Chevrolet Equinox Owners Manual
Initial Drive InformationIn Brief / Initial Drive Information
This section provides a brief overview about some of the important features that may or may not be on your specific vehicle.
For more detailed information, refer to each of the features which can be found later in this owner manual.
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System
The Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter may work up to 60m(195 ft) away from the vehicle.
Press this button to extend the key.
The key can be used for the ignition and all locks.
: Press to unlock the driver door or
For vehicles with the manual liftgate, press
twice within 5 seconds, to unlock the liftgate.
: Press to lock all doors.
Lock and unlock feedback can be personalized.
: For vehicles with the power liftgate,
until the liftgate begins
: Press and release to initiate vehicle
again
Remote Vehicle Start
With this feature the engine can be started from outside of the vehicle.
Starting the Vehicle
1. Press and release
on the Remote Keyless
2. Immediately press and hold 
for at
The parking lamps will turn on and remain on as long as the engine is running. The vehicle's doors will be locked.
3. The key must be inserted and turned to ON/RUN before driving.
The engine will shut off after 10 minutes unless a time extension is done or the key is inserted and turned to ON/RUN.
Canceling a Remote Start
To cancel a remote start, do one of the following:
• Press 
until the parking lamps turn
• Turn on the hazard warning flashers.
• Insert the key and turn it to ON/ RUN and then back to LOCK/OFF.
Door Locks
To lock or unlock the vehicle from the outside, press
or
on the Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter.
Base Radio Shown, Uplevel Similar
There is a power door lock switch on the instrument panel.
There are power door lock switches on the front door panels.
: Press to lock the doors.
: Press to unlock the doors.
To manually unlock a door from inside the vehicle, pull once on the door handle to unlock it, and a second time to open it.
Base Radio Shown, Uplevel Similar
: Press for Safety Locks.
Liftgate
Manual Liftgate Operation
Unlock the vehicle before opening the liftgate.
To open the liftgate, press the touch pad under the liftgate handle and lift up.
Do not press the touch pad while closing the liftgate. This may cause the liftgate to be unlatched.
Power Liftgate Operation
On vehicles with a power liftgate, the vehicle must be in P (Park) to use the power feature. The taillamps flash when the power liftgate moves.
Choose the power liftgate mode by turning the dial on the switch to either the 3/4 or MAX position.
Press 
to open or close the liftgate.
Windows
Press the front of the switch to lower the window. Pull the switch up to raise it.
Pushing or pulling the switch part of the way will open or close the window as long as the switch is operated.
Seat Adjustment
Four-Way Power Seat
1. Seat Position Handle
2. Height Adjustment Control
To adjust the seat, if equipped:
• Move the seat forward or rearward using the handle under the front of the seat cushion (1).
See Seat Adjustment on page 3‑3.
• Raise or lower the entire seat by moving the control (2) up or down.
Eight-Way Power Seat
To adjust a power seat, if equipped:
• Move the seat forward or rearward by sliding the control forward or rearward.
• Raise or lower the front part of the seat cushion by moving the front of the control
up or down.
• Raise or lower the entire seat by moving the rear of the control up or down.
Lumbar Adjustment
Eight-Way Power Seat Shown, Four-Way Similar
If available, press and hold the front or rear of the switch to increase or decrease lumbar support. Release the switch when the seatback reaches the desired level of lumbar support.
Reclining Seatbacks
Manual Reclining Seatbacks
To recline a manual seatback:
1. Lift the lever.
2. Move the seatback to the desired position, and then release the lever to lock
the seatback in place.
3. Push and pull on the seatback to make sure it is locked.
To return the seatback to the upright position:
1. Lift the lever fully without applying pressure to the seatback, and the seatback
will return to the upright position.
2. Push and pull on the seatback to make sure it is locked.
Power Reclining Seatbacks
To adjust a power seatback, if available:
• Tilt the top of the control rearward to recline.
• Tilt the top of the control forward to raise.
Memory Features
If available, the “1,” “2,” and MEM (Memory) buttons on the outboard side of the driver seat are used to manually save and recall the driver seat and outside mirror positions.
These manually stored positions are referred to as Button Memory positions.
The vehicle will also automatically save driver seat and outside mirror positions to the current driver Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter when the ignition is turned off. These automatically stored positions are referred to as RKE Memory positions.
Heated Seats
Uplevel Climate Control System Shown, Base Similar
If available, the buttons are near the climate controls. To operate, the ignition must be in ON/RUN.
Press 
or
to heat the driver or passenger seat cushion
Indicator lights on the button show the temperature setting.
Head Restraint Adjustment
Do not drive until the head restraints for all occupants are installed and adjusted properly.
To achieve a comfortable seating position, change the seatback recline angle as little as necessary while keeping the seat and the head restraint height in the proper position.
Safety Belts
Refer to the following sections for important information on how to use safety belts properly:
• Safety Belts.
