
Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234773) - 2016 - crc - 9/3/15
Climate Controls 139
Caution
Do not use a razor blade or sharp
object to clear the inside rear
window. Do not adhere anything
to the defogger grid lines in the
rear glass. These actions may
damage the rear defogger.
Repairs would not be covered by
the vehicle warranty.
Automatic Climate Control System
The vehicle's heating, cooling, defrosting, and ventilation can be controlled
with this system.
1. Fan Control
2. AUTO (Automatic Operation)
3. Air Delivery Mode Controls
4. Front Defrost
5. Recirculation
6. Temperature Control
7. A/C (Air Conditioning)
8. Driver and Passenger HeatedSeats (If Equipped) 9. Rear Window Defogger
10. Power
Automatic Operation
The system automatically controls
the fan speed, air delivery, air
conditioning, and recirculation to
heat or cool the vehicle to the
selected temperature.
When the AUTO indicator light is
on, the system is in full automatic
operation.

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234773) - 2016 - crc - 9/3/15
Climate Controls 141
h(Recirculation) :Press to turn
on the recirculation. Press to
alternate between recirculation and
outside air, if the vehicle does not
have a separate outside air button.
The indicator light turns on when
recirculation is selected. Air is
recirculated inside the vehicle.
It helps to quickly cool the air inside
the vehicle and reduce the outside
air and odors that might enter.
%(Outside Air, If Equipped) :
Press to turn on the outside air. An
indicator light comes on. Outside air
is circulated throughout the vehicle.
Auto Defog : The climate control
system has a sensor to
automatically detect high humidity
inside the vehicle. When high
humidity is detected, the climate
control system may adjust to
outside air supply and turn on the
air conditioner. If the climate control
system does not detect possible
window fogging, it returns to normal
operation. To turn Auto Defog on or
off, see “Climate and Air Quality”
under Vehicle Personalization
0 120
ii.
Rear Window Defogger
1REAR (Rear Defogger) : Press
to turn the rear window defogger on
or off. An indicator light on the
button comes on to show that the
rear window defogger is on. It turns
off if the ignition is put in the ACC/
ACCESSORY or LOCK/OFF
position.
The ignition must be on to use the
rear window defogger.
Do not drive the vehicle until all the
windows are clear.
Caution
Do not use a razor blade or sharp
object to clear the inside rear
window. Do not adhere anything
to the defogger grid lines in the
rear glass. These actions may
damage the rear defogger.
Repairs would not be covered by
the vehicle warranty.
z/J(Driver and Passenger
Heated Seats) : If equipped with
heated seats, see Heated Front
Seats 050
ii.
Remote Start Climate Control
Operation : If equipped with the
remote start feature, the climate
control system may run when the
vehicle is started remotely. The
system uses the driver ’s previous
settings to heat or cool the inside of
the vehicle. The rear defog may
come on during remote start based
on cold ambient conditions. The
rear defog indicator light does not
come on during a remote start. If the
vehicle has heated front seats, they
may come on during a remote start.
See Remote Vehicle Start 028
iiand
Heated Front Seats 050ii.

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234773) - 2016 - crc - 9/3/15
142 Climate Controls
Sensors
The solar sensor, located on top of
the instrument panel near the
windshield, monitors the solar heat.
The climate control system uses the
information to adjust the
temperature, fan speed,
recirculation, and air delivery mode.
Do not cover the solar sensor or the
system will not work properly.
Air Vents
Center Air Vents
Use the louvers located on the air
vents to change the direction of the
airflow. Use the thumbwheels to
open or close off the airflow.
Side Air Vents
Use the louvers located on the air
vents to change the direction of the
airflow or to open or close off the
airflow.
Operation Tips
.Clear away any ice, snow,
or leaves from air inlets at the
base of the windshield that could
block the flow of air into the
vehicle.
. Keep the path under the front
seats clear of objects to help
circulate the air inside of the
vehicle more effectively.
. Use of non-GM approved hood
deflectors can adversely affect
the performance of the system. Check with your dealer before
adding equipment to the outside
of the vehicle.
. Do not attach any devices to the
air vent slats. This restricts
airflow and may cause damage
to the air vents.

