
Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
Introduction iii
The names, logos, emblems,
slogans, vehicle model names, and
vehicle body designs appearing in
this manual including, but not limited
to, GM, the GM logo, CHEVROLET,
the CHEVROLET Emblem, and
EQUINOX are trademarks and/or
service marks of General Motors
LLC, its subsidiaries, affiliates,
or licensors.This manual describes features that
may or may not be on your specific
vehicle either because they are
options that you did not purchase or
due to changes subsequent to the
printing of this owner manual.
Please refer to the purchase
documentation relating to your
specific vehicle to confirm each of
the features found on your vehicle.
For vehicles first sold in Canada,
substitute the name
“General
Motors of Canada Limited” for
Chevrolet Motor Division wherever it
appears in this manual.
Keep this manual in the vehicle for
quick reference.
Canadian Vehicle Owners
Propriétaires Canadiens
A French language copy of this
manual can be obtained from your
dealer or from:
On peut obtenir un exemplaire de
ce guide en français auprès du
concessionnaire ou à l'adresse
suivante:
Helm, Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit, MI 48207
1-800-551-4123
Numéro de poste 6438 de langue
française
www.helminc.com
Litho in U.S.A.
Part No. 22862218 C Third Printing©2011 General Motors LLC. All Rights Reserved. 

Black plate (34,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
5-34 Instruments and Controls
Vehicle Reminder
Messages
ICE POSSIBLE DRIVE
WITH CARE
This message is displayed when ice
conditions are possible.
TURN WIPER CONTROL TO
INTERMITTENT FIRST
This message is displayed when
attempting to adjust the intermittent
wiper speed without intermittent
selected on the wiper control. See
Windshield Wiper/Washer on
page 5‑3.
Vehicle
Personalization
The audio system controls are used
to access the personalization
menus for customizing vehicle
features.
CONFIG (Configuration):Press to
access the Configuration
Settings Menu.
MENU/SELECT Knob: Press the
center of this knob to enter the
menus and select menu items. Turn
the knob to scroll through the
menus.
EBACK: Press to exit or move
backwards in a menu.
Entering the Personalization
Menus
1. Turn the infotainment system on and press the CONFIG button to
access the Configuration
Settings menu. 2. Turn the MENU/SELECT knob to
highlight Vehicle Settings.
3. Press the center of the MENU/ SELECT knob to select the
Vehicle Settings menu.
The following list of menu items will
be available:
.Climate and Air Quality
.Comfort and Convenience
.Collision/Detection Systems
.Languages
.Lighting
.Power Door Locks
.Remote Lock/Unlock/Start
.Return to Factory Settings
Turn the MENU/SELECT knob to
highlight the menu. Press the knob
to select it. Each of the menus is
detailed in the following information.
All of the menus may not be
available. Only those tied to the
features on your vehicle will be
shown. 

Black plate (36,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
5-36 Instruments and Controls
Easy Exit Driver Seat
When on, this feature will move the
driver seat rearward upon turning
the ignition off and the driver door
opening. This may be performed to
make it easier to exit the vehicle.
See the“Easy Exit Driver Seat”
information under Power Seat
Adjustment on page 3‑4 for more
information.
This allows you to turn the easy exit
seat feature on or off.
Press the MENU/SELECT knob
when “Easy Exit Driver Seat” is
highlighted. Turn the knob to select
“On” or“Off.” Press the knob to
confirm and go back to the
last menu.
Chime Volume
This allows the selection of the
chime volume level.
Press the MENU/SELECT knob
when “Chime Volume” is
highlighted. Turn the knob to select “Normal”
or“High.” Press the knob
to confirm and go back to the
last menu.
Reverse Tilt Mirror
When on, both the driver and
passenger mirrors will tilt downward
when vehicle is shifted to
R (Reverse) to improve visibility of
the ground near the rear wheels.
They will return to their previous
driving position when the vehicle is
shifted out of R (Reverse), the
ignition is turned to OFF, or the
vehicle is left in reverse. See Park
Tilt Mirrors on page 2‑17 for more
information.
This allows you to turn the park tilt
mirrors feature on or off.
Press the MENU/SELECT knob
when “Reverse Tilt Mirror” is
highlighted. Turn the knob to select
“On” or“Off.” Press the knob to
confirm and go back to the
last menu.Collision/Detection Systems
Select the Collision/Detection
Systems menu and the following will
be displayed:
.Park Assist
Park Assist
This allows the Ultrasonic Parking
Assist feature to be turned on or off.
Press the MENU/SELECT knob
when “Park Assist” is highlighted.
Turn the knob to select “On,” “Off,”
or “Tow Bar.” Press the knob to
confirm and go back to the
last menu.
See Ultrasonic Parking Assist on
page 9‑43 for more information
Languages
Select the Languages menu and the
following will be displayed:
.English
.French
.Spanish 

