winter tires CHEVROLET EQUINOX 2020 Owner's Manual

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13555863) - 2020 - CRC - 8/2/19
174 Driving and Operating
{Warning
Coasting downhill in N (Neutral)
or with the ignition off is
dangerous. This can cause
overheating of the brakes and
loss of steering assist. Always
have the engine running and the
vehicle in gear.
. Drive at speeds that keep the
vehicle in its own lane. Do not
swing wide or cross the
center line.
. Be alert on top of hills;
something could be in your lane
(e.g., stalled car, crash).
. Pay attention to special road
signs (e.g., falling rocks area,
winding roads, long grades,
passing or no-passing zones)
and take appropriate action.
Winter Driving
Driving on Snow or Ice
Snow or ice between the tires and
the road creates less traction or
grip, so drive carefully. Wet ice can
occur at about 0 °C (32 °F) when
freezing rain begins to fall. Avoid
driving on wet ice or in freezing rain
until roads can be treated.
For Slippery Road Driving:
.Accelerate gently. Accelerating
too quickly causes the wheels to
spin and makes the surface
under the tires slick.
. Turn on Traction Control. See
Traction Control/Electronic
Stability Control 0208.
. The Antilock Brake System
(ABS) improves vehicle stability
during hard stops, but the
brakes should be applied sooner
than when on dry pavement.
See Antilock Brake System
(ABS) 0205. .
Allow greater following distance
and watch for slippery spots. Icy
patches can occur on otherwise
clear roads in shaded areas.
The surface of a curve or an
overpass can remain icy when
the surrounding roads are clear.
Avoid sudden steering
maneuvers and braking while
on ice.
. Turn off cruise control.
Blizzard Conditions
Stop the vehicle in a safe place and
signal for help. Stay with the vehicle
unless there is help nearby.
If possible, use Roadside
Assistance. See Roadside
Assistance Program 0381. To get
help and keep everyone in the
vehicle safe:
. Turn on the hazard warning
flashers.
. Tie a red cloth to an outside
mirror.

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13555863) - 2020 - CRC - 8/2/19
Vehicle Care 265
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 266
California Proposition65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . . 267
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your OwnService Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . 279
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . 280
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . . . 286
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Battery - North America . . . . . . 290
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291 Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . . . 291
Automatic Transmission Shift
Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Park Brake and P (Park)
Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . . . 292
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . 292
Windshield Replacement . . . . . 293
Gas Strut(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
High Intensity Discharge (HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
LED Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Front Turn Signal and Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Taillamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . . . 298
Electrical System
Electrical System Overload . . . 298
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . 299
Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299 Instrument Panel Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Rear Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
Wheels and Tires
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
All-Season Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . 308
Tire Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
Tire Terminology andDefinitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
Tire Pressure Monitor System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
Tire Pressure Monitor
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
Tire Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Tire Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
Different Size Tires and Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 326
Tire Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13555863) - 2020 - CRC - 8/2/19
308 Vehicle Care
performance on most road surfaces
and weather conditions. Original
equipment tires designed to GM's
specific tire performance criteria
have a TPC specification code
molded onto the sidewall. Original
equipment all-season tires can be
identified by the last two characters
of this TPC code, which will
be“MS.”
Consider installing winter tires on
the vehicle if frequent driving on
snow or ice-covered roads is
expected. All-season tires provide
adequate performance for most
winter driving conditions, but they
may not offer the same level of
traction or performance as winter
tires on snow or ice-covered roads.
See Winter Tires 0308.
Winter Tires
This vehicle was not originally
equipped with winter tires. Winter
tires are designed for increased
traction on snow and ice-covered
roads. Consider installing winter
tires on the vehicle if frequent
driving on ice or snow covered roads is expected. See your dealer
for details regarding winter tire
availability and proper tire selection.
Also, see
Buying New Tires 0322.
With winter tires, there may be
decreased dry road traction,
increased road noise, and shorter
tread life. After changing to winter
tires, be alert for changes in vehicle
handling and braking.
If using winter tires:
. Use tires of the same brand and
tread type on all four wheel
positions.
. Use only radial ply tires of the
same size, load range, and
speed rating as the original
equipment tires.
Winter tires with the same speed
rating as the original equipment tires
may not be available for H, V, W, Y,
and ZR speed rated tires. If winter
tires with a lower speed rating are
chosen, never exceed the tire's
maximum speed capability.
Tire Sidewall Labeling
Useful information about a tire is
molded into its sidewall. The
examples show a typical
passenger vehicle tire and a
compact spare tire sidewall.
Passenger (P-Metric) Tire Example
(1) Tire Size:The tire size is a
combination of letters and
numbers used to define a
particular tire's width, height,
aspect ratio, construction type,
and service description. See the
“Tire Size” illustration later in this
section.

