2013 CHEVROLET EQUINOX warning

Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 5/21/12
3-2 Seats and Restraints
Head Restraints
Front Seats
The vehicle's front seats have head
restraints in the outboard seating
positions.
{WARNING
With head restraints that are not
installed and adjusted properly,
there is a greater chance that
occupants will suffer a neck/
spinal injury in a crash. Do not
drive until the head restraints for
all occupants are installed and
adjusted properly.
Adjust the head restraint so that the
top of the restraint is at the same
height as the top of the occupant's
head. This position reduces the
chance of a neck injury in a crash.The height of the head restraint can
be adjusted. Pull the head restraint
up to raise it. Try to move the head
restraint to make sure that it is
locked in place.
To lower the head restraint, press
the button, located on the top of the
seatback, and push the head
restraint down. Try to move the
head restraint after the button is
released to make sure that it is
locked in place.

Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 5/21/12
Seats and Restraints 3-3
The front seat outboard head
restraints are not designed to be
removed.
Rear Seats
The vehicle's rear seat has head
restraints in the outboard seating
positions that cannot be adjusted.
Rear outboard head restraints are
not designed to be removed.
Front Seats
Seat Adjustment
{WARNING
You can lose control of the
vehicle if you try to adjust a driver
seat while the vehicle is moving.
Adjust the driver seat only when
the vehicle is not moving.
To adjust a manual seat:
1. Pull the handle at the front of theseat cushion.
2. Move the seat forward or rearward to adjust the seat
position.
3. Release the handle to stop the seat from moving.
4. Try to move the seat back and forth to be sure it is locked in
place.

Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 5/21/12
Seats and Restraints 3-5
Lumbar Adjustment
Power Lumbar
Eight-Way Power Seat Shown,Four-Way Similar
If available, press and hold the front
or rear of the switch to increase or
decrease lumbar support. Release
the switch when the seatback
reaches the desired level of lumbar
support.
Reclining Seatbacks
{WARNING
Sitting in a reclined position when
the vehicle is in motion can be
dangerous. Even when buckled
up, the safety belts cannot do
their job.
The shoulder belt will not be
against your body. Instead, it will
be in front of you. In a crash, you
could go into it, receiving neck or
other injuries.
The lap belt could go up over
your abdomen. The belt forces
would be there, not at your pelvic
bones. This could cause serious
internal injuries.
For proper protection when the
vehicle is in motion, have the
seatback upright. Then sit well
back in the seat and wear the
safety belt properly.
Do not have a seatback reclined if
the vehicle is moving.
Manual Reclining Seatbacks
{WARNING
If either seatback is not locked, it
could move forward in a sudden
stop or crash. That could cause
injury to the person sitting there.
Always push and pull on the
seatbacks to be sure they are
locked.

Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 5/21/12
3-8 Seats and Restraints
pressing the RKEKbutton. If the
memory position is still not recalling,
see your dealer for service.
Easy Exit Driver Seat
This feature moves the seat
rearward allowing the driver more
room to exit the vehicle.
To activate, turn the ignition off and
open the driver door. If the driver
door is already open, turning the
ignition off will activate the recall.
This feature can be turned on or off
using the vehicle personalization
menu. See Vehicle Personalization
on page 5‑32.
To stop recall movement, press one
of the memory or power seat
controls.
If something has blocked the driver
seat while recalling the exit position,
the recall may stop. Remove the
obstruction; then press and hold the
power seat control rearward for
two seconds. Try recalling the exit position again. If the exit position is
still not recalling, see your dealer for
service.
Heated Front Seats
{WARNING
If you cannot feel temperature
change or pain to the skin, the
seat heater may cause burns. To
reduce the risk of burns, people
with such a condition should use
care when using the seat heater,
especially for long periods of
time. Do not place anything on
the seat that insulates against
heat, such as a blanket, cushion,
cover, or similar item. This may
cause the seat heater to
overheat. An overheated seat
heater may cause a burn or may
damage the seat.
Uplevel Climate Control System
Shown, Base Similar
If available, the buttons are near the
climate controls. To operate, the
ignition must be in ON/RUN.
Press
zorJto heat the driver or
passenger seat cushion and
seatback.
Press the button once for the
highest setting. With each press of
the button, the heated seat will
change to the next lower setting,
and then the off setting. Three lights
indicate the highest setting, and one
light indicates the lowest.