Black plate (37,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-37
Turn the MENU/SELECT knob to
select the language. Press the knob
to confirm and go back to the
last menu.
Lighting
Select the Lighting menu and the
following will be displayed:
.Vehicle Locator Lights
.Exit Lighting
Vehicle Locator Lights
This allows the vehicle locator lights
to be turned on or off.
Press the MENU/SELECT knob
when “Vehicle Locator Lights” is
highlighted to toggle between “On”
or “Off.” Press
EBACK to confirm
the selection and go back to the
last menu.
Exit Lighting
This allows the selection of how
long the exterior lamps stay on
when leaving the vehicle when it is
dark outside. Press the MENU/SELECT knob
when
“Exit Lighting” is highlighted.
Turn the knob to select “Off,”
“30 Seconds,” “1 Minute,” or
“2 Minutes.” Press the knob to
confirm and go back to the
last menu.
Power Door Locks
Select Power Door Locks and the
following will be displayed:
.Unlocked Door Anti Lock Out
.Auto Door Unlock
.Delayed Door Lock
Unlocked Door Anti Lock Out
When on, this feature will keep the
driver door from locking when the
door is open. If off is selected, the
Delayed Door Lock menu will be
available.
Press the MENU/SELECT knob
when “Unlocked Door Anti Lock
Out” is highlighted to toggle between
“On”or“Off.” Press
E
BACK to confirm the selection and
go back to the last menu.
Auto Door Unlock
This allows selection of which of the
doors will automatically unlock when
the vehicle is shifted into P (Park).
Press the MENU/SELECT knob
when “Auto Door Unlock” is
highlighted. Turn the knob to select
“All Doors,” “Driver Door,” or“Off.”
Press the knob to confirm and go
back to the last menu.
Delayed Door Lock
When on, this feature will delay the
locking of the doors. If you want to
override the delay you can press the
power door lock on the instrument
panel.
Press the MENU/SELECT knob
when “Delayed Door Lock” is
highlighted. Turn the knob to select
“On” or“Off.” Press the knob to
confirm and go back to the
last menu. 

Black plate (10,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
7-10 Infotainment System
Languages
The vehicle supports English,
French (Canadian), and Spanish.
The default language is English.
To change the display language,
seeVehicle Personalization on
page 5‑34 for more information.
English and Metric Unit
Conversion
To change the display units between
English and metric units, see Driver
Information Center (DIC) on
page 5‑24 for more information.
Cleaning the Display
Notice:Using abrasive cleaners
when cleaning glass surfaces
could scratch the glass. Use only
a soft cloth and do not spray
cleaner directly on the system as
it could affect the mechanical
parts. Do not wipe the panel with a hard
cloth or use a volatile liquid such as
paint thinner; it could scratch the
surface or erase the characters on
the buttons.
Operation
Controls
The infotainment system is operated
by using the pushbuttons,
multifunction knobs, display menus,
and steering wheel controls,
if equipped.
Turning the System On or Off
VOL/O(Volume/Power):
Press to
turn the system on and off.
Automatic Switch‐Off
If the infotainment system has been
turned on after the ignition is turned
off, the system will turn off
automatically after 10 minutes.
Volume Control
VOL/O(Volume/Power): Turn to
adjust the volume.
5/?(Mute): For vehicles with
OnStar, press and hold
5/?to
mute the infotainment system. Press
and hold
5/?again, or turn the
VOL/
Oknob to cancel mute.
For vehicles without OnStar, press
5/?to mute the infotainment
system. Press
5/?again, or turn
the VOL/
Oknob to cancel mute.
Menu System
Controls
The MENU/SEL knob and the
E
BACK button are used to navigate
the menu system. 

