
Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13555863) - 2020 - CRC - 8/2/19
Instruments and Controls 133
Coolant Temperature :Displays
the coolant temperature in degrees
Celsius (°C) or degrees Fahrenheit
(°F).
Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) Level
Percent (Diesel Engine Only) :
If equipped, 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.
Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) Level
Gauge (Diesel Engine Only) :
If equipped, the DEF level displays
as a horizontal bar gauge with E or
0 and F or 1 at both ends. If more of
the bar is filled green, the vehicle
has a higher level of DEF. When the
estimated level is low, the gauge will
turn red and LOW will display above
the bar. When there is an error, the
bar will be empty and
UNAVAILABLE will appear. When
LOW appears on the display, add
DEF as soon as possible. See
Diesel Exhaust Fluid 0195. Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) Range
(Diesel Engine Only) :
If equipped,
this page displays how far the
vehicle can go before DEF needs to
be replaced. Range is displayed in
mi or km. When the estimated range
is low, LOW will display. If an error
occurs, “−−”will display. When DEF
range is high, a greater than sign is
shown before the range value.
When LOW appears on the display,
add DEF as soon as possible. See
Diesel Exhaust Fluid 0195.Vehicle Messages
Messages displayed on the DIC
indicate the status of the vehicle or
some action that may be needed to
correct a condition. Multiple
messages may appear one after
another.
The messages that do not require
immediate action can be
acknowledged and cleared by
pressing
V. The messages that
require immediate action cannot be
cleared until that action is
performed.
All messages should be taken
seriously; clearing the message
does not correct the problem.
If a SERVICE message appears,
see your dealer.
Follow the instructions given in the
messages. The system displays
messages regarding the following
topics:
. Service Messages
. Fluid Levels
. Vehicle Security

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13555863) - 2020 - CRC - 8/2/19
134 Instruments and Controls
.Brakes
. Steering
. Ride Control Systems
. Driver Assistance Systems
. Cruise Control
. Lighting and Bulb Replacement
. Wiper/Washer Systems
. Doors and Windows
. Seat Belts
. Airbag Systems
. Engine and Transmission
. Tire Pressure
. Battery
Engine Power Messages
ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED
This message displays when the
vehicle's propulsion power is
reduced. A reduction in propulsion
power can affect the vehicle's ability
to accelerate. If this message is on,
but there is no observed reduction
in performance, proceed to your
destination. The performance may be reduced the next time the vehicle
is driven. The vehicle may be driven
while this message is on, but
maximum acceleration and speed
may be reduced. Anytime this
message stays on, or displays
repeatedly, the vehicle should be
taken to your dealer for service as
soon as possible.
Under certain operating conditions,
propulsion will be disabled. Try
restarting after the vehicle has been
off for 30 seconds.
Vehicle Speed Messages
SPEED LIMITED TO XXX KM/
H (MPH)
This message shows that the
vehicle speed has been limited to
the speed displayed. The limited
speed is a protection for various
propulsion and vehicle systems,
such as lubrication, thermal, brakes,
suspension, Teen Driver if
equipped, or tires.
If equipped with a diesel engine,
see
Diesel Exhaust Fluid 0195.
Vehicle
Personalization
The following are all possible
vehicle personalization features.
Depending on the vehicle, some
may not be available.
For System, Apps, and Personal
features and functions, see
“Settings” in the infotainment
manual.
To access the vehicle
personalization menu:
1. Touch the Settings icon on the Home Page of the infotainment
display.
2. Touch Vehicle to display a list of available options.
3. Touch to select the desired feature setting.
4. Touch
9orRto turn a feature
off or on.
5. Touch
zto go to the top level
of the Settings menu.

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13555863) - 2020 - CRC - 8/2/19
Instruments and Controls 135
The menu may contain the
following:
Rear Seat Reminder
This allows for a chime and a
message when the rear door has
been opened before or during
operation of the vehicle.
Touch Off or On.
Climate and Air Quality
Touch and the following may
display:
.Auto Fan Speed
. Air Quality Sensor
. Auto Cooled Seats
. Auto Heated Seats
. Auto Defog
. Auto Rear Defog
Auto Fan Speed
This setting specifies the amount of
airflow when the climate control fan
setting is Auto Fan.
Touch Low, Medium, or High. Air Quality Sensor
This setting switches the system
into Recirculation Mode based on
the quality of the outside air.
Touch Off, Low Sensitivity, or High
Sensitivity.
Auto Cooled Seats
When enabled, this feature will
automatically activate the ventilated
seats at the level required by the
interior temperature. See
Heated
and Ventilated Front Seats 043.
Touch Off or On.
Auto Heated Seats
When enabled, this feature will
automatically activate the heated
seats at the level required by the
interior temperature. The auto
heated seats can be turned off by
using the heated seat buttons on
the center console. See Heated and
Ventilated Front Seats 043.
Touch Off or On. Auto Defog
This setting automatically turns the
front defogger on when the engine
is started.
Touch Off or On.
Auto Rear Defog
This setting automatically turns the
rear defogger on when the engine is
started.
Touch Off or On.
Collision/Detection Systems
Touch and the following may
display:
.
Alert Type
. Forward Collision System
. Front Pedestrian Detection
. Adaptive Cruise Go Notifier
. Lane Change Alert
. Park Assist
. Rear Camera Park Assist
Symbols
. Rear Cross Traffic Alert

