
Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9918169) - 2017 - CRC - 3/23/16
Introduction 3
Danger, Warning, and
Caution
Warning messages found on vehicle
labels and in this manual describe
hazards and what to do to avoid or
reduce them.
{Danger
Danger indicates a hazard with a
high level of risk which will result
in serious injury or death.
{Warning
Warning indicates a hazard that
could result in injury or death.
Caution
Caution indicates a hazard that
could result in property or vehicle
damage.
A circle with a slash through it is a
safety symbol which means“Do
Not,” “Do not do this,” or“Do not let
this happen.”
Symbols
The vehicle has components and
labels that use symbols instead of
text. Symbols are shown along with
the text describing the operation or
information relating to a specific
component, control, message,
gauge, or indicator.
M: Shown when the owner
manual has additional instructions
or information.
*: Shown when the service
manual has additional instructions
or information.
0: Shown when there is more
information on another page —
“see page.” Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols
that may be found on the vehicle
and what they mean. For more
information on the symbol, refer to
the Index.
9:
Airbag Readiness Light
#:Air Conditioning
!:Antilock Brake System (ABS)
$:Brake System Warning Light
":Charging System
I: Cruise Control
`:Do Not Puncture
^:Do Not Service
B:Engine Coolant Temperature
O:Exterior Lamps
_: Flame/Fire Prohibited
#:Fog Lamps
.:Fuel Gauge
+: Fuses
3:Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer
j: LATCH System Child Restraints

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9918169) - 2017 - CRC - 3/23/16
Instruments and Controls 95
Instruments and
Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . . 96
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . . 96
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . . 96
Rear Window Wiper/Washer . . . 98
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . 103
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . . 104
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Charging System Light . . . . . . . 105
Malfunction Indicator Lamp
(Check Engine Light) . . . . . . . . 106
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Vehicle Ahead Indicator . . . . . . 109
Traction Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
StabiliTrak
®OFF Light . . . . . . . . 110
Traction Control System (TCS)/ StabiliTrak
®Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . . 111
Fuel Economy Light . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . 112
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 112
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . . 112
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . . 113
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . . 113
Information Displays
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Battery Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Brake System Messages . . . . . 117
Compass Messages . . . . . . . . . . 117
Cruise Control Messages . . . . . 117
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . . 117
Engine Cooling System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . . 118
Engine Power Messages . . . . . 119
Fuel System Messages . . . . . . . 119
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . . 119
Object Detection System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Ride Control System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Airbag System Messages . . . . 121
Security Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Service Vehicle Messages . . . . 122
Tire Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Transmission Messages . . . . . . 122
Vehicle Reminder Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Vehicle Personalization
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . 123

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
146 Climate Controls
2. Push the stop tab upward untilthe stop tab is under the
instrument panel assembly and
the glove box is released.
3. Unsnap the tabs beneath the glove box that connect it to the
bottom of the instrument panel
assembly.
4. Remove the glove box.
5. Locate the service door for the passenger compartment air
filter.6. Push the two tabs upward andrelease the latches holding the
service door. Lift the
service door.
7. Remove the old air filter.
8. Install the new air filter.
9. Close the service door and latches.
10. Reinstall the glove box.
See your dealer if additional
assistance is needed.

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
150 Driving and Operating
Hydraulic Power Steering (3.6L
V6 Engine)
If your vehicle has hydraulic power
steering, it may require
maintenance. SeePower Steering
Fluid (2.4L L4 Engine) 0218 or
Power Steering Fluid (3.6L
V6 Engine) 0218.
If power steering is lost because the
engine stops or a system
malfunctions, the vehicle can be
steered but may require increased
effort. See your dealer if there is a
problem.
Caution
If the steering wheel is turned
until it reaches the end of its
travel, and is held in that position
for more than 15 seconds,
damage may occur to the power
steering system and there may be
loss of power steering assist.
Curve Tips
. Take curves at a reasonable
speed.
. Reduce speed before entering a
curve.
. Maintain a reasonable steady
speed through the curve
. Wait until the vehicle is out of
the curve before accelerating
gently into the straightaway.
Steering in Emergencies
.There are some situations when
steering around a problem may
be more effective than braking.
. Holding both sides of the
steering wheel allows you to turn
180 degrees without removing
a hand.
. Anti-lock Brake System (ABS)
allows steering while braking.
Off-Road Recovery
The vehicle's right wheels can drop
off the edge of a road onto the
shoulder while driving. Follow
these tips:
1. Ease off the accelerator and then, if there is nothing in the
way, steer the vehicle so that it
straddles the edge of the
pavement.
2. Turn the steering wheel about one-eighth of a turn, until the
right front tire contacts the
pavement edge.