Black plate (21,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
Infotainment System 7-21
Storing an XM Channel as a
Favorite
Channels from all bands can be
stored in any order in the favorite
pages.
Up to six channels can be stored in
each favorite page and the number
of available favorite pages can
be set.
Storing a Channel as a Favorite
To store the channel to a position in
the list, press and hold the
corresponding 1 to 6 button until the
channel can be heard again.
Retrieving Channels
Press the FAV button to open a
favorite page or to change to
another favorite page. Briefly press
one of the 1 to 6 buttons to retrieve
the channel.Removing or Adding
Categories (Radio with CD and
Touchscreen)
Removing or Adding Categories
1. From the Home Page press theConfig screen button or the
CONFIG button on the faceplate.
2. Select Radio Settings from the Config Menu list.
3. Select Add/Remove XM Categories.
4. From the Add/Remove XM Categories screen, select or
deselect any category to be
used in XM mode. A checkmark
will indicate that the category is
selected. Turning XM Album Art On or Off
1. From the Home Page press the
Config screen button or the
CONFIG button on the faceplate.
2. Select Radio Settings from the Config Menu list.
3. Select XM Album Art to turn on or off.
XM Messages
XL (Explicit Language
Channels): These channels, or any
others, can be blocked by request,
by calling 1-800-929-2100 in the
U.S. and 1-877-438-9677 in
Canada.
XM Updating: The encryption code
in the receiver is being updated, no
action is required. This process
should take no longer than
30 seconds.
Loading XM: The audio system is
acquiring and processing audio and
text data; no action is needed. This
message should disappear shortly. 

Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
OnStar 14-7
OnStar Personal Identification
Number (PIN)
A PIN is needed to access some of
the OnStar services, like Remote
Door Unlock and Stolen Vehicle
Assistance. You will be prompted to
change the PIN the first time when
speaking with an Advisor. To
change the OnStar PIN, call OnStar
and provide the Advisor with the
current number.
Warranty
OnStar equipment may be
warranted as part of the new-vehicle
limited warranty. The manufacturer
of the vehicle furnishes detailed
warranty information.
Languages
The vehicle can be programmed to
respond in French or Spanish. Push
Qand ask an Advisor. Advisors
can speak French or Spanish.
Potential Issues
Some OnStar services are disabled
after five days. OnStar cannot
perform Remote Door Unlock or
Stolen Vehicle Assistance after the
vehicle has been off continuously
for five days. After five days, OnStar
can contact Roadside Assistance
and a locksmith to help gain access
to the vehicle.
Global Positioning
System (GPS)
.Obstruction of the GPS can
occur in a large city with tall
buildings; in parking garages;
around airports; in tunnels,
underpasses, or parking
garages; or in an area with very
dense trees. If GPS signals are
not available, the OnStar system
should still operate to call
OnStar. However, OnStar could
have difficulty identifying the
exact location.
.In emergency situations, OnStar
can use the last stored GPS
location to send to emergency
responders.
.A temporary loss of GPS can
cause loss of the ability to send
a Turn-by-Turn Navigation route.
The Advisor may give a verbal
route or may ask for a call back
after the vehicle is driven into an
open area.