2017 CHEVROLET EQUINOX tow

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9918169) - 2017 - CRC - 3/23/16
108 Instruments and Controls
Brake System Warning
Light
The vehicle brake system consists
of two hydraulic circuits. If one
circuit is not working, the remaining
circuit can still work to stop the
vehicle. For normal braking
performance, both circuits need to
be working
MetricEnglish
This light should come on briefly
when the engine is started. If it does
not come on then, have it fixed so it
will be ready to warn you if there is
a problem.
When the ignition is on, the brake
system warning light comes on
when the parking brake is set. The
light stays on if the parking brake
does not fully release. If it stays on
after the parking brake is fully released, there is a brake problem.
Have the brake system inspected
immediately.
{Warning
The brake system might not be
working properly if the brake
system warning light is on.
Driving with the brake system
warning light on can lead to a
crash. If the light is still on after
the vehicle has been pulled off
the road and carefully stopped,
have the vehicle towed for
service.
If the light comes on while driving, a
chime sounds. Pull off the road and
stop. The pedal might be harder to
push or go closer to the floor.
It might also take longer to stop.
If the light is still on, have the
vehicle towed for service. See
Towing the Vehicle 0263.
Antilock Brake System
(ABS) Warning Light
For vehicles with the Antilock Brake
System (ABS), this light comes on
briefly when the engine is started.
If the light does not come on, have it
fixed so it will be ready to warn if
there is a problem.
If the ABS light comes on and stays
on while driving, stop as soon as
possible and turn the ignition off.
Start the engine again to reset the
system. If the light stays on after
driving at a speed above 20 km/h
(13 mph), see your dealer for
service. A chime may also sound
when the light comes on steady.
If the regular brake system warning
light is not on, the vehicle still has
brakes, but not antilock brakes.
If the regular brake system warning

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9918169) - 2017 - CRC - 3/23/16
128 Instruments and Controls
Comfort and Convenience
Select and the following may
display:
.Easy Exit Driver Seat
. Chime Volume
. Reverse Tilt Mirror
. Memory Remote Recall
. Button Chime
Easy Exit Driver Seat
This feature moves the seat
rearward allowing the driver more
room to exit the vehicle. See “Easy
Exit Driver Seat” underMemory
Seats 049.
Select On or Off.
Chime Volume
This allows the selection of the
chime volume level.
Select Low or High.
Reverse Tilt Mirror
When on, both the driver and
passenger mirrors will tilt downward
when the 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 R (Reverse). See
Reverse Tilt Mirrors
039.
Select On or Off.
Memory Remote Recall
This feature automatically recalls
the current driver ’s previously stored
1 or 2 button positions when
entering the vehicle. See "Recalling
RKE Memory Positions (Memory
Remote Recall)" under Memory
Seats 049.
Select On or Off.
Button Chime
When enabled, a sound will be
heard when a selection is made
using the infotainment system.
Select to enable or disable.
Collision Detection Systems
Select and the following may
display:
. Park Assist .
Side Blind Zone Alert
. Rear Cross Traffic Alert
Park Assist
This allows the Parking Assist
feature to be turned on or off.
Select On, Off, or On with Tow Bar
Attached.
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA)
This allows the SBZA feature to be
turned on or off. See Side Blind
Zone Alert (SBZA) 0185.
Select On or Off.
Rear Cross Traffic Alert
This allows the Rear Cross Traffic
Alert feature to be turned on or off.
Select On or Off.
See Rear Vision Camera
(RVC) 0180.
Lighting
Select and the following may
display:
.
Vehicle Locator Lights
. Exit Lighting