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13555863) - 2020 - CRC - 8/2/19
Vehicle Care 323
necessary to replace only one
axle set of worn tires, place the
new tires on the rear axle.
Winter tires with the same speed
rating as the original equipment
tires may not be available for H,
V, W, Y and ZR speed rated
tires. Never exceed the winter
tires’maximum speed capability
when using winter tires with a
lower speed rating.
{Warning
Tires could explode during
improper service. Attempting
to mount or dismount a tire
could cause injury or death.
Only your dealer or authorized
tire service center should
mount or dismount the tires.
{Warning
Mixing tires of different sizes,
tread patterns, or types on the
same axle may cause loss of
control of the vehicle, resulting
in a crash or other vehicle
damage. Use the same size,
load range, and type of tires
as the original tires.
{Warning
Using bias-ply tires on the
vehicle may cause the wheel
rim flanges to develop cracks
after many miles of driving.
A tire and/or wheel could fail
suddenly and cause a crash.
Use only radial-ply tires with
the wheels on the vehicle.
If the vehicle tires must be
replaced with a tire that does not
have a TPC Spec number, make sure they are the same size,
load range, speed rating, and
construction (radial) as the
original tires.
Vehicles that have a tire
pressure monitoring system
could give an inaccurate
low-pressure warning if non-TPC
Spec rated tires are installed.
See
Tire Pressure Monitor
System 0315.
The Tire and Loading
Information label indicates the
original equipment tires on the
vehicle. See Vehicle Load Limits
0 176.
Different Size Tires and
Wheels
If wheels or tires are installed that
are a different size than the original
equipment wheels and tires, vehicle
performance, including its braking,
ride and handling characteristics,
stability, and resistance to rollover
may be affected. If the vehicle has
electronic systems such as antilock

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13555863) - 2020 - CRC - 8/2/19
324 Vehicle Care
brakes, rollover airbags, traction
control, electronic stability control,
or All-Wheel Drive, the performance
of these systems can also be
affected.
{Warning
If different sized wheels are used,
there may not be an acceptable
level of performance and safety if
tires not recommended for those
wheels are selected. This
increases the chance of a crash
and serious injury. Only use GM
specific wheel and tire systems
developed for the vehicle, and
have them properly installed by a
GM certified technician.
See Buying New Tires 0322 and
Accessories and Modifications
0 267.
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading
The following information relates
to the system developed by the
United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), which grades tires by
treadwear, traction, and
temperature performance. This
applies only to vehicles sold in
the United States. The grades
are molded on the sidewalls of
most passenger car tires. The
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
(UTQG) system does not apply
to deep tread, winter tires,
compact spare tires, tires with
nominal rim diameters of
10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm),
or to some limited-production
tires.
While the tires available on
General Motors passenger cars
and light trucks may vary with
respect to these grades, they
must also conform to federal safety requirements and
additional General Motors Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC)
standards.
Quality grades can be found
where applicable on the tire
sidewall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width. For
example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA
Temperature A
All Passenger Car Tires Must
Conform to Federal Safety
Requirements In Addition To
These Grades.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a
comparative rating based on the
wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a
specified government test
course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one and
one-half (1½) times as well on
the government course as a tire