Black plate (9,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 5/21/12
Seats and Restraints 3-9
The passenger seat may take
longer to heat up.
Remote Start Heated Seats
When it is cold outside, the heated
seats can be programmed to turn on
automatically during a remote
vehicle start. The heated seats will
be canceled when the ignition is
turned on. Press the heated seat
button to use the heated seats after
the vehicle is started.
The heated seat button lights will
not turn on during a remote start.
The temperature of an unoccupied
seat may be reduced.
To program the heated seat feature
to enabled, seeVehicle
Personalization on page 5‑32.Rear Seats
Split Folding Seatbacks
With this feature, either side of the
rear seatback can be folded down
for more cargo space.
{WARNING
If either seatback is not locked, it
could move forward in a sudden
stop or crash. That could cause
injury to the person sitting there.
Always push and pull on the
seatbacks to be sure they are
locked.
{WARNING
A safety belt that is improperly
routed, not properly attached,
or twisted will not provide the
protection needed in a crash. The
person wearing the belt could be
(Continued)
WARNING (CONTINUED)
seriously injured. After raising the
rear seatback, always check to be
sure that the safety belts are
properly routed and attached, and
are not twisted.
To fold the seatback down:
Notice: Folding a rear seat with
the safety belts still fastened may
cause damage to the seat or the
safety belts. Always unbuckle the
safety belts and return them to
their normal stowed position
before folding a rear seat.
1. Unbuckle the rear safety belts and place the front seatbacks in
the upright position. See
Reclining Seatbacks on
page 3‑5.

Black plate (10,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 5/21/12
3-10 Seats and Restraints
2. Lift the lever on the top of theseatback.
3. Fold the seatback forward.
The filler panel behind the seat
will fold with the seatback to
span the gap between the rear
of the seat and the cargo area,
creating a flat load floor. Do not
lift the filler panel.
Keep the seatback in the upright,
locked position when not in use. To recline the seatback:
1. Lift and hold the lever on top of
the seatback.
2. Tilt the seatback rearward, then release the lever when the
seatback is in the desired
position.
To slide the entire seat forward or
rearward:
1. Lift and hold the release bar under the front of the seat
cushion to unlock the seat.
2. Slide the seat to the desired position.
3. Release the bar.
4. Try to move the seat back and forth to ensure the seat is locked
into place.
Safety Belts
This section of the manual
describes how to use safety belts
properly. It also describes some
things not to do with safety belts.
{WARNING
Do not let anyone ride where a
safety belt cannot be worn
properly. In a crash, if you or your
passenger(s) are not wearing
safety belts, injuries can be much
worse than if you are wearing
safety belts. You can be seriously
injured or killed by hitting things
inside the vehicle harder or by
being ejected from the vehicle. In
addition, anyone who is not
buckled up can strike other
passengers in the vehicle.
It is extremely dangerous to ride
in a cargo area, inside or outside
of a vehicle. In a collision,
passengers riding in these areas
(Continued)

Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 5/21/12
Seats and Restraints 3-11
WARNING (CONTINUED)
are more likely to be seriously
injured or killed. Do not allow
passengers to ride in any area of
the vehicle that is not equipped
with seats and safety belts.
Always wear a safety belt, and
check that all passenger(s) are
restrained properly too.
This vehicle has indicators as a
reminder to buckle the safety belts.
See Safety Belt Reminders on
page 5‑11.
Why Safety Belts Work
When riding in a vehicle, you travel
as fast as the vehicle does. If the
vehicle stops suddenly, you keep
going until something stops you.
It could be the windshield, the
instrument panel, or the safety belts!
When you wear a safety belt, you
and the vehicle slow down together.
There is more time to stop because
you stop over a longer distance and,
when worn properly, your strongest
bones take the forces from the safety belts. That is why wearing
safety belts makes such good
sense.
Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
Q: Will I be trapped in the vehicle
after a crash if I am wearing a
safety belt?
A: You could be—whether you are
wearing a safety belt or not.
Your chance of being conscious
during and after a crash, so you
can unbuckle and get out, is
much greater if you are belted.
Q: If my vehicle has airbags, why should I have to wear safety
belts?
A: Airbags are supplemental
systems only; so they work with
safety belts —not instead of
them. Whether or not an airbag
is provided, all occupants still
have to buckle up to get the
most protection.

Black plate (12,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 5/21/12
3-12 Seats and Restraints
Also, in nearly all states and in
all Canadian provinces, the law
requires wearing safety belts.
How to Wear Safety Belts
Properly
This section is only for people of
adult size.
There are special things to know
about safety belts and children. And
there are different rules for smaller
children and infants. If a child will be
riding in the vehicle, seeOlder
Children on page 3‑32 orInfants
and Young Children on page 3‑34.
Follow those rules for everyone's
protection.
It is very important for all occupants
to buckle up. Statistics show that
unbelted people are hurt more often
in crashes than those who are
wearing safety belts.
There are important things to know
about wearing a safety belt properly.
.Sit up straight and always keep
your feet on the floor in front
of you.
.Always use the correct buckle
for your seating position.
.Wear the lap part of the belt low
and snug on the hips, just
touching the thighs. In a crash,
this applies force to the strong
pelvic bones and you would be
less likely to slide under the lap
belt. If you slid under it, the belt
would apply force on your
abdomen. This could cause
serious or even fatal injuries.
.Wear the shoulder belt over the
shoulder and across the chest.
These parts of the body are best
able to take belt restraining
forces. The shoulder belt locks if
there is a sudden stop or crash.
{WARNING
You can be seriously injured,
or even killed, by not wearing
your safety belt properly.
.Never allow the lap or
shoulder belt to become
loose or twisted.
.Never wear the shoulder belt
under both arms or behind
your back.
.Never route the lap or
shoulder belt over an
armrest.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
All seating positions in the vehicle
have a lap-shoulder belt.