2012 CHEVROLET EQUINOX Owners Manual

Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-7
Door Locks
{WARNING
Unlocked doors can be
dangerous.
.Passengers, especially
children, can easily open the
doors and fall out of a moving
vehicle. The chance of being
thrown out of the vehicle in a
crash is increased if the
doors are not locked. So, all
passengers should wear
safety belts properly and the
doors should be locked
whenever the vehicle is
driven.
.Young children who get into
unlocked vehicles may be
unable to get out. A child can
be overcome by extreme heat
and can suffer permanent
injuries or even death from
heat stroke. Always lock the
vehicle whenever leaving it.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
.Outsiders can easily enter
through an unlocked door
when slowing or stopping the
vehicle. Lock the doors to
help prevent this from
happening.
To lock or unlock a door from the
outside of the vehicle, use the
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter. Pull the handle once
from the inside to unlock the door,
and a second time to open it.
Power Door Locks
Base Radio Shown, Uplevel Similar
There is a power door lock switch
on the instrument panel.

Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
2-8 Keys, Doors, and Windows
There are power door lock switches
on the front door panels.
Q:Press to lock the doors.
K: Press to unlock the doors.
When locking the doors with a
power door lock switch and a door
or the liftgate is open, the doors will
lock five seconds after the last door
is closed. Three chimes sound to
signal the delayed locking feature is
in use. Pressing the power lock switch
twice or
Qon the RKE transmitter
twice will override the delayed
locking feature and immediately lock
all doors.
This feature can be programmed.
See “Delayed Door Lock” under
Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑34.Safety Locks
Base Radio Shown, Uplevel
Similar
The rear door safety locks switch is
on the instrument panel.
Rear door safety locks prevent
passengers from opening the rear
doors from inside the vehicle.
Press
{to activate the safety locks.
When activated, the LED light in the
switch changes to amber.
Press
{again to deactivate the
safety locks.

Black plate (9,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-9
Doors
Liftgate
{WARNING
Exhaust gases can enter the
vehicle if it is driven with the
liftgate or trunk/hatch open,
or with any objects that pass
through the seal between the
body and the trunk/hatch or
liftgate. Engine exhaust contains
carbon monoxide (CO) which
cannot be seen or smelled. It can
cause unconsciousness and even
death.
If the vehicle must be driven with
the liftgate or trunk/hatch open:
.Close all of the windows.
.Fully open the air outlets on
or under the instrument
panel.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
.Adjust the climate control
system to a setting that
brings in only outside air and
set the fan speed to the
highest setting. See “Climate
Control Systems” in the
Index.
.If the vehicle is equipped with
a power liftgate, disable the
power liftgate function.
For more information about
carbon monoxide, see Engine
Exhaust on page 9‑28.
Notice: If you open the liftgate
without checking for overhead
obstructions such as a garage
door, you could damage the
liftgate or the liftgate glass.
Always check to make sure the
area above and behind the liftgate
is clear before opening it.
Manual Liftgate
To unlock the liftgate, press the
power door lock switch or press
"
on the Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) transmitter twice. See
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
System Operation on page 2‑3.
To open the liftgate, press the touch
pad under the liftgate handle and
lift up.
Use the pull cup to lower and close
the liftgate. Do not press the touch
pad while closing the liftgate. This
may cause the liftgate to be
unlatched.
Always close the liftgate before
driving.

Black plate (10,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
2-10 Keys, Doors, and Windows
Power Liftgate
On vehicles with a power liftgate,
the vehicle must be in P (Park) to
operate. The taillamps flash when
the power liftgate moves.
{WARNING
You or others could be injured if
caught in the path of the power
liftgate. Make sure there is no one
in the way of the liftgate as it is
opening and closing.
The power liftgate has three modes
of operation. Mode selection is
controlled by the interior mode
switch.
Choose the power liftgate mode by
turning the dial on the switch until
the indicator lines up with the
desired position. The vehicle must
be in P (Park).
The three modes are:
MAX: The liftgate power opens to
the full open height.
3/4: The liftgate power opens to a
reduced open height that can be set
by the vehicle operator. Use this
setting to prevent the liftgate from
opening into overhead obstructions
such as a garage door or roof mounted cargo during power
operation. The liftgate can still be
fully opened manually.
OFF:
The liftgate only operates
manually in this position.
Manual operation of a liftgate that
also has power operation requires
more effort than a standard manual
liftgate.
In either the MAX or the 3/4 mode,
the liftgate can be power opened
and closed by:
.First pressingKand then
pressing and holding
Von the
RKE transmitter until the liftgate
starts moving. See Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) System
Operation on page 2‑3.
.Pressing the power liftgate
button in the center of the mode
switch on the overhead console,
with the driver door unlocked.

Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-11
.Pressing the touch pad switch
on the liftgate outside handle,
with all doors unlocked, to open
the liftgate.
Press and release8on the
liftgate adjacent to the latch to close
the liftgate.
Pressing any button, or the touch
pad switch, while the liftgate is
moving stops it. Pressing the button
or RKE transmitter again reverses
the direction. The touch pad switch
will stop the liftgate from moving. There is a minimum distance that
the power liftgate must already be
open for the system to hold it open.
If movement is stopped below that
minimum, the liftgate closes.
Do not force the liftgate open or
closed during a power cycle.
The power liftgate may be
temporarily disabled under extreme
temperatures or low battery
conditions. If this occurs, the liftgate
can still be operated manually.
If the vehicle is shifted out of
P (Park) while the power function is
in progress, the liftgate power
function will continue to completion.
If the vehicle is shifted out of
P (Park) and accelerated before the
power liftgate latch is closed, the
liftgate may reverse to the open
position. Cargo could fall out of the
vehicle. Always make sure the
power liftgate is closed and latched
before driving away.
If the liftgate is power opened and
the liftgate support struts have lost
pressure, the turn signals flash and
a chime will sound. The liftgate
stays open temporarily, and then
slowly closes. See a dealer for
service before using the liftgate.
Obstacle Detection Features
If the liftgate encounters an obstacle
during a power open or close cycle,
a warning chime will sound and the
liftgate will automatically reverse
direction to the full closed or open
position. After removing the
obstruction, the power liftgate
operation can be used again. If the
liftgate encounters multiple
obstacles on the same power cycle,
the power function will deactivate
and a message will display in the
Driver Information Center (DIC) ,
see
Object Detection System
Messages on page 5‑30. After
removing the obstructions, the
liftgate will resume normal power
operation.

