING
Driving with more than one
compact spare tire at a time could
result in loss of braking and
handling. This could lead to a
crash and you or others could be
injured. Use only one compact
spare tire at a time.
If this vehicle has a compact spare
tire, it was fully inflated when the
vehicle was new; however, it can
lose air after a time. Check the
inflation pressure regularly. It should
be 420 kPa (60 psi). Stop as soon as possible and check
that the spare tire is correctly
inflated after installing the spare on
the vehicle. The compact spare is
designed to perform well at speeds
up to 105 km/h (65 mph) for
distances up to 5 000 km (3,000 mi),
so a trip can be completed and the
full-size tire repaired or replaced
when possible. However, the
compact spare tire will last longer
and be in good shape if it is
replaced as soon as possible.
Notice:
When the compact spare
is installed, do not take the
vehicle through an automatic car
wash with guide rails. The
compact spare can get caught on
the rails which can damage the
tire, wheel, and other parts of the
vehicle. Do not use the compact spare on
other vehicles.
Do not mix the compact spare tire or
wheel with other wheels or tires.
They will not fit. Keep the spare tire
and its wheel together.
Notice:
Tire chains will not fit the
compact spare. Using them can
damage the vehicle and can
damage the chains too. Do not
use tire chains on the compact
spare.

Black plate (79,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-79
6. To prevent the battery fromdraining while the vehicle is
being towed, remove fuse 32,
the Discrete Logic Ignition
Switch fuse, from the instrument
panel fuse block and store it in a
safe location. See Instrument
Panel Fuse Block on
page 10‑40.
Notice: If the vehicle is towed
without performing each of the
steps listed under “Dinghy
Towing,” the automatic
transmission could be damaged.
Be sure to follow all steps of the
dinghy towing procedure prior to
and after towing the vehicle.
Notice: If 105 km/h (65 mph) is
exceeded while towing the
vehicle, it could be damaged.
Never exceed 105 km/h (65 mph)
while towing the vehicle. Once the destination has been
reached:
1. Set the parking brake.
2. Shift the transmission to
P (Park).
3. Turn the ignition key to LOCK/OFF.
4. Install fuse 32, the Discrete Logic Ignition Switch fuse. See
Instrument Panel Fuse Block on
page 10‑40.
5. Start the engine and let it idle for more than three minutes before
driving the vehicle.
Notice: Too much or too little
fluid can damage the
transmission. Be sure that the
transmission fluid is at the proper
level before towing with all four
wheels on the ground. Notice:
Do not tow a vehicle with
the front drive wheels on the
ground if one of the front tires is
a compact spare tire. Towing with
two different tire sizes on the
front of the vehicle can cause
severe damage to the
transmission.
Dolly Towing (All-Wheel‐Drive
Vehicles)
All-wheel‐drive vehicles should not
be towed with two wheels on the
ground. To properly tow these
vehicles, they should be placed on
a platform trailer with all four wheels
off of the ground or dinghy towed
from the front.

Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
INDEX i-11
T
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
TaillampsBulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Text Telephone (TTY) Users . . . 13-4
Theft-Deterrent Systems . . . . . . . 2-13 Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Tires Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-58
Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-63
Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-65
Compact Spare . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-73
Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-46
Different Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-60
If a Tire Goes Flat . . . . . . . . . . 10-64
Inflation Monitor System . . . . 10-53
Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-56
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Pressure Monitor System . . . 10-51
Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-56
Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . . . . 10-43 Tires (cont'd)
Terminology and
Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-46
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-60
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-62
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . 10-62
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-57
Towing Driving Characteristics . . . . . . . . 9-57
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-63
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 9-56
Recreational Vehicle . . . . . . . . 10-78
Trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-60
Trailer Sway Control (TSC) . . . 9-63
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-77
Traction Control System (TCS) . . . . . . . . 9-35
Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak
®Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19 Trailer
Sway Control (TSC) . . . . . . . . . . 9-63
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-60
Transmission Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-29
Fluid, Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Transportation Program, Courtesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-9
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Turn Signal Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
U
Ultrasonic Parking Assist . . . . . . 9-43
Uniform Tire QualityGrading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-60
Using This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv

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