
Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13555863) - 2020 - CRC - 8/2/19
Instruments and Controls 125
Vehicle Information Menu
(VEHICLE) Items
Units :Choose between Metric or
US when Units is active. Press
Vto
confirm the setting. This will change
the displays on the DIC to the type
of measurements you select.
Speed Warning : This display is
used to set the vehicle speed at
which the speed warning chime
sounds and the alert is displayed.
The speed can be set by pressing
Vwhile the speed warning display
is showing.
Remaining Oil Life : Displays an
estimate of the oil's remaining useful
life. If REMAINING OIL LIFE 99% is
displayed, that means 99% of the
current oil life remains.
When the remaining oil life is low,
the CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
message will appear on the display.
The oil should be changed as soon
as possible. See Engine Oil0275.
In addition to the engine oil life
system monitoring the oil life,
additional maintenance is recommended in the Maintenance
Schedule in this manual. See
Maintenance Schedule
0360.
The Oil Life display must be reset
after each oil change. Do not reset
the Oil Life display accidentally at
any time other than when the oil has
just been changed. It cannot be
reset accurately until the next oil
change. To reset the engine oil life
system, see Engine Oil Life System
0 279.
Oil Pressure : Oil pressure is
displayed in either kilopascal (kPa)
or in pounds per square inch (psi).
Fuel Filter Life (Diesel Engine
Only) : This display shows an
estimate of the fuel filter's remaining
useful life. If 90% Fuel Filter Life
Remaining is displayed, it means
90% of the current fuel filter life
remains. The fuel filter life system
will alert when to change the fuel
filter on a schedule consistent with
your driving conditions. When the
remaining fuel filter life is low, the
CHANGE FUEL FILTER message
will appear on the display. Change
the fuel filter as soon as possible. Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) Level
(Diesel Engine Only) :
The DEF
level will be displayed as either OK,
XX%, or LOW. When LOW appears
on the display, add DEF as soon as
possible. See Diesel Exhaust Fluid
0 195.
Tire Pressure : Displays a vehicle
with the approximate pressures of
all four tires. Tire pressure is
displayed in either kilopascal (kPa)
or in pounds per square inch (psi).
See Tire Pressure Monitor System
0 315 and
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation
0 316.
Battery Voltage : Displays the
current battery voltage, if equipped.
Battery voltage changes are normal
while driving. See Charging System
Light 0114. If there is a problem
with the battery charging system,
the DIC will display a message.
Coolant Temperature : Displays
the coolant temperature in degrees
Celsius (°C) or degrees Fahrenheit
(°F).

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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Instruments and Controls 127
This number is calculated based on
the number of L/100 km (mpg)
recorded since the last time this
menu item was reset. This number
reflects only the approximate
average fuel economy that the
vehicle has right now, and will
change as driving conditions
change.
Press and hold
Vwhile this display
is active to reset the trip odometer
and the average fuel economy. Trip
A and Trip B can also be reset by
pressing
pand choosing reset.
Fuel Information or Fuel Range :
Shows the approximate distance the
vehicle can be driven without
refueling. LOW will be displayed
when the vehicle is low on fuel. The
fuel range estimate is based on an
average of the vehicle's fuel
economy over recent driving history
and the amount of fuel remaining in
the fuel tank. Oil Life :
Shows an estimate of the
oil's remaining useful life.
If REMAINING OIL LIFE 99% is
displayed, that means 99% of the
current oil life remains.
When the remaining oil life is low,
the CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
message will appear on the display.
The oil should be changed as soon
as possible. See Engine Oil0275.
In addition to the engine oil life
system monitoring the oil life,
additional maintenance is
recommended. See Maintenance
Schedule 0360.
The Oil Life display must be reset
after each oil change. It will not
reset itself. Do not to reset the Oil
Life display at any time other than
when the oil has just been changed.
It cannot be reset accurately until
the next oil change. To reset the
engine oil life system, press
Vfor
several seconds while the Oil Life
display is active or press
pto open the menu and select reset. Press
V
to reset. See
Engine Oil Life System
0 279.
Fuel Filter Life Remaining (Diesel
Engine Only) : If equipped, an
estimate of the fuel filter's remaining
useful life is shown. If 90% Fuel
Filter Life Remaining is displayed, it
means 90% of the current fuel filter
life remains. The fuel filter life
system will alert when to change the
fuel filter on a schedule consistent
with your driving conditions.
When the remaining fuel filter life is
low, the CHANGE FUEL FILTER
message will appear on the display.
Change the fuel filter as soon as
possible.
The Fuel Filter Life display must be
reset after each Fuel Filter change.
It will not reset itself. Do not reset
the Fuel Filter Life display at any
time other than when the fuel filter
has just been changed. Press
Vfor
several seconds while the display is
active or press
pto open the menu