Black plate (12,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
2-12 Keys, Doors, and Windows
Pinch sensors are located on the
side edges of the liftgate. If an
object is caught between the liftgate
and the vehicle and presses against
this sensor, the liftgate will reverse
direction and open fully. The liftgate
will remain open until it is activated
again or closed manually.
Power Liftgate 3/4 Mode
To program the liftgate opening
height:
1. Turn the liftgate switch to eitherthe MAX , or the 3/4 mode
position and power open the
liftgate.
2. Stop the liftgate movement at the desired height by pressing
any liftgate switch. Manually
adjust the liftgate position if
required.
3. Press and hold the button on the liftgate adjacent to the latch until
the turn signals flash and a beep
sounds to indicate that the new
setting is recorded. When power opened with the
3/4 mode selected, the liftgate stops
at the new set position.
If there is no audible and visual
feedback when setting the
intermediate stop position, the
liftgate height is being set below the
3/4 open height minimum
(approximately 1.5 m or 5 ft). The
liftgate cannot be set below that
minimum and the new setting will
not be recorded.
Manual Operation of Power
Liftgate
To change the liftgate to manual
operation, turn the mode switch to
the OFF position.
With the power liftgate disabled and
all of the doors unlocked, the liftgate
can be manually opened and
closed. Manual operation of a
liftgate that also has power
operation requires more effort than
a standard manual liftgate.
To open the liftgate, press the touch
pad on the handle on the outside of
the liftgate, and lift the gate open. To
close the liftgate, use the pull cup to
lower the liftgate and close. With the
power liftgate disabled, the liftgate
electric latch will still power latch
once contact is made with the
striker. Always close the liftgate
before driving.
If
Von the RKE transmitter is
pressed while power operation is
disabled, the turn signals flash and
the liftgate will not move.
The liftgate has an electric latch.
If the battery is disconnected or has
low voltage, the liftgate will not
open. The liftgate will resume
operation when the battery is
reconnected and charged.

Black plate (13,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-13
Vehicle Security
This vehicle has theft-deterrent
features; however, they do not make
it impossible to steal.
Anti-theft Alarm System
This vehicle has an anti-theft alarm
system.
Arming the System
To arm the system, do one of the
following:
.PressQon the RKE transmitter.
.Lock the vehicle using the key in
the driver door.
The alarm automatically arms after
about 30 seconds. The security
light, located on the instrument
panel, flashes.
Press
Von the RKE transmitter to
open the liftgate without setting off
the alarm. The system rearms when
the liftgate is closed.
Disarming the System
To disarm the system, do one of the
following:
.PressKon the RKE transmitter.
.Turn the ignition to ON/RUN.
.Allow the alarm to time out after
about 30 seconds and reset
itself.
The alarm automatically disarms.
If the system is armed and any door
is unlocked without pressing
Kon
the RKE transmitter, the alarm
sounds.
How to Detect a Tamper
Condition
IfKis pressed and the horn
sounds, an attempted break-in has
occurred while the system was
armed. If the alarm has been activated, the
THEFT ATTEMPTED message will
appear on the DIC. See
Key and
Lock Messages on page 5‑30 for
additional information.
Immobilizer
See Radio Frequency Statement on
page 13‑17 for information
regarding Part 15 of the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC)
rules and Industry Canada
Standards RSS-GEN/210/220/310.
Immobilizer Operation
This vehicle has a passive
theft-deterrent system.
The system does not have to be
manually armed or disarmed.
The vehicle is automatically
immobilized when the key is
removed from the ignition.

Black plate (14,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
2-14 Keys, Doors, and Windows
The system is automatically
disarmed when the vehicle is
started with the correct key. The key
uses a transponder that matches an
immobilizer control unit in the
vehicle and automatically disarms
the system. Only an authorized key
starts the vehicle. The vehicle may
not start if the key is damaged.
The security light, located in the
instrument panel cluster, comes on
if there is a problem with arming or
disarming the theft-deterrent
system.When trying to start the vehicle, the
security light comes on briefly when
the ignition is turned on.
If the engine does not start and the
security light stays on, there is a
problem with the system. Turn the
ignition off and try again.
If the engine still does not start, and
the key appears to be undamaged
or the light continues to stay on, try
another ignition key. If the engine
does not start with the other key, the
vehicle needs service. If the vehicle
does start, the first key may be
damaged. See your dealer who can
service the theft-deterrent system
and have a new key made.
Do not leave the key or device that
disarms or deactivates the
theft-deterrent system in the vehicle.
Exterior Mirrors
Convex Mirrors
{WARNING
A convex mirror can make things,
like other vehicles, look farther
away than they really are. If you
cut too sharply into the right lane,
you could hit a vehicle on the
right. Check the inside mirror or
glance over your shoulder before
changing lanes.
The passenger side mirror is convex
shaped. A convex mirror's surface is
curved so more can be seen from
the driver seat.