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234773) - 2016 - crc - 9/3/15
Driving and Operating 159
Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR).
The GVWR includes the weight
of the vehicle, all occupants,
fuel, and cargo.
The Certification/Tire label may
also show the maximum weights
for the front and rear axles,
called the Gross Axle Weight
Rating (GAWR). To find out the
actual loads on the front and
rear axles, weigh the vehicle at
a weigh station. Your dealer can
help with this. Be sure to spread
the load equally on both sides of
the centerline.Caution
Overloading the vehicle may
cause damage. Repairs would not
be covered by the vehicle
warranty. Do not overload the
vehicle.
{Warning
Things inside the vehicle can
strike and injure people in a
sudden stop or turn, or in a
crash.
.Put things in the cargo
area of the vehicle. In the
cargo area, put them as
far forward as possible.
Try to spread the weight
evenly.
.Never stack heavier
things, like suitcases,
inside the vehicle so that
some of them are above
the tops of the seats.
.Do not leave an
unsecured child restraint
in the vehicle.
.Secure loose items in the
vehicle.
.Do not leave a seat
folded down unless
needed.
Starting and
Operating
New Vehicle Break-In
Caution
The vehicle does not need an
elaborate break-in. But it will
perform better in the long run if
you follow these guidelines: . Do not drive at any one
constant speed, fast or slow,
for the first 805 km (500 mi).
Do not make full-throttle
starts. Avoid downshifting to
brake or slow the vehicle.
. Avoid making hard stops for
the first 322 km (200 mi) or
so. During this time the new
brake linings are not yet
broken in. Hard stops with
new linings can mean
premature wear and earlier
replacement. Follow this
(Continued)

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9234773) - 2016 - crc - 9/3/15
234 Vehicle Care
(1) Passenger (P-Metric) Tire:
The United States version of a
metric tire sizing system. The
letter P as the first character in
the tire size means a passenger
vehicle tire engineered to
standards set by the U.S. Tire
and Rim Association.
(2) Tire Width
:The three-digit
number indicates the tire section
width in millimeters from
sidewall to sidewall.
(3) Aspect Ratio
:A two-digit
number that indicates the tire
height-to-width measurements.
For example, if the tire size
aspect ratio is 60, as shown in
item 3 of the illustration, it would
mean that the tire's sidewall is
60 percent as high as it is wide. (4) Construction Code
:A letter
code is used to indicate the type
of ply construction in the tire.
The letter R means radial ply
construction; the letter D means
diagonal or bias ply
construction; and the letter B
means belted-bias ply
construction.
(5) Rim Diameter
:Diameter of
the wheel in inches.
(6) Service Description
:These
characters represent the load
index and speed rating of the
tire. The load index represents
the load carrying capacity a tire
is certified to carry. The speed
rating is the maximum speed a
tire is certified to carry a load.
Tire Terminology and
Definitions
Air Pressure:The amount of
air inside the tire pressing
outward on each square inch of the tire. Air pressure is
expressed in kPa (kilopascal)
or psi (pounds per square inch).
Accessory Weight
:The
combined weight of optional
accessories. Some examples of
optional accessories are
automatic transmission, power
windows, power seats, and air
conditioning.
Aspect Ratio
:The relationship
of a tire's height to its width.
Belt
:A rubber coated layer of
cords between the plies and the
tread. Cords may be made from
steel or other reinforcing
materials.
Bead
:The tire bead contains
steel wires wrapped by steel
cords that hold the tire onto
the rim.
Bias Ply Tire
:A pneumatic tire
in which the plies are laid at
alternate angles less than
90 degrees to the centerline of
the tread.

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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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
316 Index
EmergencyOnStar®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Check and Service EngineSoon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Compartment Overview . . . . . . . 201
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Coolant Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Cooling System Messages . . . .114
Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Oil Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115
Oil Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . 166
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Equipment, Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . . . 301
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Extender, Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . 130F
Features
Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Filter, Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . 132
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249 Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
FlexFuel
E85 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Fluid Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 208
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Power Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Fog Lamps Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . 133, 222
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . 106
Frequency Statement
Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 Front Seats
Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185 Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Economy Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Economy Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Filling a Portable FuelContainer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Foreign Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . 109
Requirements, California . . . . . 186
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
Fuel Economy Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Engine Compartment FuseBlock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
G
Garage Door Opener . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Gauges
Engine CoolantTemperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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Index 317
Gauges (cont'd)Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Warning Lights and
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
General Information Service and Maintenance . . . . . 272
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
GM Mobility Reimbursement Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
H
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . . . 132
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
HeadlampsAiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Daytime RunningLamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 109
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . 130
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . .110
Heated Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Heated Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Heater
Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Heating and Air Conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137, 139
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . 153
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . . . 172
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
I
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Ignition Transmission LockCheck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Indicator Vehicle Ahead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Infants and Young Children,
Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Interior Rearview Mirrors . . . . . . . . . 39
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
J
Jump Starting - North America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
K
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . . . . 116
Keyless EntryRemote (RKE) System . . . . . . . . . 26
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
L
Labeling, Tire Sidewall . . . . . . . . . . 231
Lamps Daytime Running (DRL) . . . . . . 131
Dome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Exterior Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
License Plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Malfunction Indicator . . . . . . . . . 103
On Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Lane Departure
Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Lane Departure Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
LATCH System
Replacing Parts after aCrash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83