
Black plate (19,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-19
Vehicle Features
Radio(s)
VOL/O:Press to turn the system
on and off. Turn to increase or
decrease the volume.
RADIO/BAND or SOURCE: Press
to choose between FM, AM, XM™,
if equipped, CD, or AUX.
MENU/SEL: Turn to select radio
stations.
Press to show available information
about the current station or track.
D: Press to go to the main menu.
gSEEK: Press to seek the
previous station or track.
lSEEK: Press to seek the next
station or track.
Buttons 1 ‐6: Press to save and
select favorite stations
For more information about these
and other radio features, see
Operation on page 7‑10. For more information about the Rear
Seat Audio (RSA) System, see
Rear
Seat Audio (RSA) System on
page 7‑34.
Storing a Favorite Station
Stations from all bands can be
stored in the favorite lists in any
order. Up to six stations can be
stored in each favorite page and the
number of available favorite pages
can be set.
To store the station to a position in
the list, press the corresponding
numeric button 1-6 until the station
can be heard again.
For more information, see “Storing
and Retrieving Favorites” inAM-FM
Radio (Radio with CD) on page 7‑14
or AM-FM Radio (Radio with CD
and Touchscreen) on page 7‑16.
Setting the Clock
The vehicle has a digital and an
analog clock.
For detailed instructions on setting
either clock, see Clock on page 5‑5.
Turning the Digital Clock On or Off
1. Press the CONFIG button.
2. Select Time and Date Settings.
3. Select Clock Displayed.
4. Press the MENU/SEL button to turn the clock on or off.
Setting the Time and Date
1. Press the CONFIG button.
2. Select Time and Date Settings.
3. Select Set Time or Set Date.
4. Turn the MENU/SEL knob to adjust the highlighted value. 

Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-5
Reverse Gear Wipes
If the rear wiper control is off, the
rear wiper will automatically operate
continuously when the shift lever is
in R (Reverse), and the front
windshield wiper is performing low
or high speed wipes. If the rear
wiper control is off, the shift lever is
in R (Reverse), and the front
windshield wiper is performing
interval wipes, then the rear wiper
automatically performs interval
wipes.
The windshield washer reservoir is
used for the windshield and the rear
window. Check the fluid level in the
reservoir if either washer is not
working. SeeWasher Fluid on
page 10‑23.Compass
The vehicle may have a compass
display on the Driver Information
Center (DIC). The compass receives
its heading and other information
from the Global Positioning
System (GPS) antenna, StabiliTrak,
and vehicle speed information.
Avoid covering the GPS antenna for
long periods of time with objects
that may interfere with the antenna's
ability to receive a satellite signal.
See Multi-Band Antenna on
page 7‑23 for the location of the
vehicle's antenna. The compass
system is designed to operate for a
certain number of miles or degrees
of turn before needing a signal from
the GPS satellites. When the
compass display shows CAL, drive
the vehicle for a short distance in an
open area where it can receive a
GPS signal. The compass system
will automatically determine when a GPS signal is restored and provide
a heading again. See
Compass
Messages on page 5‑28 for more
information on the messages that
may be displayed for the compass.
Clock
The infotainment system controls,
located on the instrument panel, are
used to access the time and date
settings through the menu system.
See Operation on page 7‑10 for
information about how to use the
menu system.
For vehicles with a navigation
system, see the separate navigation
manual to set the clock. 

Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
5-6 Instruments and Controls
Setting the Clock with Date
Display
To set the Time and Date:
1. Turn the infotainment system on.
2. Press the CONFIG button andselect Time and Date Settings.
3. Select Set Time or Set Date.
4. Turn the MENU/SEL knob to adjust the highlighted value.
5. Press the MENU/SEL knob to select the next value.
6. To save the time or date and return to the Time and Date
Settings menu, press the
E
BACK button at any time or
press the MENU/SEL knob after
adjusting the minutes or year.
To set the 12/24 hour format:
1. Turn the infotainment system on.
2. Press the CONFIG button and select Time and Date Settings.
3. Highlight 12/24 Hour Format. 4. Press the MENU/SEL knob to
select the 12 hour or 24 hour
display format.
To set the month and day format:
1. Turn the infotainment system on.
2. Press the CONFIG button and select Time and Date Settings.
3. Highlight Month and Day Format.
4. Press the MENU/SEL knob to select MM/DD (month/day) or
DD/MM (day/month).
To set the auto time adjust:
1. Turn the infotainment system on.
2. Press the CONFIG button and select Time and Date Settings.
3. Highlight Auto Time Adjust.
4. Press the MENU/SEL knob to turn Auto Time Adjust on or off. 5. Press the MENU/SEL knob to
select Time Zone, and then
select the time zone.
6. Press the MENU/SEL knob to turn Daylight Savings on or off.
Setting the Clock Without Date
Display
To set the Time and Date:
1. Turn the infotainment system on.
2. Press the CONFIG button andselect Time Settings, or press
the
Hbutton.
3. Select Set Time.
4. Turn the MENU/SEL knob to adjust the highlighted value.
5. Press the MENU/SEL knob to select the next value.
6. To save the time and return to the Time Settings menu, press
the
EBACK button at any
time or press the MENU/SEL
knob after adjusting the minutes. 

Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-7
To set the 12/24 hour format:
1. Turn the infotainment system on.
2. Press the CONFIG button andselect Time Settings, or press
the
Hbutton.
3. Highlight 12/24 Hour Format.
4. Press the MENU/SEL knob to select the 12 hour or 24 hour
display format.
Setting the Clock (Radio with
CD and Touchscreen)
To set the time:
1. Press the CONFIG button to
enter the menu options. Turn the
TUNE/MENU knob to scroll
through the available setup
features. Press the TUNE/MENU
knob or press the Time screen
button to display other options
within that feature. 2. Press + or
−to decrease or
increase the Hours and Minutes
displayed on the clock.
12/24 HR Format: Press the 12 HR
screen button for standard time;
press the 24 HR screen button for
military time.
Day + or Day −:Press the Day +
or Day −display buttons to increase
or decrease the day.
Display: Press Display to turn the
display of the time on the screen on
or off.
Power Outlets
The accessory power outlets can be
used to connect electrical
equipment, such as a cell phone or
MP3 player.
There are four accessory power
outlets in the following locations:
below the CD slot, inside the center
console storage, on the rear of the
center console storage, and in the
rear cargo compartment. To use the outlets, remove the cover
and close when not in use.
Notice:
Leaving electrical
equipment plugged in for an
extended period of time while the
vehicle is off will drain the
battery. Always unplug electrical
equipment when not in use and
do not plug in equipment that
exceeds the maximum 20 ampere
rating.
Certain accessory plugs may not be
compatible with the accessory
power outlets and could overload
vehicle and adapter fuses. If a
problem is experienced, see your
dealer. 

Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
6-4 Lighting
If after signaling a turn or a lane
change the arrows flash rapidly or
do not come on, a signal bulb may
be burned out.
Have the bulbs replaced. If the bulb
is not burned out, check the fuse;
seeFuses on page 10‑36 for more
information.
Fog Lamps
For vehicles with fog lamps, the
control is located on the turn signal/
lane change lever.
Use the fog lamps for better vision
in foggy or misty conditions.
#FOG (Fog Lamps): Turn the fog
lamp band on the lever to
#and
release it, to turn the fog lamps on
or off. The band will return to its
original position.
The parking lamps or low‐beam
headlamps must be on to use the
fog lamps.
The fog lamps will go off whenever
the high-beam headlamps are
turned on. When the high‐beam
headlamps are turned off, the fog
lamps will come on again.
Some localities have laws that
require the headlamps to be on
along with the fog lamps.
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel
Illumination Control
This control is located on the
instrument panel, to the left of the
steering column.
D(Instrument Panel
Brightness): Turn clockwise or
counterclockwise to brighten or dim
the lights.
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:
*(Dome Lamp Override): Turns
the lamps off, even when a door
is open. 

Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
7-4 Infotainment System
E. Buttons 1 to 6
.Radio: Saves and selects
favorite stations.
F. AUX
.Selects a connected
external audio source.
G.
EBACK
.Menu: Moves one
level back.
.Character Input: Deletes
the last character.
H. INFO
.Radio: Shows available
information about the
current station.
.CD: Shows available
information about the
current track. I. MENU/SEL
.Press: Opens the menus
and selects menu items.
.Turn: Highlights menu
items or sets values while
in a menu. Manually
selects radio stations while
listening to the radio.
J.
k
.CD: Plays or pauses
the CD.
K. CD
.Selects the CD player
when listening to a
different audio source.
L.
5/?
.Opens the phone
main menu.
.Mutes the audio system. M.
lSEEK
.Radio: Seeks the next
station.
.CD: Selects the next track
or fast forwards within a
track.
N.
H
.Opens the clock menu.
O. CONFIG
.Opens the settings menu.
P.
X(CD Eject)
.Removes a disc from the
CD slot.
Q. TONE
.Opens the tone menu. 

Black plate (19,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-19
{WARNING
Adding only plain water or some
other liquid to the cooling system
can be dangerous. Plain water
and other liquids, can boil before
the proper coolant mixture will.
The coolant warning system is set
for the proper coolant mixture.
With plain water or the wrong
mixture, the engine could get too
hot but you would not get the
overheat warning. The engine
could catch fire and you or others
could be burned. Use a 50/
50 mixture of clean, drinkable
water and DEX-COOL coolant.
{WARNING
You can be burned if you spill
coolant on hot engine parts.
Coolant contains ethylene glycol
and it will burn if the engine parts
are hot enough. Do not spill
coolant on a hot engine.
Notice: In cold weather, water
can freeze and crack the engine,
radiator, heater core and other
parts. Use the recommended
coolant and the proper coolant
mixture.
1. Remove the coolant surge tank pressure cap when the cooling
system, including the coolant
surge tank pressure cap and
upper radiator hose, is no
longer hot.
Turn the pressure cap slowly
counterclockwise about
one-quarter of a turn. If you hear
a hiss, wait for that to stop. This
will allow any pressure still left to
be vented out the
discharge hose.
2. Keep turning the pressure cap slowly, and remove it.