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9918169) - 2017 - CRC - 3/23/16
Lighting 133
Lighting
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . 133
Headlamp High/Low-BeamChanger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Automatic Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . 135
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel Illumination Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Reading Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Lighting Features
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Battery Load Management . . . 137
Battery Power Protection . . . . . 138
Exterior Lighting Battery Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls
The exterior lamp control is on the
turn signal lever.
There are four positions.
O: Briefly turn to this position to
turn the automatic light control off or
on again.
AUTO : Turns the exterior lamps on
and off automatically depending on
the exterior light. The vehicle will
default to the AUTO setting when it
is first started.
;: Turns on the parking lamps
including all lamps, except the
headlamps.
5: Turns on the headlamps,
together with the parking lamps and
instrument panel lights.
Headlamp High/
Low-Beam Changer
2 3
: Push the turn signal lever
away from you and release, to turn
the high beams on. To return to low
beams, push the lever again or pull
it toward you and release.
This indicator light turns on in the
instrument cluster when the
high-beam headlamps are on.
Flash-to-Pass
The flash-to-pass feature works with
the low beams or Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL) on or off.
To flash the high beams, pull the
turn signal lever all the way toward
you, then release it.

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9918169) - 2017 - CRC - 3/23/16
Driving and Operating 147
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Off-Road Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . 155
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 156
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 158
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . 163
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Retained AccessoryPower (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Engine Coolant Heater . . . . . . . 166
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . 168 Parking over Things
That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Running the Vehicle WhileParked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 170
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Fuel Economy Mode . . . . . . . . . 172
Drive Systems
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . 175
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic
Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Driver Assistance Systems
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . 180
Parking Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182 Forward Collision Alert (FCA)
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Lane Departure
Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
California FuelRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 190
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
E85 or FlexFuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Trailer Towing
General Towing
Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Driving Characteristics and Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Towing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Trailer Sway Control (TSC) . . . 198
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9918169) - 2017 - CRC - 3/23/16
Driving and Operating 159
gears. Release the accelerator
pedal while shifting, and press
lightly on the accelerator pedal
when the transmission is in gear.
Slowly spinning the wheels in the
forward and reverse directions
causes a rocking motion that could
free the vehicle. If that does not get
the vehicle out after a few tries, it
might need to be towed out. If the
vehicle does need to be towed out,
seeTowing the Vehicle 0263.
Vehicle Load Limits
It is very important to know how
much weight the vehicle can
carry. This weight is called the
vehicle capacity weight and
includes the weight of all
occupants, cargo, and all
nonfactory-installed options.
Two labels on the vehicle may
show how much weight it may
properly carry, the Tire and
Loading Information label and
the Certification/Tire label.
{Warning
Do not load the vehicle any
heavier than the Gross
Vehicle Weight Rating
(GVWR), or either the
maximum front or rear Gross
Axle Weight Rating (GAWR).
This can cause systems to
break and change the way the
vehicle handles. This could
cause loss of control and a
crash. Overloading can also
reduce stopping distance,
damage the tires, and shorten
the life of the vehicle.Tire and Loading Information
Label
Example Label
A vehicle-specific Tire and
Loading Information label is
attached to the center pillar
(B-pillar). The tire and loading
information label shows the
number of occupant seating
positions (1), and the maximum
vehicle capacity weight (2) in
kilograms and pounds.

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9918169) - 2017 - CRC - 3/23/16
160 Driving and Operating
The Tire and Loading
Information label also shows the
size of the original equipment
tires (3) and the recommended
cold tire inflation pressures (4).
For more information on tires
and inflation seeTires0232
and Tire Pressure 0240.
There is also important loading
information on the vehicle
Certification/Tire label. It may
show the Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating (GVWR) and the Gross
Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) for
the front and rear axle. See
“Certification/Tire Label” later in
this section.
“Steps for Determining Correct
Load Limit–
1.
Locate the statement "The
combined weight of
occupants and cargo should
never exceed XXX kg or
XXX lbs." on your vehicle’s
placard.
2.Determine the combined
weight of the driver and
passengers that will be
riding in your vehicle.
3.Subtract the combined
weight of the driver and
passengers from XXX kg or
XXX lbs.
4.The resulting figure equals
the available amount of
cargo and luggage load
capacity. For example, if the
"XXX" amount equals
1400 lbs. and there will be
five 150 lb passengers in
your vehicle, the amount of
available cargo and luggage
load capacity is 650 lbs.
(1400-750 (5 x 150) =
650 lbs.)
5.Determine the combined
weight of luggage and cargo
being loaded on the vehicle.
That weight may not safely
exceed the available cargo
and luggage load capacity
calculated in Step 4.
6.If your vehicle will be towing
a trailer, load from your
trailer will be transferred to
your vehicle. Consult this
manual to determine how
this reduces the available
cargo and luggage load
capacity of your vehicle.”
See Trailer Towing 0196 for
important information on towing
a trailer, towing safety rules and
trailering tips.