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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128 Instruments and Controls
and select reset. PressVto reset.
See Fuel Filter Replacement
(Diesel) 0249.
Tire Pressure : Shows the
approximate pressures of all four
tires. Tire pressure is displayed in
either kilopascal (kPa) or in pounds
per square inch (psi). If the pressure
is low, the value for that tire is
shown in amber. See Tire Pressure
Monitor System 0315 and
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation
0 316.
Average Speed : Displays the
average vehicle speed of the
vehicle in kilometers per hour (km/h)
or miles per hour (mph). This
average is based on the various
vehicle speeds recorded since the
last reset. Press and hold
Vwhile
this display is active to reset the
average speed. Average speed can
also be reset by pressing
pand
choosing reset.
Fuel Economy : The center
displays the approximate
instantaneous fuel economy as a number and bar graph. Displayed
above the bar graph is a running
average of fuel economy for the
most recently traveled selected
distance. Displayed below the bar
graph is the best average fuel
economy that has been achieved for
the selected distance. The selected
distance is displayed at the top of
the page as
“last xxx mi/km.”
Press
pto select the distance or
reset best value. Use
wandxto
choose the distance and press
V.
Press
wandxto select “Reset
Best Score.” Press
Vto reset the
best average fuel economy. After
reset, the best value displays “-,-”
until the selected distance has been
traveled.
The display provides information on
how current driving behavior affects
the running average and how well
recent driving compares to the best
that has been achieved for the
selected distance. Economy Trend :
Shows history of
the Average Fuel Economy from the
last 50 km (30 mi). Each bar
represents about 5 km (3 mi) of
driving. During driving the bars will
shift to always reflect the most
recent distance on the right side.
Press and hold
Vto clear the graph
or press
pto reset through
the menu.
Timer : This display can be used as
a timer. To start the timer, press
V
to open the menu while this display
is active. The display will show the
amount of time that has passed
since the timer was last reset. To
stop the timer, press
Vbriefly while
this display is active and the timer is
running. To reset the timer to zero,
press and hold
Vwhile this display
is active, or press
pand select
reset.

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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Instruments and Controls 131
system monitoring the oil life,
additional maintenance is
recommended in the Maintenance
Schedule. SeeMaintenance
Schedule 0360.
The Oil Life display must be reset
after each oil change. It will not
reset itself. Do not reset the Oil Life
display at any time other than when
the oil has just been changed.
It cannot be reset accurately until
the next oil change. To reset the
engine oil life system, press
Vwhile
this display is active to show a
confirmation window. Use
oorpto
select yes or no and press
V. See
Engine Oil Life System 0279.
Fuel Filter Life Remaining (Diesel
Engine Only) : If equipped, an
estimate of the fuel filter's remaining
useful life is shown. If 90% Fuel
Filter Life Remaining is displayed, it
means 90% of the current fuel filter
life remains. The fuel filter life
system will alert when to change the
fuel filter on a schedule consistent
with your driving conditions. When the remaining fuel filter life is
low, the CHANGE FUEL FILTER
message will appear on the display.
Change the fuel filter as soon as
possible.
The Fuel Filter Life display must be
reset after each Fuel Filter change.
It will not reset itself. Do not reset
the Fuel Filter Life display at any
time other than when the fuel filter
has just been changed. To reset the
Fuel Filter Life system press
V
while the display is active to show a
confirmation window to reset. Press
oorpto select yes or no and
press
V. See Fuel Filter
Replacement (Diesel) 0249.
Tire Pressure : Shows the
approximate pressures of all four
tires. Tire pressure is displayed in
either kilopascal (kPa) or in pounds
per square inch (psi). If the pressure
is low, the value for that tire is
shown in amber. See Tire Pressure
Monitor System 0315 and
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation
0 316. Average Speed :
Displays the
average vehicle speed of the
vehicle in kilometers per hour (km/h)
or miles per hour (mph). This
average is based on the various
vehicle speeds recorded since the
last reset. Reset the average speed
by pressing
Vwhile this display is
active to show a confirmation
window to select yes or no and
press
V.
Fuel Economy : The center
displays the approximate
instantaneous fuel economy as a
number and bar graph. Displayed
above the bar graph is a running
average of fuel economy for the
most recently traveled selected
distance. Displayed below the bar
graph is the best average fuel
economy that has been achieved for
the selected distance. The selected
distance is displayed at the top of
the page as “last xxx mi/km.”
Press
Vto select the distance or
reset best value. Use
wandxto
choose the distance and press
V.

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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162 Driving and Operating
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Driver Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Driving Environment . . . . . . . . . . 164
Vehicle Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Driving for Better FuelEconomy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Off-Road Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . 172
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 173
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 175
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . 180
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . 182 Stop/Start System . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Winter Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Parking over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Extended Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Running the Vehicle While Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Diesel Particulate Filter
Diesel Particulate Filter . . . . . . . 191
Diesel Exhaust Fluid
Diesel Exhaust Fluid . . . . . . . . . . 195
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 200
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Drive Systems
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Electric Parking Brake . . . . . . . . 205
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . 207
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Adaptive Cruise Control . . . . . . 214
Driver Assistance Systems
Driver Assistance Systems . . . 225
Assistance Systems forParking or Backing . . . . . . . . . . 226
Assistance Systems for Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Front Pedestrian Braking (FPB) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Lane Change Alert (LCA) . . . . . 236
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) . . . . . . 238