• How to Wear Safety Belts Properly.
• Lap-Shoulder Belt.
• Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH System).
Passenger Sensing System
United States
Canada
The passenger sensing system will turn off the right front passenger frontal airbag under certain conditions. The driver airbag, seatmounted side impact airbags, and roof‐rail airbags are not affected by the passenger sensing system.
The passenger airbag status indicator will be visible on the overhead console when the vehicle is started. See Passenger Sensing System for more information.
Mirror Adjustment
Exterior
To adjust the mirrors:
1. Move the selector switch to L (Left) or R (Right) to choose the driver or
passenger mirror.
2. Press the arrows on the control pad to move each mirror in the desired direction.
3. Return the selector switch to the middle position.
Interior
Adjustment
Adjust the rearview mirror to clearly view the area behind the vehicle.
Manual Rearview Mirror
For vehicles with a manual rearview mirror, push the tab forward for daytime use and pull it rearward for nighttime use to avoid the glare of the headlamps from behind.
Automatic Dimming Rearview Mirror
Vehicles with an automatic dimming inside rearview mirror automatically reduce the glare of the headlamps from behind. The dimming feature comes on when the vehicle is started.
Steering Wheel Adjustment
To adjust the steering wheel:
1. Pull the lever down.
2. Move the steering wheel up or down.
3. Pull or push the steering wheel closer or away from you.
4. Pull the lever up to lock the steering wheel in place.
Do not adjust the steering wheel while driving.
Interior Lighting
Reading Lamps
These lamps are located on the overhead console. These lamps come on automatically when any door is opened.
For manual operation, press the button next to each lamp to turn it on or off.
Dome Lamps
There are front and rear dome lamps.
The dome lamp controls are located in the overhead console. To change the settings, press the following:
: Turns the lamp off, even when a door
: The lamps come on automatically when
: Turns the dome lamps on.
The dome lamps can also be turned on and off by pressing the buttons next to the lamps.
For more information on interior lighting.
Exterior Lighting
The exterior lamp control is on the turn signal lever.
: Turn to operate the exterior lamps.
: Briefly turn to this position to turn
AUTO: Turns the exterior lamps on and off automatically depending on the exterior light.
: Turns on the parking lamps, together
: Turns on the headlamps, together with
See:
• Exterior Lamp Controls<
. Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
. Fog Lamps
Windshield Wiper/Washer
The windshield wiper/washer lever is located on the right side of the steering column. With the ignition in ACC/ACCESSORY or ON/RUN/ START, move the windshield wiper lever to select the wiper speed.
HI: Use for fast wipes.
LO: Use for slow wipes.
INT: Move the lever up to INT for intermittent wipes, then turn the
INT band up for more frequent wipes or down
OFF: Use to turn the wipers off.
: For a single wipe, briefly move the wiper
FRONT: Pull the windshield wiper
Rear Window Wiper/Washer
The rear wiper controls are on the end of the windshield wiper lever.
ON: Press the upper portion of the button for continuous rear window wipes.
OFF: The rear wiper turns off when the button is returned to the middle position.
INT: Press the lower portion of the button to set a delay between wipes.
REAR: Push the windshield wiper lever
Climate Controls
The vehicle's heating, cooling, defrosting, and ventilation can be controlled with these systems.
Climate Control System
1. Fan Control
2. Air Delivery Mode Controls
3. Temperature Control
4. Outside Air
5. Front Defrost
6. Rear Window Defogger
7. Recirculation
8. Air Conditioning
Automatic Climate Control System
1. Fan Control
2. AUTO (Automatic Operation)
3. Air Delivery Mode Controls
4. Front Defrost
5. Recirculation
6. Temperature Control
7. Power
8. Driver and Passenger Heated Seats
9. Rear Window Defogger
10. Air Conditioning
Parking Brake
To set the parking brake, hold the regular brake pedal down, then push the parking brake pedal down.
If the ignition is on, the brake system warning light will come on.
To release the parking brake, hold the regular brake pedal down, then push down momentarily on the parking brake pedal until you feel the pedal release. Slowly pull your foot up off the park brake pedal.
Transmission
Electronic Range Select (ERS) Mode
ERS or manual mode allows for the selection of the range of gear positions. Use this mode when driving down hill or towing a trailer to limit the top gear and vehicle speed.
To use this feature:
1. Move the shift lever to M(Manual Mode).
2. Press the plus/minus button on the shift lever, to increase or decrease the gear
range available.
Fuel Economy Mode
Vehicles with a 2.4L engine have a Fuel Economy Mode. When engaged, fuel economy mode can improve the vehicle's fuel economy.
Press the “eco” (economy) button by the shift lever to turn this feature on or off. The “eco” light in the instrument cluster will come on when engaged, and a Driver Information Center (DIC) message “ECO MODE ON” displays.