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9918169) - 2017 - CRC - 3/23/16
Driving and Operating 157
{Warning
Coasting downhill in N (Neutral)
or with the ignition off is
dangerous. This can cause
overheating of the brakes and
loss of steering. Always have the
engine running and the vehicle
in gear.
. Drive at speeds that keep the
vehicle in its own lane. Do not
swing wide or cross the
center line.
. Be alert on top of hills;
something could be in your lane
(e.g., stalled car, accident).
. Pay attention to special road
signs (e.g., falling rocks area,
winding roads, long grades,
passing or no-passing zones)
and take appropriate action.
Winter Driving
Driving on Snow or Ice
Snow or ice between the tires and
the road creates less traction or
grip, so drive carefully. Wet ice can
occur at about 0 °C (32 °F) when
freezing rain begins to fall. Avoid
driving on wet ice or in freezing rain
until roads can be treated.
For Slippery Road Driving:
.Accelerate gently. Accelerating
too quickly causes the wheels to
spin and makes the surface
under the tires slick.
. Turn on Traction Control. See
Traction Control/Electronic
Stability Control 0175.
. The Antilock Brake System
(ABS) improves vehicle stability
during hard stops, but the
brakes should be applied sooner
than when on dry pavement.
See Antilock Brake System
(ABS) 0173. .
Allow greater following distance
and watch for slippery spots. Icy
patches can occur on otherwise
clear roads in shaded areas.
The surface of a curve or an
overpass can remain icy when
the surrounding roads are clear.
Avoid sudden steering
maneuvers and braking while
on ice.
. Turn off cruise control.
Blizzard Conditions
Stop the vehicle in a safe place and
signal for help. Stay with the vehicle
unless there is help nearby.
If possible, use Roadside
Assistance. See Roadside
Assistance Program 0296. To get
help and keep everyone in the
vehicle safe:
. Turn on the hazard warning
flashers.
. Tie a red cloth to an outside
mirror.

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9918169) - 2017 - CRC - 3/23/16
Driving and Operating 173
Press the eco (economy) button to
turn this feature on or off. The eco
light in the instrument cluster will
come on when engaged. SeeFuel
Economy Light 0111. A Driver
Information Center (DIC) message
is also displayed. See Fuel System
Messages 0119.
When Fuel Economy Mode is on:
. The transmission will upshift
sooner and downshift later.
. The torque converter clutch will
apply sooner and stay on longer.
. The gas pedal will be less
sensitive.
. The vehicle's computer will more
aggressively shut off fuel to the
engine under deceleration.
. The engine idle speed will be
lower.
. Driving performance is more
conservative.
. The climate controls may take
longer to heat or cool the cabin.
. The rear defogger will stay on
for shorter periods of time.Drive Systems
All-Wheel Drive
Vehicles with this feature transfer
engine power, as required, to all
four wheels. It is fully automatic, and
adjusts itself as needed for road
conditions.
When using a compact spare tire on
an AWD vehicle, the system
automatically detects the compact
spare and reduces AWD
performance to protect the system.
To restore full AWD operation and
prevent excessive wear on the
system, replace the compact spare
with a full-size tire as soon as
possible. See Compact Spare
Tire 0259.
Brakes
Antilock Brake
System (ABS)
This vehicle has an Antilock Brake
System (ABS), an advanced
electronic braking system that helps
prevent a braking skid.
When the vehicle begins to drive
away, ABS checks itself.
A momentary motor or clicking noise
may be heard while this test is going
on, and it may even be noticed that
the brake pedal moves a little. This
is normal.
If there is a problem with ABS, this
warning light stays on. See Antilock
Brake System (ABS) Warning
Light 0108.