Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14420010) - 2021 - CRC - 11/10/20
Lighting 119
Hazard Warning Flashers
|:Press to make the front and rear turn
signal lamps flash on and off. This warns
others that you are having trouble.
Press
|again to turn the flashers off.
Turn and Lane-Change Signals
Move the lever all the way up or down to
signal a turn.
An arrow on the instrument cluster flashes
in the direction of the turn or lane change.
Raise or lower the lever until the arrow
starts to flash to signal a lane change. Hold
it there until the lane change is completed.
If the lever is briefly pressed and released,
the turn signal flashes three times.
The turn and lane-change signal can be
turned off manually by moving the lever
back to its original position.
If after signaling a turn or lane change, the
arrow flashes rapidly or does not come on, a
signal bulb may be burned out. Replace any burned out bulbs. If a bulb is
not burned out, check the fuse. See
Fuses
and Circuit Breakers 0273.
Fog Lamps
The ignition and parking lamps or
headlamps must be on for the front fog
lamps to work.
If equipped, the front fog lamps provide
extra illumination to the sides of the road
and improve visibility in fog or snow.
#:Press to turn the fog lamps on or off.
An indicator light on the instrument cluster
comes on when the fog lamps are on.
Some localities have laws that require the
headlamps to be on along with the fog
lamps.
Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14420010) - 2021 - CRC - 11/10/20
250 Vehicle Care
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
California Proposition 65 Warning . . . . . 251
California Perchlorate MaterialsRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . 252
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your Own Service Work . . . . . . . . . 252
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . 254
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . 258
Engine Air Filter Life System . . . . . . . . . . 258
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Battery - North America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266 All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Automatic Transmission Shift Lock
Control Function Check (If
Equipped) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Park Brake and P (Park) Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Windshield Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Gas Strut(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269Headlamp Aiming
Front Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
High Intensity Discharge (HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
LED Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Front Turn Signal and Fog Lamps . . . . . . 271
Taillamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Electrical System
Electrical System Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . 274
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . 276
Rear Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . 278
Wheels and Tires
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
All-Season Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Tire Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Tire Terminology and Definitions . . . . . . 283
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Tire Pressure Monitor System . . . . . . . . . 286
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation . . . . . . 286
Tire Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Tire Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . 291
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Different Size Tires and Wheels . . . . . . . 293
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . 293
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . 294
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14420010) - 2021 - CRC - 11/10/20
272 Vehicle Care
6. Turn the bulb socket counterclockwiseand pull it out.
7. Pull the bulb straight out of the socket.
8. Install the new bulb.
9. Push the bulb socket in and turn it clockwise.
10. Reverse Steps 2–5 to reinstall the lamp assembly.
License Plate Lamp
Lamp Assembly
Bulb Assembly
1. Bulb Socket
2. Bulb
3. Lamp Assembly
To replace one of these bulbs:
1. Open the liftgate partway. See Liftgate
0 18.
2. Push the lamp assembly outboard to remove.
3. Pull the lamp assembly down to remove it from the liftgate.
4. Turn the bulb socket (1) counterclockwise to remove it from the lamp assembly (3).
5. Pull the bulb (2) straight out of the bulb socket (1). 6. Push the replacement bulb straight into
the bulb socket and turn the bulb socket
clockwise to install it into the lamp
assembly.
7. Push the lamp assembly into the liftgate engaging the clip side first.
8. Push on the lamp side opposite the clip until the lamp assembly snaps into place.
Electrical System
Electrical System Overload
The vehicle has fuses and circuit breakers to
protect against an electrical system
overload.
When the electrical load current is too
heavy, the circuit breaker opens and closes,
protecting the circuit until the current load
returns to normal or the problem is fixed.
This greatly reduces the chance of circuit
overload and fire caused by electrical
problems.
Replace a bad fuse with a new one of the
identical size and rating.
Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14420010) - 2021 - CRC - 11/10/20
Vehicle Care 273
If there is a problem on the road and a fuse
needs to be replaced, the same amperage
fuse can be borrowed. Choose some feature
of the vehicle that is not needed to use and
replace it as soon as possible.