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Driving and Operating 163
Fuel
Top Tier Fuel (Gasoline) . . . . . . 241
Top Tier Fuel (Diesel) . . . . . . . . . 241
Recommended Fuel (LYX -1.5L L4 Turbo Engine) . . . . . . 241
Recommended Fuel (LTG -
2.0L L4 Turbo Engine) . . . . . . 242
Prohibited Fuels (Gasoline) . . . 242
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 242
Fuel Additives (Gasoline) . . . . . 243
Fuel Additives (Diesel) . . . . . . . 243
Fuel for Diesel Engines . . . . . . . 243
Biodiesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Cold Weather Operation (Diesel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Water in Fuel (Diesel) . . . . . . . . 245
Running Out of Fuel (Diesel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Fuel Filter Replacement (Diesel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Filling the Tank (Gasoline) . . . . 250
Filling the Tank (Diesel) . . . . . . . 251
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Trailer Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Driving Characteristics and Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254 Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Towing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Driving Information
Driver Behavior
Driving is an important
responsibility. Driver behavior, the
driving environment, and the
vehicle's design all affect how well a
vehicle performs.
Being aware of these factors can
help in understanding how the
vehicle handles and what can be
done to avoid many types of
crashes, including a rollover crash.
Most serious injuries and fatalities to
unbelted occupants can be reduced
or prevented by the use of seat
belts. In a rollover crash, an
unbelted person is significantly
more likely to die than a person
wearing a seat belt. In addition,
avoiding excessive speed, sudden
or abrupt turns, and drunken or
aggressive driving can help make
trips safer and avoid the possibility
of a crash.

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Driving and Operating 191
Warning (Continued)
.There are holes or openings
in the vehicle body from
damage or aftermarket
modifications that are not
completely sealed.
If unusual fumes are detected or
if it is suspected that exhaust is
coming into the vehicle: . Drive it only with the
windows completely down.
. Have the vehicle repaired
immediately.
Never park the vehicle with the
engine running in an enclosed
area such as a garage or a
building that has no fresh air
ventilation.
Running the Vehicle
While Parked
It is better not to park with the
engine running.
If the vehicle is left with the engine
running, follow the proper steps to
be sure the vehicle will not move.
See Shifting Into Park 0188 and
Engine Exhaust 0190.
If parking on a hill and pulling a
trailer, see Driving Characteristics
and Towing Tips 0254.
Diesel Particulate
Filter
The exhaust system has a Diesel
Particulate Filter (DPF) to reduce
vehicle emissions. On some
exhaust systems with a DPF, the
exhaust cooler mixes air with the
exhaust to lower the temperature
before it leaves the tailpipe.
The DPF, the tailpipe, and other
exhaust system components must
not be altered. Inspect regularly and
clean any mud or dirt from the
exhaust cooler, especially where the
exhaust cooler connects to the
tailpipe and the openings where
fresh air enters the cooler.
The DPF will clean itself as part of
normal operation. Several factors
including fuel consumed, hours of
engine operation, and miles driven
are monitored by the Engine Control
Module (ECM). The self-cleaning
occurs approximately once per tank
of fuel.

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192 Driving and Operating
Vehicles with the DPF have specific
fuel and engine oil requirements.
SeeFuel for Diesel Engines 0243
and
Engine Oil 0275.
Caution
Damage can occur to the DPF
components if the required Ultra
Low Sulfur Diesel (15 ppm sulfur
maximum) fuel and either CJ-4 or
CK-4 engine oil are not used.
This damage would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
Under certain conditions, such as
idling or very short trips, the
self-cleaning process has less
efficiency and cannot be completed.
To resolve this, continue driving
safely at a steady speed as close to
the posted speed limit as possible,
preferably without stopping, until the
message turns off. This can take up
to 30 minutes.
{Warning
During DPF self-cleaning or
during extended idling in P (Park),
the exhaust system and exhaust
gases are very hot. Things that
burn could touch hot exhaust
parts under the vehicle and ignite.
You or others could be burned.
Do not park, or idle for an
extended period of time, near or
over papers, leaves, dry grass,
or other things that can burn.
Keep the exhaust area clear of
material that could ignite or burn.
See Parking over Things That
Burn 0190.
Caution
Avoid extended idling because
the DPF system is not capable of
self-cleaning at idle. During
extended idling, monitor the
instrument cluster lights and DIC
(Continued)
Caution (Continued)
for messages and take
appropriate action. Continued
idling with the warning light/
message on could cause damage
to the DPF requiring repair and
possible replacement that might
not be covered by the vehicle
warranty.
During self-cleaning there will be a
change in the exhaust sound and
engine idle speed. Along with this, a
burning smell and reduction in fuel
economy may be noticed. This is
normal.
If the vehicle is idled or driven on
very short trips with the DPF
warning message on and the
exhaust filter is not cleaned as
required, the malfunction indicator
lamp and a DIC message will
display. See your dealer. Also see
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (Check
Engine Light) 0114.