
Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
10446639) - 2018 - CRC - 8/18/17
278 Vehicle Care
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 279
California Proposition65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . . 280
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your OwnService Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . 292
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . 293
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . . . 299
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Battery - North America . . . . . . 303
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303 Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . . . 304
Automatic Transmission Shift
Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
Park Brake and P (Park)
Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . . . 304
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . 305
Windshield Replacement . . . . . 306
Gas Strut(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
High Intensity Discharge (HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
LED Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
Front Turn Signal and Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
Taillamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . . . 311
Electrical System
Electrical System Overload . . . 311
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . 312
Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312 Instrument Panel Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
Rear Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Wheels and Tires
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
All-Season Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Summer Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . 321
Tire Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323
Tire Terminology andDefinitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
Tire Pressure Monitor System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
Tire Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333
Tire Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
Different Size Tires and Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 338

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
10446639) - 2018 - CRC - 8/18/17
Vehicle Care 301
Caution (Continued)
.Do not mix water with
ready-to-use washer fluid.
Water can cause the
solution to freeze and
damage the washer fluid
tank and other parts of the
washer system.
. When using concentrated
washer fluid, follow the
manufacturer instructions for
adding water.
. Fill the washer fluid tank
only three-quarters full when
it is very cold. This allows
for fluid expansion if
freezing occurs, which could
damage the tank if it is
completely full.
Brakes
Disc brake pads have built-in wear
indicators that make a high-pitched
warning sound when the brake pads
are worn and new pads are needed.
The sound can come and go or can be heard all the time when the
vehicle is moving, except when
applying the brake pedal firmly.
{Warning
The brake wear warning sound
means that soon the brakes will
not work well. That could lead to
a crash. When the brake wear
warning sound is heard, have the
vehicle serviced.
Caution
Continuing to drive with worn-out
brake pads could result in costly
brake repair.
Some driving conditions or climates
can cause a brake squeal when the
brakes are first applied or lightly
applied. This does not mean
something is wrong with the brakes.
Properly torqued wheel nuts are
necessary to help prevent brake
pulsation. When tires are rotated, inspect brake pads for wear and
evenly tighten wheel nuts in the
proper sequence to torque
specifications. See
Capacities and
Specifications 0386.
Brake pads should be replaced as
complete sets.
Brake Pedal Travel
See your dealer if the brake pedal
does not return to normal height,
or if there is a rapid increase in
pedal travel. This could be a sign
that brake service may be required.
Replacing Brake System Parts
Always replace brake system parts
with new, approved replacement
parts. If this is not done, the brakes
may not work properly. The braking
performance expected can change
in many other ways if the wrong
replacement brake parts are
installed or if parts are improperly
installed.

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
10446639) - 2018 - CRC - 8/18/17
398 Customer Information
puts you in danger, or you are
instructed to move it by a police
officer.
Give only the necessary information
to police and other parties involved
in the crash.
For emergency towing see
Roadside Assistance Program
0393.
Gather the following information:
. Driver name, address, and
telephone number
. Driver license number
. Owner name, address, and
telephone number
. Vehicle license plate number
. Vehicle make, model, and
model year
. Vehicle Identification
Number (VIN)
. Insurance company and policy
number
. General description of the
damage to the other vehicle Choose a reputable repair facility
that uses quality replacement parts.
See
“Collision Parts” earlier in this
section.
If the airbag has inflated, see What
Will You See after an Airbag
Inflates? 083.
Managing the Vehicle Damage
Repair Process
In the event that the vehicle requires
damage repairs, GM recommends
that you take an active role in its
repair. If you have a pre-determined
repair facility of choice, take the
vehicle there, or have it towed there.
Specify to the facility that any
required replacement collision parts
be original equipment parts, either
new Genuine GM parts or recycled
original GM parts. Remember,
recycled parts will not be covered by
the GM vehicle warranty.
Insurance pays the bill for the repair,
but you must live with the repair.
Depending on your policy limits,
your insurance company may
initially value the repair using
aftermarket parts. Discuss this with the repair professional, and insist on
Genuine GM parts. Remember,
if the vehicle is leased, you may be
obligated to have the vehicle
repaired with Genuine GM parts,
even if your insurance coverage
does not pay the full cost.
If another party's insurance
company is paying for the repairs,
you are not obligated to accept a
repair valuation based on that
insurance company's collision policy
repair limits, as you have no
contractual limits with that company.
In such cases, you can have control
of the repair and parts choices as
long as the cost stays within
reasonable limits.
Service Publications
Ordering Information
Service Manuals
Service Manuals have the diagnosis
and repair information on the
engines, transmission, axle,
suspension, brakes, electrical,
steering, body, etc.

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
10446639) - 2018 - CRC - 8/18/17
416 Index
Apple CarPlay andAndroid Auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Assistance Program, Roadside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
Assistance Systems for Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Assistance Systems for
Parking and Backing . . . . . . . . . . 245
Audio Theft-Deterrent Feature . . . . . . . 166
Automatic
Dimming Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Forward Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Automatic Transmission Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Shift Lock Control FunctionCheck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
Auxiliary Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Avoiding Untrusted Media Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173B
Battery
Exterior Lighting BatterySaver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Load Management . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Power Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Battery - North America . . . . 303, 354
Biodiesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Blade Replacement, Wiper . . . . . 305
Bluetooth Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180, 181
Brake Parking, Electric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
System Warning Light . . . . . . . . 132
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301 Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Automatic Forward . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . 215
Bulb Replacement Front Turn Signal and FogLamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308, 309 Bulb Replacement (cont'd)
High Intensity Discharge
(HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . . . .311
Taillamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
California Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Perchlorate MaterialsRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
California
Proposition
65 Warning . . . . . . . . . .279, 303, 354, Back Cover
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . 2
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386
Carbon Monoxide Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Cargo Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Tie-Downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Caution, Danger, and Warning . . . . 3