Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13555863) - 2020 - CRC - 8/2/19
Keys, Doors, and Windows 27
To avoid setting off the alarm by
accident:
.Lock the vehicle after all
occupants have left the vehicle
and all doors are closed.
. Always unlock a door with the
RKE transmitter.
Unlocking the driver door with the
key will not disarm the system or
turn off the alarm.
How to Detect a Tamper
Condition
IfKis pressed on the RKE
transmitter and the horn chirps and
the lights flash three times, an alarm
occurred previously while the alarm
system was armed.
If the alarm has been activated, a
message will appear on the DIC.
Immobilizer
See Radio Frequency Statement
0 387.
Immobilizer Operation
This vehicle has a passive
theft-deterrent system.
The system does not have to be
manually armed or disarmed.
The vehicle is automatically
immobilized when the vehicle is
turned off.
The immobilization system is
disarmed when the ignition is on or
in ACC/ACCESSORY and a valid
transmitter is present in the vehicle.
The security light, in the instrument
cluster, comes on if there is a
problem with arming or disarming
the theft-deterrent system.
The system has one or more RKE
transmitters matched to an
immobilizer control unit in your
vehicle. Only a correctly matched RKE transmitter will start the
vehicle. If the transmitter is ever
damaged, you may not be able to
start your vehicle.
When trying to start the vehicle, the
security light may come on briefly
when the ignition is turned on.
If the engine does not start and the
security light stays on, there is a
problem with the system. Turn the
ignition off and try again.
If the vehicle will not change ignition
modes, and the RKE transmitter
appears to be undamaged, try
another transmitter. Or, you may try
placing the transmitter in the
cupholder. See
“Starting the Vehicle
with a Low Transmitter Battery” in
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
System Operation 08.
If the ignition mode will not change
with the other transmitter or in the
cupholder, your vehicle needs
service. If the ignition does change
modes, the first transmitter may be
faulty. See your dealer who can
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
182 Driving and Operating
ACC/ACCESSORY (Amber
Indicator Light)
This mode allows you to use some
electrical accessories when the
engine is off.
With the ignition off, pressing the
button one time without the brake
pedal applied will place the ignition
system in ACC/ACCESSORY.
The ignition will switch from ACC/
ACCESSORY to OFF after
five minutes to prevent battery
rundown.
ON/RUN/START (Green
Indicator Light)
This mode is for driving and starting.
With the ignition off and the brake
pedal applied, pressing the button
once will place the ignition system
in ON/RUN/START. Once engine
cranking begins, release the button.
Engine cranking will continue until
the engine starts. SeeStarting the
Engine 0182. The ignition will then
remain in ON/RUN.
Service Mode
This power mode is available for
service and diagnostics, and to
verify the proper operation of the
malfunction indicator lamp as may
be required for emission inspection
purposes. With the vehicle off and
the brake pedal not applied,
pressing and holding the button for
more than five seconds will place
the vehicle in Service Mode. The
instruments and audio systems will
operate as they do in ON/RUN, but
the vehicle will not be able to be
driven. The engine will not start in
Service Mode. Press the button
again to turn the vehicle off.
Starting the Engine
Move the shift lever to P (Park) or
N (Neutral). To restart the engine
when the vehicle is already moving,
use N (Neutral) only.
Caution
Do not try to shift to P (Park) if the
vehicle is moving. If you do, you
could damage the transmission.
Shift to P (Park) only when the
vehicle is stopped.
Caution
If you add electrical parts or
accessories, you could change
the way the engine operates. Any
resulting damage would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
See Add-On Electrical Equipment
0 263.
Gasoline Engine Starting
Procedure 1. With the Keyless Access system, the Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) transmitter must
be in the vehicle. Press
ENGINE START/STOP with the
Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13555863) - 2020 - CRC - 8/2/19
Index 407
Headlamps (cont'd)Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Front Turn Signal and Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
High Intensity Discharge (HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 122
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . 146
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . 123
Heated Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Steering Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Heated and Ventilated Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Heated Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Heater
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154, 156
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . 173
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . . . 207
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
How to Wear Seat Belts Properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 HVAC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154, 156
I
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Indicator
Pedestrian Ahead . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
Vehicle Ahead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
Infants and Young Children, Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Information Publication Ordering . . . . . . . . . . 386
Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . . . . 390
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . 102, 106
Instrument Panel Overview . . . . . . . 5
Interior Rearview Mirrors . . . . . . . . . 30
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
J
Jump Starting - North America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
K
Keyless Entry
Remote (RKE) System . . . . . . . . . . 8
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
L
Labeling, Tire Sidewall . . . . . . . . . . 308 Lamps
Courtesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Daytime Running (DRL) . . . . . . 146
Dome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Exterior Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Exterior Lighting BatterySaver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
License Plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298
Malfunction Indicator (Check Engine) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114
On Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Taillamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Lane Change Alert (LCA) . . . . . . . 236
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) . . . . . . . . 238
Lane Keep Assist Light . . . . . . . . . 118
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
LATCH System Replacing Parts after aCrash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
LATCH, Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
LED Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Lighting Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Exit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Illumination Control . . . . . . . . . . . 149