Headlamp Wiring
An electrical overload may cause the lamps
to go on and off, or in some cases to
remain off. Have the headlamp wiring
checked right away if the lamps go on and
off or remain off.
Windshield Wipers
If the wiper motor overheats due to heavy
snow or ice, the windshield wipers will stop
until the motor cools and will then restart.
Although the circuit is protected from
electrical overload, overload due to heavy
snow or ice may cause wiper linkage
damage. Always clear ice and heavy snow
from the windshield before using the
windshield wipers.
If the overload is caused by an electrical
problem and not snow or ice, be sure to get
it fixed.
Fuses and Circuit Breakers
The wiring circuits in the vehicle are
protected from short circuits by a
combination of fuses and circuit breakers.
This greatly reduces the chance of damage
caused by electrical problems.
{Danger
Fuses and circuit breakers are marked
with their ampere rating. Do not exceed
the specified amperage rating when
replacing fuses and circuit breakers. Use
of an oversized fuse or circuit breaker can
result in a vehicle fire. You and others
could be seriously injured or killed.
{Warning
Installation or use of fuses that do not
meet GM’s original fuse specifications is
dangerous. The fuses could fail, and result
in a fire. You or others could be injured
or killed, and the vehicle could be
damaged.
See Accessories and Modifications 0252 and
General Information 0251.
To check a fuse, look at the silver-colored
band inside the fuse. If the band is broken
or melted, replace the fuse. Be sure to
replace a bad fuse with a new one of the
identical size and rating.
Fuses of the same amperage can be
temporarily borrowed from another fuse
location, if a fuse goes out. Replace the fuse
as soon as possible.
There is a fuse puller in the engine
compartment fuse block. It can be used to
easily remove fuses from the fuse block.
Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14420010) - 2021 - CRC - 11/10/20
278 Vehicle Care
Circuit Breakers UsageCB1 –
CB2 Auxiliary power outlet console
Rear Compartment Fuse Block
The rear compartment fuse block is behind a
trim panel on the side of the rear
compartment.
Remove the trim plate to access the fuse
block.
The vehicle may not be equipped with all of
the fuses and relays shown.
Fuses Usage
F1 –
F2 Liftgate
Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14420010) - 2021 - CRC - 11/10/20
360 Index
Driving (cont'd)If the Vehicle is Stuck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Impaired . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Off-Road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Driving the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Dual Automatic Climate Control System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
E
Electric Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Electric Parking Brake Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Electrical Equipment, Add-On . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Electrical System
Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . 274
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Rear Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . 278
Emergency OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350 Engine
Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Check Light (Malfunction Indicator) . . . . . 94
Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Oil Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Engine Air Filter Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Equipment, Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Extended Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Extender, Seat Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Exterior Lighting Battery Saver . . . . . . . . . . . 122
F
Filter,
Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295 Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
Fluid Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Folding Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . 230
Frequency Statement Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Front Pedestrian Braking (FPB) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Front Seats Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Heated and Ventilated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
14420010) - 2021 - CRC - 11/10/20
Index 361
FuelAdditives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Economy, Driving for Better . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . 241
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Foreign Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Prohibited Fuels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Recommended . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Top Tier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Fuses Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . 274
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Rear Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . 278
G
Garage Door Opener . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Gas Strut(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Gauges
Engine Coolant Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Gauges (cont'd)
Warning Lights and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . 85
General Information Service and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Global Positioning System (GPS) . . . . . . . . . .147
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
GM Mobility Reimbursement
Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .341
Guidance Problems with the Route . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
H
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
HD Radio Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . 118
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Front Turn Signal and Fog Lamps . . . . . . . 271
High Intensity Discharge (HID)Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Headlamps (cont'd)
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Heated Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Steering Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Heated and Ventilated Front Seats . . . . . . . .35
Heated Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Heater
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177, 179
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
How to Wear Seat Belts Properly . . . . . . . . . 40
HVAC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177, 179
I
If the System Needs Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Indicator Pedestrian Ahead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Vehicle Ahead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Infants and Young Children, Restraints . . . . 58