2016 CHEVROLET EQUINOX climate control

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234773) - 2016 - crc - 9/3/15
190 Driving and Operating
Trailer Towing
General Towing
Information
Only use towing equipment that has
been designed for the vehicle.
Contact your dealer or trailering
dealer for assistance with preparing
the vehicle for towing a trailer. Read
the entire section before towing a
trailer.
For towing a disabled vehicle, see
Towing the Vehicle0260
ii. For
towing the vehicle behind another
vehicle such as a motor home, see
Recreational Vehicle Towing 0260
ii.
Driving Characteristics
and Towing Tips
Driving with a Trailer
When towing a trailer:
.
Become familiar with the state
and local laws that apply
specifically to trailer towing. .
Do not tow a trailer during the
first 800 km (500 miles), to
prevent damage to the engine,
axle or other parts.
. Then, during the first 800 km
(500 miles) trailer towing, do not
drive over 80 km/h (50 mph) and
do not make starts at full throttle.
. The vehicle can tow in D (Drive).
Use a lower gear if the
transmission shifts too often.
. Do not use the Fuel Economy
Mode when towing.
. Turn off Park Assist when
towing.
{Warning
When towing a trailer, exhaust
gases may collect at the rear of
the vehicle and enter if the
liftgate, trunk/hatch, or rear-most
window is open.
When towing a trailer:
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
.Do not drive with the
liftgate, trunk/hatch,
or rear-most window open.
. Fully open the air outlets on
or under the instrument
panel.
. Also adjust the climate
control system to a setting
that brings in only outside
air. See “Climate Control
Systems” in the Index.
For information about carbon
monoxide, see Engine Exhaust
0 166
ii.
Towing a trailer requires a certain
amount of experience. The
combination you are driving is
longer and not as responsive as the
vehicle itself. Get acquainted with
the handling and braking of the rig
before setting out for the open road.
Before starting, check all trailer hitch
parts and attachments, safety
chains, electrical connectors, lamps,
tires and mirrors. If the trailer has

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234773) - 2016 - crc - 9/3/15
246 Vehicle Care
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading
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 tires,
compact 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 andadditional General Motors Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC)
standards.
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
All Passenger Car Tires Must
Conform to Federal Safety
Requirements In Addition To
These Grades.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a
comparative rating based on the
wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a
specified government test
course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one and
one-half (1½) times as well on
the government course as a tire
graded 100. The relative
performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of
their use, however, and may
depart significantly from the
norm due to variations in driving
habits, service practices and
differences in road
characteristics and climate.
Traction
The traction grades, from
highest to lowest, are AA, A, B,
and C. Those grades represent
the tire's ability to stop on wet
pavement as measured under
controlled conditions on
specified government test
surfaces of asphalt and
concrete. A tire marked C may
have poor traction performance.
Warning: The traction grade
assigned to this tire is based on
straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include
acceleration, cornering,
hydroplaning, or peak traction
characteristics.

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234773) - 2016 - crc - 9/3/15
Index 313
IndexA
Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Accessory Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . 196
Additional Information OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
Additional Maintenance and Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Adjustments
Lumbar, Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine . . . . . . . 208
Air Conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Air Filter, Passenger Compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Airbag System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
How Does an AirbagRestrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Passenger Sensing System . . . . 65
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
What Will You See after an
Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
When Should an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . . . 61 Airbags
Adding Equipment to the
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Passenger Status Indicator . . . 101
Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Servicing Airbag-Equipped Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Alarm Vehicle Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Alert
Side Blind Zone (SBZA) . . . . . . 182
All-Season Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . 170, 219
Antilock Brake System (ABS) . . . 170 Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Appearance Care Exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Assistance Program, Roadside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Automatic Climate Control System . . . . . . . 139
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . 208

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234773) - 2016 - crc - 9/3/15
314 Index
Automatic TransmissionManual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Shift Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
B
BatteryLoad Management . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
Battery - North America . . . . 218, 257
Blade Replacement, Wiper . . . . . 220
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . 105
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216 Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . .114
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . 159
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133, 222
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . . . 223 Bulb Replacement (cont'd)
Taillamps, Turn Signal,
Sidemarker, Stoplamps,
and Backup Lamps . . . . . . . . . . 222
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
California Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Perchlorate Materials
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
California Proposition
65 Warning . . . . . . . . . .198, 218, 257
Camera Rear Vision (RVC) . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . 2
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Carbon Monoxide Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Cargo Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Tie-Downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Caution, Danger, and Warning . . . . 2
Center Console Storage . . . . . . . . . 89 Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . . 102
Check
Ignition Transmission Lock . . . 219
Malfunction IndicatorEngine Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Child Restraints
Infants and Young Children . . . . . 73
Lower Anchors and Tethersfor Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Securing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83, 86
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Cleaning Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . . 137 Air Conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Cluster, Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Collision Damage Repair . . . . . . . 296
Compact Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Compartments
Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234773) - 2016 - crc - 9/3/15
320 Index
RecordsMaintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
Recreational Vehicle Towing . . . . 260
Reimbursement Program, GM Mobility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Replacement Parts Airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Replacing Airbag System . . . . . . . . 70
Replacing LATCH System Parts after a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Replacing Safety Belt System
Parts after a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Reporting Safety Defects Canadian Government . . . . . . . . 300
General Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
U.S. Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Restraints Where to Put . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Reverse Tilt Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Ride Control Systems Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117 Roads
Driving, Wet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Roadside Assistance Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Roof Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Roof Rack System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Rotation, Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Routing, Engine Drive Belt . . . . . . 288
Running the Vehicle While Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
S
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Extender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
How to Wear Safety BeltsProperly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Reminders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Replacing after a Crash . . . . . . . . 59
Use During Pregnancy . . . . . . . . . . 58
Safety Defects Reporting Canadian Government . . . . . . . . 300
General Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
U.S. Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Safety Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Safety System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Scheduling Appointments . . . . . . . 295 Seats
Adjustment, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Heated Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Lumbar Adjustment, Front . . . . . . 46
Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Power Adjustment, Front . . . . . . . 45
Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Securing Child Restraints . . . . 83, 86
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
OnStar®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Vehicle Alarm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Service Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Climate Control System . . . . . . . 137
Doing Your Own Work . . . . . . . . 199
Engine Soon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Maintenance Records . . . . . . . . 284
Maintenance, General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Parts Identification Label . . . . . 285
Publications Ordering Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298