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13555863) - 2020 - CRC - 8/2/19
382 Customer Information
.Lock-Out Service: Service to
unlock the vehicle if you are
locked out. A remote unlock may
be available if you have OnStar.
For security reasons, the driver
must present identification
before this service is given.
. Emergency Tow from a Public
Road or Highway: Tow to the
nearest Chevrolet dealer for
warranty service, or if the vehicle
was in a crash and cannot be
driven. Assistance is not given
when the vehicle is stuck in the
sand, mud, or snow.
. Flat Tire Change: Service to
change a flat tire with the spare
tire. The spare tire, if equipped,
must be in good condition and
properly inflated. It is the owner's
responsibility for the repair or
replacement of the tire if it is not
covered by the warranty.
. Battery Jump Start: Service to
jump start a dead battery.
. Trip Interruption Benefits and
Assistance: If your trip is
interrupted due to a warranty event, incidental expenses may
be reimbursed within the
Powertrain warranty period.
Items considered are reasonable
and customary hotel, meals,
rental car, or a vehicle being
delivered back to the customer,
up to 500 miles.
Services Not Included in
Roadside Assistance
.
Impound towing caused by
violation of any laws
. Legal fines
. Mounting, dismounting,
or changing of snow tires,
chains, or other traction devices
Service is not provided if a vehicle
is in an area that is not accessible
to the service vehicle or is not a
regularly traveled or maintained
public road, which includes ice and
winter roads. Off-road use is not
covered.
Services Specific to
Canadian-Purchased Vehicles
. Fuel Delivery: Reimbursement
is up to 7 liters. If available,
diesel fuel delivery may be
restricted. Propane and other
fuels are not provided through
this service.
. Lock-Out Service: Vehicle
registration is required.
. Trip Interruption Benefits and
Assistance: Must be over
150 km from where your trip was
started to qualify.
Pre-authorization, original
detailed receipts, and a copy of
the repair orders are required.
Once authorization has been
received, the Roadside
Assistance advisor will help to
make arrangements and explain
how to receive payment.
. Alternative Service: If
assistance cannot be provided
right away, the Roadside
Assistance advisor may give
permission to get local
emergency road service. You will

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13555863) - 2020 - CRC - 8/2/19
Index 403
Assistance Systems forParking and Backing . . . . . . . . . . 226
Auto Stop Stop/Start System . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Automatic Dimming Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Emergency Braking (AEB) . . . . 232
Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Automatic Transmission Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Shift Lock Control FunctionCheck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
B
BatteryExterior Lighting BatterySaver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Load Management . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Power Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Battery - North America . . . . 290, 341
Biodiesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Blade Replacement, Wiper . . . . . 292
Brake Parking, Electric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
System Warning Light . . . . . . . . .116 Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166 AutomaticEmergency (AEB) . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Braking System Front Pedestrian (FPB) . . . . . . . 234
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . 180
Bulb Replacement Front Turn Signal and FogLamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295, 296
High Intensity Discharge (HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . . . 298
Taillamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 California
Perchlorate Materials
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
California Proposition
65 Warning . . . . . . . . . .266, 290, 341, Back Cover
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . 2
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374
Carbon Monoxide
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Cargo Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Tie-Downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Caution, Danger, and Warning . . . . 3
Center Console Storage . . . . . . . . . 89
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
Charging Wireless . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . . 114
Check Engine Light (Malfunction
Indicator) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114
Child Restraints Infants and Young Children . . . . . 70

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13555863) - 2020 - CRC - 8/2/19
412 Index
Tires (cont'd)Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Pressure Monitor Operation . . 316
Pressure Monitor System . . . . . 315
Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Sealant and
Compressor Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
Sealant and Compressor Kit, Storing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Terminology and Definitions . . .311
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
Wheel Alignment and Tire
Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 326
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Top Tier Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Tow/Haul Mode Light . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Towing Driving Characteristics . . . . . . . . 254
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 254
Recreational Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . 346
Trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258 Towing (cont'd)
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344
Traction Control System
(TCS)/StabiliTrak Light . . . . . . 120
Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
Traction Control/Electronic Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Trailer
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Transmission Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Fluid, Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Transportation Program,
Courtesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
U
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . 324
Universal Remote System . . . . . . 140
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Using This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
V
Vehicle Alarm System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Vehicle (cont'd)
Canadian Owners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Identification Number (VIN) . . . 373
Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Personalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Remote Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Speed Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344
Vehicle Ahead Indicator . . . . . . . . 118
Vehicle Care Storing the Tire Sealantand Compressor Kit . . . . . . . . . 335
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
Vehicle Data Recording and
Privacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
Ventilation, Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
W
Wait to Start Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Warning Brake System Light . . . . . . . . . . . .116

Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13555863) - 2020 - CRC - 8/2/19
Index 413
Warning (cont'd)Caution and Danger . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Warnings Hazard Flashers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Water in Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Wheels Alignment and Tire Balance . . 325
Different Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323
Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
Where to Put the Restraint . . . . . . 74
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Windshield
Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Wiper/Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Winter Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . 292
Wipers
Rear Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Wireless Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98