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9918169) - 2017 - CRC - 3/23/16
Driving and Operating 167
Warning (Continued)
.Use a weatherproof,
heavy-duty, 15 amp-rated
extension cord if needed.
Failure to use the
recommended extension
cord in good operating
condition, or using a
damaged heater or
extension cord, could make
it overheat and cause a fire,
property damage, electric
shock, and injury.
. Do not operate the vehicle
with the heater cord
permanently attached to the
vehicle. Possible heater
cord and thermostat
damage could occur.
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
.While in use, do not let the
heater cord touch vehicle
parts or sharp edges. Never
close the hood on the
heater cord.
. Before starting the vehicle,
unplug the cord, reattach
the cover to the plug, and
securely fasten the cord.
Keep the cord away from
any moving parts.
4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug and store the
cord as it was before to keep it
away from moving engine
parts. If you do not it could be
damaged.
The length of time the heater should
remain plugged in depends on
several factors. Ask a dealer in the
area where you will be parking the
vehicle for the best advice on this.
Shifting Into Park
{Warning
It can be dangerous to get out of
the vehicle if the shift lever is not
fully in P (Park) with the parking
brake firmly set. The vehicle can
roll. If you have left the engine
running, the vehicle can move
suddenly. You or others could be
injured. To be sure the vehicle will
not move, even when you are on
fairly level ground, use the steps
that follow. If you are pulling a
trailer, see Driving Characteristics
and Towing Tips 0193.
To shift into P (Park): 1. Hold the brake pedal down and set the parking brake.
See Parking Brake 0174 for
more information.
2. Hold the button on the shift lever and push the lever toward
the front of the vehicle into
P (Park).

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9918169) - 2017 - CRC - 3/23/16
168 Driving and Operating
3. Turn the ignition to LOCK/OFF.
4. Remove the key.
Leaving the Vehicle With the
Engine Running
{Warning
It can be dangerous to leave the
vehicle with the engine running.
It could overheat and catch fire.
It is dangerous to get out of the
vehicle if the shift lever is not fully
in P (Park) with the parking brake
firmly set. The vehicle can roll.
Do not leave the vehicle when the
engine is running. If you have left
the engine running, the vehicle
can move suddenly. You or others
could be injured. To be sure the
vehicle will not move, even when
you are on fairly level ground,
always set the parking brake and
move the shift lever to P (Park).
SeeShifting Into Park 0167.
If you are towing a trailer, see
Driving Characteristics and
Towing Tips 0193. If you have to leave the vehicle with
the engine running, the vehicle must
be in P (Park) and the parking
brake set.
Release the button and check that
the shift lever cannot be moved out
of P (Park).Torque Lock
Torque lock is when the weight of
the vehicle puts too much force on
the parking pawl in the
transmission. This happens when
parking on a hill and shifting the
transmission into P (Park) is not
done properly and then it is difficult
to shift out of P (Park). To prevent
torque lock, set the parking brake
and then shift into P (Park). To find
out how, see
“Shifting Into Park”
listed previously.
If torque lock does occur, the
vehicle may need to be pushed
uphill by another vehicle to relieve
the parking pawl pressure, so you
can shift out of P (Park).
Shifting out of Park
To shift out of P (Park):
1. Apply the brake pedal.
2. Turn the ignition to ON/RUN.
3. Press the shift lever button.
4. Move the shift lever.
If you still are unable to shift out of
P (Park): 1. Fully release the shift lever button.
2. Hold the brake pedal down and press the shift lever button
again.
3. Move the shift lever.
If you still cannot move the shift
lever from P (Park), see your dealer
for service.