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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Instruments and Controls 137
Touch the controls on the
infotainment display to adjust the
volume.
Hands Free Liftgate Control
The liftgate may be operated with a
kicking motion under the rear
bumper between the left exhaust
pipe and the license plate. See
Liftgate021.
Touch Off, On-Open and Close,
or On-Open Only.
Reverse Tilt Mirror
When on, the driver and/or
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) or the
engine is turned off. See Reverse
Tilt Mirrors 029.
Touch Off, On - Driver and
Passenger, On - Driver, or On -
Passenger. Auto Wipe in Reverse Gear
When on and the front wiper is on,
the rear wiper will automatically
activate when the vehicle is shifted
to R (Reverse).
Touch Off or On.
Extended Hill Start Assist
This allows the duration of the Hill
Start Assist to be changed.
Touch Extended Hold or
Standard Hold.
Lighting
Touch and the following may
display:
.
Vehicle Locator Lights
. Exit Lighting
Vehicle Locator Lights
This feature will flash the exterior
lamps and allows some of the
exterior lamps and most of the
interior lamps to turn on briefly when
Kon the Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) transmitter is pressed to
locate the vehicle. Touch Off or On.
Exit Lighting
This allows the selection of how
long the exterior lamps stay on
when leaving the vehicle when it is
dark outside.
Touch Off, 30 Seconds, 60 Seconds,
or 120 Seconds.
Power Door Locks
Touch and the following may
display:
.
Open Door Anti Lockout
. Auto Door Unlock
. Delayed Door Lock
Open Door Anti Lock Out
When on, this feature will keep the
driver door from locking when the
door is open. If Off is selected, the
Delayed Door Lock menu will be
available.
Touch Off or On.

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13555863) - 2020 - CRC - 8/2/19
Lighting 147
When the DRL are on, the taillamps,
sidemarker lamps, instrument panel
lights, and other lamps will not be
on. The instrument cluster will be lit.
The DRL turn off when the
headlamps are turned to
Oor the
ignition is off. For vehicles first sold
in Canada, the DRL can only be
turned off when the vehicle is
parked.
The regular headlamp system
should be turned on when needed.
Automatic Headlamp
System
When the exterior lamp control is
set to AUTO and it is dark enough
outside, the headlamps come on
automatically.
There is a light sensor on top of the
instrument panel. Do not cover the
sensor; otherwise the headlamps
will come on when they are not
needed.
The system may also turn on the
headlamps when driving through a
parking garage or tunnel. When it is bright enough outside,
the headlamps will turn off or may
change to Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL).
The automatic headlamp system
turns off when the exterior lamp
control is turned to
Oor the ignition
is off.
Lights On with Wipers
If the windshield wipers are
activated in daylight with the engine
on, and the exterior lamp control is
in AUTO, the headlamps, parking
lamps, and other exterior lamps
come on. The transition time for the
lamps coming on varies based on
wiper speed. When the wipers are
not operating, these lamps turn off.
Move the exterior lamp control to
O
or;to disable this feature.

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13555863) - 2020 - CRC - 8/2/19
Lighting 151
Lighting Features
Entry Lighting
Some exterior lamps and interior
lamps turn on briefly at night, or in
areas with limited lighting, when
K
is pressed on the Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) transmitter. When a
door is opened, the interior lamps
come on. They stay on for about
20 seconds. When all of the doors
have been closed or the ignition is
turned on, they gradually fade out.
This feature can be changed. See
“Vehicle Locator Lights”under
Vehicle Personalization 0134.
Exit Lighting
Some exterior lamps and interior
lamps come on at night, or in areas
with limited lighting, when the driver
door is opened after the ignition is
turned off. The dome lamp comes
on after the ignition is turned off.
The exterior lamps and dome lamp
remain on for a set amount of time,
then automatically turn off. The exterior lamps turn off
immediately by turning the exterior
lamp control off.
This feature can be changed. See
Vehicle Personalization
0134.
Battery Load
Management
The vehicle has Electric Power
Management (EPM) that estimates
the battery's temperature and state
of charge. It then adjusts the voltage
for best performance and extended
life of the battery.
When the battery's state of charge
is low, the voltage is raised slightly
to quickly bring the charge back up.
When the state of charge is high,
the voltage is lowered slightly to
prevent overcharging. If the vehicle
has a voltmeter gauge or a voltage
display on the Driver Information
Center (DIC), you may see the
voltage move up or down. This is
normal. If there is a problem, an
alert will be displayed. The battery can be discharged at
idle if the electrical loads are very
high. This is true for all vehicles.
This is because the generator
(alternator) may not be spinning fast
enough at idle to produce all of the
power needed for very high
electrical loads.
A high electrical load occurs when
several of the following are on, such
as: headlamps, high beams, rear
window defogger, climate control fan
at high speed, heated seats, engine
cooling fans, trailer loads, and loads
plugged into accessory power
outlets.
EPM works to prevent excessive
discharge of the battery. It does this
by balancing the generator's output
and the vehicle's electrical needs.
It can increase engine idle speed to
generate more power whenever
needed. It can temporarily reduce
the power demands of some
accessories.
Normally, these actions occur in
steps or levels, without being
noticeable. In rare cases at the
highest levels of corrective action,

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13555863) - 2020 - CRC - 8/2/19
Infotainment System 153
Infotainment
System
Introduction
Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Introduction
Infotainment
See the infotainment manual for
information on the radio, audio
players, phone, navigation system,
and voice or speech recognition.
It also includes information on
settings.
Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)
If equipped, ANC reduces engine
noise in the vehicle’s interior. ANC
requires the factory-installed audio
system, radio, speakers, amplifier (if
equipped), induction system, and
exhaust system to work properly.
Deactivation is required by your
dealer if related aftermarket
equipment is installed.

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13555863) - 2020 - CRC - 8/2/19
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